Customer Reviews

Forbidden

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If you like romance, adventure, and a story that has a soul this one is for you. The maincharacters Kayla and Cal are deeply attracted to each other at first site but upon learning that Kayla is his presumed dead brother's fiance she becomes "forbidden." Throughout the rest of the novel the characters struggle to discover whether Cal's brother is really dead or not, and if family loyalty is worth the sacrifice of true love. I really enjoyed this book and I felt empathy for the dilemma Carl had to come to terms with. Where is the line drawn between the happiness of a family member and the self? I also like how Liam, the brother, is portrayed as someone worthy of love too, it makes his brother's devotion all the more believable. Read the book and find out!

This is a re-release of a book that was originally published in 1997.

Two years ago Kayla's good friend Liam proposed to her right before heading to war-torn San Salustiano. He never returned. Kayla had a hard time accepting his death and as a result never went to his memorial service given by his brother, Cal.

Now she has new information about Liam and leaves her Boston home to head to Cal's ranch in Montana to ask for his help. The two meet unexpectedly when he rescues her and the chemistry between the two is immediate and strong.

This was a good story with some unexpected depth. Kayla has had a tragic event in her past and Ms. Brockmann does a remarkable job of showing how Kayla dealt with then and is still dealing with it today.

Usually with these re-releases the books can seem a little dated and silly; I didn't find that to be the case at all with this story. It was a fairly easy read at just 245 pages, but the content was surprisingly rich; I laughed and I got misty eyed a few times. The sexual tension between Kayla and Cal is palpable, they make a good team. Their adventures in Sal Salustiano make the story as adventurous and interesting as it is romantic and at times tragic.

Kayla Grey learns that her friend, investigative reporter Liam Bartlett, who was reported dead while on assignment in a Caribbean bus explosion, may actually be alive. She travels from Boston to Montana to elicit the help of Liam's brother. Cal Bartlett is a true cowboy, who has played a caretaker role to Liam since the death of their parents. Cal dedicated his life to ensuring that Liam got everything he ever wanted. Lost in a freak storm, Kayla is rescued by Cal, who is immediately smitten with her. When he discovers her true identity, he realizes that she's the woman Liam wanted to marry, so she is off limits. He is resistant to her story that Liam is alive - not a wound he wants to reopen - but reluctantly travels to San Salustiano to rescue the reportedly captive Liam. With a corrupt government in place, they aren't sure who to trust in San Salustiano. Along the way, the two fall deeply in love. Both have scars so deep, that they constantly find themselves in temptation. Not knowing whether Liam is still alive, they finally give in to their passion, while Cal wrestles with his guilt at likelihood of losing his brother all over again.

Originally released in 1997, there is nothing dated about this story, and Brockmann proves that even without a SEAL, she can write a compelling story. The romance between Kayla and Cal is heartbreaking. They exude so much chemistry, and Brockmann wisely keeps the two apart as long as possible to create an incredible romantic tension between the two, and drawing out the fate of Liam to add to the tension, ensuring that a sequel to tie up loose ends will follow (and it does).

Like others I usually groan when I realize I am reading a re-release. I am not usually impressed. This was surprisingly good. Lots of action, tons of chemistry between the 2 leads. I really like both characters. It was a quick, easy read, that kept me entertained til the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of Brockmann's Troubleshooter, Inc. and SEAL Teams 10 and 16 books. This was quite different from them, but every bit as enjoyable and a very fast read.

The hero and heroine are compelling and interesting without being predictable or stereotypical. The adventure was exciting and had twists & turns that kept me reading well into the late night/early morning. Like the previous reviewer, I loved how the brother was a good guy, too and they found a more real solution to the "Forbidden" conflict than good brother/bad brother.

No spoilers.....As this book was re-released and is a "skinny" (245 pages book), I did not expect much from it. I was pleasantly surprised. This book caught my attention and held it throughout the book. The characters also were well developed which I find rare in skinny books. Just noticed there is another book that follows this one entitled "Freedom's Price" that I now plan to buy.

I only recently found Suzanne Brockmann and can only say I highly recommend her "Troubleshooter" series. They are amazing!!! They hold a reader's interest and the depth to which she develops each character is spectacular. Just be aware, there are now fifteen in the series and are all connected and should be read in order. There are a lot of characters that emerge and develop from prior books. In fact, on Brockmann's website, she has an index of characters to help readers recall them from prior books.

Happy reading!

Okay so I like the Navy Seal Series and Troubleshooter series and hard to top those. In this book, I really liked Cal but just couldn't warm up to Kayla. I'm all for independent women but she had to run everything and she was just a pain to me. I wouldn't have chosen her personality for Cal at all. There are parts of the book a bit unbeleivable but still makes an okay story for a quick read!

This was a great read, originally published in 1997 and at just 245 pages, Brockmann still manages to spin a surprisingly deep adventure story. Our hero here is a true-blue Montana cowboy, however that doesn't stop him from going all Troubleshooter-ish in the hunt for his imprisoned brother. Throw in a corrupt foreign government, assorted spies, bad guys and a heartbreaking romance, that although doomed from the beginning exudes so much sexual chemistry you just gotta hope, maybe, somehow... Well lets just say its unputdownable.

When Kayla Grey learns that her fiancé might not have been killed while on assignment in war-torn San Salustiano but is in fact being held prisoner, she travels to Montana to enlist the help of Liam's older brother Cal Bartlett. In the hopes of, if not rescue then at least closure.

Caught in a freak snowstorm on her way to the Bartlett ranch, Kayla's first meeting with Cal is during her own rescue. As she thaws out in front of the fireplace the pair are immediately and inexplicably drawn to each other and this is one sexy scene. Quickly extinguished however when Cal learns that she was engaged to his brother. Now Cal only see's Kayla as `forbidden' This doesn't stop the sparks from continuing to fly between them though.

Because Kayla's information is based on a rumour from a stranger Cal is initially resistant to the idea that his brother might still be alive. He also doesn't know if he could bear the pain of losing Liam all over again if the reported sighting are false. Of course the bottom line is he can't let Kayla go on her own. This is when the story really takes off; with motorcycle chases through the jungle, bullets flying and palpable sexual tension. Yeehaw, this is one cowboy I enjoyed seeing on a motorcycle.

As our pair grows closer to each other and finding Liam, Cal becomes increasingly torn between guilt and longing. If they do somehow find his brother alive now, he'll lose the woman he loves. And isn't it heartbreaking to see a hero not afraid to cry.

My only problem with this book was the abrupt resolution to a great story. It would have been nice if we'd been allowed another 20 pages to flesh out what could have been a super exciting ending.

I love Suzanne Brockmann's series but this book is boring, no life to either the female or male lead role. The plot might have had a chance if the lead roles could have had a discussion without all the " heavy breathing and gazing" at each other. I couldn't finish the book and wouldn't recommend for anyone.Forbidden (Bartlett Family)

I love Suz Brockmann - she's my idol, but I think this book was written without her usual attention to detail, character development, etc. Disappointing. Took me about an hour to read the entire thing.