What do you think?
Rate this book
Cammie and Grant had been raised as brother and sister since the awful night her family had died in a car crash. But Grant was tormented by years of stolen touches and desperate yearning - until Cammie entered his house unseen and felt a shocking pulse of desire when he stepped from his hot tub.
Paperback
First published February 1, 1991
28 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 15, 2016
I was so happy to get my hands on a book named ‘Taboo’!
But neither was it a suitably smutty read, nor a sensitive and emotional read- I wouldn’t have minded either. It was more of a cheesy and half baked story with the H trying to prove to her that her sisterly love can transform overnight into a romantic and sexual one. I feel the author should have taken a longer and more convincing path to this hea. Or just made it into a good roll in the mud smut fest. You can’t have a realistic emotional read when he kept bulldozing her throughout and she adopted the persona of a ditsy confused female. Although her feelings of guilt about hurting her foster parents rang true.
It was hard to buy that the things between the two foster siblings remained completely platonic without even a whiff of sexual awkwardness for almost 15 years. He had his first wet dream sleeping next to her, with her having a starring in it when he was 13 and she 16. Okay so she had transferred all her sisterly love from her dead brother to this equally loved foster brother, but living together all these years how could she have been so blind to his ‘feelings’!
Secondly her virginity revelation was such an eyeroller. She is 31 years of age, with 3 past engagements, for god’s sake! Poor ex-fiancés – I feel for all of them and why dint anyone stop her? And her explanation was just so cringingly corny and embarrassing. What a stretch!
So instead of a sweet and hot read, what I got was a somewhat boring and undeveloped story. The epilogue was somewhat redeeming.
But neither was it a suitably smutty read, nor a sensitive and emotional read- I wouldn’t have minded either. It was more of a cheesy and half baked story with the H trying to prove to her that her sisterly love can transform overnight into a romantic and sexual one. I feel the author should have taken a longer and more convincing path to this hea. Or just made it into a good roll in the mud smut fest. You can’t have a realistic emotional read when he kept bulldozing her throughout and she adopted the persona of a ditsy confused female. Although her feelings of guilt about hurting her foster parents rang true.
It was hard to buy that the things between the two foster siblings remained completely platonic without even a whiff of sexual awkwardness for almost 15 years. He had his first wet dream sleeping next to her, with her having a starring in it when he was 13 and she 16. Okay so she had transferred all her sisterly love from her dead brother to this equally loved foster brother, but living together all these years how could she have been so blind to his ‘feelings’!
Secondly her virginity revelation was such an eyeroller. She is 31 years of age, with 3 past engagements, for god’s sake! Poor ex-fiancés – I feel for all of them and why dint anyone stop her? And her explanation was just so cringingly corny and embarrassing. What a stretch!
So instead of a sweet and hot read, what I got was a somewhat boring and undeveloped story. The epilogue was somewhat redeeming.
August 8, 2016
I really thought being that he loved her for so long he would have been faithful to her but nope!
Then, he has the nerve to be pissed when she got engaged!!? Seriously!!!! I am soooo pissed with this bullsh!t
Also, he gave her like one minute to marry him and tell their family about their love affair! Jerky jerk face!
Ok I will say that it was a taboo love for sure and normally I would be ok with the step brother thing but they grew up together and while he was supposed to love her (heavy sarcasm) he just f@&$ around.
She was of course innocent because of her trauma (childhood death).
Ok I am not going to recommend this to anyone.
Not ever!
Read at your own risk here.
Then, he has the nerve to be pissed when she got engaged!!? Seriously!!!! I am soooo pissed with this bullsh!t
Also, he gave her like one minute to marry him and tell their family about their love affair! Jerky jerk face!
Ok I will say that it was a taboo love for sure and normally I would be ok with the step brother thing but they grew up together and while he was supposed to love her (heavy sarcasm) he just f@&$ around.
She was of course innocent because of her trauma (childhood death).
Ok I am not going to recommend this to anyone.
Not ever!
Read at your own risk here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2012
I can see why Willa DNF'ed this book but for some absurd reason even when I found the book icky, I enjoyed it, if that makes any sense, I guess you can call this my bodice-ripper phase which I never went through since I don't read historicals.
I did find the hero Grant, too pushy and possesive and the fact that the heroine was a virgin after three broken engagements stood out, but still despite my quibbles the book was funny, not that it was humorous, just intense.
The heroine is three years older and completely oblivious to the fact that the hero doesn't see her as a sister and instead has been in love with her for ages, burning with jealousy seeing her with other, trying to find excuses to touch her, as well as is customary finding other women to make him forget her, but when she sees him naked once to her horror she finds her feelings are changing and she does her level best to fight them, but the hero catches on to this, and goes on the hunt because from a hopeless situation, he now smells an opportunity to get all he ever wanted.
He doesn't think or care about what others think but that isn't easy for the heroine, for whom his parents are her parents since they took her in after she lost everything. She is terrified of loss and knows that their changed relationship might lose her everything. At moments the hero seemed psychotic to me, really he was just so crazed about her, wanting her to give him everything at once instead of her doubts and fears.
Still the whole drama of it kept me engaged till the very end.
I did find the hero Grant, too pushy and possesive and the fact that the heroine was a virgin after three broken engagements stood out, but still despite my quibbles the book was funny, not that it was humorous, just intense.
The heroine is three years older and completely oblivious to the fact that the hero doesn't see her as a sister and instead has been in love with her for ages, burning with jealousy seeing her with other, trying to find excuses to touch her, as well as is customary finding other women to make him forget her, but when she sees him naked once to her horror she finds her feelings are changing and she does her level best to fight them, but the hero catches on to this, and goes on the hunt because from a hopeless situation, he now smells an opportunity to get all he ever wanted.
He doesn't think or care about what others think but that isn't easy for the heroine, for whom his parents are her parents since they took her in after she lost everything. She is terrified of loss and knows that their changed relationship might lose her everything. At moments the hero seemed psychotic to me, really he was just so crazed about her, wanting her to give him everything at once instead of her doubts and fears.
Still the whole drama of it kept me engaged till the very end.
November 25, 2019
"Taboo" is the story of Cammie and Grant.
Remember the new onslaught of kinky stepsibling romances we have recently been bombarded with? Now imagine that with well thought out storyline and consequences. BAM- this is the book for you.
Our h was adopted into the H's family, and since has grown up in a house filled with love and affection. She is three years older than the H, has had three broken engagements, believes herself to be frigid and is afraid of losing her family. The H, on the other hand has always loved the h, and lusted after her since he was a teenager. He has then used OW to forget about her in vain.
The book begins when the h finally realizes her inner feelings and begins reciprocating what the H has always felt. However, she is VERY afraid of disappointing her adopted parents, and how they go around the issue, address the problems while making wild love forms the story.
I loved the pursuit by the hero and the grovel from the heroine. Dramatic but sweet ending.
Enjoyable read.
Unsafe
4/5
Remember the new onslaught of kinky stepsibling romances we have recently been bombarded with? Now imagine that with well thought out storyline and consequences. BAM- this is the book for you.
Our h was adopted into the H's family, and since has grown up in a house filled with love and affection. She is three years older than the H, has had three broken engagements, believes herself to be frigid and is afraid of losing her family. The H, on the other hand has always loved the h, and lusted after her since he was a teenager. He has then used OW to forget about her in vain.
The book begins when the h finally realizes her inner feelings and begins reciprocating what the H has always felt. However, she is VERY afraid of disappointing her adopted parents, and how they go around the issue, address the problems while making wild love forms the story.
I loved the pursuit by the hero and the grovel from the heroine. Dramatic but sweet ending.
Enjoyable read.
Unsafe
4/5
December 8, 2015
I just recently picked up this book. It's hot! She's adopted into his home and she's a little older. I really liked how much you get to see how much he is in love with her and he waited. When she suddenly cracks, he refused to back down and let her ignore it. The tension is above and beyond. I just had to add it to this list.
dnf
April 29, 2012A romance between adoptive siblings is inherently icky to me, but a good writer can certainly work the angst angle and capture my interest. This book though, seemed designed to emphasize the ick as much as possible. I felt like the author was deliberately playing with the taboo for its titillation value; I guess the title should have been a hint, as well as the fake-out opening, which is designed to make a non-sexual scene sound sexual.
The hero is Grant, who's been sneaking touches from his stepsister since he was thirteen years old (she was sixteen) and he kissed her in her sleep. When he finally decides to pursue her, he does it in a still sneaky and very invasive way, pretty much forcing her to accept his touches and innuendos. In front of their parents, no less. Yeech.
Cammie's end of the story is off-putting too: she thinks of Grant as a brother, but then gets thoroughly turned on after seeing him naked. She's then helpless to resist his advances. This is not a scenario I want to read about. It makes me think they would have felt and behaved the same way if they were really blood siblings. The arguments that Grant puts forth don't help; "How can anything so good be wrong?" he asks. I'd feel so much better if the argument was, "we're not really brother and sister and we don't feel like we're brother and sister." Instead, the book seems to be trying to have it both ways -- they do feel like brother and sister, and still want to have sex with each other.
No offense intended to anyone who enjoys this sort of story. It's just not for me.
The hero is Grant, who's been sneaking touches from his stepsister since he was thirteen years old (she was sixteen) and he kissed her in her sleep. When he finally decides to pursue her, he does it in a still sneaky and very invasive way, pretty much forcing her to accept his touches and innuendos. In front of their parents, no less. Yeech.
Cammie's end of the story is off-putting too: she thinks of Grant as a brother, but then gets thoroughly turned on after seeing him naked. She's then helpless to resist his advances. This is not a scenario I want to read about. It makes me think they would have felt and behaved the same way if they were really blood siblings. The arguments that Grant puts forth don't help; "How can anything so good be wrong?" he asks. I'd feel so much better if the argument was, "we're not really brother and sister and we don't feel like we're brother and sister." Instead, the book seems to be trying to have it both ways -- they do feel like brother and sister, and still want to have sex with each other.
No offense intended to anyone who enjoys this sort of story. It's just not for me.
November 20, 2011
Interesting. This book attempted to be more titillating than it really was. The hero, Grant, had basically been in love with the heroine, Cammie, since she had come to live with his family when he was 11 and she was 14. I liked that part and I liked how he had first had a crush on her then fell in love but remained her best friend when she never seemed to see him. When she sees him naked in a hot tub and suddenly sees him as a man, he recognizes the look in her eye and starts chasing her determinedly. All good.
The weirdness was on her part. She is so freaked out about what his parents will say that she doesn't want to get with him. She calls them mom and dad and considers them her parents. That was just not believable. She was 14, she knows they're not her parents. She doesn't seem to have been officially adopted. She is sure that having a relationship with Grant will tear the family apart. I could see where she might be hesitant because if things don't work out, it will sure make family get togethers awkward but that wasn't her problem. She thought that his parents would consider the relationship wrong and incestuous. She had some other issues too with letting people get close that only rang halfway true. Grant just kept hanging in there the poor guy. Not sure if she deserved him.
Still an interesting plot for the most part and fairly well written.
The weirdness was on her part. She is so freaked out about what his parents will say that she doesn't want to get with him. She calls them mom and dad and considers them her parents. That was just not believable. She was 14, she knows they're not her parents. She doesn't seem to have been officially adopted. She is sure that having a relationship with Grant will tear the family apart. I could see where she might be hesitant because if things don't work out, it will sure make family get togethers awkward but that wasn't her problem. She thought that his parents would consider the relationship wrong and incestuous. She had some other issues too with letting people get close that only rang halfway true. Grant just kept hanging in there the poor guy. Not sure if she deserved him.
Still an interesting plot for the most part and fairly well written.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2012
I completely adore taboo books and this was no exception. We all have a dark side or secret wanting and this book expresses a lot of peoples forbidden thoughts and natures.
The heroine was adopted after her parents and brother died in a tragic car accident. She has always looked at her adopted family as blood but things change when her "brother" says he is in love with her. Little by little her "brother" backs her into a corner until she confesses her love to him as well.
A lot of this book was based on fear. Fear of acceptance mostly. The heroine has trouble letting go because she is afraid to lose the only set of parents she has left but after a surprising confrontation, things seem to get worse before they get better. When the hero gets into a serious car accident, the heroine moves heaven and earth to get to him. Now the heroine realizes that nothing matters but her love for her hero.
The heroine was adopted after her parents and brother died in a tragic car accident. She has always looked at her adopted family as blood but things change when her "brother" says he is in love with her. Little by little her "brother" backs her into a corner until she confesses her love to him as well.
A lot of this book was based on fear. Fear of acceptance mostly. The heroine has trouble letting go because she is afraid to lose the only set of parents she has left but after a surprising confrontation, things seem to get worse before they get better. When the hero gets into a serious car accident, the heroine moves heaven and earth to get to him. Now the heroine realizes that nothing matters but her love for her hero.
May 17, 2012
I wasn't too keen on the relationship at first, but after learning Cammie's story and the fact that she was adopted mid-teen, I didn't feel like Grant was a brother at all. Just a good pal, kind of like a best friends little-brother-has-a-crush kind of relationship. Then they grow up. There is no blood relation at all so I really enjoyed Grant and Cammie's story. And their relationship. I would have liked to see more of their relationship at the end versus the Porsche scene. Other than that, Taboo was a great read.
January 9, 2015
3.5 stars, I liked it but it's not really my favorite.
Mostly because I wish Cammie's more true with her feelings. As the story goes, I feel sorry for Grant because it's pretty obvious that he's been in love with Cammie for a long time. You see, I understand that Cammie refuse to "come clean", I get it really. But still, her attitude is kind of selfish and childish and it hurt Grant more than she could imagine. Yet she still did it anyway. Hmm.
Overall I enjoyed this theme of romance. Even though there's no element of surprise in this book, I liked it anyway.
Mostly because I wish Cammie's more true with her feelings. As the story goes, I feel sorry for Grant because it's pretty obvious that he's been in love with Cammie for a long time. You see, I understand that Cammie refuse to "come clean", I get it really. But still, her attitude is kind of selfish and childish and it hurt Grant more than she could imagine. Yet she still did it anyway. Hmm.
Overall I enjoyed this theme of romance. Even though there's no element of surprise in this book, I liked it anyway.
June 16, 2016
Very enjoyable story with lots of emotion. Cammie has lost so much and as a result her life is controlled by fear. She struggles with letting it go so that she can grasp the love and joy being offered to her.
Grant loves Cammie with a depth that is hard to find. He gently presses her to open up and reveal the very things she's spent years hiding from. He's frustrated, impatient but devoted to reaching a life time with her.
Adult read
Grant loves Cammie with a depth that is hard to find. He gently presses her to open up and reveal the very things she's spent years hiding from. He's frustrated, impatient but devoted to reaching a life time with her.
Adult read
November 2, 2013
A few months ago, a well known readers blog posted on go-to tropes. One that I love, and have only read once is the step brother/step sister story. I read one when I was 13 and not another. So when I saw this book recommended to me, I picked it up. And I'm glad I did for two reasons. First, the hero was an alpha male not an alphahole. And second, the sexual tension was well done.
I'd consider this a sub-genre of friends-to-lovers with extra angst and conflict for flavor.
I'd consider this a sub-genre of friends-to-lovers with extra angst and conflict for flavor.
June 22, 2012
Bad cover picture here and on the actual download. There's a brunette on the new cover, yet Cammie has blonde curls. Outside of that, this book was scandalous. Cammie and Grant had great chemistry. The whole situation and secretiveness was just seductive.
December 27, 2012
Holy heck, was this book intense!! I felt the love from both H/h. I've never really liked how male POVs can sometimes be unrealistic, almost to a point of being feminine. But, this book is a must read. Fast paced and definitely interesting!!
February 18, 2015
3 'S'Ok' Stars
I didn't see what the big deal was. They're clearly not related AT ALL. And I'd imagine, after getting over their shock, their family would be happy to keep them both together. They're already so close. Plus, I'm such a sucker for 'boy chases girl' romances.
I didn't see what the big deal was. They're clearly not related AT ALL. And I'd imagine, after getting over their shock, their family would be happy to keep them both together. They're already so close. Plus, I'm such a sucker for 'boy chases girl' romances.
April 23, 2012
Kinda strange. but cute XD
May 7, 2012
Good little read... Very entertaining!
March 5, 2013
OMG i absolutely loved this book it made me cry and made me smile. This is a book i would recommend to any of my friends to read
October 1, 2012
A really touching story that I loved from start to finish.
December 10, 2014
I quite liked the story between the two characters. It was an easy and enjoyable read.
October 20, 2019
decided to give this book a try, its really not bad and i rather enjoyed reading this. was just hoping that Cammie can be a little more strong especially towards the ending. but nevertheless it was a nice read!
September 7, 2021
Just so so. Gave it +star since it was well written & I love this theme.
December 20, 2013
Not the best book I've read, but also not the worst. Even though Cammie's three years older than Grant, she acts like a child for most of the novel. I mean, I understand making decisions while considering their impact(s) on the ones you love, but Cammie took it a little too far. I felt bad for Grant, wishing he'd get over someone so whiny and find a woman who was willing to give him all he deserved? It sounds heartless, but start reading and you'll see what I mean. There definitely were times when I wanted to jump into the story and slap Cammie then shout, "he's in love with you so man up and accept him!" Which all my misgivings, I will admit that I liked the complete, head-over-heels devotion Grant had to Cammie, even though she didn't deserve it, in my opinion. I also loved Trisha, and that she was so accepting of them. All in all, decent read if you're bored and looking to kill some time.
May 9, 2012
Free Kindle read that is about a controversial issue. It seems to me if you grow up with someone as an adoptive sibling then they are your brother/sister in every aspect. This book pushes the limit on adoptive siblings and incest. I really don't know what to think on the subject, the book was just okay and kind of gross in a way.
July 28, 2022
The heroine was a waffling TTSL doormat. On one page she's bleating "stop" but making no attempt to get out of the car in which her not-listening-to-you bulldozer of a foster brother is groping her, and on the next page she's so overwhelmed by Treacherous Body Syndrome that her brain - what little there is of it - is shut off and she's asking him to hold her. Ugh.
July 26, 2012
This is not the cover of my book! Apparently, this book was re-released with a more modern cover. However, the only thing that really seemed outdated in the book was the lack of cell phones. It made for a quick summer read and was good for what it is...a classic romance novel.
April 28, 2012
diving into the world of controversial issues on whether an adopted sister is really your sister especially when you are in love with her.
November 25, 2013
Just okay read. Weird dialogue at times with some purple prose.
May 21, 2012
Not a bad story. I thought it was cute, although you fight with how you feel about the "taboo" relationship.
August 3, 2012
I loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews