Forbidden Fantasy

Forbidden #2

by Cheryl Holt

Also see: Alternate Cover Editions for this ISBN [ACE]
ACE #1

From girlhood, Lady Caroline Foster knew what her future held: marriage to an esteemed viscount, followed by a dignified high-society life. A sedate existence perhaps, but certainly preferable to her current state--jilted, humiliated, and then hastily bartered off to a man old enough to be her grandfather. Dreading the marriage, Caroline seeks advice from her ex-fiancé's illegitimate brother, whose potent sexuality has always intrigued her…
 
Ian Clayton can scarcely believe that the woman he's coveted from afar is boldly seeking sexual instruction. A true gentleman would turn her away, but the yearning he feels for Caroline surpasses anything he's ever known. Soon their encounters become more heated, more daring…and more dangerous. For someone will stop at nothing to end their illicit affair--and destroy a fantasy that is coming blissfully, brazenly to life…
 

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Forbidden Love, Historical Fiction, Regency, Regency Romance

337 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 28, 2007

About the author

CHERYL HOLT is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon “Top 100” bestselling author who has published seventy novels.

She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.

Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She is considered to be one of the masters of the romance genre. For many years, she was hailed as “The Queen of Erotic Romance”, and she’s also revered as “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.

She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.cherylholt.com.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Me no likey Cheryl Holt...

[Netha · Rating 5 out of 5]

novel ini lanjutan dari viscount john wakefield dengan miss jane fitzgerald, putri seorang vicar sederhana.
aduh aq lupa judulnya apa ya cerita mereka itu.....

sekilas mengulang cerita
Ian Clyaton memang anak tertua tapi statusnya sbg illegitimate membuat tidak bisa menjadi viscount of wakefield & tidak bisa mencintai wanita pujaannya secara terbuka.
hidup dlm lingkaran luar & tidak memiliki apa2 membuat Ian menerima tawaran dari sang ayah untuk selalu menjaga & mengawasi john, the heir sebagai bayarannya Ian akan mendapat upah yg didapat dr estate john.
Ian merasa dia pantas mendapatkan itu.
itulah yg membuat Ian selama 12 tahun berperan sbg teman john namun sbnrnya ian memang peduli pd john.

12 tahun bertahan dengan john yg tidak perduli dengan dunia diluar dirinya. john yg mabuk2an & selalu memiliki sederetan kekasih walau sudah mempunyai tunangan, lady caroline foster, putri dari earl.......(hhhhhhh aq paling ga bisa nginget nama banyak2 :( apalagi nama yg ku rasa ga penting2 amat :p)
affair john terbaru dengan miss jane fitzgerald membuat jane mengandung & mengharuskannya memutuskan pertunangan dengan caroline.

di hari saat pemutusan pertunangan itulah Ian mencium caroline & bertengkar hebat dgn john yg membuatnya pergi ke london & memutuskan hubungan dengan john.

masa sekarang......
setelah pertunangannya dgn john batal, caroline mendapat tekanan dari sang ibu yg memaksanya menikah dgn Mr. edward......, teman ayah & ibunya yg seusia dgn mereka.
caroline tidak tau harus menolak bagaimana karna ke 2 ortu-nya sptnya ingin cepat menyingkirkan caroline dari rumah. adam, sang kakak pun tidak menyukainya sama sekali yg membuat posisi caroline makin terjepit.
hanya ada 1 jalan untuk menggagalkan pernikahan tersebut.
Mr. Edward menginginkan istri yg murni jd kalo caroline ternoda pasti pernikahan batal khan???
& jika caroline harus mencemarkan dirinya kenapa tidak dengan Ian Clayton, john's half brother.
setidaknya caroline mengenal Ian & ciuman Ian waktu itu masih membekas & tak mampu caroline lupakan.

yg tidak diperkirakan caroline adl Ian yg sekarang sangat berbeda dgn Ian yg dulu dikenalnya di rumah John.
pssstttt Caroline datang ke kediaman Ian eh si Ian masih di tempat tidur hangover & sedang bersama kekasihnya, Mrs. Black.
oleh jack, 1 lagi illegitimate ayah john, caroline disuruh nunggu eh sekaliya nunggu 1,5 jam sendiri jelas caroline manyun.
jadilah caroline nyusul ke kamar Ian & mendapati Ian sedang bermesraan dgn Mrs. Black.
wakakakakaka melongo deh semua. nih lady 1 berani amat ya.

Ian, mendapati gadis pujaannya datang meminta bantuannya.
Ian bingung harus bagaimana. bagaimanapun Ian sadar caroline bukanlah wanita biasa yg bisa dia manfaatkan.
caroline adl putri seorang earl & dari kelas yg berbeda dgn Ian. Ian tidak berani berharap lebih banyak.
tapi tawaran caroline pun tidak dpt ditolaknya.
jika memang caroline bgt bertekad mencemarkan dirinya sendiri maka Ian bersedia membantu daripada caroline dengan pria lain.

tp walo bgt Ian tetap marah kalo caroline tanpa memikirkan nama baiknya sendiri sering datang ke kediaman Ian tanpa pendamping & di siang hari.
Ian tidak ingin caroline dikecam oleh masyarat ton. tp carolien sptnya tidak perduli dengan hal itu.

baca nih novel ya ampun aq ngelus dada banget.
ibunda caroline maksa banget caroline menikah dengan edward bahkan membabi buta tanpa memikirkan perasaan & kebahagiaan caroline.
countess..... bahkan tidak peduli untuk menyakiti caroline demi membuat caroline menikah dgn edward.
awalnya aq heran kenapa sih kok ngotot amat... ternyata wuihhhhh si countess punya dendam kesumat dgn edward & ingin melampiaskan dendam itu melalui caroline, putri kandungnya sendiri.
sedang ayahanda caroline pun lebih suka memiliki mistress di luar rumah & tidak memperdulikan ke 2 anaknya.
benar2 pasangan yg cocok. sama2 egois & berhati batu.

satu2nya saat caroline benar2 mendapat kasih sayang tulus adl saat bersama Ian, mungkin karna itulah caroline tak mampu melepaskan diri dari Ian.
bencana besar mulai bermunculan satu persatu mulai dari mrs. black yg ingin menikah dgn Ian, bgt tau Ian berhubungand dgn caroline akhirnya mrs. black menemui ibunda caroline & melaporkan semuanya.
mengakibatkan caroline mendapat siksaan.
lalu georgina, mistress ayah caroline mati diracuni sang countess, membuat earl berkabung & makin tidak perduli pd nasib caroline membuat countess makin menggila & lepas kendali.

caroline yg disiksa & takut pd ancaman sang ibu yg ingin membunuh Ian memilih bungkam saat Ian datang melamarnya.
membuat Ian memutuskan pergi ke scotlandia tanpa mengetahui nasib buruk caroline akan lebih parah lagi.
mrs. black yg dihina habis2an oleh jack sadar dengan dampak hasutannya, akhirnya membantu caroline menemui john untuk mengetahui nasib apakah benar Ian ada dlm ancaman sang ibu.

aq geleng2 baca nih novel.
kok bisa ya ada seorang ibu yg bukan hanya egois tanpa udah menuju ke arah tidak punya hati.
demi dendamnya dia tidak perduli apapun menikahkan putrinya dgn ayah kandungnya sendiri.
trus dia membunuh orang lain tanpa berkedip sedikitpun bahkan setelah itu masih berani menantang.

yg aq ga ngerti di novel ini kenapa si adam juga ga suka pd caroline?? bukannya kalo sama2 tertindas khan bisa saling mendukung

si earl juga telat amat nyadar kalo dia bukan ayah yg bertanggung jawab?
nyadar eh pas si adam pergi tanpa sepatah katapun juga caroline yg langsung menghilang & jelas tidak akan mau kembali lagi kerumah.
apalagi john yg merasa bersalah & bertanggung jwb pd caroline bersedia membantu caroline.

[Devon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made me angry in places. I don't like it when a hero is a jerk but he still gets the girl. I consider that to be a brainless heroine. There was also what I would classify as a forced seduction between secondary characters. Makes me seethe.

I'm only reading Double fantasy at some point in the future because I own a copy.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. This book was bad. The characters were abysmal. The storyline was annoying. Ugh. I could have been reading something better.

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard erotic historical romance
3 stars

Ever since she was a child, Lady Caroline Foster was betrothed to an esteemed Viscount. Now, 25 years later, her supposed fiancé has jilted her and in a rush to avoid any scandal, Caroline finds herself engaged to a man old enough to be her father. Needing someone to help her, she seeks advice from her ex-fiancé's illegitimate brother - the only man she's ever kissed.

Ian Clayton has been infatuated with Caroline for years and he can't quite believe that she is seeking him out and offering him all sorts of scandalous things. Things that he should refuse but that he just can't say no to. But as their relationship blossoms into something neither expected - there are more than a few obstacles to overcome and more than a few people who would gladly stop at nothing to make sure the pair are kept apart.

This was the follow on story from Complete Abandon and having been set up in that previous book, I was very much looking forward to reading about Caroline and Ian's romance. Unfortunately, it didn't really quite live up to my expectations.

Both Ian and Caroline were interesting characters and were well developed and people you could ultimately identify with and like. They had the necessary chemistry and the sex scenes were hot, although perhaps a little less emotionally involved and perfunctory than I would have liked.

The plot itself was well developed, quite dark at times and if anyone deserved a happy ending after what they were put through it was Caroline and Ian. We even had a very good secondary romance which I enjoyed very much.

My reasons for only giving the book three stars were as follows: The use of modern language and Americanisms was too numerous to count. The pages were littered with them and it really began to grate after a while. I can live with a few inaccuracies for the sake of a good story but this was too much. And probably more importantly - I just didn't understand why the characters were behaving the way they were. We are never really told why Caroline first seeks out Ian, or why Ian leaves her, etc etc. It was sometimes as if we weren't being told of their motivations or thoughts and feelings.

This is still an interesting book and one that is well written and engaging. It's really not Cheryl Holt's best book but if you're a fan and want to read the story of Ian and Caroline then you still will want to take a look. Unfortunately only 3 stars.

[Isabel Freitas Sensacoes_no_papel · Rating 5 out of 5]

E depois de ler A Filha do Vigário, fiquei curiosa para saber se havia algum livro que continuasse o historia da Caroline e do Ian e, aqui está ele. Gostei muito do livro, assim como do anterior apesar de nos fazer passar muitas angustias ao longo da história. Mas é isso mesmo o importante conseguir passar as emoções e os sentimentos das personagens para nós leitores.

[Julie Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but a weird storyline

[Comfort Gotau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read I can see myself reading more of this author. Oh the scandal

[Michelle Connolly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to start? Hmmm...
The premise was good, the plot seemed interesting enough, but in all honesty this was an awful read.
The writing was sloppy, the dialogues were weird, they seemed out of place and lacked depth or... something, and they didn't quite fit the time period.
The characters were bipolar... Go! Stay! Leave! Don't ever come back! Drop by whenever you want!... Jesus Christ! Just make up your bloody minds!
They say they dislike each other but then mention they were friends... He says he's always desired her yet mentions at some point that he only wanted her because she belonged to his brother...
She demands to know his opinion on her upcoming nuptials and when he finally tells her she says its none of his business...
They were just really frustrating.
I guess I expected some sort of undying devotion on his part. Some sort of hidden passion just lying beneath the surface waiting to be unleashed, but no... It's just about a jerk who has the hots for a snobish childish immature girl who he doesn't even really like and can't have.
Everyone hates everyone in this book... it's dark and turbid (and not in a good or interesting way).
I probably should've read the book prior to this one because I just didn't get the dynamic between the H and h. There was zero chemistry between them...
All in all, this was sometimes like reading a bad porno movie.

[Poschina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo è uno di quei libri che non so come valutare.
Tecnicamente parlando ha un qualcosa di orribile.
Nelle prime 20/30 pagine pensavo di aver scaricato una versione difettosa perchè si passa dai pali in frasche senza soluzione di continuità. Ci sono 10 storie parallele aperte che si intersecano l’una con l’altra e si salta, capitoletto per capitoletto, da una all’altra, tanto che spesso [leggi sempre] mi sono trovata completamente spiazzata dal cambiamento repentino di argomento.

Una volta compreso che non avevo una versione fallata del romanzo ma che era stato scritto proprio in questo modo osceno, mi sono arresa ed ho deciso di lasciarmi trasportare dalla storia, anzi…. dalle storie.

Facile?
Non proprio.
Il grandissimo pregio è che non c’è tempo di annoiarsi.
Gli eventi si susseguono ad una velocità a dir poco imbarazzante, il tutto senza che le personalità dei millemila protagonisti vengano minimamente approfondite, ma almeno mi sono risparmiata la ormai sempre più presente percentuale di sbadigli per le inutili perdite di tempo con le quali spesso le autrici riempiono le pagine quando non hanno idee.

continua su... https://laleggivora.wordpress.com/201...

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Fans self* Well.

I should've paid more attention to the cover-- this was a good deal steamier than I was expecting. (Not that this is a bad thing, I just didn't realize what I was getting myself into.)

Lady Caroline's family was a little over-the-top reprehensible, I felt (I much more enjoyed Ian's painful relationship with his family than Lady C's painful relationship with hers), but otherwise I quite enjoyed this plot-- it amused me how hard known rake Ian worked at *fending off* Lady Caroline's advances in the beginning. The almost tossed-off side romance between Ian's half-brother and his mistress was even *more* explosive than the main event-- honestly, I would have liked to see a little bit more of those two.

The ending held all the drama the plot promised-- and had quite an amusing little filip at the very end.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of historical romance as a general rule. I get frustrated at how bound the characters often are by convention and expectations. This book didn't have that issue; the characters talked a lot about convention, but never actually followed it. I enjoyed the banter between Ian and Caroline well enough. The sex scenes are steamy. And it is refreshing to see Caroline blossom from a doormat into a confident woman.

That being said, I hated the middle part of the book, where Caroline is at the mercy of her parents. They are too horrible for too long. Plus the end, after Ian plays the hero, is dragged out much longer that need be. I wish that I had stopped at the point where he asks her to elope.

[Naturegirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yep, I read this tacky piece of smut. What can I say? Caroline loves Ian, but she is destined to marry Edward, who is really her father, but no one knows that...torrid love affair...etc etc...Ian goes away thinking she doesn't love him, but she does so she sends a desperate message for him to come back and rescue her from this marriage, so just as she's about to say I Do, he bursts through the door and saves the day.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most frustrating thing for me with this book is that the characters seem to take actions that seem totally unmotivated. They act in seemingly random ways in order to create drama. When a character is supposed to be a reasonably intelligent person does something silly or weird, there needs to be a good reason for it, or otherwise the characters just seem like nincompoops.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot! Hot! Hot! And, it has a great storyline, too!

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as others.

[Sodonas Townsend]

Really really good.

[Laura Calderone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confermo parere del primo libro di questa duologia!

[Indy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I could not put this book down