Captive But Forbidden

by Lynn Raye Harris

Public Duty

The news that wild socialite Veronica St. Germaine has cleaned up her act and stepped into her father’s shoes as ruler of a Mediterranean principality creates a tabloid frenzy! But it’s not just the paparazzi that are out for blood…

Private Scandal

Duty demands that bodyguard Rajesh Vala must protect Veronica – whatever the cost… But Veronica has always rebelled against commands, and she isn’t making Raj’s job easy! He calls it ‘safeguarding’. She calls it being held captive at his beach house. Both realise that the attraction between them is inconvenient… Veronica is nothing if not forbidden!

Genres: Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin, Mills and Boon, Fiction

190 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Lynn Raye Harris is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sizzling military romantic suspense novels and contemporary romance novels. She lives in Alabama with her husband (former military), her cat, and her American Saddlebred horse.

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Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veronica St. Germaine, President of Aliz, is receiving threats. Rajesh Vala, head of a security company, is hired as bodyguard to protect her. He eventually takes her to his home in Goa, India. Their growing attraction increases the more time they spend together.

I found this book to be very entertaining and captivating. I really liked the main couple--handsome hero Raj (of Indian heritage) was a very sexy, gorgeous, and caring hero. I also liked Veronica, a former party girl with a somewhat infamous past who cleaned up her act. And it isn't every day I read a "Presents" with a heroine who is a President! It was a nice change. Both Raj and Veronica had unhappy pasts. They made a great couple and had terrific chemistry. I also liked Veronica's friend Brady.

This was a very enjoyable romance with some suspense, sexy love scenes, and lovely locations--London and India.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The heroine Veronica is the recently elected President of her small Mediterranean country, and a former infamous party girl. Many people do not agree with her presidency and Veronica has received a few threats from unknown sources. The hero Rajesh is hired to help keep Veronica safe, but she is less than happy about it as she hates feeling trapped after a childhood spent with her overprotective father. Veronica and Raj are instantly attracted to one another, and the more time they have to spend alone the harder it becomes to ignore the desire between them, so it is not long before they give in to the it. Being together, while very pleasurable, also reminds them of their individual pain and loss they have experienced in their lives. This combined with the threat against Veronica only results in pulling them further apart, when they want to be together.

This is a really intense and exciting book, not to mention very original. I was intrigued by the concept of the heroine being President of her country. Usually in romance novels the hero is the one with the more important/powerful career, but you can't get more important than President, so this is different and a little risky. But excellently done! Lynn Raye Harris did a great job, she managed to flip romance novel conventions on their heads yet still keep all the traditional elements you would want. There is no denying her hero is every bit the Alpha-male, and not at all inferior in the face of the heroine and her career. The story itself is interesting and well developed, I would have liked to have read a little more about the heroine's journey in becoming president - why/how/etc - but the story does not lack depth at all.
The passion between the hero and heroine is, as expected, scorching, and the interaction between them is also full of constant sexual tension. You could cut this tension with the proverbial knife, it's that good! The intrigue element of the story really adds to the intensity of this book, and I loved it.

A gripping, passionate, and emotional book. Plus it's genre busting, which can only be a good thing.


Originally posted at http://everyday-is-the-same.blogspot....

[Desere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Desere:

This was another fantastic read by the brilliant author Lynn Raye Harris. But this time the author added in a twist that I have not seen done before. I always see other author incorporating sexy brooding men from other countries as the hero's into their books ,Italian,Russian,French you name it they are on the list.But what the author did this time was she took someone from a complete different cultural background Indian ethnicity and teamed him up with a authority figure female that I did not expect but boy did she make it work!

The story of the once wild girl Veronica cleaning up her act and taking the place of her father as ruler of a Mediterranean principality and in the process being kept "captive" by her overly protective bodyguard Rajesh was simply put BRILLIANT !

To Rajesh she is forbidden but when the feelings of overwhelming passion take control this couple truly heat up the pages. I loved how the author thought outside the box and with every page the book only got better.

There was passion,romance a sense of betrayal and best of all in true Lynn Raye Harris form a gorgeous ending !

5/5 review

[Bridie Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is one scorcher of a story - very steamy and passionate. Raj, the hero, is a security consultant hired to protect Veronica, former wild-child and now president of a small isle, after her security is threatened. Great dialogue abounds throughout and Raj is just gorgeous in it. Thought Lynn's Russian hero's were fab but this half-Indian guy is just as good. More please!

[سارة محمد سيف · Rating 3 out of 5]

فيرونيكا التي رأت هروبها من سلطة أبيها تحررًا، والعيش وفق الهوى حرية مطلقة، بعد خسارتها طفلها ووفاة والدها رضخت لتولي رئاسة دولة أليز، وتتعرض لمؤامرة من أحد أفراد طاقمها المقربين، وصديقها برادي يرسل الحارس الشخصي الأفضل راج؛ كي يتولى أمر حمايتها
حينها تقع رئيسة الدولة في حب حارسها الشخصي بماضيه الأسود وطفولته المعذبة، والتي تركته غير مؤمن بالعائلة والمنزل، مفضلًا وحدته عن المشاركة وتقاسم المعيشة.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica St. Germaine is the newly elected President of Aliz and she is working hard to bring economic opportunities to the country. Millionaire bodyguard Raj Vala is enlisted to protect Veronica when she is threatened by someone within her inner circle of trusted advisors. The hero and heroine are both strong characters who struggle for power over one another at the same time they are fighting their mutual attraction.

Veronica is a reformed party girl. I really enjoyed this book because the heroine was such a "real" character, and not some poor, downtrodden and naive young girl. She was very different - she had a past filled with partying and failed relationships, but her past behavior was well explained and I understood why she would want to rebel against her father's controlling parenting style. Veronica was an immensely sympathetic character in spite of her past, and she was working hard to prove herself as a leader her people could be proud of. At the same time, the author did a great job of showing Veronica's internal vulnerability and juxtaposing that with her outward facade of confidence and determination.

I thought that Raj seemed a little less harsh than some of the other alpha males I am accustomed to reading and I felt like his character was more likeable because of this. I liked that he was drawn to Veronica because she was a strong woman, and even when he was trying to do the right thing and avoid her, he couldn't resist her. The chemistry between Raj and Veronica was very hot!

This was an excellent read, and I especially love it when authors step outside the boundaries to take a risk on a different type story with fresh characters.

[Sara HarlequinJunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Blog: HarlequinJunkie Romance Reviews

Wow! This book was one hot thrilling read! Emphasis on 'Thrilling & Hot'.
This book is so different for the regular ‘Presents line’ and for that I say “hooray”. Thank You Lynn for stepping outside the box; for giving us a Women President, a Hero of Indian ethnicity and beautiful and exotic locale of Goa.

Lynne has created two multidimensional characters in Rajesh Vala and Veronica St. Germaine; these two were far from perfect individuals, a bit damaged even due to their life experiences but strong well-rounded characters.

The chemistry and the sexual tension between Veronica and Raj was off the charts hot; the dialogues were snappy and fresh. I liked the fact that Raj and Veronica communicated their issues to each other and worked through them.

Captive but forbidden had it all: Romance, espionage, mystery and passion, the story held me captive from start to finish. I would highly recommend this book

[Gege86 · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all this novel was absolutely breathtaking. And an INDIAN hero, brilliant really.
I loved the heroine and the contrast between both characters added a lot of depth to the story. The wildness of the heroine was new, usually we always got a wild hero not the other way around. This time the hero was so straight forward and got me to love him from the first chapter.
Loved it a lot.
5 brilliant stars

[Jenny Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the worst, but only recomend if you really, really want romance and little else.
I didn't like that the political plot was tied up so easy, nor that Veronica being president did not really play all that big of a role. Also feel like the characters were really flat.

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[Nas Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

CAPTIVE BUT FORBIDDEN by Lynn Raye Harris is a Mills & Boon Modern and a Harlequin Presents release.


This last threat received by the President of a small Island nation, Aliz, resulted in her friend hiring a top security company for her safety. When she ran for the presidency, Veronica St. Germaine was used to political rivalry and mild threats. She didn’t want more security personnel involved in her life on top of her own country’s security.


Meeting Rajesh Vala, head of the security company, made her adamant to resist his help more. For some reason he pushed all her wrong buttons with his arrogance! And she also felt all her dormant innermost desires firing into overdrive by his nearness.


When she received another threat that very night, Veronica broke down in front of him. And he hired himself as her protector.


Then they hear about the coup on Aliz. The police chief had taken over, ousting our madam President, Veronica. She once more becomes adamant to return to her nation for her people and wouldn’t listen to anyone. Now, what would Raj Vala do? Can he let her return to a country in political turmoil? And when all her problems are solved then what?


This is an exciting romance that has that special Lynn Raye Harris ingredient of thrills, intrigue and mystery. There is also a touch of international espionage. The sexual tension between them just sizzles. The chemistry between Raj and Veronica is irresistible and overwhelming, forcing them into each others’ arms. Will their romance survive when Veronica is back as the President of her nation?


Raj doesn’t do homes and happily ever afters. But Veronica wants a man who loves her and lives with her happily ever after. How will two such diverse characters from such different backgrounds get together?


Emotions are palpable and heart-wrenching. You can feel their pain.


CAPTIVE BUT FORBIDDEN is a moving, uplifting and feel good romance. It is packed with witty dialogue, intense emotion and sizzling love scenes. Lynn Raye Harris brings this emotional and poignant story of past hurts, dealing with grief and new beginnings which will keep a reader turning pages with its captivating blend of thrills, mystery and romance.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS Captive But Forbidden was a good romance novel. Did have a lot of love scenes. President Veronica ST, Germaine of Aliz was on tour trying to get business and others to come visit or invest in her nation. Veronica used to be in all the magazines for her party ways. But last year she has changed. She was convinced to run for President of Aliz. They voted in and trust her. Someone left a note with a threat inside her hotel room and Verconica is a little upset about it. She told her friend Brady about the note. When Veronica is in the bathroom a handsome stranger comes into the bathroom and scares her. Where were guards? Than the power goes out in the hotel. Rajesh Vala has been sent by Brady to protect her. They pretend to be attracted so he can go everywhere with her. After awhile they wait for the crowd of people in the dark to to get to where they are going he escorts her to her rooms. She keeps telling him she does not need help. Though her security guard is missing. Veronica takes a candle into her bedroom and goes to get into bed. Something is under her pillows and tumbled out when she the covers back. She screams for Raj and he looks and its a doll with her eyes dug out. On Aliz the Police chief as taken over the country and demands she stepdown and the last president should take over as President again. This is a quick read. Good for a fast vacation in your mind. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 06/26/2012 PUB Harlequin Presents ISBN:9780373238446

[HÜLYA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeni bir yazar Lyyne Raye Harris..Gönüllü Tutsak..Bu ayki Harlequinn Highlife serisinin diğer kitabı..Çok beğendim hikaye tam da istediğim gibi egzotik ve tutkulu..Alize ülkesine başkan olan çok güzel özgür ruhlu genç bir kadının hikayesi idi..Herkesin zayıf bir yönü vardır Veronica St.Germaine'niz de zayıf yönü geçmişte kaybettiği kucağına alamadığı bebeği idi..
Geçmişte yaşadığı hızlı hayatı bebeğini kaybettikten sonra bırakmıştı..Erkeklere karşı bir şey hissetmiyordu..İçi boşalmış gibiydi..18 Yaşındayken terkettiği ülkesine Başkan seçildikten sonra ülkesi için en iyisini yapmaya çalışırken korunması da gerekiyordu..Bir akşam özel korumasını etkiszi hale getiren bir adam odasına girdiğnde neye uğradığını şaşırmıştı..Bu adam güvenliğinden sorumlu Hint asıllı Rajeh Vala idi..Arkadaşı ve dostu Brady'nin ricasını kıramayıp görev almayı kabul etmişti..
İkili ilk karşılaşmalarından itibaren çatışmaya başlamıştı ama birbirlerinden fena halde etkilenmişti.Derken çatışmalar karşı çekim derken birbirlerinin kollarında soluğu aldılar..Veronica kaybettiği bebeğinden dolayı yaralı idi,Raj ise çocukluğundaki sefalet ve yoksulluktan..Birbirlerini tamamlamalarını zevk ile okudum..Tavsiye ederim...

[Jennifer Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very disappointing for me. The heroine, a former party girl, is now the president of a country and because her life is threatened, is forced to accept the help of the hero who is going to protect her while acting as her pretend lover. This was a premise that I was willing to work with except that the characters didn't work for me AT ALL. The heroine was a weak, emotional mess. The author did provide a backstory to explain why her heroine was so vulnerable, but what didn't work for me was the author telling me how strong and capable the heroine was and then never having her act like it. She seemed to fall apart and cry in just about every chapter. And she let the hero jerk her around like she had no say. I kept waiting for the heroine to fire him (wishing and hoping she would too).

There were also some major plot issues for me (one example: a romantic dinner for two while her country is in revolt). However, I did give this book two stars because the author writes well and there were some beautiful descriptions. Unfortunately, the story line and the characters were too weak for me to give this a stronger rating.

[Hsiau Wei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Veronica and Raj Vala. Veronica's life is being threaten and Raj, who is assigned to take care of her. Veronica, who is a president of her country is on assignment and she was being held captive by Raj at his beach house, attraction between them flared. Each of them have their own past that they have carried for a long time and both of them is not ready for their relationship to develop further yet it developed otherwise.

I felt for Veronica and i can feel her pain and sadness whenever she thinks of her unborned child. Might be because i can relate to her story. Veronica, with her unresolved past is realistic and all she wants is a husband, a family and a home that she can call hers. Yet, Raj, who since young have to fend himself, is a loner and used to being alone, He knows clearly that he cannot give to Veronica what she dreams of. It is up to both of them to decide whether their love for each other will overcome their individual's insecurity toward their love.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant enough romance, but I actually found myself more interested in the thriller aspect of the book where Veronica, the main character and the President of a small country, is threatened by an unknown assailant. The two main characters are engaging enough, but Harris has created such an interesting back story and character in Veronica that I really wanted to learn more about her and her struggles to govern her country rather than focus on the romance between her and her bodyguard, Raj. I was left a little disappointed therefore that the problems of her government and the threat to her ended so swiftly and with little fanfare, especially given how important all the characters were stressing the situation was.
3 stars to Captive but Forbidden mainly because the love story didn't captivate me while reading in quite the same way that the secondary plot line did.

[bombay_sapphire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was different from other Harlequin Presents. For once you had a female heroine who held a major position of power and wasn't just some eccentric, misunderstood poor little rich girl type. Also the hero was Indian- which is different from the usual British/Greek/Italian/Spanish/Russian heroes you tend to find a lot of in this genre. Loved the explosive passion and chemistry between the characters, who both had inner demons of their own to beat. Well written and entertaining story over all. I read this in one sitting as I had a hard time putting it down.

[Trudy Miner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former socialite Veronica St. Germaine has reformed and been elected as President of Aliz, a small Mediterranean principality. Because of security concerns, Rajesh Vala has been hired to protect her over her objections. When the threats escalate, he whisks her away to his island off the coast of India for safekeeping. As the passion builds between them, will they be able to resist each other?

Each of them has a reason for not getting involved but fate has a way of changing things. Ultimately they found each other.

[Shayla Drumm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this romance I won as a giveaway on Goodreads. The main character, Veronica, is a 28 year old president of a Mediterranean principality called Aliz. And while this is a little hard to believe it does add some magic to the storyline. Raj has been hired to assist with security and predictably a romance between these two follows. The plot is pretty simplistic and the characters could have been developed a little more but overall it was a lighthearted, fun read.

[Demelza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first sentence of this book drew me in right away- the president is hiding in the ladies' room?! I enjoyed the relationship between Veronica and Raj, and oh boy the sexy bits were steamy. Both hero and heroine were stubborn which made it a bumpy ride, but the resolution worked for me.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't normally gravitate towards m/f romance but this book was incredible. It kept me captivated with each page. I will definitely read more of her work.
Received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads Contest.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Millionaire bodyguard? Really? Are you kidding me? Anyway the story was good even if that was a big hole in the plot in my opinion...

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND HARLEQUIND FOR THE PREVIEW

[Penney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won book on goodreads.
Good romance with a interesting characters and a good plot.
Loved the very end where it gave a quick glimpse of the future.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually like where the female is in a high powered position story lines. I like old fashioned story lines, so this book didn't appeal to me.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!!!