Forbidden: House of Sin #1

First, let me tell you that this story definitely has a cliffhanger and it is my understanding that it will take 3 books for the author to tell readers the whole story. That being said, let’s get to the review of the first House of Sin story - Forbidden: Elizabeth Naughton always creates wonderful characters full of depth and characteristics that ensure that readers really want to get to know them and learn their stories, so you can be sure that while this book is different from her other paranormal or romantic suspense stories, the characters will captivate you from the very beginning and hold you hostage until the end. There is wonderful electrifying chemistry between the hero and heroine and the story if full of anticipation building suspense that keeps readers engaged and on the edge of their seats with twists and turns to keep them guessing. Although, I must say that I found Forbidden to be a bit on the slow side in regards to the pace of the story, the House of Sin serial is off to a great start as I was completely caught up in the events taking place and getting to know the characters, so I am definitley looking forward to reading the rest of the story, luckily the release schedule means I don’t have to wait too long in between the three parts, so until next time….

Wow! This book was like the best kind of crazy, drag you in and hold you hostage wild! I’m generally not a fan of BDSM and I suspected this story might involve it with a series titled House Of Sin. But I love what I’ve read from this author in the past and the blurb was just too hard to resist. I expected a sex club with friends of the hero who would be dominant and dark. I did not expect what I found within these pages. Natalie is looking for answers to her friend’s death and ends up in the sphere of the Salvaciti men. As her mind races from one potential suspect to another she finds herself in the company of Luc with all his dominating force. She’s a strong independent woman with no need to submit herself to any man. But what she finds with Luc has her eager and willing…until she realizes she may have allowed herself to become just like her friend. This book really rocked me. I lost myself down the dark and twisted path that this couple traveled. As a witness to Natalie’s fall, I sensed the traps that could snap up and ensnare her when she didn’t. However, Luc’s point of view was a reprieve from the worse of my concern. Unfortunately, there is a deep dark secret that threatens not only him but Natalie as well and as the reader I was on pins a needles waiting for that secret to loom up and swallow me whole. I absolutely loved this story, these characters, the darkness of every secondary character introduced because you didn’t know their agenda, and the buildup of tension and angst. It’s not a particularly fast read but you don’t want to skim because every line is full of emotion or needed information. I knew going in it was a cliffhanger so I had braced myself but oh Lord! I didn’t realize how hard it was going to hit me. I need the next book NOW! P.S. Second book is planned to release three weeks after Forbidden I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Season Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.25 stars--FORBIDDEN is the first instalment in Elisabeth Naughton’s contemporary, adult HOUSE OF SIN dark, erotic, romantic suspense series focusing on twenty-four year old, American Natalie James, and thirty-two year old Italian businessman Luciano Salvatici’s story line. NOTE: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers. Told from dual first person perspectives (Luc and Natalie) FORBIDDEN is a dark, erotic romance story line that follows the building but contemptuous relationship between Luc Salvatici and Natalie James. Natalie James have never been to New York but a interview with the House of Salvatici and its fashion magazine COVET meant Natalie would have access to everything her best friend Elena had so cryptically mentioned in the weeks before her sudden death. Meeting Luciano Salvatici (aka the beast) found our heroine unwittingly drawn to the dark and mysterious CEO, a man whose instant dislike for Natalie disguised an urgency to protect her from the monsters within. What ensues is the acrimonious but highly sexual relationship between Luc and Natalie, and the fall-out as the Salvatici family history demands payment and submission from all those who dare to seek the truth. FORBIDDEN is a story that covertly and slowly reveals a dark and dangerous family secret going back hundreds of years that continues go grow in strength to the present day. The blackened, sexual nature of the family history threatens all those who dare the cross their paths, including our heroine who has inadvertently stumbled down the rabbit hole into a world that is about to destroy her life. Warned numerous times not to tread outside of the lines, our heroine’s constant need to prove she was beyond the reach of mere, mortal men finds herself in the line of fire, threatening her very existence and the heart she lost to Luciano Salvatici. Elisabeth Naughton pulls the reader into a shadow society that plays by its own rules; a family so deeply immersed into domination, power and control their own son struggles to move on from the past. The premise is dark, dramatic, erotic and intriguing; the characters are colorful, charismatic, and astonishing; the romance is fated, passionate and tragic. FORBIDDEN is a familiar story line but a story line I am desperate to see follow through.