The Forbidden

by Jodi Ellen Malpas

[Cocktails and Books]

This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books

I will admit, the premise of this book will turn some people off.  The author even admits that some may run the other direction when they find out.  But I have to say, this was an angsty, gut-wrenching read that was undeniably hard to put down and to deny this couple wasn't meant for each other.

Annie was determined to make a name for herself as an architect.  She had no time for romantic entanglements.  She had her business and her best friends...in her mind that was all she needed.  Until the night she met Jack at a bar.  He was charming, made her laugh and she was unbelievably attracted to him.  That attraction led to an unbelievable night and Annie's world turning upside down.

When we first meet Annie in the book, she came across as a little cold.  She was happy with how life and putting it into the little boxes she had carved out for it.  But when she met Jack, she came alive.  She flirted and laughed, I enjoyed this Annie.  And when she met Jack outside the pub and had that explosive night, there was not denying the chemistry they had.  I didn't want Annie to let go of Jack or what she felt when she was with him.  And I was devastated right there with her when she found out Jack's secret.

I have never, nor would I ever, condone someone cheating.  In my opinion, if you feel the need to be with someone else you should leave the person you're with.  And when Jack's marriage came out, I was a little betrayed.  But as the story unfolded and we saw more into Jack's married life I could understand why he chased after Annie when he wasn't truly free.  

Love doesn't always come at the most convenient time and I imagine the desperation and the need to hold onto something good could make you do something you normally wouldn't do.  Jack's desperation was almost a secondary character at times.  He was stuck and was blinded as to how to get out of the mess he was in (given the state of his wife, maybe he knew she was walking a thin line).

I think of all the JEM books I've read, this one is one of my favorites.  Jack and Annie don't have an easy road.  They are sometimes their own worst enemies.  But their love was one you couldn't deny and I was desperate for them to some way, shape or form, find their happily ever after.