Forbidden

The World of Nightwalkers #1

by Jacquelyn Frank

From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank comes this first book in The World of the Nightwalkers—an exciting and sensual new spin-off series in which the Bodywalkers, an ancient race of the night, battles the evil forces who prey on them.

The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper.

When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

Genres: Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Fantasy, Demons, Magic, Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I live in Asheville NC and have written a book...or two...or is it ten?

Reviews

[Blacky *Romance Addict* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just one kiss on my lips
Was all it took to seal the future
Just one look from your eyes
Was like a certain kind of torture
Just one touch from your hands
Was all it took to make me falter





OMG this was so great A blend of paranormal, ancient Egypt, pharaohs, and mythology Wow.


Well, first you have to understand that I'm a big lover of ancient Egypt, and the myths and everything related to it. Well, not just Egypt, anything ancient is awesome to me and 'The Mummy' is my favorite movie of all time, that says a lot Ok now, back to the book!



The mythology

Well, this was my first book by this author, and I was thrown in this world knowing NOTHING about anything damn :( but, lucky me, a lot of things were explained, and those that weren't I just went past them :D So, in this series, the mythology is Egyptian (love love love!!!). In ancient Egypt, the priests performed mummifications to preserve the body, and help the spirits cross to the afterlife. By chance they stumbled upon a way to keep the soul forever in the Ether, being able to return to the living world in another's body And basically, those people who were mummified are now either in the Ether or living among humans. How it works? Well, the two souls blend to one. Not totally, but there isn't one that is all there and another totally surpressed. There's a sort of partnership there. There are the bad guys (or course again), and they keep the original surpressed, so only one contience rules.
Won't say more, it's all explained in the book (so well explained that even my puny brain could understand, so no worries )



The story

After being thrown from a bridge and dying from the rocks and ice cold water, Docia finds herself in a strange place. The Ether. A woman approaches her and offers a second chance in life, the only thing she's to do is let the other person inside her, to act as a vessel in the living world. Docia accepts, of course She heals quite miraculously, and that attracts the attention of all the freaking bad guys who live there After being attacked in front of her own house, a stranger rescues her, a beautiful, strong, perfect, sexy, whatevergreatwordthereis stranger
Having no other choice, she goes with him and his warrior friend to their safe house, where she begins to learn more about what happened to her and why everyone wants her dead







Docia

She's a bit of a shy person, but makes up for it with her wit and sharp tongue :) The only family she has is her brother Jackson, and they are both strongly connected. After her "Ether experience", she doesn't remember anything, and can't really believe what those strange men are telling her. But one thing is for sure, she can't help but feel the incredible attraction between her and Ram, the man who rescued her
I liked her A LOT. She has some very funny lines, and I liked her character, she was never boring :) But after the blending, it was all kind of weird, of course, that's to be expected, but I got used to her being one way, and she kinda changed. Oh well.


Ram

He carries the soul of an Egyptian pharaoh, and is fiercly loyal to his king, Menes. When Menes' wife, queen Hatshepsut arrives in the body of Dacia, he must protect her, as he had done for thousands of years. The only thing he didn't expect was this fire between them, every time they touched it burned brighter, untill he wasn't able to keep his hands off her. He's torn by his loyalty to his king, and his soul's yearning for this strange little female Dacia, forbidden to him
His other personality is Vincent, an ex-navy SEAL, who has as much a strong personality as Ram :) Both of them are linked to Dacia, and they'll do anything to keep her at their side.





The two persons in one body thing

Well, it kind of bugged me at some points. There were essentially 4 people in those two bodies, all in love with each other. Hmmm. But I guess that's the way it goes, if the souls are blended/connected. Lucky me, I watched the show Stargate, there were Simboits there, quite similar to these, with two minds in one body. So now I'm cool with that


The insta-love
Not a big fan of this one, but it was done really well here, it was like they knew each other for ages, and their souls were meant to be together, so yeah, surprisingly, wasn't bothered by that.


And so, my conclusion is that I really really really liked this, there were some times when it was weird, but not enough to spoil anything and I want to read Jackson's book NOW!!!!!!!!!



*and I can't believe I quoted Madonna here, but I wasn't allowed to put any quotes from this ARC :(*


*ARC courtesy of Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review

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ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review

Forbidden is the first book in The World of Nightwalkers series by Jacquelyn Frank. I have not read her previous books so I wasn't aware this was a spin-off. This book also happens to be the first book that I have read from this author and after reading this sensual paranormal romance, I am hooked. Ms. Frank has beautifully weaved a bit ancient Egypt history, mythology, and paranormal into a spellbinding read.

What makes Forbidden a different kind of read for me was that it dealt with Bodywalkers, a spirt that inhabits the body of a current human. The spirits that inhabits it's host are ancient Egyptians who are cursed and survives by finding a body in the Ether in order to join the human world. So when the Queen enters Docia's body, a symbiotic connection and bond forms. The forbidden aspect of the story begins to unfold when Ram enters Vincent's body. Ram, who happens to be the second in command to the king, is assigned to protect the Queen/Docia. So what happens when the emotions and deep feelings begins to get blurred and Ram/Vincent find it hard to resist the temptation?

I will just say that I found this paranormal read interesting. It was unique and different which I found refreshing. I love how the author slowly unfolded the story so delicately and never allowed the readers to get lost in what was transpiring between the characters. Forbidden was a perfect blend of paranormal and mythology!!! This book left me slightly addicted in wanting to know more, so I look forward in reading what awaits in this series.

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Review can also be found on Four Chicks Flipping Pages: http://fourchicksflippingpages.weebly...Jacquelyn Frank

[Sláinte Wanderlust · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cover & title - 4 out of 5
Favorite line - "Oh, co'mon. Did the red sea part even just a little bit?" She held up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
Favorite character - Singsing, the Djinn




I think the fact i haven't read any other Nightwalkers books made this harder for me to get into. Maybe if i had i might of enjoyed the book more?
I did not like the idea of someone else's soul/Ra being in your body, changing your personality, taking you over - i found that seriously disturbing. It is invasion of the body snatchers or something. Creeptastic. I also did not like find it sexy them having sex, i found that kinda gross, a 4 way internally. What if one of them had not wanted too or had hated one of the four... what would they have done then? I didn't like that element of it.

Was the story good? *shrug* Yeah i guess, i know the problems i mentioned made me like it less. There was drama, action, sex, etc & a paranormal/fantasy element so if you are into that sort of thing & don't mind like i do about the body sharing then I think you could enjoy this book. It just was not my cup of tea at all.

[Наталья · Rating 4 out of 5]

Почему-то напомнило мне серию "BDB" by JR Ward. В общих чертах, конечно.

Паранормальные существа, живущие рядом с людьми, но в тайне от них, ночной жизнью. Женщина-человек попадает в самую гущу событий, перестает быть человеком и попутно затаскивает туда своих близких.

С первой книги знакомство с множеством персонажей, которые, скорей всего, станут героями следующих книг. И, как у Уорд, POV от множества этих самых персонажей.

С миром Nightwalkers этого автора я уже давно знакома. Читала и основную серию, и спин-оффы. Нравится авторский язык, необычные создания или нестандартно представленные уже известные нам. Некоторые моменты аукнулись дежа-вю, но этим не раздражали.

Инста-лав здесь присутствует, но объясняется сверхъестественными причинами, так что не дергает. Герои сильные, приятные и противоречивые в силу своей "двойственной" натуры.

Было интересно, с удовольствием продолжаю серию.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: I want book 2 NOW, enough said.

Opening Sentence: “Ow. Ow. Ow. And did I mention ow?”

The Review:

Thought I would get a head start on this book for my next review yesterday at 5 pm and when I look up next it was after midnight and the book was finished. I literally couldn’t put this book down. I missed dinner and even forgot to put a load of clothes in to wash. So you have been warned up front that this story is enough to get absolutely lost in.

Now some people might see that this is a spin off series and wonder if they can jump head long into this world with out the original series. Yes, with no qualms or stipulations. I am sorry to say that this is my first Jacquelyn Frank book and boy what I have been missing out on if this is the caliber of writing that she is giving to readers.

Docia, our heroine, is minding her own business headed to work when she is pushed off a bridge and killed. As she is dying she is taken to The Ether which is a place where humans are granted the opportunity to host a Nightwalker. After Docia accepts that she wants to live and will host this Nightwalker, she is granted a second chance at life.

Ram, our hero, comes charging in to save Docia as she wanders the streets after being released from hospital. He informs her that he has been sent as her guide and protector. Then tops it off saying she is his Queen. Sweet introduction if I do say so, Ms. Frank.

Both of these characters are so well rounded and developed there were times that I could nearly anticipate their actions because I felt I knew them both.

Docia’s brother, Jackson is a nearly overwhelming secondary character but I’m pleased that he will be getting his very own book, Forever. The exchanges between Docia and Jackson at the beginning remind me very much of exchanges I have seen in tightly knit families. Ms. Frank knocked this one out of the park.

I appreciated the glossary and pronunciation table at the beginning of the book because I didn’t have to wonder if the words I was hearing in my head were correct or not.

So finally, should you add this to your book collections? Absolutely! Will I read book 2 in this series? Absolutely! Am a a Jacquelyn Frank fan now? Most definitely!

Notable Scene:

“My queen?”

He was addressing her, she realized, stifling a bit of a giggle. Yet there was something thrilling and empowering to hear one so beautiful and so obviously powerful address her as though she were somehow greater than he, as if he were possibly subservient to her.

She opened her mouth, but she honestly didn’t know how to respond–not only to such an address, but to the way he had come to her assistance overall. And then there was a moment, standing there in the golden aura of strength and hardness that was emanating from him, when she wondered if her attacker had been the frying pan and her savior was, actually, the fire. It kind of felt that way. Just a little. Seeing as how he now stood over her with a bloody knife in his hand.

FTC Advisory: Ballantine/Random House provided me with a copy of Forbidden. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[HTL · Rating 1 out of 5]

I give up. This shit is boring. I can't get into it and don't feel like forcing myself to read.

[CC]

I really, really tried. After about 40% I just did not care. At. All.

It was confusing and boring. And the body sharing thing was too creepy for me.

[Traann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting twist and a new spinoff/continuation series...

I should have believed in her. Jacquelyn Frank had never truly disappointed me until “Adam”, the sixth book in the Nightwalkers series, was done. I thought that she was done with the story. Not so and thank goodness. You knew there was more to the story and she has introduced us to that with “Forbidden”. Forbidden introduces you to a part of the Nightwalkers world we did not know existed and she has created a new type of character, Bodywalkers. Bodywalkers are a blend of two souls, one an ancient Egyptian and the other someone from more recent times. I guess the Egyptians knew what they were doing (at least they thought they knew) when they embalmed their dead.

The story begins after the end of “Adam” with Bella and Kestra discussing an ancient scroll found in the Nightwalker Library written in Egyptian hieroglyphs that mentions “ twelve nations”. Since to this point they only know about six maybe seven they figure the others must be extinct since if they were around they would know about them Enter the Bodywalkers... One of the twelve nations.

If you know anything about Egyptian history then you will have a little bit of a head start on the personality/history of some of the characters. Ram/Vincent aka Ramses shares a body with a former Navy SEAL (and who doesn’t love a SEAL), Cleo/Desiree aka Cleopatra shares a body with a prophetess who is fun, quirky and a quick friend to Docia, the main characters of this book. Then we hear about Menes and Hatshepsut, the rulers who are coming back and need a body to inhabit. There are also the non blended characters, Jackson (who the second book “Forever” is about) and Leo his best friend, both of who are former military.

I’m not going to repeat what others have already said about this book, they did such a good job restating all it is about, I’m just going to tell you that if you are a fan of Jacquelyn Frank, and especially of her Nightwalkers this is a book you will want to read. It starts out a little slow but many books that are setting up a new story line do, but once she lays down who is who and what is what you will not want to put the book down until you are done and I am already waiting with bated breath for “Forever” due out in the spring of 2013.

[JoLee (Cozy.Sunday.Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Jacob (Night Walkers #1) and Drink Of Me (a stand alone novel) by Jacquelyn Frank. Also have a few others in different series sitting on my shelf just waiting to be read. I really have no idea what I just read. It starts off good but when the characters started blending with in each other I was lost. I felt too much was happening. Too much going back and forth between the host (human) names and the original names. The story for me also dragged after awhile and was too easy to put down. Jacquelyn is known for writing some sweet, yummy alpha male, possessive, protective heroes but was not always feeling the main character. The sexual tension was ok in the beginning but I felt it got lost sometime in the novel and the sex scenes did nothing for me. I enjoyed Forbidden more towards the end with a twist and the prologue was good. I like the idea for this series but at this time I do not know If I will continue. Maybe someday I will as I would like to know how it all plays out from the prologue but if it is like this where it was too confusing then I do not think so.

Rating: 2 stars - ok

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Wickedly Delicious Book Blog

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one starts up right where The Nightwalkers left off and I'm Not gonna lie I'm TOTALLY bummed that there's no more nightwalkers but from reading book one, this series definitely promises to be an.... interesting spinoff to our beloved nightwalkers in which we're now talking about Bodywalkers.... And you dont necessarily have to have read The Nightwalkers to understand the concept.... The prologue gives you enough background info on the Bodywalkers to understand what's going on... My only question about the series would be WHY she named it World of the Nightwalkers instead of The Bodywalkers ....

Can I just say I'm LOVING Jackson? I LOVED that she did that with Jackson at the end... Its gonna be interesting seeing his blending with Menes ... For those that haven't read them yet... DROP WHAT YOU'RE READING AND GO!!!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when they thought because of the Nightwalker library that all who still survived were revealed this story says otherwise. Hiding in plain sight are Bodywalkers but as in all races good ones and bad ones and this is the beginning of there story. Docia delightful girl gets first introduced to and agrees to be used. Her brother Jackson hero to the core is what lands him in the forefront and racing to save her becomes one with her new life with one of his own. Docile though meets and oh gets to keep one hunk of a guy in being sent to find and protect who he thinks her to be no one could of known he might of needed protecting from love of course. Always good and evil battle in these stories but it is all how the writer weaves the the tail and this was woven well. Discover these guys and their relations to the Nightwalker World and how they have survived this long. Great read.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated by Egyptian mythology and this book is right up my alley. I loved everything about it. There are lots of characters and most have more than one name which is confusing at first though you get used to it quickly. I really liked Ram and Docia. And I just knew Jackson and Marissa were going to be an item though I was surprised by the how. There are lots of story arcs that need to be played out and I can't wait to continue the series and see where Ms. Frank takes things next.

On an aside...I laughed out loud when I saw that orange juice was a killer drink to the Bodywalkers. Too funny!

[D.G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Ms. Frank. I enjoyed it somewhat but I had some problems with the premise so now I'm not sure I'll continue reading the series.

I didn't fully understand the business of the two souls - it didn't ring true to me no matter the explanations. I also didn't like how Ms. Frank goes on and on with internal dialogue in the middle of action scenes. Several times I was like...get moving! The bad guys are coming!

Xe Sands rocked the narration - her male voices are amazing - so I'll be sure to look for more of her narrations. Just not sure they will be by this author.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ram/Vincent and Docia

I liked this new series and addition to the Nightwalker world. Full review on Fiction Vixen Book Reviews

Forbidden is the first book in a new series by Jacquelyn Frank. It is set in the same world as her previous Nightwalker books but it focuses on a new group called Bodywalkers. Basically what a Bodywalker is a spirit from older times that inhabits the body of a current human. The spirits are ancient Egyptians that have been cursed to live forever. They survive in the Ether until they find a body/soul to host them and at that point they rejoin the world. The “blending” as it is called is a purely voluntary thing as each human is given a choice, upon their death, on whether they want to joined by the other soul. The two people then form a symbiotic being neither being dominate or submissive but both being present at all times. It sounds confusing but Ms. Frank explains it well and makes it work.

There are two groups of Bodywalkers- the Politic and the Templars. The Templars are what we would call the fanatical bunch of the race believing that the human host is to be used as they see fit and that they are the superior being. The Politic believe the blending is true joining of two complimentary people and that each person should have a say. The two factions are constantly at war and cause the original spirits to die off quite frequently. Once they die they have to wait 100 years to return to a new body. Since it has been close to 100 years since the last major slaughter there are many souls looking for someone to blend with.

Ram has been tasked with watching over the blended soul of their queen. Each time she returns he is the one to protect her until Menes, the king, returns. The king and the queen have a beautiful perfect relationship, one that has lasted through the test of time. No matter what body they chose to inhabit they always connect as the king and queen.

The queen has chosen Docia to blend with. When the two souls are first blended the ancient one is very weak and does not show too much of a presence. For the first couple of weeks the blending is very weak and the human is in charge. Over time the two learn each other both taking certain strengths and weakness. Since Docia is the one that is currently present she is the one that does all the thinking and talking.

Docia is what I would like to call “plucky”. I really enjoyed her character and humor in the face of this crazy thing that has just happened to her. Not only does she have to deal with the blending but the reason she was chosen was because someone tried to kill her. Someone pushed off a bridge causing her to fall on some rocks and almost drown. She has had a lot to deal with and she doesn’t whine or cry which is always a welcome thing in a crazy story like this.

This time, however, something different has happened. For the first time in many hundreds of years Ram feels differently about his queen. His recent blending is with a Navy Seal named Vincent so the two are perfect to protect the queen. But the two of them seem to want the queen/Docia in ways they never have in the past. Ram is second in command to the king and has long been his closest friend. To want his queen is a betrayal of the greatest order. He is extremely torn by his feelings but doesn’t think he will be able to resist them.

Forbidden is the first book in a new series so there is a huge amount of explaining to do. Some of the concepts and ideas aren’t necessarily new if the reader is familiar with the Nightwalker series but then some of them are. There is a huge amount of information to be departed in order for the reader to be okay with the joining of two souls. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like how it was done. It is a little hard to take that there will be four separate people in the HEA not the two I am used too. Ms. Frank does an excellent job of combining the info dump with the story that is going on. There wasn’t one point where I was confused or scratching my head as to what was happening.

The strength of this book, other than the world building, is the character list. Ram/Vincent and Docia are a wonderful match. Docia comes with several family members that are looking for her and there are also several other Bodywalkers we meet along the way. I found each of them to be very interesting and can’t wait until we get their story. What was also incredibly fascinating was the link to ancient Egypt. Each of the blended characters was someone from ancient Egypt. Cleopatra, Ramses, Menes were among the characters listed.

Ms. Frank’s books are generally a hit or miss for me. I never know what I am going to get when I open her pages. This time I got a big hit and I am really looking forward to the next book. Forbidden ends on a bit of cliffhanger, but it is not related to this story. All the strands of this relationship are wrapped up at the end. This is a fresh and new look for PNR and I would recommend fans of this overall series to continue with this new arc. Final grade- B+

Favorite Quote:

She wondered when it was going to stop surprising her that Vincent wasn’t the type to ask permission to do certain things. She also wondered why it didn’t piss her off. She ought to be hitting him over the head with her purse, screeching, “Masher! Masher!” like the little old ladies in Bugs Bunny cartoons. Only she didn’t have a purse and she kind of enjoyed being mashed at the moment. Not that she’d cop to it under interrogation.

[Shauni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forbidden begins a new trail in the Nightwalkers saga by Jacquelyn Frank. Like the ShadowDwellers series, it runs parrallel to the Nightwalkers. I am keeping my fingers crossed that eventually all these paths will come together but for now we get to meet an entire new group of NightWalkers. The Body Dwellers. We do get to see Bella for just a smidgeon of a moment where she discovers that there are actually 12 types of Nightwalkers, not the 6 they are currently aware of and that a new prophecy might be coming into place.. but from there we skip right on to the Body Dwellers.

The Body Dwellers are the ancient Egyptians who have been mummified, what they didn't realize when they were going through their death rituals that having their bodies buried this way would keep their souls forever attached to earth. Over time they discover that it is possible to regain life from the "ether" if they find a dying body and blend with that person becoming a symbiotic being. Now comes the tricky part.. the Politicos believe in mutual blending.. where each soul, the original and the ancient work together to become a complete being where the Templars, control the body and totally subvert the original. The Body Walkers are in the midst of a civil war where the Templars are doing everything they can to destroy the politicos because they believe in doing so they will regain Ra's pleasure and be able to walk in the sun.. and the Politicos, who currently rule the Body Walkers believe that the Templars are really just out for the money, power and total control... An interesting concept.

In Forbidden we find Dorcia Waverly, after having been pushed off a bridge, being offered a blending by the Queen of the Politicos, the eternal mate of Menses.. She is found by Ram (yes that is Ramses the 2nd and Ms Frank has some fun moments with that) and as Dorcia works on assimilating her Body Walker and running from the bad guys.. She and Ram are drawn towards each other. This causes Ram much distress. Menses is his king, his best friend and the eternal soul mate to the bodywalker Dorcia is carrying.. This has never happened before.

As we watch Ram and Dorcia unravel all everything we, the readers are slowly drawn into what is going to be a wonderful series. It is complex and confusing at times because Ms Frank is introducing us to so much. Each attribute is unique and important to the story it just takes time to figure it all out. Ms Franks does an interesting job writing for both sides of Dorcia. She tells the story of Dorcia the woman falling for Ram (Vincent is his human name), Dorcia, the human learning about blending with another soul. Dorcia, the human dealing with dying and waking up not dead. And finally, Dorcia the sister dealing with a brother who raised her and is mad with grief in trying to find her. Then we meet Dorcia's Bodywalker, Hepsatuth (sp) except..

As I said there is so much going on and as the story grows and develops it is going to be very very interesting...

My only complaint with Ms Franks is she has a tendency to not finish a series.. so I hope as this series grows we get to see it come together and tell a complete story. Her writing as usual is superb and this story shows so very much promise.. I suggest you all get a copy and just enjoy the ride

Shauni

This review is based on the ARC of Forbidden provided by netgalley and is scheduled for release on October 30, 2012

For more reviews by Shauni check out Tea and Book and
Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy

[Stephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Docia was walking to work when out of nowhere, a van barreled towards her, knocking her off a bridge and down a rocky hill into freezing water. Sitting at death's door, Docia is given a second chance when a beautiful and powerful woman offers to bring her back to the land of the living if Docia agrees to host her soul and become a Bodywalker. Bruised and confused, Docia has little time to recover before a handsome warrior whisks her into an unknown world.

Ram believes Docia is hosting the soul of his queen and it's his duty to keep her safe until his king returns. Ram is loyal but the fiery woman with a sensual touch threatens to unravel him. With their enemies circling, Ram will keep Docia safe while hoping their ever growing desire doesn't consume them both.

The Bodywalkers are a fascinating race of Nightwalkers. They're ancient Egyptians who, thanks to the mummification, have their souls sent into the Ether, an in-between place where their soul wait for a human to share their body with them. The two souls learn to live side by side and work off each other rather than having one take over the other. In exchange, the human host comes back to life with supernatural abilities and becomes a Bodywalker. If a dying human is unfortunate enough to come in contact with a Templar soul, priests and priestesses of Egyptians who believe they should be in power and are the enemies of the Bodywalkers, they could end up being forcefully suppressed as their body is taken over.

I love Egyptian mythology and history, so I found all this extremely interesting. The only problem is I felt like most everything was explained during scenes between Docia and Ram, taking away time we could have gotten to know them. Sure, I was able to pick up that Docia is spunky in her own sweet way, and that Ram, and his other half Vincent, are alpha to the core while being chivalrous and caring. But I couldn't help feel that just the surface was scratched and with their relationship moving as quickly as it did, (though I must say, their smex scenes were H-O-T!) I felt they deserved a little more.

I was leaning towards giving this book a 3.5 rating but Jackson, Docia's brother, landed this book a solid 4. Jackson is a small town police officer and he cares about her sister above all else. When Docia gives an excuse for her sudden disappearance, Jackson knows something is wrong and the usually by the book officer will do anything to find his sister. Jackson has a playful side only she gets to see but it's his intensity and utter devotion to Docia that had me swooning. Jackson is a very commanding character with many layers and after the epilogue; I can't wait until the release of his book next year.

Forbidden is the first installment in The World of the Nightwalkers series so as is the case with many first books, it moves slowly as everything is laid out. About half way through, it really picks up and doesn't stop until the end. The battle between Nightwalkers and the Templars is one I plan to follow closely. Jacquelyn Franks does a great job introducing her fantastical new paranormal world I can't wait to come back to it in Jackson's book.
- Stephanie

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not quite sure how I feel about this one. On one hand I really have to give the author credit for originality, but on the other I am just not sure my imagination can go where the author wants me to go. Let me try and explain...

I sent this text to my reading buddy..."A Pharaoh sends its soul to a human in order to return to Earth. Now there are 2 souls living in one body and the Pharaoh basically has domination over that human body now. And when that said human/Pharaoh has steamy time with another blended person there are basically 4 people having steamy time"...does that make sense to you? I am honestly still trying to grasp the whole blended two people in one body scenario here. I liked Docia and I liked Ram, but then you throw in Vincent the host for Ram and Docia's carbon (the Egyptian soul that has set up camp in her body) and my feelings go wonky.

I started feeling bad for Vincent and Docia because it seems like they basically get taken over by these other souls. Ram is obviously the dominate one in his situation and it makes me wonder what will happen to Docia, the one he loves?? I know he is connected to her other soul, but it just feels weird! It's like there are four people in this relationship and for me that's two too many. I don't know if I will ever be okay with this. Maybe I have read too many sci fi books where the aliens take over the human body and that's my hang up. I just can't see this as good because Docia will lose herself. How can this work??!

All that aside the author does have an original idea. The whole Egyptian mythology was really interesting and I am definitely going to continue on for at least one more book to see what the author has up her sleeve. I think I know because of how things ended, but I am really curious to see how a certain soul will retrieve his soulmate.

The only other thing that bothered was the transitions. They were all really awkward and it always took me a few sentences to catch up and realize I was reading from somebody elses POV and more often than not in a completely different scene. This made the book feel clunky and clumsy.

So if you can get past the whole two souls in one body you might want to give this a go. I also know that with this genre it always takes me at least two to three books to really get into the story so maybe that's it too. I have definitely read stranger things so I won't write this one off yet.

[LizBookAddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

5-Jacquelyn-Frank-is-awesome STARS!!!!!

So its been ages since I've delved into Jackie's World of the Nightwalkers. I remember reading Noah a few years back and thinking that there is no King like him. No one to match his awesome power. (I tend to compare Paranormal characters like I would comic-book superheroes). As I gradually completed that series and the Shadow-dwellers series, I marked Frank off as Auto-buy. And as I read other stuff, I would always buy her books and pile it on my TBR list.... for a damn good reason. This woman can do no wrong. For me she is PNR royalty, up there with the Ward's, Moning's and Kenyon's of the writing world.

This spin-off of the Nightwalker world is just a delicious as everything else. Albeit with a bit of a twist.

Meet Docia, recently deceased and miraculously recovered from her near-death experience. She knows she was lucky, she knows the miracle came at a price but she lies in wait until it does. And when it comes, its in the form of a Smoking HOT former Egyptian Pharaoh named Ram (naturally Ramses's nick name).

It is somewhat confusingly explained that Docia now shares her body with the queen of the Bodywalkers turns out it's not the queen, but a supposed enemy Templer and that their souls will eventually "Blend" to become two halves of one symmetrical whole.

Yeah, makes for a good mind-f#$$. I did in fact ask myself midway through when I got to the all important sex-scene - "so who's F$#*ing who?" but its beautifully explained by Frank in a way only she can do. That way that makes you almost believe that the voice inside your own MIGHT just be someone else.....

I'll only complain about one thing though.... and I'll put it on record that that one thing did not stop me from 5-staring this baby because Frank is awesome....
I would have really like to see a bit more sex.... And no, I'm not a horn dog (okay, maybe sometimes).. But I say this purely because Frank's target audience is females and she "hotifies" her male heroes not only by description in her books but also on the beautiful covers.

Just saying...

Otherwise... brilliant as always....!!!!!

That's all there is to it...

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forbidden is Jacquelyn Frank’s first novel in her new Bodywalkers storyline (The World of Nightwalkers), a spin off to the Nightwalker.

The Bodywalkers are beings from ancient Egypt, create by the priest ritual of embalming, their spirits are held in the Ether. They can cross over and “blend” with another soul only when it’s on the verge of death.

Docia Waverly lives in Saugerties, NY. She is on her way to work talking to her brother, K9 officer, Jackson on her cell phone while she walks to work. Docia pushed off a bridge and presumed dead. What Jackson doesn’t know is that she was offered to “blend” with a Bodywalker and has returned from the brink of death with both herself and another soul.

Ram is told by Cleo that an important Bodywalker, his queen, has returned and he must retrieve her. Searching NY, he finds the likely candidate of Docia . . . she has survived a remarkable fall. Docia is attacked by a man trying to knife her, the day she comes home from the hospital, Ram is there to save her. Ram and Asikri, another Bodywalker, convince Docia that she is unsafe and needs to leave with them.

Ram protects Docia as his queen but there is some unknown force driving them together. Although his queen belongs to his king, Menes, Ram can’t help himself from the connection he feels with Docia.

There are enemies both human and Bodywalker that would like to destroy Docia before she comes into her full power. Ram must protect her, will he continue to protect her when shocking revelations are revealed?

This is a great start to a new series from Jacquelyn Frank. It was fun, exciting, fascinating and left you wanting more. Although this story is connected to the Nightwalkers, it held its own with its unique new characters. We even have Djinn and gargoyles too! All around great read, 4 stars

This ARC copy of Forbidden was given to me by Random House Publishing Group, LLC in exchange for an honest review. Published October 30, 2012.

Check out more of my reviews at http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Forbidden Jacquelyn has expanded the myth involved in the popular Nightwalker series by introducing the possibility of a further six nations onto the existing six, previous knowlege of the Nightwalker books is not needed to enjoy this but I highly recomend reading them.


The Bodywalkers have their mythology based in ancient Egypt, when their mortal body dies their soul returns to the Ether, which is the place between life and death. Once they have recovered from their "death" they are able to hitch-hike back to Earth and into a new body by possesing a human at the moment of their death. Both parties have to be in agreement though, and over a period of time the two souls will merge allowing them to share a body.


Following an attempted murder, Docia is introduced to a world she never expected existed. Raised by her brother, Jackson, and his friend Leo after the death of her parents, Docia has led a pretty uneventful life so why are people suddenly trying to kill her? The melding of Docia with a Bodywalker occurs after the first attempt to kill her, this invites even more bad guys to try and kill her, luckily for her it also introduces a protector in the form of Ram/Vincent who believes her to be hosting his Queen. Along the way we meet new foes and allies, the plot has many twists and a forbidden romance that raises the heat level.

It's a promising beginning to the series, like all first in series books with such a huge mythology there is a large amount of info thrown at you in this book, it was a little hard to get my head around at times. I was greatful for the distraction that Jackson provided and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.


Jacquelyn has proved once again why she is a master (or should that be mistress?) of what I like to term "fantasy paranormal". The worlds she creates are so indepth and different that you can't help but believe they may actually exist.

4 Stars

Reviewed for Literal Addiction, ARC provided by Netgalley.

[Michelle Leah Olson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Forbidden Jacquelyn has expanded the myth involved in the popular Nightwalker series by introducing the possibility of a further six nations onto the existing six, previous knowledge of the Nightwalker books is not needed to enjoy this but I highly recommend reading them.

The Bodywalkers have their mythology based in ancient Egypt, when their mortal body dies their soul returns to the Ether, which is the place between life and death. Once they have recovered from their "death" they are able to hitch-hike back to Earth and into a new body by possesing a human at the moment of their death. Both parties have to be in agreement though, and over a period of time the two souls will merge allowing them to share a body.

Following an attempted murder, Docia is introduced to a world she never expected existed. Raised by her brother, Jackson, and his friend Leo after the death of her parents, Docia has led a pretty uneventful life so why are people suddenly trying to kill her? The melding of Docia with a Bodywalker occurs after the first attempt to kill her, this invites even more bad guys to try and kill her, luckily for her it also introduces a protector in the form of Ram/Vincent who believes her to be hosting his Queen. Along the way we meet new foes and allies, the plot has many twists and a forbidden romance that raises the heat level.
It's a promising beginning to the series, like all first in series books with such a huge mythology there is a large amount of info thrown at you in this book, it was a little hard to get my head around at times. I was greatful for the distraction that Jackson provided and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.

Jacquelyn has proved once again why she is a master (or should that be mistress?) of what I like to term "fantasy paranormal". The worlds she creates are so indepth and different that you can't help but believe they may actually exist.

LITERAL ADDICTION's Associate Reviewer gives Forbidden 4 Skulls.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Gifted via Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

Well I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, and in fact I am 80% through book 2Forever: The World of Nightwalkers after this book finished I just had to carry on reading.

This is the first book in the series and we are introduced to Docia.

Docia is an interesting character, and I can see that she is a bit of a timid mouse on the outside to start with but I love her attitude, fashion style - I love op shops - I think I will call them regeneration shops now too - such a cool word for them.

Docia is the sister of K9 Cop Jackson, and when Docia is reported dead after a hit and run he is distraught, I think Jackson although he isn't the main character in this book, caught my interest the most. But miraculously Docia survives, but her life is far from safe, and when she is attacked again Docia ends up catching the attention of 'Ram' and the adventure kicks into high gear.

I don't want to give too much away, but I love how the world is based on Egyptian Myths and Gods,
I also love Jacquelyn Frank's idea of how Egyptian burial rituals come into play with the Bodywalkers creation. no spoilers though, you need to read this book to find out how they come into being.

With bodywalkers, gargoyles and who knows what else could make an appearance you will be glued to this book.

Right back to finishing book 2...

[Ayisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is how I imagined Ram and Tameri:



Lol I know they are Egyptians in the book but I feel this is a spot on representation! Especially since it was stated how they like to burn incense.

[Hbeebti · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 The beginning was good, the middle made my mind wander and became bored, and the ending was the best part. Overall not to bad.

[Lulu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forbidden is the first book in Jacquelyn Frank's new Bodywalker series, a spin-off of her excellent Nightwalker series. After a brief glimpse of Nightwalkers' Bella and Kestra, we learn of another Nightwalker race, the Bodywalkers, who were created when the ancient Egyptian mummification process unintentionally tied the souls of the dead to Earth. These souls exist in the "Ether", until they find a new human host and return to Earth. The human (called the "original") and the symbiote (called the "carbon") share the original's body, both souls existing and "blending" together within the one body, though the distinct personalities of both the original and the carbon are retained. Upon death of the human host body, the carbon is returned to the Ether to do it all over again with a new human host after a minimum waiting period of 100 years.

Overall, the plot of Forbidden is fairly straight forward. Unremarkable, office manager Docia Waverly is knocked off a bridge into a raging river. As she balances between life and death, she is offered the choice to either die, or become the human host to the Egyptian Queen Hapshepsut. She chooses life and upon her return to Earth, she is found by Ram, the best friend of King Menes and his second in command. He has been sent to find his Queen and protect her while she acclimates to the blending, and waits for her husband/soulmate King Menes to be reborn. However, the Queen is very quiet within Docia, so it is all Docia for the majority of the book. Ram himself is the combination of King Ramses II (yes, the pyramid builder) and Vincent, a Navy SEAL, though Ramses is the "front man" in their relationship. Throughout Ram's many lives, he has never been tempted by his Queen but this time is very different and he finds himself inappropriately drawn to Docia.

For millennia, a civil war has been raging within the Bodywalkers as they fight and kill one another, and are reborn to fight again, over and over, taking a new host body each time. King Menes and Queen Hapshepsut rule the Politico, who believe in an equal sharing of the body and respect their human hosts. They fight the Templars (priests and priestesses) who believe in the complete domination of the human host body, and who ultimately seek to rule the entire human race. The Templars want to kill Docia in order to send the Queen's soul back to the Ether where she will have to remain for the minimum 100 years. This will cause King Menes to delay his return, as he is so in love and attached to his Queen that he would choose to remain with her, no matter what might be happening on Earth. There is a large secondary plot involving Docia's police officer brother, Jackson, as he frantically searches for his missing sister. A plot twist near the end (***MAJOR SPOILER FOLLOWS***) is somewhat obvious as it turns out that Docia is not carrying the Queen after all, but a Templar priestess named Tameri, who has returned to make peace and and help defeat the evil Templar leaders, also resolving Ram's hesitation over Docia. This happens fairly rapidly and the leaders of the Templar are defeated. Ram/Vincent and Docia/Tameri get their happy ending, with the next book focusing on Docia's brother Jackson as lead.

Jacquelyn Frank is a talented writer but large parts of this book were pretty dull, as Ram and Docia don't have much chemistry. Ram is your typical alpha Hero and Docia a fairly typical, yet pretty unremarkable heroine. Other supporting characters were more interesting than the two of them, though the evil Templar leaders are straight forward evil, without any nuance. In addition, while the basic concept of the Bodywalkers is kind of intriguing, the execution resulted in an odd, crowded relationship between Ram/Vincent and Docia/Tameri, and confusing, inconsistent world building. Over time, the two souls are supposed to "blend" so that they come to think and act as one. However, it was clear that both Ram and Vincent's distinct personalities still existed and each would come forward at different times, though Ramses dominated generally. As Docia herself says "it's menage a everybody!" It helps lessen the confusion somewhat that Tameri is submerged within Docia and only comes out to express herself toward the end. Still, that means that Tameri is basically a stranger to the other three when she does finally make her presence known. Frank tries to fix this by having Ram state that "... although he was only beginning to know Tameri, he knew that he was in love with Docia, who homed her. For some intangible reason, he knew without a doubt that he was connected to Tameri just as perfectly as Menes was to Hatshepsut." But, what about Vincent? How does he feel about Tameri? We never find out. Having the four distinct personalities within the central relationship was odd and crowded and confusing.

In trying to give readers the satisfaction of a true happily-ever-after, Frank has Ram tells Docia she will be his forever, in this life and the next and the next and the next, and that they will endure just as Menes and Hatshepsut have. Well, how exactly are Ram and Docia going to endure forever when it is only the Egyptian souls (Ramses and Tameri) who will return to the Ether when their human hosts (Vincent and Docia) eventually die or are killed? The souls of the original human hosts are allowed to move on peacefully, unlike the Egyptians who return to the Ether. So, is Ram speaking to Docia or to Tameri? This is never explained and further confuses the ending. It seems that we are to assume that Ram and Docia are now so powerful and strong as a couple that they will be able to keep the host bodies alive for eternity, though not even Menes and Hapshepsut have been able to do this for their hosts.

So, overall, this new series doesn't work for me. It's possible that with the evil Templars gone, and the King and Queen on the verge of returning, that Frank will integrate the Bodywalkers more fully into the Nightwalker world which might help. However, the basic foundation on which the Bodywalkers stand is confusing and distracting with each relationship encompassing four distinct personalities that all need to fall in love with one another, with readers knowing that it is only the two Egyptian Bodywalker souls that will truly be together forever. I've loved Frank's Nightwalker series and "Drink of Me" is a stand alone favorite, but I won't be continuing with the Bodywalkers.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacquelyn Frank is another new author for me and I thought I would check out Forbidden. One of my good online friends loves her and her Nightwalkers series. I was really excited to get started on this one.

I loved the idea of Bodywalkers, however and the blending of the original soul with the designated “old soul” (the Bodywalker). It was a different aspect of paranormal. One of the things that threw me off was that they were not explained right away, so I felt exactly as Docia did, lost. She has had a tragedy happen to her, and she lands in the Ether and given a choice of whether she would like to live or not. She chooses yes, and wakes up to find herself in the middle of their “alternate” world and an old soul residing inside of her. The Bodywalker essentially blends with the original until they become a carbon of each other.

“You have left normal humanity and mortality behind today, Docia. Today you have become a Bodywalker. You came to the brink of death, weakening the protective walls of your KA…your soul…enough to allow the KA of another to blend with yours.”

I liked Docia/ Queen Hatshepsut and Ramses/Vincent, I just didn’t like them together. Docia/Queen was fated to be with King Menes when he came back from the Ether into the mortal world through his original. Meanwhile Ram was fighting the intense attraction between himself and Docia. He knew that it was disloyalty and treason to fall in love with his King’s Queen. Although he couldn’t’ understand why, as over the centuries he had never felt an inkling of feeling or attraction towards her other than friendship, it was happening and happening at an intensity he had never felt before.

The author wanted you to feel that these four souls were connected to each other instantly and it was supposed to feel intense and meant to be. The only time I felt any chemistry between these characters was when their Bodywalkers were suspended and you had just Docia and Vincent. I felt the connection between the two original mortals. Docia was a quirky little thing, was the Queen was more polished and assertive. Vincent was an incredible hot Seal, while Ramses was also very polished and philosophical, a king in his own right. There were moments that it seemed there was no rhyme or reason to which soul was more dominant.

“So…you…” “Love you? No. it is beyond love, if such thing is possible, Docia. It has to be. Two souls inside me. Two souls inside you. All connected. All knowing at their very core that we belong together.”

I will say that there was INTENSE sexual tension between her brother Jackson and his love interest. There was sparks every time those two hit a room together, even when they tried to hide it behind anger and disgust.

I liked the book well enough, but I do not know if I liked the book enough to try one of her others. The author’s writing style was easy to read. It just seemed like a really long read to me, too many details and it was a bit confusing in places. There was not a lot of action or romance to fill in between all the details the author provided us with and the chemistry between the characters was meh. You did not get a true sense of chemistry and action until close to the end of the book. In addition, it seemed like there was too many main characters. Half the book was spent with Docia and her body walker as the heroine, and Ram/Vincent as the “hero,” but then the other half of the book dealt with Jackson (Docia’s brother), his love interest, and his search for his sister. Most of the book I felt like Jackson was actually our hero instead of Ram/Vincent.

I must admit by the time we got to the point where the four souls were captured and suspended I was ready for the book to be over with. I even thought about not finishing but the one saving grace for this book was the twist towards the end. The last couple of chapters really carried the book in my opinion. If I had to choose a character from this book that I really liked and would read more about it would be Jackson, I devoured his chapters while skimming through the others.

I was provided with this book from the publisher for free via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also available on My Fiction Nook.

Since I can't seem to decide between three and four stars, I'll give it three and a half, rounded up. Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you why this book didn't work as well for me as Ms. Frank's Nightwalker series.

There is a good attempt in the beginning of the book to tie Forbidden to the previous series, as Bella works in the Nightwalker library and muses about other Nightwalker breeds that are still unknown to them. It reads like an introduction to the world, but for anyone to know what's being talked about, one has to have read the Nightwalker series first.

From there, we jump directly into an introduction to Docia who's on her way to work and chatting to her brother on her cell phone, when a car veers too close to her and she has to more or less jump off the bridge she is on. Oh, and it's winter. The water is frigid. Caught between life and death, a voice talks to her and offers her a chance to live - by becoming a host to one of the Bodywalkers. Docia agrees, and is subsquently rescued from the river.

Once she gets home from the hospital, her brother is reluctant to leave her alone, considering that he knows the accident on the bridge wasn't actually an accident, but Docia asserts herself and sends him away.

At this point, a male enters the picture, introduces himself as Ram and whisks Docia away to safety. He's not saying much about why and whatfor, and Docia is understandably not happy about it.

From there, the story unfolds fully, and Ms. Frank introduces the mythology behind the Bodywalkers, bit by bit, while letting Ram and Docia have the hots for each other, try not to have the hots for each other, and then eventually giving in to having the hots for each other.

The romance parts were reminiscent of previous books I've read by this author, and she succeeds again in making it very emotional and swoony. The intimate scenes are well described and invoke clear images, yet never drift too far from being romantic and emotional.

I also very much like the Egyptian mythology used for this breed of Nightwalkers, and how the factions evolved. There was plenty of action as well, which again was nicely done, and a sub-plot developing romance between Jackson (Docia's brother) and his police-assigned shrink.

The book also produced a couple of O.O moments where Ms. Frank surprised me with where she was taking the plot, but the final resolution was, while foreshadowed and then expected, not my cup of tea.

Oh - I really like the Djinn. She was a bit of comic relief, but also served to move the romance between Docia and Ram forward.

The writing is in the same style as the previous books I've read by this author. It's not overly flowery but definitely in the style of a romance novel, interspersed with action scenes. It's an easily read writing style, something that just flows, which makes it a quick read, and a good book to curl up with on a cold day.

What didn't really work for me:

The heroine's name. Docia? Considering her brother is named Jackson, her name was a bit too fancy for my taste. I kept wondering if it was short for something else, but couldn't think of anything.

The ending. That was just a wee bit too tidy for me. Yes, it made sense, but I also could see it coming after Docia's revelation. It was nearly too much of a neat little bow, but I suppose this had to happen for there to be a next book, which is already in the works.

Overall, this was a good book. I enjoyed reading it, and I look forward to the next installment of this series.

I received a free ARC from the publisher via Netgalley. A positive review was not promised in return.

[My Urban Fantasies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on My Urban Fantasies

I was a Jacquelyn Frank virgin before this book. I've never read any of her books and barley recognized her name when I saw it on LibraryThing Early Reviewer. To be completely honest the hot piece of man candy on the cover is what grabbed my attention. Unfortunately that's all he grabbed. *sigh* Where do they find these guys? I'm thinking I need 2 or 3 of my very own. After I read this book the only thing I could think is that I've been living under a rock for 6 years. Frank is an amazing writer. I have no idea how she missed my radar, but she's definitely on it now.

Forbidden is supposed to be a paranormal romance. To me, it reads more like an urban fantasy. If you're expecting a hot romance with a side story of who's trying to kill Docia, expect to be disappointed. I'm not saying there is no romance in the book, because there is, it's just not the main story. Relax about the Docia bit, that was not a spoiler. You find that out on page 9. I refuse to believe that anything before page 10 can be considered a spoiler.

As I said before, I've never read The Nightwalkers. Other than having no idea who the characters were in the prologue, it did not seem to be a problem. The Bodywalkers are a new species, or according to the prologue a new nation, and with that comes a new set of characters. If you're into Egyptian history you're going to love the Bodywalkers. There few heavy hitters mentioned: Menes, Hatshepsut, Ramses II and Cleopatra.

How the Bodywalkers came to be is such an original concept. I do not know how Jacquelyn Frank came up with it, but it's brilliant. The Bodywalkers are as old as Ancient Egypt. Instead of bringing the mortal world and their earthly possessions with them; the mummification process actually prevented the Ancient Egyptians from entering the afterlife. Mummification instead tethered the Ancient Egyptians to the mortal world and a between place called the Ether. The Ether is essentially where the Ancient Egyptians' souls stay until they can blend with a human, becoming Bodywalkers.

When a human is on the brink of death, specifically near a Nexuses point, they are sometimes temporarily pulled into the Ether. The human is then given a chance to share their mortality with a Bodywalker. If the human says no their soul moves on to the afterlife. If they say yes it's a second chance at life for the host human, also known as the original, and the Bodywalker, also called a carbon. There are perks for accepting the Blending. The shared human body is now stronger, heals faster and their life span is significantly longer. When the human body dies the human spirit moves to the afterlife and the Bodywalker is returned to the Ether for 100 years.

Docia is my favorite character. She's spunky and a little weird, but in a good way. Unfortunately as the blending process continues you get less of Docia. She's basically sharing her body with another person and that person also has to make an appearance. Asikri, Leo and Vincent deserve an honorable mention. They have this whole wise-ass bad boy thing going on, it's really hot.

I would have given this book more stars but there were a few spots that were slow and the mummification history was a little repetitive. Would I read the next book in the series? Absolutely.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forbidden by Jacquelyn Frank is one of the best novels I've recently read. I throughly enjoyed all the aspects of the novel and cannot wait until Forever, the second book of The World of Nightwalkers series, comes out.

Usually now I'd try to briefly summarize the novel without giving away any spoilers but I feel like anything I try to explain for this novel would be a spoiler. So I'd suggest you read the back of the book, a couple of reviews, and then go out and get a copy of Forbidden and read that too.

Personally, I tend love a book with a romantic happily ever after or as I like to call it my RHEA. As long as a novel as a RHEA I usually tend to like it more…even if I didn't like the plot or secondary characters too much. Anyways the surprising thing that shocked me about Forbidden is that even though it had my RHEA, I enjoyed the novel more due to it's other aspects. I LOVED the plot! I adored the Egyptian background (I was definitely obsessed with all things Egyptian a long time ago, and this novel brought me back there). I connected to all the characters and I enjoyed the fact that there was multiple POVs - I felt like Frank always picked the right character's voice to listen to for each moment. Plus, as always, I enjoyed my RHEA. The whole idea of the Bodywalkers was interesting and different….I could probably go on and on but I basically adored Forbidden and have now become a fan of Jacquelyn Frank. I plan to continue reading this series and start the Nightwalkers series that initiated this spin-off.

Oh and I forgot to mention that even though I never read the Nightwalkers series, other than the short prologue in Forbidden I did not even realize I was reading a spin-off series. Everything was described in a way that explained what I as a reader needed to know so that even without reading the original series I understood what I needed to in Forbidden.

Basically I'd recommend everyone give this novel a try especially if you love a great, exciting, interesting, and unique story that has loveable characters.

A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me direct you to the cover of this book. Nice view, am I right?

Forbidden by Jacqueline Frank was an enjoyable read for me. I have not read any of her earlier books in the Nightwalkers series, but I did not feel the least bit lost. In fact, I may pick up a few of them to read at my leisure.

Forbidden is the story of Docia Waverly and begins as she meets her untimely demise when she is pushed off a bridge. While she is in the Ether, the in between world between life and death, she is given an offer she can’t refuse. Docia is not yet ready to die, so she chooses life.

Life as a host to a Nightwalker has plenty of advantages: long life, rapid healing, strength, closets full of designer clothes, and a very handsome protector named Ram. Sounds wonderful, huh?

Docia seems to accept her fate. It really isn’t too hard when Ram is there to protect her. He tells Docia that she is the reincarnation of Hatshepsut, the queen and lover of Menes his king. Docia is a little taken aback that she will be the queen of the Nightwalkers, but she seems to take it in stride. It’s kind of funny when she figures out that the people around her are reincarnations of various ancient Egyptian royals going by Anglicized names. There is a rather humorous exchange between Docia and Ram when she realizes that he is Ramses and she asks him about the ten plagues. He refuses to answer her questions, almost embarrassed by the event.

With regards to the romance, I enjoyed the connection between Ram and Docia. Poor Ram, so loyal to his king and so conflicted about his attraction to Docia.

”Beautiful, sweet-smelling, unsettling Docia. You are the wild card here. You are the source of my troubles.”

If I had to choose a favorite character in this book, it would be a tossup between Jackson Waverly, Docia’s police officer brother and SingSing, a djynn. Jackson was absolutely relentless in his search for Docia. He could not stomach losing her a second time. Singsing, the djynn was so hilarious. Her lack of brain filter made some of her quips hysterical:

” I suppose I ought to have made cocoa, with it being so cold and all. But I do so love cold chocolate milk, don't you? It's sweet and refreshing at the same time. Isn't that great? And yet it looks like liquid poo. Go figure.”

I liked how the author used ancient Egyptian lore and mythology to create her story and transposed the characters to modern times. I also liked her explanation as to why the characters kept reincarnating. Fascinating.

Forbidden was the first Jacqueline Frank book that I’ve read. It won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to reading Forever next spring. It’s Jackson’s book.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Ballantine Books for a review copy of this book.

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.