Review originally posted at Fiction Vixen in March of 2018 by Angela

Hurts to Love You by Alisha Rai
Forbidden Hearts #3
Contemporary Romance
Published March 27, 2018

Hurts to Love You is officially the last book in the Forbidden Hearts series by Alisha Rai, and guys… I am so sad right now. I’m going to miss this family with all their secrets, achingly sexy forbidden relationships and tangled, messy history SO MUCH.

The last book features Gabe, Eve and a forced proximity trope that I ate up with a spoon. There is a wedding (you get to guess the couple) and that means all the Kanes and Chandlers are heading up to a big house in the middle of nowhere for several days until the nuptials. Only, all kinds of mishaps and last-minute things happen to delay everyone except Gabe and Eve. So, they are alone. All alone. What could possibly happen?

Gabe is, of course, Livvy’s boss and one of her best friends. He doesn’t do relationships, but he has had a thing for Eve for several months. He knows nothing can come of it, not just because he’s over a decade older than Eve, but also because he is the son of the former Kane housekeeper and anything to do between Kanes and Chandlers is messy and complicated. But he wants her and being around her only makes him want her more.

Eve is slowly finding ways to work through years of emotional abuse at the hands of her father. She is finally free of the family company and has ideas about starting a business of her own. For the last several months she’s been working as a Ryde driver and really believes she can start her own ride sharing app and make it better. She does have a guilty secret lately, and it’s that she’s been waiting around for Gabe to leave his favorite bar so that when he logs on to Ryde she’s the one who’ll be available. He doesn’t know it’s Eve who he’s been paying to drive him home recently, he thinks it’s a woman named Anne. She knows she should tell him who she really is, but being around him when he doesn’t realize it’s the youngest Chandler sibling is so addicting. And all Eve wants to do is be near him as much as possible.

YOU GUYS THERE ARE SO MANY SECRETS REVEALED IN THIS BOOK. Kane secrets, Kane/Chandler secrets, Eve secrets, Gabe secrets, just so, so many secrets. Every single question you had after reading the first book gets answered. You’ll even be surprised a few times. I know I was. I’m trying real hard here not to spoil anything, just be rest assured that all the delicious secrets come tumbling down and good stuff happens.

Despite both of the previous books in this series being high on the drama and angst scale, Gabe and Eve are more low-key. There is a little bit of should we/shouldn’t we and maybe he wants me/maybe he doesn’t going on, but it never felt over the top in a grasp your chest you can’t take anymore of this heartache kind of way like Livvy and Nicholas or holy sheezus these two are so forbidden and yet so damn sexy kind of way like Sadia and Jackson. They are more of a subtle, quiet couple. Just as sexy when they finally do the deed and fall into bed, but I wasn’t as emotionally wrecked while they were figuring out their issues and their ups and downs weren’t extremely dramatic. I liked.

This is a family I will remember for years to come and a series I will place on my keeper shelf, coming back to again and again when I need a comfort read. I wouldn’t recommend reading Hurts to Love You as a standalone. This series is intricately plotted and there is so much joy to be had seeing a broken family find their way back together again. I highly recommend the entire Forbidden Hearts series.

Final Grade-B+

Favorite Quote:

No,” she said, her voice raspy. “I liked it. I wanted to take you deeper.”
The confession was soft, and he shuddered, pushing her panties down her legs. “Next time. You can deep throat me next time.” He heard what he was saying and almost slapped himself.