His Forbidden Passion (Larger Print Harlequin Presents) Mass Market Paperback – Large Print, 18 Jan. 2011

Well, I must say, as a Caribbean born and bred female with the 'inside-story', so to speak, I could rise up and 'diss' this book outright, but would that be because it's too close for comfort? Truth is, as much as we might personally not pay attention to certain race details and would like to think it doesn't matter anymore - it's still out there, alive and kicking, and bothering some people. The Caribbean can be a beautiful melting pot of colours and races and people, unique in its culture, but as a regular member, I can say that the increasing globalisation has destroyed a lot of progress in the coming-together of EVERYONE. In fact, some of those traditional gaps are still there and getting wider - would you believe? Cleo's distrust and discomfort in that situation are real and well-placed - entering a traditional *Caribbean part-caucasian society(high-browns) - don't doubt that it is not always welcoming, especially where African-blood is most evident i.e. in the darkness of skin colour. That is just a little too close to home in the background of these societies - and avoid it if you will - but Anne M. got it right! Thankfully, not all these *CPC societies are like that. Meanwhile, loving my melting-pot Caribbean isles, I enjoyed this story - loved the guy - such a sweetie; liked the beautiful dark honey, Cleo was supposed to be - that's real, too! LOL. Let's get over it - things are unlikely to change fundamentally, anytime soon - and enjoy the story! Great job, Anne M.

The book is a good read.

Good book

This is not one of Anne Mather's best and I struggled to get into the storyline or warm to the heroine, Cleo. Better luck with her next release (I hope).

GREAT READ

His Forbidden PassionThis book was different in that the heroine is bi-racial and the hero white. Cleo discovers the people she thought were her parents were in fact her adopted parents. Her real father was married and had an affair with her Island mother who died giving birth. The father too later died. Enter her biological grandfather the wealthy patriarch who is terminally ill and wants to get to know his grandchild Cleo. To further complicate matters, Cleo's biological father and his wife Lilly had another son--but he was adopted when little--named Dominic. Dominic and Cleo are immediately, passionately drawn to one another and the sparks that fly between those two would burn the waters of the Atlantic...where the whole drama unfolds on an island in the Bahamas. I always enjoy romances where there's forbidden love and a passionate attraction that the couple cannot resist...this was that sort. I found this book highly romantic. There were a couple of areas I felt the writer could have developed...I would have liked to have seen the friendship develop between the two--he never took her out to dinner or a date....I also hate stories with 'incestuous overtones' and felt this book was riddled with those overtones albeit it was via step-this and step-that--so I'm knocking off a point for those two reasons. I loved Dominic and Cleo together and was gripped from start to finish. The end of the book was moving.

"His Forbidden Passion" was an unexpected delight in every way. The heroine and hero of the story, Cleo and Dominic, meet in an unusual way. They also happen to be a biracial couple, which is just incidental to the story. She is half black, he is white. The attraction between the two is almost instantaneous. But they are both fighting it because of a variety of reasons. Our heroine is plucky, stubborn, intelligent, beautiful and has great integrity. Our hero is a handsome alpha male, as is common in Harlequin Presents books, but he is also compassionate and has a conscience. And, thank Goodness, he does not treat the heroine like trash, unlike many "heroes" in Harlequin books lately (treating the heroine like trash always makes me want to slap the hero stupid in Presents books). And it is totally refreshing that the hero, Dominic, recognizes that he is in love fairly early on in the story. Usually, in Harlequin Presents books, the hero has never known love before and, thus, does not recognize he is in love until the last 10 pages of the book. In "His Forbidden Passion", Dominic has had love all of his life from his family members, understands how love feels, and actually welcomes the knowledge that he is in love with Cleo. I almost fell off my chair when he did that - I found that exciting and lovely!There are a stunning number of twists and turns in this book, which is fabulous. The romantic scenes between Cleo and Dominick are both steamy and romantic - perfect for a romance novel. The book is well-written by Anne Mather, we are told the story from both the heroine's and the hero's point of view. There are, of course, obstacles in our couple's way in the form of their family ties and his current girlfriend, Sarah. Both Cleo and Dominic suffer from a love they each think is unrequited, and the ending of the book is both realistic and wonderfully romantic. As I said before, I loved this book from beginning to end. It is a quick, easy, happy read. I hope Harlequin brings us more in their "Presents" series of books like this book. It's wonderful Harlequin took a chance on presenting a biracial couple - and the payoff for their risktaking is fabulous. Readers will love this book no matter what race they are, because great romance is great romance, no matter what. Bravo, Harlequin!

This story brushed the surface of some sensitive social issues. One that stood out to me is children being made to suffer or pay for the sins of the parents. You see that here in the way Cleo is received and treated by those she meets when she visits the grandfather she did not know existed until her adoptive parents die. This and others are just side issues that create the circumstances that blossom into real love between Cleo and Dominic. The story sort of brings to mind these issues as captured in two movies that touch on the subjects, "Saratoga Trunk" and "Island in the Sun". This story is not as well developed as those two, is more erotic, but it may still hold your attention.

Great to see a story with a character in a story with a multi-ethnic background. Also, all the characters were so believable and human. Great read!