The Forbidden

Wow this is why we love Jodi Ellen Malpas, she has taken this taboo subject matter and incorporated it into a beautifully written story. The Forbidden is a captivating read from the very beginning and it becomes even more so when Jack and Annie meet each other. Nothing is forced, it's a beautiful moment and it feels meant to be... even this early on. Unfortunately and it comes as a shock, Jack is married... it's the first of many shocks, however Jack and Annie can't stay away from each other. Now J.E.M isn't giving much away about Jack but one things for sure we know he's in a loveless marriage, one he should never have entered, Stephanie's behaviour is odd, something's not right even his friend Richard confirms as much. What are the chances... Jack and Annie having to work together on a project, it's as if fate and destiny are purposely bringing them together. Since meeting Annie, Jack realises even more so that his marriage to Stephanie is very wrong but he stays with her because of her unpredictable and manipulating behaviour. Every situation is different and we are all quick to judge and this happens to Annie, she becomes that women... the other woman, this is why they keep their relationship a secret. The Forbidden intensifies as Jack and Annie are forced to sneak around, grabbing moments here and there, apart from Richard nobody knows and at this stage they make do because they know they can't do much else. There are times when Annie try's to jeopardise their relationship because she knows it's wrong but to be honest it's only wrong in everybody else's eyes certainly not in jacks. Let's face it, Jack is or was hardly a serial cheater he just met the women he was meant to be with all along. As Jack and Annie's relationship continues you have to wonder how things will work in their favour, after all couldn't Jack just walk away from Stephanie it seems simple enough but it's not because Stephanie is a liability and he needs to tread carefully. You know it's only a matter of time before something happens that will complicate things add to that the secrecy that surrounds Jack and Annie and it feels like The Forbidden becomes just that The Forbidden... when it comes to the big reveal Stephanie beats Annie to it and this comes as another shock... what now! From this moment on this story has you completely riveted, it's gets emotional in parts and its a worrying time for obvious reasons and the only consultation is Annie's friends now know but with a Stephanie waiting in the wings you know it's not over yet...oh dear. It's absolute chaos as Stephanie does her worst and we wait with bated breath for the outcombe we've been hoping for. The Forbidden is a very thought provoking story and it's J.E.M at her best... loved the ending..!!

Oh my! I have loved reading all about Annie and Jack, I feel we went on this Forbidden Journey with them both, felt all the emotions they did, and as hard as it is to feel that this should not have been such an enjoyable and heartfelt read, it really was. The whole forbidden premise was a tough one to read and I'm sure will cause a hellava lot of debate, and whilst I do not condone the situation I do believe that there is someone for everyone, be it boy, girl, married, divorced or separated. Once you find The One, you will endure everything thrown at in the way to spend time together. YES it was wrong, and they both knew and felt that to be true, but lke moths to a flame, nothing was going to stop the attraction they both really fell hard for each other. It was so beautifully written, you pulled me under the spell of Jack and Annie, had me holding on for the ride of their lives, you gave the readers hope, that their love would take the prize. Whatever the cost and flipping heck, there were some beautiful loving times, some hard and fast loving times, throw the biggest secret they both have had to deal with, and you most definitely ripped out hearts out and slowly and surely repaired it, to make it whole again. As a wife, I would be devastated as a best friend, I would be upset with their choices, but I would hear their story and make my own judgments. And I've seen the devastation a situation like this can bring, but have then been around to see the love and happiness taking root, transforming the couple, dealing with life head on and ironing out the wrinkles along the way. Going in with an open mind, to then be blind-sided by the love that shone so bright. I'm really glad with how things turned out they were without doubt, stronger after tacking their life issues head on, and coming out the other side, all be it slightly broken for a while. A fantastic job Jodi, and you can really tell it came from the heart. Such lovely words, lovely story with love, angst, anger, frustration, admiration and great friendships. 5 Giant Strawberry Stars

Enjoyable characters and good plot from one pov and one timeline which I prefer to other types. Really enjoyable passionate and lots of highs and lows. It would have been nice to have an epilogue to see later on in their stories, maybe even Stephanie the wife getting her own bit at the end.

Once again JEM delivers and another mind blowing story that has you up into the early hours of the morning. She once again sets the bar high with another dreamy alpha male character in the shape of Jack Joseph with a penchant for big jelly strawbs. The Forbidden is just that, it's a situation that is morally wrong. This time around Jem keeps it real. She writes about a situation anyone could find themselves in. Touches on several subjects that most people have an opinion about. You will feel yourself dividend for much of the book, but damn if it doesn't make for addictive reading. In usual JEM style the book is off the charts, kindle melting hot. I think Jack could now be my #1 alpha of hers; because he is just an ordinary guy living an ordinary life. Told from a first POV; the book starts off steady paced as we get to know the characters. This book has all the trappings of the usual JEM sense of humour and wit. Loved the secondary characters, even when you felt they were being judgemental rather than supportive. Annie Ryan was a tough talking, strong career minded woman who won't be controlled by a man. JEM is notorious for her 'take no prisoners' female MCs and once again she's on point with this one. I read through the last 30% of the book like I was on speed! Determined no one was interrupting me until I'd got my HEA! Some of the events in the book you can see coming but as usual there is always the odd twist in there too! Loved this book and if you're a JEM fanatic, you will too.

This an honest, heart wrenching, gutsy novel and honestly I spent probably a quarter of it feeling conflicted and feeling like I was being pushed out of my comfort zone a little! But they say outside of the comfort zone is where the magic happens and truly it does! Jodi tackled a somewhat taboo subject with grit and passion and flipped it on its head. Annie from the outset is a strong, ambitious and fiercely independent lady who has a lovely group of friends and family around her. What I’m trying to get across is, she’s normal, she’s a nice girl, she’s not a manipulative bitch. She’s one of these that so far has gone through life without experiencing that ‘spark’, that undeniable passion and chemistry that only comes along when fate decides. And fate decides that that man will be Jack. A gorgeous, chiseled, hunk of a man who is not just sexy as hell but has a lot in common with ‘Architect Annie’. Jodi’s writing gave me a sense of darkness from him, some sort of danger but it still came as a shock to me when the story unravelled itself.. I had had a couple of ideas for The Forbidden and what the premise could be about and I was totally wrong footed! I won’t give the game away as going in blindly to reading The Forbidden is the best way to ride the roller-coaster of emotion. As always Jodi’s writing paints a perfect picture in your minds eye of everyone and everything and in this case a very real world where shit happens and you just have to follow your heart and deal with it in the best way that you can. I loved both Annie and Jack and that hotel room scene? HOTTEST scene I think I have EVER read! Kudos to you Jodi, that was frickin insane in the best way! Go and read it, you will NOT be dissapointed I promise!

The feels! Oh the feels! It has been a very long time since I have picked up a book and been completely consumed by it and finished it in one sitting but The Forbidden did just that. From page one Annie had me hooked, I fell for her instantly. The way her character is written makes it near impossible to not to fall in love with her, her and her friends. She is head strong, fierce and knows what she wants out of life. She has a job that she loves and is happy devoting her hours to designing breath taking buildings for her clients. Enter Jack. Jack is enough to make any woman fall to her knees. He is dominating, possessive and gorgeous. The chemistry between Annie and Jack oozes off the page from the moment they meet and only grows and intensifies the longer they are in each other's company. Look up passion inn the dictionary and I am certain there will be a picture of these two! Their story isn't easy, but what good story is? The Forbidden theme is not one I condone but everyone's circumstances are different and I would never judge anyone for making a hard choice. This is the kind of story that you pick up because you know how good Jodi's writing is but you keep reading it because you need to know where she is going to take you. The story is complicated and captivating and it will make you feel. Your heart will become permanently lodged in your throat due to all kinds of emotions, that or it will threaten to beat out of your chest! Be prepared, once you pick up this book, to forget about life. To forget the world carrying on around you and to threaten people who try to distract you from the story. You will be consumed, you will want to devour the whole book and you will feel everything this amazing story has to offer! I just wish I could give it more stars!

I loved it. I hated it. But I totally loved it. A rollercoaster of emotions, sometimes car crash and OTT (which I loved every minute of!!). All in all very well written, unputdownable (actually I had to put it down and walk away several times or throw ipad at the wall but only for two minutes) and underpinning it all was what you'll do for real love. Although I loved both characters, Annie I couldn't decide if she was actually so brave, self sacrificing and beyond understanding with incredible ability to play the long game and accept the heartache that she therefore incurred in how she stuck it out waiting on Jack to finally make the right decision or was she just a hopeless woman in love living in hope he might someday make the right call. And Jack, I did love Jack but he made me so cross with his behaviour and apparent disrespect for Annie. He dragged the wait out and left Annie crumbs of his time! Grrr so many things made me cross with how he was seemingly carrying on with normal behaviour in his other life! But I suppose this is how it is if this was a real life situation. I loved The Forbidden, Jodi at her best since This Man, and highly recommend it. More of the same please Ms Malpas but please don't make us wait so long.

This book completely took me by surprise. I wanted to read something unconventional and different and it’s been a while since I laid my eyes on this. I was hesitant to start it although I’ve heard only great things about it. Love triangles, infidelity, adultery, broken families are not my thing and such storylines usually drive me crazy, but something pulled me to this book and the whole forbidden side of it. I absolutely didn’t expect the things that hit me. I was expecting a sexy read with lots of sex, hot affair and scorching passion, which I got. The beginning was so explosive and I thought that this would be another as hell read, and it was, only after one moment the things became very emotional and serious. I loved the way the whole story was written and the powerful message behind it which is completely different from everything I read so far, but I loved nonetheless. We all anathemize those who cheat and we put them names, but in fact there are 2 sides to each story and sometimes the things are not how they look from the outside. All the insecurities, the fears what would people say, the stolen moments, the helplessness of the situation, the craving to be with the other and the painful realization that you can’t – there was too much psychology behind that story, which I expected. What I didn’t expect was the emotional part that happened after the middle and the action-packed ending. I was hardly able to turn the pages to read further because my heart was in my throat and I wanted to slap them both and scream at them and hug them at the same time. Definitely serious nail biting involved and a great explosion of emotions. One moment brought me to tears which rarely happens lately…Maybe because I had a similar experience in my life and I know the feeling and the excruciating pain that comes with it, but I still think it was immaculately written. I truly loved the characters, their strength and courage to fight for what they wanted. Jack was the typical alpha, domineering male with a bit of a soft spot to him. I liked his sincerity and openness. He was in the fire between his wife and lover trying to balance the situation in order to get out of it in the best way possible. I had a few moments I wanted to kick him in the balls for not being man enough to do the right thing. I wish we had some chapters from his POV on so many occasions in the book. I really missed his voice and his insight on the story. Annie was a truly strong heroine – feisty, determined, ambitious and smart. All qualities I love in a female lead. I admired her strength and patience in the given situation and she was a truly remarkable character. I absolutely didn’t think I would love that book to such extent and I admit that I stared it very hesitantly having in mind the storyline about the forbidden man, but love is love and you never know what road will lead you there, so things are not only black and white, there is a whole lot of grey… This book made me think over a lot of things. Maybe even took me out of my comfort zone, made me see the things from a different angle and leave all my prejudice behind. I don’t think everyone would be OK with that story. You have to be really open-minded for it, but it’s so worth it at the end. It’s not your typical sugarcoated, sweet, love story, but it’s a love story nonetheless and love could be rough and edgy sometimes, but that makes it so much sweeter at the end. A beautiful, very realistic, a bit painful and with a shade of bitter-sweet, but well written and captivating book.