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Demonborn #3
Soulless
A man fighting for his soul – a woman fighting for her life –
A demon who will do anything to destroy them…
Sheriff Dante Valtrez was separated from his brothers as a child for one reason – because together they have the power to do great good – or extraordinary evil.
But now a diabolical serial killer is sadistically murdering women, leaving trophies of his kills on Dr. Marlena Bender’s doorsteps, and he is forced to draw upon his dark powers to find the killer.
Spurned by her family’s murder, Dr. Marlena Bender has climbed inside the minds of the worst kind of violent criminals. But now a crazed killer has targeted her, there is only one man who can protect her -- Dante Valtrez.
Passion burns hot between them, but Marlena must guard her heart for she quickly realizes that Dante has evil in his blood.
And that the very demon after her is the ultimate enemy - Dante’s father Satan.
Then Marlena is trapped, and Dante is crazed with worry. Marlena is the only woman he’s ever loved, the only one that can redeem his soul with goodness.
Will he join forces with his brothers to slay their father, or will he make a deal with the devil to save her?
A demon who will do anything to destroy them…
Sheriff Dante Valtrez was separated from his brothers as a child for one reason – because together they have the power to do great good – or extraordinary evil.
But now a diabolical serial killer is sadistically murdering women, leaving trophies of his kills on Dr. Marlena Bender’s doorsteps, and he is forced to draw upon his dark powers to find the killer.
Spurned by her family’s murder, Dr. Marlena Bender has climbed inside the minds of the worst kind of violent criminals. But now a crazed killer has targeted her, there is only one man who can protect her -- Dante Valtrez.
Passion burns hot between them, but Marlena must guard her heart for she quickly realizes that Dante has evil in his blood.
And that the very demon after her is the ultimate enemy - Dante’s father Satan.
Then Marlena is trapped, and Dante is crazed with worry. Marlena is the only woman he’s ever loved, the only one that can redeem his soul with goodness.
Will he join forces with his brothers to slay their father, or will he make a deal with the devil to save her?
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2010
21 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Rita Herron
326 books949 followersUSA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on www.Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter.com/ritaherron.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on www.Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter.com/ritaherron.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 5, 2010
FORBIDDEN PASSION by Rita Herron is a paranormal romance. It is the third in the Demonborn series but can be read as a stand alone. The others in the series are Book 1 Insatiable Desire, and Book 2 is Dark Hunger. This is an exciting series about demons, monsters and good vs evil. It is well written with depth, details, fast paced and page turner. It has monsters, demons, evil, romance,secrets, betrayal, sensuality, mystery, it is a deep,tragic, emotional paranormal which truly shows good vs evil. The characters are deep,determined, some are pure evil, others are sweet and innocent. The hero, Dante,is handsome, half human, half demon, he is a firestarter, the twin to Quinton Valtrez, younger brother of Vincent Valtrez, their father is Zion, the leader of the underworld. Dante, is trying to fight his demon, he is alone so he thinks, hunted by the underworld for leaving, saved a young girl years before which is why he left the evil underworld. The heroine, Marlena, is beautiful, the young girl Dante saved years before, is to be his soul mate, bear his child, hunted by Zion, the underworld leader, devoted her life to understanding violent behavior, had her mother and sister killed by monsters when she was a child. Marlena, is being terrorized by serial killer turns to Dante for help. Dante, is attracted to Marlena but tries to stay away from her, but is only drawn to her more. He is still trying to protect her. Bands together with his newly found brothers to destroy Zion. Zion, thinks he can turn Dante to him, and the underworld by destroying Marlena. He doesn't want the child, Dante and Marlena will have to be born, for this child may have greater powers. This is a great series and I would recommend it especially if you enjoy paranormal, romance, suspense, family ties, and women who save their men with their love.This book was received for review and details can be found at Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing and My Book Addiction and More.
August 28, 2011
Action-packed, exciting and sexy...Rita Herron continues her Demonborn series with a compelling story of a demon walking the fine line of good and evil who finds his soul mate in Forbidden Passion.
Forbidden Passion is book three in Herron’s Demonborn series. While the characters from book one and two are mentioned in this book, their stories do not have to be read to enjoy this novel. It could very easily be considered a stand alone book. This is not an ongoing battle against the same villain that uses the same characters in each story. This is a series that focuses on each brothers battle with his evil side and how the women in their lives help them win that battle. Our main character in Forbidden Passion is Dante, who has been an outsider from his demon family since he refused to kill our heroine, Marlena, years ago.
This book follows his quest to protect her years later, as his evil family rises up to draw Dante back to the dark side. He struggles against his evil father and at the same time, discovers the family he never knew he had who are working on the side of good. Dante and Marlena fight against everything trying to pull them together; their bond, their history and their passion. Are both of them so damaged from events in their past, they can never find the courage to love again?
Herrron takes paranormal to a different arena, which is something completely refreshing. Most paranormal series can or will take place in a large city with multiple characters whereas this novel has the feeling of a small quiet town and focuses on the two main characters. There are other characters introduced along the way, but they don’t deter the story from it’s main focus and still makes it all flow very nicely.
Dante and Marlena have a relationship that begins more on instinct rather than feeling. It’s easily described as something along the lines of love at first sight. The action moves so fast in this story they hardly have time to sit down and communicate what going on between them, so its develops more by their physical attraction to each other. As with most cases, they have personal baggage that is holding them back, but as the story develops, they find it’s becoming harder and harder to resist one another:
He swallowed again, disturbed by his reaction to her. The slow burn of arousal heated his blood. Her scent enveloped him, the scent of an animal on the prowl recognizing its mate.
He’d never expected Marlena to make him feel like this, to have this instant attraction to her. This dark...lust.
This damn need...
This novel moves very fast, which leads to the one and only complaint with the story; it moves too fast. As a reader, some areas lacked the proper description to create an emotional involvement in what was happening in the story and with the characters. So much happened so quickly, it was hard to process everything that was going on and the character development suffered for it. Overall though, it was a fun exciting read, with quiet a few surprises along the way.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Heat Level: 3/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
Forbidden Passion is book three in Herron’s Demonborn series. While the characters from book one and two are mentioned in this book, their stories do not have to be read to enjoy this novel. It could very easily be considered a stand alone book. This is not an ongoing battle against the same villain that uses the same characters in each story. This is a series that focuses on each brothers battle with his evil side and how the women in their lives help them win that battle. Our main character in Forbidden Passion is Dante, who has been an outsider from his demon family since he refused to kill our heroine, Marlena, years ago.
This book follows his quest to protect her years later, as his evil family rises up to draw Dante back to the dark side. He struggles against his evil father and at the same time, discovers the family he never knew he had who are working on the side of good. Dante and Marlena fight against everything trying to pull them together; their bond, their history and their passion. Are both of them so damaged from events in their past, they can never find the courage to love again?
Herrron takes paranormal to a different arena, which is something completely refreshing. Most paranormal series can or will take place in a large city with multiple characters whereas this novel has the feeling of a small quiet town and focuses on the two main characters. There are other characters introduced along the way, but they don’t deter the story from it’s main focus and still makes it all flow very nicely.
Dante and Marlena have a relationship that begins more on instinct rather than feeling. It’s easily described as something along the lines of love at first sight. The action moves so fast in this story they hardly have time to sit down and communicate what going on between them, so its develops more by their physical attraction to each other. As with most cases, they have personal baggage that is holding them back, but as the story develops, they find it’s becoming harder and harder to resist one another:
He swallowed again, disturbed by his reaction to her. The slow burn of arousal heated his blood. Her scent enveloped him, the scent of an animal on the prowl recognizing its mate.
He’d never expected Marlena to make him feel like this, to have this instant attraction to her. This dark...lust.
This damn need...
This novel moves very fast, which leads to the one and only complaint with the story; it moves too fast. As a reader, some areas lacked the proper description to create an emotional involvement in what was happening in the story and with the characters. So much happened so quickly, it was hard to process everything that was going on and the character development suffered for it. Overall though, it was a fun exciting read, with quiet a few surprises along the way.
Overall Rating: 3/5
Heat Level: 3/5
Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter
May 18, 2010
The story began with a 13 year old part-demon Dante being ordered by his demon leader to kill young Marlena as the final part of his initiation to become a full member of their group. Instead of killing Marlena, however, Dante saved her. Fast forward years later, both have just come back to the town where it all began with Marlena now a doctor trying to find a cure for violent behavior and Dante is the new sheriff. When a serial killer emerges and starts killing women in sadistic ways and leaving something of the dead women on Marlena's doorstep, Dante's main concern is keeping Marlena safe. He suspects a demon are responsible for the murders.
This book is the last book in the Demonborn trilogy about three half-demon brothers. I haven't read the first two books in the series but it doesn't matter because this book is a standalone. I'm actually on the fence about this book--it was an okay read but it was just missing something. Maybe more chemistry between Dante and Marlena? I just didn't feel that much spark between the two. Also, I question some of Marlena's actions--if a serial killer on the loose knows where I live and is leaving me "presents" from his kills on my doorstep, I wouldn't keep sleeping at home by myself (especially if my house is isolated and I live alone). And yet Marlena does because she's an independent woman who can take care of herself and, yes, she actually said that too. As for Dante, he was okay. I liked his character better than Marlena's. More world building perhaps? I may have missed something (not having read the first two books) but the underground caves the demons live in seem really interesting and I wish the author wrote about it more. Or maybe if the book was less "busy"? There was a lot going on here: building a believable romance between the hero and heroine, scientific experiments with violent criminals, a serial killer with the police investigating, demonic uprising, long lost brothers, a pregnancy, someone dying and coming back to life, daddy issues, etc. If there was less stuff, maybe the story would've been more been more engaging and I might have enjoyed it more. The premise was good and I like the author's voice but overall the book was just okay. 2.75 out of 5
This book is the last book in the Demonborn trilogy about three half-demon brothers. I haven't read the first two books in the series but it doesn't matter because this book is a standalone. I'm actually on the fence about this book--it was an okay read but it was just missing something. Maybe more chemistry between Dante and Marlena? I just didn't feel that much spark between the two. Also, I question some of Marlena's actions--if a serial killer on the loose knows where I live and is leaving me "presents" from his kills on my doorstep, I wouldn't keep sleeping at home by myself (especially if my house is isolated and I live alone). And yet Marlena does because she's an independent woman who can take care of herself and, yes, she actually said that too. As for Dante, he was okay. I liked his character better than Marlena's. More world building perhaps? I may have missed something (not having read the first two books) but the underground caves the demons live in seem really interesting and I wish the author wrote about it more. Or maybe if the book was less "busy"? There was a lot going on here: building a believable romance between the hero and heroine, scientific experiments with violent criminals, a serial killer with the police investigating, demonic uprising, long lost brothers, a pregnancy, someone dying and coming back to life, daddy issues, etc. If there was less stuff, maybe the story would've been more been more engaging and I might have enjoyed it more. The premise was good and I like the author's voice but overall the book was just okay. 2.75 out of 5
May 7, 2010
Review by Jennifer Porter for RomanceNovelNews.com
A supernatural battle between good and evil brings gruesome, ritualistic murders to Mysteria, Tenn., in Rita Herron's "Forbidden Passion," the third book in her Demonborn series.
Dr. Marlena Bender has returned to her hometown, where her mother and sisters were brutally murdered years ago by demonic monsters. Sherriff Dante Zertlav, who had saved the young Marlena from the demons, isn't so happy that she has returned or that she is asking questions about the past. After all, Dante was not just an innocent bystander to the events surrounding Marlena's tragedy. He is a demon, and he had been ordered to kill Marlena on that fateful night. He instead protected her from his demon kin. Now, he is afraid that her return to Mysteria will bring back the demons.
Shortly after her return, a killer begins leaving mangled corpses around town and sending boxes with bloody souvenirs from the victims to Marlena. It becomes clear that someone is out to punish Dante for having saved Marlena's life all those years ago. Zion, the lord of the underworld and Dante's father, hopes to begin a brutal war that will wipe out human existence with his son by his side or dead.
As Zion attempts to return his son to the demon fold, Dante must face his evil heritage. Meanwhile, Marlena must face the reality of the monsters she has dreamed about for so long, and that she is in love with one of them.
While the gore and blood sacrifices make this book not for the faint of heart, the plot surrounding the deaths is well crafted. Herron builds a strong and suspenseful story but it would have benefitted from a heavier emphasis on the relationship between Marlena and Dante.
A supernatural battle between good and evil brings gruesome, ritualistic murders to Mysteria, Tenn., in Rita Herron's "Forbidden Passion," the third book in her Demonborn series.
Dr. Marlena Bender has returned to her hometown, where her mother and sisters were brutally murdered years ago by demonic monsters. Sherriff Dante Zertlav, who had saved the young Marlena from the demons, isn't so happy that she has returned or that she is asking questions about the past. After all, Dante was not just an innocent bystander to the events surrounding Marlena's tragedy. He is a demon, and he had been ordered to kill Marlena on that fateful night. He instead protected her from his demon kin. Now, he is afraid that her return to Mysteria will bring back the demons.
Shortly after her return, a killer begins leaving mangled corpses around town and sending boxes with bloody souvenirs from the victims to Marlena. It becomes clear that someone is out to punish Dante for having saved Marlena's life all those years ago. Zion, the lord of the underworld and Dante's father, hopes to begin a brutal war that will wipe out human existence with his son by his side or dead.
As Zion attempts to return his son to the demon fold, Dante must face his evil heritage. Meanwhile, Marlena must face the reality of the monsters she has dreamed about for so long, and that she is in love with one of them.
While the gore and blood sacrifices make this book not for the faint of heart, the plot surrounding the deaths is well crafted. Herron builds a strong and suspenseful story but it would have benefitted from a heavier emphasis on the relationship between Marlena and Dante.
April 30, 2010
Devious crimes are present anywhere and everywhere. Dr. Marlena knows this fact better than most because her she lost her family to murder. In an attempt to wrap her mind around the thought patterns of violent people, she tries to understand the reason behind the act.
When a killer decides to drop off his dead victims right on Marlena's doorstep she is once again facing the Sheriff who responsible for saving her life many years ago. Dante, the Sheriff, is far from the savior she thinks he is. Will he be able to protect her as he did before or will the truth come out and destroy them both?
Forbidden Passion is one of those books that reminds me why I love a good romance. The chemistry is there and you can feel it through the pages. This is why Rita is on my favorite authors list.
When a killer decides to drop off his dead victims right on Marlena's doorstep she is once again facing the Sheriff who responsible for saving her life many years ago. Dante, the Sheriff, is far from the savior she thinks he is. Will he be able to protect her as he did before or will the truth come out and destroy them both?
Forbidden Passion is one of those books that reminds me why I love a good romance. The chemistry is there and you can feel it through the pages. This is why Rita is on my favorite authors list.
August 18, 2016
A nonstop action ride, FORBIDDEN PASSION starts things off with a bloody bang. Marlena Bender is back in her hometown of Mysteria, Tennessee determined to solve the gruesome murders of her mother and older sister with the hopes that the past may finally cease to haunt her. When she's not pursuing the answers she seeks, Marlena works as a research scientist at BloodCore as well as a therapist for the adjoining mental hospital. Since the horrific deaths of her family, Marlena's life work has become consumed with unlocking and potentially inhibiting violence in humans. But no sooner has she moved back into her family home when Marlena is gifted with a bloody finger commencing a series of murders that has her running into the arms of the sheriff and her once savior, Dante Zertlav.
Dante, a firestarter demon, has also recently returned to Mysteria but for atonement not answers with the exclusive agenda being to protect the town's inhabitants from his demon brethren that surround it. However, the last person Dante ever hoped to see in Mysteria again was Marlena Bender, the once little girl he was supposed to kill for his demon initiation but wound up saving instead. Dante knows that Marlena wants answers but he never thought their first conversation would be about a bloody trophy some wacko left on her front porch. When that wacko proves to have a demon connection, Dante knows that the demons he betrayed by joining the human world are out to kill him; right now they're only taunting him.
With the serial killer having taken a personal interest in Marlena by showing off his work with bloody gifts, her life is now at serious risk. But no matter how great the peril may be, Marlena's tired of having to endlessly live in fear. After being haunted since childhood by the demonic images of the creatures that murdered her family, Marlena's not about to let this new threat keep her from her home. However, she’s also not about to allow Dante the opportunity to protect her because Marlena believes that the greatest threat of all is the threat of losing her heart to the one man that she knows can’t be trusted. Instead, Marlena returns alone time and again to a house where a gift or a killer may be waiting instead of accepting the protection of a man that supposedly poses the greater danger.
Dante isn't immune from the risk of losing his own either but he's also determined to keep Marlena at a severe distance. For one, the demons already know that she's his ultimate weakness and two, the moment she discovers that he has knowledge of why her family died and that she was supposed to join them in death by his own demon hand, she'll run. Without his ability to watch over her, Dante knows that Marlena is easy pickings and more importantly, he knows that he couldn't ever live with himself if anything should happen to her because of her association with him. Until Dante can defeat the demons that threaten the safety of Mysteria, he resolves to keep Marlena out of his heart but that doesn't stop him from partaking in the delights of her body when offered and if she's hurt by his morning-after cold shoulder, she'll come to understand that it's safer for her in the long run.
With the serial killer's bloody antics escalating along with the furious destruction that the demons are waging upon the town with Nature's elements, no one is safe. Dante hunts endlessly amongst the underground demon population for clues of who is murdering his townspeople as well as the nefarious activities of Zion, the new leader of the Underworld and the demon responsible for waging war on Earth. Both demons he must stop while keeping the stubborn Marlena alive. With countless dead ends and sleepless nights, both Dante and Marlena know that the killer is only getting closer to his target and when he does make his final move, Marlena has a very real chance of ending up dead.
I honestly wanted FORBIDDEN PASSION to be a good read and I held out hope all the way until the very end but to no avail. Both Dante and Marlena were extremely difficult characters to connect with and I thought them both to be over the top stubborn to the point of stupidity.
Dante, with his consistently cold and at time callous treatment of Marlena, along with his ability to keep his heart hidden, became distant not only to his heroine but to the reader as well. I also thought that his later about-face with his declaration of love was completely predictable if not borderline heathenish. I tried my best to sympathize with what he was dealing with, which was the extreme idiocy of his heroine, but by the end he still hadn't worked his way into my reader heart.
Sadly, Marlena wasn't much better and I found her increasingly ridiculous Too Stupid To Live moments very frustrating. In fact, after a while my vision of a Happily Ever After became Marlena’s demise because in all honesty, I thought she deserved to die. Four plus times the reader finds the heroine opting to face death at the hands of a serial killer rather than allow her hero’s protection because apparently her heart was more important than her life. Uh, no thanks. You're just asking for it by that point and death would have been the only thing to wake Marlena from her insane stupidity. I've never wished death on a heroine before but I guess there's always a first...
Finally, I thought that the world building was uninspiring and also lacked originality. Truly, it felt to me that the whole demon world took a backseat to the serial killer and his motives. Perhaps this was the author’s purpose but I would have liked to have learned more about the underground happenings of the demons.
For paranormal readers who enjoy their reads to be action packed, have little to no world building and a Too Stupid Live heroine along with a cold-hearted hero, then this is the novel for you. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.
Dante, a firestarter demon, has also recently returned to Mysteria but for atonement not answers with the exclusive agenda being to protect the town's inhabitants from his demon brethren that surround it. However, the last person Dante ever hoped to see in Mysteria again was Marlena Bender, the once little girl he was supposed to kill for his demon initiation but wound up saving instead. Dante knows that Marlena wants answers but he never thought their first conversation would be about a bloody trophy some wacko left on her front porch. When that wacko proves to have a demon connection, Dante knows that the demons he betrayed by joining the human world are out to kill him; right now they're only taunting him.
With the serial killer having taken a personal interest in Marlena by showing off his work with bloody gifts, her life is now at serious risk. But no matter how great the peril may be, Marlena's tired of having to endlessly live in fear. After being haunted since childhood by the demonic images of the creatures that murdered her family, Marlena's not about to let this new threat keep her from her home. However, she’s also not about to allow Dante the opportunity to protect her because Marlena believes that the greatest threat of all is the threat of losing her heart to the one man that she knows can’t be trusted. Instead, Marlena returns alone time and again to a house where a gift or a killer may be waiting instead of accepting the protection of a man that supposedly poses the greater danger.
Dante isn't immune from the risk of losing his own either but he's also determined to keep Marlena at a severe distance. For one, the demons already know that she's his ultimate weakness and two, the moment she discovers that he has knowledge of why her family died and that she was supposed to join them in death by his own demon hand, she'll run. Without his ability to watch over her, Dante knows that Marlena is easy pickings and more importantly, he knows that he couldn't ever live with himself if anything should happen to her because of her association with him. Until Dante can defeat the demons that threaten the safety of Mysteria, he resolves to keep Marlena out of his heart but that doesn't stop him from partaking in the delights of her body when offered and if she's hurt by his morning-after cold shoulder, she'll come to understand that it's safer for her in the long run.
With the serial killer's bloody antics escalating along with the furious destruction that the demons are waging upon the town with Nature's elements, no one is safe. Dante hunts endlessly amongst the underground demon population for clues of who is murdering his townspeople as well as the nefarious activities of Zion, the new leader of the Underworld and the demon responsible for waging war on Earth. Both demons he must stop while keeping the stubborn Marlena alive. With countless dead ends and sleepless nights, both Dante and Marlena know that the killer is only getting closer to his target and when he does make his final move, Marlena has a very real chance of ending up dead.
I honestly wanted FORBIDDEN PASSION to be a good read and I held out hope all the way until the very end but to no avail. Both Dante and Marlena were extremely difficult characters to connect with and I thought them both to be over the top stubborn to the point of stupidity.
Dante, with his consistently cold and at time callous treatment of Marlena, along with his ability to keep his heart hidden, became distant not only to his heroine but to the reader as well. I also thought that his later about-face with his declaration of love was completely predictable if not borderline heathenish. I tried my best to sympathize with what he was dealing with, which was the extreme idiocy of his heroine, but by the end he still hadn't worked his way into my reader heart.
Sadly, Marlena wasn't much better and I found her increasingly ridiculous Too Stupid To Live moments very frustrating. In fact, after a while my vision of a Happily Ever After became Marlena’s demise because in all honesty, I thought she deserved to die. Four plus times the reader finds the heroine opting to face death at the hands of a serial killer rather than allow her hero’s protection because apparently her heart was more important than her life. Uh, no thanks. You're just asking for it by that point and death would have been the only thing to wake Marlena from her insane stupidity. I've never wished death on a heroine before but I guess there's always a first...
Finally, I thought that the world building was uninspiring and also lacked originality. Truly, it felt to me that the whole demon world took a backseat to the serial killer and his motives. Perhaps this was the author’s purpose but I would have liked to have learned more about the underground happenings of the demons.
For paranormal readers who enjoy their reads to be action packed, have little to no world building and a Too Stupid Live heroine along with a cold-hearted hero, then this is the novel for you. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I did.
April 29, 2019
Ehhh, there's better books dealing with brothers/males with tight bonds with gifts finding each other & battling their dad/evil like Immortal Brothers series by Jacquelyn Frank.
March 20, 2010
Marlena Bender is on a camping trip with her mother and older sister when they are attacked by what looks like a gang of young boys. The boys are really young demons. To kill the woman and two young girls is the boys rite of passage. Expect the one that is suppose to kill Marlena can't do it, instead he take Marlena and runs with her to safety instead. No one belived her when she tried to tell them that demons kill her family, they thought it was the shock of seeing her family killed. Marlena was sent to live with an aunt in a different town. Now she is back in Mysteria. She is now a doctor and working at the Mysteria Mental Hospital and also at Blood Core as a researcher. She belives that the cure for evil can be found in peoples blood. The main reason she came back to Mysteria is to find out who killed her family and why. Dante Zertlaw is Mysteria's new sheriff. After he saved Marlena when she was a child, he was forced to leave the only family he has ever known and hide from them. Now he is back. He is determined to keep the towns people safe from the paranormals that live below the city. The towns people have no idea that there are werewolfs, vampires, and demons living and working with them. He tries to keep the peace between the two worlds. Dante knows he is in big trouble when he learns Marlena is back in town. He is trying to find out who is killing women and burning them. When he finds out that the killer is looking to make Marlena his next victim, he knows his plans to stay away for her will not work. Dante needs to stay close to Marlena in order to keep her safe. But the attraction they feel for each other keeps getting stronger the more they are together. Will Dante be able to keep Marlena safe without her finding out his secret? If she finds out will she still love and want him?
This is the third and final installment in Ms Herron's Demonborn series. What a great way for this series to end. I hated that this was the last book. This was a very entertaining series. I hope to see more paranormal books from Ms Herron. I highly recommend this series to all who love the paranormal romance stories
This is the third and final installment in Ms Herron's Demonborn series. What a great way for this series to end. I hated that this was the last book. This was a very entertaining series. I hope to see more paranormal books from Ms Herron. I highly recommend this series to all who love the paranormal romance stories
April 24, 2010
FORBIDDEN PASSION is an action-packed, dark paranormal romance, which at times has a quite eerie feel. The part-demon hero, Dante, is struggling with his demon side and has vowed to protect the town, that he was raised in, from evil forces. Because Dante saved Marlena Bender instead of killing her, which was part of a demon initiation test, he was expelled from his demon family, and, now, seeks to protect his town and Marlena, in particular. During the terrible night of the test, Marlena's family was killed, but Dante saved Marlena. Because of this, Marlena became a psychiatrist and studies serial killers, in an effort to understand what happened. Marlena thinks, that she must understand and face her fears to overcome them. Unfortunately, she is a little imprudent in some of her actions, bordering on TSTL. While I understand her motivations, I wish that she had used a little more common sense about stepping into danger. Dante, is a tormented character, who has many demons to contend with--literally and figuratively. If you like tall, dark, brooding alphas, Dante is the hero for you.
All in all, FORBIDDEN PASSION is an enjoyable read, I just wish the heroine was more prudent.
All in all, FORBIDDEN PASSION is an enjoyable read, I just wish the heroine was more prudent.
February 28, 2016
I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. It had murder, serial killer, paranormal characters, etc-everything I like in books, but it just wasn't a read for me. I do enjoy murder mysteries-that is my first choice of a book to read. I have read books about the paranormal and enjoyed most of them. The demons in the book were ok--I've read other books with demons in it and learned some background that the author wanted to get out to the readers. I didn't find that in this book. I also did not connect with the main characters. One seemed very cold and the other seemed to lack 'common sense'. At times I would say she was 'stupid' with her actions. The author added some great romance between the two that just didn't seem to work. The two characters seemed too disjointed to get together. Obviously I didn't like the book.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
May 22, 2010
I was so excited that I won this book. Oh how I love paranormal romances! I just got done reading it and I really enjoyed it. I wish that I had read the other 2 books first, had I realized that there were 2 other books before this one. But it wasn't until I was on about the 2nd or 3rd chapter of this one. Not sure if I will go back to read them or not. This one pretty much summed up the story for me. I really don't like the mass market paper back books, so I purchess them on my Kindle when I want to read them. This would have been worth the money even if I had downlaoded it. It was very exciting & I was totally wrong about who I thought the psycho killer was. Great surprise! Even though I think back to previous parts in the beginning where there were very subtle hints. I was so dissappointed with one of the last chapters I was like "what, that can't happen", but it all worked out in the end with a happy ending, just how I like it!
August 25, 2010
This is a very dark suspense. The eternal fight between good and evil, fueled by passion & love. A demon against his orders saves a girl he is suppose to kill. He rejects all he has been raised to believe in and stays alone for most of his life. He them becomes a sheriff in the same town his family of demons raises hell and creates havoc, to complicate it even more the girl he saved and has never been able to forget comes back to town. She is determine to find the monsters that killed her mom and sister. They are drawn together by fear and passion. The book was easy to put down and hard to follow.
review link: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2010...
review link: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2010...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2010
**I won this book through Goodreads First Read**
I tried to get through this book but after the first two chapters, I just couldn't bring myself to turn the page. I didn't care about the characters, the plot seemed contrived and an afterthought to the "romance", and after the first few paragraphs, I knew how it would end.
If you are just in the mood for a romance with a little demonology thrown in, this book would be fine. Unfortunately, that's not my style.
I tried to get through this book but after the first two chapters, I just couldn't bring myself to turn the page. I didn't care about the characters, the plot seemed contrived and an afterthought to the "romance", and after the first few paragraphs, I knew how it would end.
If you are just in the mood for a romance with a little demonology thrown in, this book would be fine. Unfortunately, that's not my style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2010
I won this copy from Goodreads and am so glad I did. This was a type of book I normally do not read. Let me say right now that it exceeded my expectations! Dark, rip roaring tale of murder, demons, and love. I fell in love with Dante..
Kudos to Rita Herron for a page turning story. It more than held my interest without a problem. Looking forward to more books by this stunning author. Thank you Goodreads!!
Kudos to Rita Herron for a page turning story. It more than held my interest without a problem. Looking forward to more books by this stunning author. Thank you Goodreads!!
June 15, 2014
Dante's Inferno
Great way to end this trilogy. A story of evil but also of what love can endure. Dante saved Marlena as a Chad but also won her heart as an adult. Fighting his evil father, ruler of the underworld to save his love. Just g ok especially to show that good triumphs evil Great series, buy the books and enjoy
Great way to end this trilogy. A story of evil but also of what love can endure. Dante saved Marlena as a Chad but also won her heart as an adult. Fighting his evil father, ruler of the underworld to save his love. Just g ok especially to show that good triumphs evil Great series, buy the books and enjoy
June 10, 2010
This latest book of the Demon Born romantic fantasy series is filled with non-stop action. Dante, the strong, possesive demon meets his match in the strong and independent Marlena. While this wasn't my favorite book of the series it does not lag far behind.
February 20, 2010
I'm so sad to see this series end. Excellent series and I'm not just saying it because this book is dedicated to me! I'm just glad she left it wide open for a possible spin-off *G*
October 9, 2010
Thank you Goodreads First Reads win for introducing me to this series of books. I enjoyed it immensely and can't wait to share it with others.
July 26, 2010
Won from GoodReads' "First Reads" contest.
I was concerned that I'd have trouble following this story, since it's part of a series, but it stood alone pretty well. Just wasn't really my taste.
I was concerned that I'd have trouble following this story, since it's part of a series, but it stood alone pretty well. Just wasn't really my taste.
July 30, 2010
I was excited to win this book and glad to say it was easy to follow and entertaining. I'm a pretty "clean" reader, so some of the language was a bit over the top for me. Classic boy gets girl story!
August 22, 2010
You can read my review at Romance Reader at Heart
October 29, 2010
Its definitely for paranormal romance lovers!
February 13, 2015
Entertaining story...
March 13, 2015
A great story
I finished all three books in four days. I couldn't put the books down. Rita Herron never disappoints. I recommend this book.
I finished all three books in four days. I couldn't put the books down. Rita Herron never disappoints. I recommend this book.
January 26, 2016
Great ending to the series
Lots of twists and turns. Couldn't put it down. My only complaint was that it was over too soon. Loved this series.
Lots of twists and turns. Couldn't put it down. My only complaint was that it was over too soon. Loved this series.
February 25, 2016
Loved this series!! Loved the ending of this book bringing everything to an great ending of all three books. Must reads!!
June 10, 2017
Good read
Great book love the trilogy, not too crazy about demons but great story line. I have read all of Rita Herron's books
Great book love the trilogy, not too crazy about demons but great story line. I have read all of Rita Herron's books
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