Forbidden by Christina Phillips
Historical Paranormal Romance
September 7, 2010
Trade Paperback, 324 Pages
Berkley Heat

Reviewed by Mandi

Favorite Quote: Gods, if he didn’t get relief soon, his balls would explode.

Carys, a powerful Druid can’t help herself as she watches a very sexy Roman centurion, her enemy, bathe in a waterfall. She is mesmerized by him, although she she thinks she is being sly hiding, he discovers her watching. It is lust at first sight for both of them, but their lust is complicated. They come from opposing sides – both trying to decimate the other. If she were to become enslaved by the Romans, bloodshed of an extreme magnitude would erupt. But they cannot deny the other and they will soon discover there is a greater evil that lurks out in the beyond, waiting to destroy them all.

What really drew me to Forbidden is the cover. I think it is beautiful, but it also deceived me. This is a Berkley Heat book, and I should have expected erotic sex to be a big part of it – but the pretty, unique, modest cover made me forgot about the “heat” part. So when I read the first few pages of the book, and the hero is bathing in a waterfall as the heroine secretly watches and rubs her boobies on a tree to get off, I was a little taken aback. In fact, the first quarter of the book is all about the hero with his balls about to explode, and an engorged shaft that makes it difficult to walk. It was a little excessive, although damn sexy. However, the hormones do calm down a bit and after I finished the book, I can look back and enjoy the explicit beginning much more.

Christina Phillips gives us quite a fun, adventurous story that I really ended up enjoying. Maximus is described as barbaric by his enemies, but it is actually a pretty accurate term. Maybe I should say he is a “barbaric gentleman.” He has the “she is mine forever” attitude pretty much from the moment he spies Carys, and it takes a lot for him to let her go at the beginning – but he does act with honor. Carys is no virgin and wants at her Roman. I enjoyed her as a heroine – she is not shy in telling him what she wants, and although their people are enemies, and they have a lot riding against them, their love story is pretty straight forward and mature.

Carys has to hide the fact that she is a druid from him, and for as smart as Maximus claims to be, I thought he might have figured it out sooner than he did. There are some big clues he conveniently doesn’t pursue for a good part of the story. I also thought a bigger confrontation between the two of them when he did discover what she truly is should have played out in a more dramatic fashion.

There is an excellent villain in this book, one that you will love to hate. Also, the supporting characters, in particular Maximus’ friend, is set up well and I really want his story, which comes out in the sequel.

Forbidden starts with a bang – literally. Then calms down and there is a nice plot, and still quite steamy action. Christina Phillips has a nice voice and I look forward to more from her.

Rating: 3.5/5

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – B
Goodreads

This series includes:
Forbidden
Captive – February 2011

Author’s Website.

Christina Phillips will be back later this morning for a chat!