What do you think?
Rate this book
Forbidden: A Novel Set in Medieval England
England 1127: An abandoned infant is found inside a basket at St. John's Cluniac monastery in Lewes. Nestled in the baby's clothing is gold and ruby crucifix of tremendous value, which puzzles the prior. The boy is named Nicodemus (Nick), and is raised by highly educated monks. Unlike other monastic orders that believe in hard labor, the Cluniacs employ servants in order to dedicated more time to study. Groomed since boyhood to be a warrior monk, Nick is ready to fight for God in the Second Crusade. The only thing that stands in his way is pretty Gwen, the daughter of a kitchen maid who constantly haunts his thoughts and stirs forbidden desires. Nick and many other crusaders board a ship heading for Dartmouth, but a storm veers it off course and they arrive in Lisbon, instead. There he meets the wealthy and powerful Lord Richard Fitzwilliam of Kent, who eventually hands Nick the key to unlock the secrets of his true identity and allow him to take his rightful place in English society. Now he must choose between God and Gwen. From the feudal nobility of Medieval England to the exciting recapture of Lisbon from the Moors, and the bloody battlefields of the exotic East, Forbidden is a tale of Honor, Desire, Denial, Love, and Destiny, which can sometimes be cruel…
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2011
198 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
C. De Melo
33 books62 followersI perform CPR on history & breathe life into the past...
Hello and welcome! After obtaining my Art History degree from UMASS Dartmouth in 2000, I was hired by an American university to coordinate educational programs throughout Italy. In 2007, I settled in Florence to work as a museum guide. I've been a full-time author since my first book (SABINA) hit #1 in 2014.
My specialty is historical fiction set in Italy, although I do write different genres. I'm a globetrotter and do my utmost to visit every city and historical site mentioned in my novels in order to provide readers with vibrant descriptions.
NOTE: Unfortunately, goodreads does not update book covers, so some of these here are outdated. Please visit my Amazon page by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/C.-De-Melo/e/B...
Hello and welcome! After obtaining my Art History degree from UMASS Dartmouth in 2000, I was hired by an American university to coordinate educational programs throughout Italy. In 2007, I settled in Florence to work as a museum guide. I've been a full-time author since my first book (SABINA) hit #1 in 2014.
My specialty is historical fiction set in Italy, although I do write different genres. I'm a globetrotter and do my utmost to visit every city and historical site mentioned in my novels in order to provide readers with vibrant descriptions.
NOTE: Unfortunately, goodreads does not update book covers, so some of these here are outdated. Please visit my Amazon page by clicking this link: https://www.amazon.com/C.-De-Melo/e/B...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 17, 2023
This type of story is not my usual go to, but once I discovered this author I just devour all her audio books, they all seem to work so well.
I learned a lot but also get so involved in the story towards the end I was on the edge of my seat trying to work out what was going to happen.
The narration really worked - there were some sinister elements there. I do remember I didnt get one voice but now I cant remember so it cant be that important.
I learned a lot but also get so involved in the story towards the end I was on the edge of my seat trying to work out what was going to happen.
The narration really worked - there were some sinister elements there. I do remember I didnt get one voice but now I cant remember so it cant be that important.
July 16, 2020
I absolutely LOVED this historic novel. Not only because the Medieval period is one of my favorite, but C de Melo kept my interest and curiosity piqued throughout the novel with amazing characters, interesting historical events, intriguing, complex story-line and a love story you can fall in love with! I absolutely recommend this book and the author to everyone!
February 23, 2020
Great story
Book moved at a good pace. Interesting characters, rich details unexpected twists. A preparatory of family, betrayal and love! 🙂
Book moved at a good pace. Interesting characters, rich details unexpected twists. A preparatory of family, betrayal and love! 🙂
June 30, 2020
Loved this historical fiction! If you liked Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett or enjoyed her novel Sabina, you’ll love this. Well written and hard to put down!
September 20, 2022
Recommended
December 22, 2024
The ending was disappointing.... some characters were just not credible
July 19, 2019
Pretty good story!
The medieval setting for this interesting plot enhances it with all the intrigues and relationships of both noble and commoner families.
As usual, women are treated as property. Men are raised to be warriors and/or monks and the Crusades are front and center as Christian soldiers fight the infidels.
Some of the dialogue is very good, especially the conversation between two young boys as they question the monk regarding sex. I had to laugh at the unease of the poor monk.
I would recommend to readers of historical romance novels. Much history is included as background.
The medieval setting for this interesting plot enhances it with all the intrigues and relationships of both noble and commoner families.
As usual, women are treated as property. Men are raised to be warriors and/or monks and the Crusades are front and center as Christian soldiers fight the infidels.
Some of the dialogue is very good, especially the conversation between two young boys as they question the monk regarding sex. I had to laugh at the unease of the poor monk.
I would recommend to readers of historical romance novels. Much history is included as background.
May 15, 2016
Storyline setting in the 12th Century England. Kings, Lords, Ladies, Knights and holy wars.
The settings are vivid, emotions of the characters are developed with actions. One character that is not well developed is the bad guy Edward he is so bad that the reasoning for his past needs to be more defined. He comes off as just a hateful man with a very violent way.
The settings are vivid, emotions of the characters are developed with actions. One character that is not well developed is the bad guy Edward he is so bad that the reasoning for his past needs to be more defined. He comes off as just a hateful man with a very violent way.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews