HURTS TO LOVE YOU
Series: Forbidden Hearts #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alisha Rai
Release Date: March 27, 2018

Being bad never felt so good, in the third novel in Alisha Rai’s sexy Forbidden Hearts series!

Well-behaved women don’t lust after men who love to misbehave.

Heiress Evangeline Chandler knows how to keep a secret . . . like her life-long crush on the tattooed hottie who just happens to be her big brother’s friend. She’s a Chandler, after all, and Chandlers don’t hook up with the help. Then again, they also don’t disobey their fathers and quit their respectable jobs, so good-girl rules may no longer apply.

Gabriel Hunter hides the pain of his past behind a smile, but he can’t hide his sudden attraction to his friend’s sheltered little sister. Eve is far too sweet to accept anything less than forever and there’s no chance of a future between the son of a housekeeper and the town’s resident princess.

When a wedding party forces Eve and Gabe into tight quarters, keeping their hands off each other will be as hard as keeping their clothes on. The need that draws them together is stronger than the forces that should shove them apart . . . but their sparks may not survive the explosion when long-buried secrets are finally unearthed.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

Well-behaved women don’t lust after men who love to misbehave.

I immediately fell hard for Alisha Rai’s writing when I first read Wrong to Need You. Her slow paced, character driven stories are not my usual cuppa, but they never to fail to have me glued to the pages. Her characters are unique without any of the typical OTT flare that you’d find in most romance novels these days. They don’t need it. They’re raw, and real, and feel like someone you know or would meet in real life. There’s something just so refreshing about that, that it immediately clicked with me.

Hurts To Love You is the third and final book in the Forbidden Hearts series, and while it’s a standalone with a different couple, I still highly recommend reading the rest of the series first. There’s so much history with these families that may be lost on a new reader and not enjoyed as thoroughly having read the rest of the books. Evangeline is the youngest Chandler sibling and sister to Nicholas from Hate to Want You. She’s the shy, soft-spoken and unassuming one. But still waters certainly run deep with her, because this a woman that harbors plenty of secrets and desires. Her biggest? Her unrequited love for Nicholas’s friend, Gabriel Hunter. Gabriel is rough around the edges, tatted, and completely off limits to her. Even if he didn’t make it clear to her all those years ago that he’s not interested in her, she can’t help how she feels.

Gabriel is a man with secrets of his own. One, are his own lustful feelings towards the beautiful Evangeline. The other is so scandalous, it can ultimately cost him everything.

Forced together for Nicholas’s wedding, Gabriel and Evangeline are forced to acknowledge their secrets, their demons, and their feelings in a slow building yet deeply emotional romance that was impossible to put down.

I adored Gabe’s dirty side underneath that quiet and unassuming exterior. He fights his feelings for Eve, but a man can only resist so much. And when Eve decides that she’s tired of waiting for things to happen and takes matters into her own hands, there’s only so much a man can take. I loved watching Eve finally find her voice and inner core of steel. She may be shy and introverted, but she’s also no pushover. Her and Gabe were the perfect balance to each other.

Between the continuing family drama, the disastrous wedding that seems to have one thing go wrong after another, and their own internal struggles, there was plenty of things driving the plot forward. It wasn’t full of OTT drama but it had just the right amount of angst with plenty of sizzle. I think this was my favorite book in the series. If you’re looking for a romance brimming with feels and overflowing with passion, I definitely recommend you check this one out.

WRONG TO NEED YOU
Series: Forbidden Hearts #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Alisha Rai
Release Date: November 28, 2017

He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with his brother’s widow…

Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Jackson Kane fled his home, his name, and his family. Ten years later, he’s come back to town: older, wiser, richer, tougher—and still helpless to turn away the one woman he could never stop loving, even after she married his brother.

Sadia Ahmed can’t deal with the feelings her mysterious former brother-in-law stirs, but she also can’t turn down his offer of help with the cafe she’s inherited.

While he heats up her kitchen, she slowly discovers that the boy she adored has grown into a man she’s simply unable to resist.

An affair is unthinkable, but their desire is undeniable. As secrets and lies are stripped away, Sadia and Jackson must decide if they’re strong enough to face the past…and step into a future together.

AMAZON | iBOOKS

What did you call your brother’s widow?
Off-limits.

It’s rare these days to find a romance novel with characters that are so authentic and real. Characters that are imperfect, but not for the sake of angst and drama. Characters that you feel like you may already know or run into on the street. This story, while slow paced, felt so vivid and genuine, that even though it took a bit to get into, I couldn’t put it down for even a second.

Sadia Ahmed has been through heartbreak in her life. The black sheep in her family, her shotgun wedding to her husband forced a rift with her very traditional parents. But she never regretted the choices she’s made. And while she lost her husband to a tragic accident, she has a beautiful son to remember him by.

Jackson Kane has been running from his past for years. Accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he left the town he grew up in and his family and hasn’t looked back since. But it’s been a year since his estranged brother has passed, and he can’t fight the urge to check up on his widow that he’s always fought his feelings for.

This isn’t right.”
“You always do what’s right?”
“Lately, yes.”
“I’d be the safest wrong thing you could do.”

This is a character driven story, and with that, the character development is truly incredible. Jackson isn’t your stereotypical alpha. He’s shy, reserved, not good with words, and doesn’t shy away from putting his feelings right in the open. Ridden with guilt for his feelings for Sadia or not, he can’t stay away from her anymore. Not when the pull is this strong.

I have to admit, set ups like this always make me hesitant. Is the hero going to play second fiddle to the husband? Is he going to feel like a consolation prize. And the answer is a giant resounding no. The author did such an incredible job painting a picture of two people that share something that defines most boundaries, but feels real and authentic.

She wanted him. It was unwise and complicated, but she didn’t know how she’d survive if she couldn’t have him. She’d regret it forever, and she lived with enough regrets.

I loved that Sadia was primarily the aggressor in a lot of their interactions. She’s not shy, and that goes twofold in bed. The woman isn’t afraid to take the reins and Jackson is man enough to do her bidding eagerly. This was such an interesting dynamic that really fit the characters and I couldn’t get enough of it.

My shoulders are strong. I’ll help you carry your baggage.”

I love romances with interracial romance, and the mix that these characters had was so rare, it made me appreciate it all the more.

There’s quite a bit of the family dynamic that played a role in this story, that admittedly I was a little lost on at times and wondered if it was more discussed in the previous book. I have every intention of going back and reading the first book because I completely fell in love with this author’s writing style.
It wasn’t just a romance, there’s a slew of secondary characters that you can’t help but connect with as well. This is particularly true with Sadia’s adorable son. The Kane and Chandler ties were a touch confusing at times, but I have a feeling reading the first book will clear a lot of that up for me.

If you’re looking for a nice change of pace and a romance that’s full of depth and emotion, this is a book you need to check out. This author has gone straight to my auto-buy list.

THE SERIES

HATE TO WANT YOU | WRONG TO NEED YOU | HURTS TO LOVE YOU