Forbidden (edition 2012)

This review can also be found on my blog.

Jacquelyn Frank's first book in her new series The World of Nightwalkers is nothing short of amazing. The journey into her world of paranormal beings and yet more prophesies blended with ancient Egyptian mythology will draw you in and leave you wanting more.

I don't know how she does it, but Ms Frank has managed to pen yet another captivating story steeped in mythology and surrounded it with the world of Nightwalkers that we've come to know from her other series. There are new players on the board, new heroes and heroines to meet and fall in love with and new enemies to fear. The story begins with familiar friends. Bella finds a new prophecy and it's the catalyst that begins the tale of Docia and Ram.

Docia is an ordinary woman with an ordinary life, in an ordinary town, in an ordinary job. And then she dies. But her story doesn't end there. The revelations are nothing short of exciting and fascinating. I particularly liked the ties to Ancient Egypt in this story. She's a good person to her core. She doesn't lean towards hysterical outbreaks when faced with incredible facts, nor is she inclined to buck against the alpha who shadows her every step for her protection. In short, she was my kind of heroine.

Ram. One word to describe him would be flawless. A sense of duty and honor are ingrained in him. Therefore when he finds himself inexplicably attracted to Docia, he must resist his feelings for she technically belongs to another. Not just anyone, but his best friend and King. The more time he spends with Docia, the hotter they burn for one another.

The smart-mouthed duo had some great lines. It was like listening to friends bicker at each other to cover up the underlying (sexual) attraction between them. The author has an uncanny ability to lull you into complacency by drawing your focus into the moment only to throw in a wicked twist. It reaches out like an invisible hand that slaps you across the face leaving you stunned and nearly close to tears. Even her way of conveying the love scenes – they're like poetry. Ms Frank is a master seductress with words. She describes every emotion and act that will make you swoon long after the words have faded and the book has come to an end. I can't wait for the next book!

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley for the ARC. ( )

This review is also available on My Fiction Nook.

Since I can't seem to decide between three and four stars, I'll give it three and a half, rounded up. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you why this book didn't work as well for me as Ms. Frank's Nightwalker series.

There is a good attempt in the beginning of the book to tie Forbidden to the previous series, as Bella works in the Nightwalker library and muses about other Nightwalker breeds that are still unknown to them. It reads like an introduction to the world, but for anyone to know what's being talked about, one has to have read the Nightwalker series first.

From there, we jump directly into an introduction to Docia who's on her way to work and chatting to her brother on her cell phone, when a car veers too close to her and she has to more or less jump off the bridge she is on. Oh, and it's winter. The water is frigid. Caught between life and death, a voice talks to her and offers her a chance to live - by becoming a host to one of the Bodywalkers. Docia agrees, and is subsquently rescued from the river.

Once she gets home from the hospital, her brother is reluctant to leave her alone, considering that he knows the accident on the bridge wasn't actually an accident, but Docia asserts herself and sends him away.

At this point, a male enters the picture, introduces himself as Ram and whisks Docia away to safety. He's not saying much about why and whatfor, and Docia is understandably not happy about it.

From there, the story unfolds fully, and Ms. Frank introduces the mythology behind the Bodywalkers, bit by bit, while letting Ram and Docia have the hots for each other, try not to have the hots for each other, and then eventually giving in to having the hots for each other.

The romance parts were reminiscent of previous books I've read by this author, and she succeeds again in making it very emotional and swoony. The intimate scenes are well described and invoke clear images, yet never drift too far from being romantic and emotional.

I also very much like the Egyptian mythology used for this breed of Nightwalkers, and how the factions evolved. There was plenty of action as well, which again was nicely done, and a sub-plot developing romance between Jackson (Docia's brother) and his police-assigned shrink.

The book also produced a couple of O.O moments where Ms. Frank surprised me with where she was taking the plot, but the final resolution was, while foreshadowed and then expected, not my cup of tea.

Oh - I really like the Djinn. She was a bit of comic relief, but also served to move the romance between Docia and Ram forward.

The writing is in the same style as the previous books I've read by this author. It's not overly flowery but definitely in the style of a romance novel, interspersed with action scenes. It's an easily read writing style, something that just flows, which makes it a quick read, and a good book to curl up with on a cold day.

What didn't really work for me:

The heroine's name. Docia? Considering her brother is named Jackson, her name was a bit too fancy for my taste. I kept wondering if it was short for something else, but couldn't think of anything.

The ending. That was just a wee bit too tidy for me. Yes, it made sense, but I also could see it coming after Docia's revelation. It was nearly too much of a neat little bow, but I suppose this had to happen for there to be a next book, which is already in the works.

Overall, this was a good book. I enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to the next installment of this series.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: I want book 2 NOW, enough said.

Opening Sentence: “Ow. Ow. Ow. And did I mention ow?”

The Review:

Thought I would get a head start on this book for my next review yesterday at 5 pm and when I look up next it was after midnight and the book was finished. I literally couldn’t put this book down. I missed dinner and even forgot to put a load of clothes in to wash. So you have been warned up front that this story is enough to get absolutely lost in.

Now some people might see that this is a spin off series and wonder if they can jump head long into this world with out the original series. Yes, with no qualms or stipulations. I am sorry to say that this is my first Jacquelyn Frank book and boy what I have been missing out on if this is the caliber of writing that she is giving to readers.

Docia, our heroine, is minding her own business headed to work when she is pushed off a bridge and killed. As she is dying she is taken to The Ether which is a place where humans are granted the opportunity to host a Nightwalker. After Docia accepts that she wants to live and will host this Nightwalker, she is granted a second chance at life.

Ram, our hero, comes charging in to save Docia as she wanders the streets after being released from hospital. He informs her that he has been sent as her guide and protector. Then tops it off saying she is his Queen. Sweet introduction if I do say so, Ms. Frank.

Both of these characters are so well rounded and developed there were times that I could nearly anticipate their actions because I felt I knew them both.

Docia’s brother, Jackson is a nearly overwhelming secondary character but I’m pleased that he will be getting his very own book, Forever. The exchanges between Docia and Jackson at the beginning remind me very much of exchanges I have seen in tightly knit families. Ms. Frank knocked this one out of the park.

I appreciated the glossary and pronunciation table at the beginning of the book because I didn’t have to wonder if the words I was hearing in my head were correct or not.

So finally, should you add this to your book collections? Absolutely! Will I read book 2 in this series? Absolutely! Am a a Jacquelyn Frank fan now? Most definitely!

Notable Scene:

“My queen?”

He was addressing her, she realized, stifling a bit of a giggle. Yet there was something thrilling and empowering to hear one so beautiful and so obviously powerful address her as though she were somehow greater than he, as if he were possibly subservient to her.

She opened her mouth, but she honestly didn’t know how to respond–not only to such an address, but to the way he had come to her assistance overall. And then there was a moment, standing there in the golden aura of strength and hardness that was emanating from him, when she wondered if her attacker had been the frying pan and her savior was, actually, the fire. It kind of felt that way. Just a little. Seeing as how he now stood over her with a bloody knife in his hand.

FTC Advisory: Ballantine/Random House provided me with a copy of Forbidden. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Forbidden is the start of a new series 'Bodywalkers'. It seems that souls wait out there in the ether waiting on human hosts - that they then join with and basically share their body for the life of the human host. When the human dies the soul then floats back to the ether and waits on it's next human body to co-habitate.

While this could be an interesting plot line I wasn't all that warmed up to it. To me, this sharing of bodies between two distinct people suggests that someone is not going to really be happy in the end. But I like Jacquelyn Frank's writing style and forged ahead with this novel. I did find little interaction / chemistry between the lead h / h, or maybe the story was just a little dull most of the way thru.

The forbidden relationship that was developing did not strike me as all that conflict building that it was supposed to be. I found it fairly early on that things were not as they were suggested and I was not proved wrong. ( )

This was a DNF for me. Solid premise but the story just did not click.