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Liked It “The brother who’s not dead leaves a creature that hates witches to guard his sister, who just happens to be a witch. And the sister’s not happy. The fact that the creature hating her is the image of everything desirable in a man might have something to do with that. But soon the fact that her...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“The brother who’s not dead leaves a creature that hates witches to guard his sister, who just happens to be a witch. And the sister’s not happy. The fact that the creature hating her is the image of everything desirable in a man might have something to do with that. But soon the fact that her apartment’s under attack from screaming demons and she’s on the run, still with the enormously desirable, enormously forbidden guardian, gives her no time to consider how to react.
Sheila Deeth wrote this review Wednesday, September 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Carolyn Jewel’s novel leaves no doubt how her characters feel about each other. And the misunderstandings about who and what might be bad, who’s enslaving whom, and definitions of entrapment, etc. can’t hide them from their love.
My Forbidden Desire always knows where it’s going. It creates an intricate and fascinating world, peoples it with flawed and wonderful characters, and tells a fascinating tale of passion and intrigue. A fun, exciting read.
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“If I had to describe this book in as few words as possible I would say it is a scandalous Harlequin novel meets Charmed. It is paranormal romance with a heavy dose of down 'n dirty. But it is fun and I did get drawn in.
Juju wrote this review Friday, August 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
For my full review please visit: http://talesofwhimsy.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-forbidden-desire.html”
“I can't say I really enjoyed this book, but I can't say I disliked it either. Reading a story about modern witches and demons is a first for me. Characters in this book use a lot of magic, but I think most of it is not visible; it's all in the mind with one's magic being able to elicit physiological symptoms and bodily reactions, whether these are desirable ones or painful ones. Magic is used to push, to pull, to guard, to take over... there are all sorts of neat tricks.
Linda Ellen wrote this review Monday, August 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Despite Alexandrine and Xia's initial feelings for each other, their attraction for one another starts off as a physical one, even a magical one. They're shallow and call each other names, but their circumstances make it a bad idea for them to be separated. They then depend on each other for their own survival and go out of their way for the other. Their relationship moves forward, but I find there's something lacking in their romance, and I'm not even talking about the love-hate scenario that we come across rather often as readers and movie-goers, and even in our own lives.
I personally didn't like some of the language being used. There are some terms and expressions I might need to look up on Urban Dictionary and some swearing which I find is sometimes overdone. It may be appropriate for action scenes or the "all-guy" scenes, but it takes away from the romance. Expressions like "move it, buster" or "righty-o" just seem misplaced and even unnecessary, especially when characters are in a crisis. The wording of some passages even made me raise an eyebrow. The pacing of the story is very good, but I find the characters lack a certain depth to them. I'm saying this because while I was reading, I didn't care for Alexandrine and Xia as much as I could have (ouch) but learning more about how their magical world kept me reading, but that's just me.
My Forbidden Desire is actually the second book, following My Wicked Enemy. I didn't read the first one, but I didn't feel lost while reading this one. The cover of this book has been seen in the blogosphere quite a lot. If you like paranormal romances, give this one a try.”
“Find my review at http://lyraroses.blogspot.com”
Lyra Rose wrote this review Friday, July 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book was just okay for me. I felt like I was lacking background info - so about 1/2 way through I went searching to see if there was an earlier book - and BINGO - this is the sequel to My Wicked Enemy. I think it would be much easier to get into this book if you read My Wicked Enemy first! That would have made a huge difference for me - as I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how certain characters played into the storyline. I have a feeling much of this background is explained in the first book.”
Kristi (Books and Needlepoint) wrote this review Sunday, July 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was fortunate enough to get a review copy of My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel and to be invited to participate in the blog tour associated with the book. I have to say that I have been getting some pretty hot review copies lately, and My Forbidden Desire was no exception. The cover alone was a good indication that I was going to be getting into some pretty explicit reading, so I wasn’t surprised when that turned out to be the case (and would likely have been had the reading stayed tame). However, the book didn’t start out with any egregious sex or nudity; indeed, it began with a confrontation between two siblings.
Trish R wrote this review Sunday, July 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
In the opening chapter Harsh (star of the first book in this series, My Wicked Enemy), is having a heated discussion with his little sister, Alexandrine. Harsh is doing his best to protect his sister from an evil mage (who happens to be her father); however, Alexandrine is resisting. She is a witch who is used to taking care of herself. Not to mention the fact that she has believed her older brother to be dead for years, and simply isn’t prepared for him to step back into the role of protector so quickly. Unfortunately, he is older, stronger, and unwilling to take no for an answer, and he leaves Alexandrine little choice but to accept his offer of protection.
Making her brother’s intrusion into her life even harder to swallow is the fact that his idea of protection comes in the guise of a warrior named Xia. While Xia owes loyalty to Harsh, he hates witches with every fiber of his being. And when he discovers the truth of Alexandrine’s parentage, she ranks slightly below slime in his eyes. This is because Xia has personal history with the mage who is Alexandrine’s sire, and though he agrees to protect her, it is not entirely willingly.
On top of this, Alexandrine is in the midst of enduring some pretty strange psychological side effects from a talisman she has been wearing for several months. Indeed, it is much like Golem in The Lord of the Rings. She is unable (or unwilling) to take it off, is strangely possessive of it and doesn’t want anyone else touching it, and, (the kicker) it appears to be awakening new and unpredictable magic inside of her.
All of these variables add up to a fiery and tension-charged romance, which is as unpredictable as it is intense. While attempting to protect her life, Xia must come to terms with the depth of his feeling for Alexandrine. And he struggles to reconcile his adoration for her personally with his soul encompassing hatred for what she is, a witch. And Alexandrine must come to terms with her mysterious beginnings in order to fully harness the true power that burns within her being. There are times that you wonder how the two of them can pull it off and still retain the parts of them that make them who they are. All in all, My Forbidden Desire was an entertaining tale of unexpected love. It wasn’t the best book I have read this summer, but it was far from the worst. 3 ½ stars. ”
“This is actually the second book in a series but I found it fine to just jump in although by the end of the book you will probably want to go back and check out Jewel's other book in the series, My Wicked Enemy. Alexandrine was the perfect mix of vulnerability and ability to kick some butt. I really enjoyed her story although sometimes you do really want to strangle Xia and some of the other demons butts over their pig headed hatred of mages and witches as a whole. I get that there are evil ones out there killing and enslaving demons but really that is like saying all demons are horrible (although maybe they would agree?). Either way the chemistry between Alexandrine and Xia is smoking! For those that love paranormal romances this is one to check out.”
Debbie S wrote this review Wednesday, June 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed this book so much more than My Wicked Enemy. It was great!”
Leigh Ann B wrote this review Friday, June 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Alexandrine Marit was adopted as a young child, so she had noone to ask questions about her premonitions, which were always true. As an adult, she found a group of people who had similar magical powers, and they researched to find out more about their world and other magekind like them. What they found led Alexandrine on a journey to find her birth father, where she is given an amulet by a woman who claims that it was her father's. Alexandrine finds that she doesn't want to take the amulet off, that she feels weaker if she even trys, and her magic seems to be stronger with it on. News of her possession of this powerful artifact starts to draw many unsavory creatures to her who absolutely will try to kill her to gain the powerful talisman. The one who is trying to protect her may be the one that she has to watch out for. Xia is tall, dark, incredibly dangerous, and totally her type, aside from the fact that he is a powerful demon that hates witches.
BookReviewsByDebra wrote this review Thursday, May 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
My Forbidden Desire is an exciting book about a witch in a world like the one we live in. She is strong and very likable, and it is interesting to observe how she reacts when she finds out that all of the stories she has read about witches, mages, and demons are true. Xia, the dangerous bad boy on his motorcycle is thrilling, and the desire that draws the two of them together sends sparks flying. If you are intrigued by the paranormal, or looking for some sizzling romance, I highly recommend reading this book!
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