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Dynasties: The Elliotts #4
The Forbidden Twin
The Forbidden Twin by Susan Crosby released on Apr 11, 2006 is available now for purchase.
192 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
About the author
Susan Crosby
209 books30 followersAnd they lived happily ever after.
I’ve always loved that sentence. There is such hope in those words, such faith in the future and ever-after love. I’ve always been a believer, which led me to being a reader of romance novels long before I began to write them. The dance of courtship between a man and a woman, sometimes slow and bluesy, sometimes wild and uninhibited, is sheer bliss to me. And the best part about writing is creating these two dancers who find their perfect partners out of all the other people on the planet.
What brings them together? What could tear them apart? Why do they stick it out through the bad times? Why do they fall more in love with each other every day? Finding the answers to these questions intrigues me. Who are you? I ask them. Some characters give me an hour-long monologue; others clam up until I push the right buttons. Eventually, I get them all to talk, even if I have to torture them a little.
On my journey to becoming a writer, I did a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average coed and earned a B.A. in English. Some not-so-usual things happened, too. Life constantly changes, and so we must grow. It’s not a bad thing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win some awards and receive some honors, which are listed elsewhere on this site. I’ve had the great privilege of working with an exceptional editor from my first book on. My community of writers spans the entire country—smart, funny and loyal people who share and give and support. Without them, this once-upon-a-time journey wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun.
I’ve always loved that sentence. There is such hope in those words, such faith in the future and ever-after love. I’ve always been a believer, which led me to being a reader of romance novels long before I began to write them. The dance of courtship between a man and a woman, sometimes slow and bluesy, sometimes wild and uninhibited, is sheer bliss to me. And the best part about writing is creating these two dancers who find their perfect partners out of all the other people on the planet.
What brings them together? What could tear them apart? Why do they stick it out through the bad times? Why do they fall more in love with each other every day? Finding the answers to these questions intrigues me. Who are you? I ask them. Some characters give me an hour-long monologue; others clam up until I push the right buttons. Eventually, I get them all to talk, even if I have to torture them a little.
On my journey to becoming a writer, I did a lot of the usual things—married, had children, attended college a little later than the average coed and earned a B.A. in English. Some not-so-usual things happened, too. Life constantly changes, and so we must grow. It’s not a bad thing.
I’ve been fortunate enough to win some awards and receive some honors, which are listed elsewhere on this site. I’ve had the great privilege of working with an exceptional editor from my first book on. My community of writers spans the entire country—smart, funny and loyal people who share and give and support. Without them, this once-upon-a-time journey wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
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August 1, 2010Skimmed this book and the previous book.I don't like those types of storylines where one sister gets the other's ex-fiance. Not my cuppa.
July 24, 2024
3.5 🌟 rounded up. So scandalous and messy, I was here for all of it 🥴😂
December 4, 2011
This is the fouth in The Elliott's series from Silhouette Desire. With that said, there were not a lot errors I've been reading in smaller publishing houses such as typo's, grammar mistakes, poor editing.
In this text, the two main characters are Scarlet Elliott and John Harlan. John, if you've read the Summer's, Scarlet's twin, story, is the man Summer broke up with for Zeke. This text starts on the night of that break up. Scarlet goes to John to be his shoulder to cry on. He's had one scotch too many and mistakenly assumes she's her sister. They wind up in bed half undressed before he realizes his mistake. Both being caught up in the moment, they proceed to have sex. Scarlet leaves after getting dressed. John leaves the New York area for a month. Upon his return, he seeks her out and they go at it again. They decide to continue to see each other for the duration that Summer is on tour with Zeke. Once Summer returns, she witnesses them kissing and will not speak to either of them. John goes to Summer and asks her to see her sister. She does and they clear the air. She suggests that Scarlet go for John. She attempts to set up an intimate dinner and he does not show due to crossed messages. She returns to his apartment where the air is finally cleared. And we get our HEA.
I liked a lot about this story. As a previous reviewer stated, they are my second favorite couple in this series next to Teagan and Renee. One of the things I liked was how the author keep me guessing. By page 93 I really wanted to know how it was going to end. I normally will skip once I have the story down. I did not in this one because I was so curious on how the author would get herself out of this situation for an HEA. And I thought she did it well with just having the characters act like adults and deal with the results of their actions.
I also liked John. He was so flat in the previous book. Flat like cardboard. If we had some more depth to him, that would have made for a better story in the previous book. And it would have explained why Scarlet was in love with him also. Just the fact that he called Summer every night and morning isn't a reason to fall in love with your twin's boyfriend.
I thought the sex and romance scenes lived up to the Desire line. It was not erotic, but it was a little edgy with John asking Scarlet to strip for him.
I think the reader is finally given a clue as to why Patrick started the challenge. His desire is so that his family will be happy doing what they want to do and have someone to love. On page 174 Patrick gives the necklace back to Scarlet and states, "I haven't been more proud of you than now, Scarlet. Wear it with pride. My pride. You've become your own person."
I would have rather rated this book 3.5 stars instead of 3.
I wanted to know what the ring John bought for Scarlet looked like. There seemed be a heavy emphasis on it at the end the book, but we don't get a description of it. I felt a little cheated.
I thought the author did a great job of foreshadowing on Cullen's, Fin's and Jessie and Cade's stories. The characters have some dept to them. There were more characters in this book that it seems in the previous ones and the author handled them well.
Some of the areas I didn't care for so much. Why does Maeve call Scarlet Colleen? Is that an Irish endearment? I did not like the cover art. Scarlet is know for her look-at-me outfits and on the book cover she's dressed in a very sweet pink looking dress. There was a lot of game playing. I was glad when the author finally dispensed with it. Ok, so you're secretly seeing your sister's ex-fiance, and then you tell him he needs to go back to school to learn to date, and both of you are only doing that because you want to keep seeing each other. Too much.
In this text, the two main characters are Scarlet Elliott and John Harlan. John, if you've read the Summer's, Scarlet's twin, story, is the man Summer broke up with for Zeke. This text starts on the night of that break up. Scarlet goes to John to be his shoulder to cry on. He's had one scotch too many and mistakenly assumes she's her sister. They wind up in bed half undressed before he realizes his mistake. Both being caught up in the moment, they proceed to have sex. Scarlet leaves after getting dressed. John leaves the New York area for a month. Upon his return, he seeks her out and they go at it again. They decide to continue to see each other for the duration that Summer is on tour with Zeke. Once Summer returns, she witnesses them kissing and will not speak to either of them. John goes to Summer and asks her to see her sister. She does and they clear the air. She suggests that Scarlet go for John. She attempts to set up an intimate dinner and he does not show due to crossed messages. She returns to his apartment where the air is finally cleared. And we get our HEA.
I liked a lot about this story. As a previous reviewer stated, they are my second favorite couple in this series next to Teagan and Renee. One of the things I liked was how the author keep me guessing. By page 93 I really wanted to know how it was going to end. I normally will skip once I have the story down. I did not in this one because I was so curious on how the author would get herself out of this situation for an HEA. And I thought she did it well with just having the characters act like adults and deal with the results of their actions.
I also liked John. He was so flat in the previous book. Flat like cardboard. If we had some more depth to him, that would have made for a better story in the previous book. And it would have explained why Scarlet was in love with him also. Just the fact that he called Summer every night and morning isn't a reason to fall in love with your twin's boyfriend.
I thought the sex and romance scenes lived up to the Desire line. It was not erotic, but it was a little edgy with John asking Scarlet to strip for him.
I think the reader is finally given a clue as to why Patrick started the challenge. His desire is so that his family will be happy doing what they want to do and have someone to love. On page 174 Patrick gives the necklace back to Scarlet and states, "I haven't been more proud of you than now, Scarlet. Wear it with pride. My pride. You've become your own person."
I would have rather rated this book 3.5 stars instead of 3.
I wanted to know what the ring John bought for Scarlet looked like. There seemed be a heavy emphasis on it at the end the book, but we don't get a description of it. I felt a little cheated.
I thought the author did a great job of foreshadowing on Cullen's, Fin's and Jessie and Cade's stories. The characters have some dept to them. There were more characters in this book that it seems in the previous ones and the author handled them well.
Some of the areas I didn't care for so much. Why does Maeve call Scarlet Colleen? Is that an Irish endearment? I did not like the cover art. Scarlet is know for her look-at-me outfits and on the book cover she's dressed in a very sweet pink looking dress. There was a lot of game playing. I was glad when the author finally dispensed with it. Ok, so you're secretly seeing your sister's ex-fiance, and then you tell him he needs to go back to school to learn to date, and both of you are only doing that because you want to keep seeing each other. Too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2017
I didn't realize this was part of a series when I picked it up. It didn't stop me from enjoying it though. As I understand it, Summer Elliot had just dumped her fiancee John - a straitlaced and together kind of guy. He's feeling the woe when he thinks Summer has returned to him...only it's her twin sister, Scarlet. Before they know it, sparks fly and they've started something there's not taking back. And Scarlet has been in love with him since before he started dating her sister.
For some reason, stories where a girl breaks the rules of sisterhood (as in, don't sleep with an ex-fiancee) don't bother me. This one most especially didn't. There was never any cheating for one. There was already love from one of them and both of them felt the guilt and remorse of what they were doing. And honestly, I can't really see how a woman who would sleep with another man while she's engaged and then dump that fiance would really have a leg to stand on when/if she catches her sister is sleeping with them. The hero basically stole the show in that argument.
I was a little confused about the grandfather and thought he was a bit of a butthead, but maybe there was more about him that I didn't know. I'm not sure why everyone was so eager to please him. The heroine was kinda fun, but she didn't stand out as all that wild or quirky. For that matter, although the hero was described as being a planner, he didn't seem to fit his description. At all. Nevertheless, I found this a highly enjoyable book. The love scenes are very passionate and the chemistry between these two is very well done. And I really started to feel the angst in the last part of the book.
For some reason, stories where a girl breaks the rules of sisterhood (as in, don't sleep with an ex-fiancee) don't bother me. This one most especially didn't. There was never any cheating for one. There was already love from one of them and both of them felt the guilt and remorse of what they were doing. And honestly, I can't really see how a woman who would sleep with another man while she's engaged and then dump that fiance would really have a leg to stand on when/if she catches her sister is sleeping with them. The hero basically stole the show in that argument.
I was a little confused about the grandfather and thought he was a bit of a butthead, but maybe there was more about him that I didn't know. I'm not sure why everyone was so eager to please him. The heroine was kinda fun, but she didn't stand out as all that wild or quirky. For that matter, although the hero was described as being a planner, he didn't seem to fit his description. At all. Nevertheless, I found this a highly enjoyable book. The love scenes are very passionate and the chemistry between these two is very well done. And I really started to feel the angst in the last part of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2020
I felt this book more complex than others. Scarlet was more self-sacrificing and more open than others. Her love for her sister really impressed me. When you read summary it seems like he stole her twin's fiance, after you read it point of view chances. Of course there is a bit stink of betrayal, but i can't blame her. By the way she didn't do anything until her sister, Summer, threw the ring even though she was in love with him(john).
In the end they have their happiness and peace. They go double date, summer/ Zeke, Scarlet/ john funny actually.
In the end they have their happiness and peace. They go double date, summer/ Zeke, Scarlet/ john funny actually.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2021
Summer returns her ring to her new fiance of 3 weeks and she runs off with a rockstar. Her twin Scarlet who has been in love with John for a year turns up at this apartment to console him, but he thinks that it is Summer. Things between them take a turn and they agree to give each other a month together. When Summer turns up newly engaged to the rockstar, she gets upset with Scarlet and gives her a hard time. That is until John steps in and has a heart to heart with Summer.
March 20, 2019
Exactly what I thought was going to happen at the end of Summer’s story. But the where, why, how was unexpected. Sumner’s reaction was typical at first.
But the twin bond is a powerful thing. Scarlet is a real diamond in the rough. Fate and soulmates sometimes make things right. Seems like there are a lot more secrets and mysteries are going on with the Elliotts
But the twin bond is a powerful thing. Scarlet is a real diamond in the rough. Fate and soulmates sometimes make things right. Seems like there are a lot more secrets and mysteries are going on with the Elliotts
October 18, 2014
Ohhhhh John♥
Yo sabia que no podias ser tan frio como te hacia ver Summer! El problema es que ambos no estaban destinados!!
Ame la pareja John&Scarlet! Tanto fuego y tanto amor...!! Mis favoritos!!!
Quiero y necesito mas de ellos...!
Yo sabia que no podias ser tan frio como te hacia ver Summer! El problema es que ambos no estaban destinados!!
Ame la pareja John&Scarlet! Tanto fuego y tanto amor...!! Mis favoritos!!!
Quiero y necesito mas de ellos...!
March 11, 2012
Loved it;)
March 5, 2017
Enjoyable read albeit the predictable plot!
April 14, 2015
me gusto... lo que buscaba en un Harlequinero. Interesante historia de una amor y dos gemelas, una de ellas enamorada hace un tiempo del protagonista... pero que es el prometido de su hermana.
December 8, 2015
Amé la historia de John y Scarlet!!!! Aunque, aún sigo sin creer la reacción de Summer... eso fue WTF!!! ES EN SERIO???
En fin... me encantó esta historia!!! Se me hizo corta!!!
En fin... me encantó esta historia!!! Se me hizo corta!!!
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September 17, 2012lol
April 27, 2017
Leído el 07/02/2011
Protagonistas: John Harlan y Scarlet Elliott
Argumento:
Deseaba lo que jamás podría ser suyo…
La misteriosa “mujer de rojo” que apareció en casa de John Harlan y encendió su pasión era la única mujer que nunca podría ser suya: Scarlet Elliott, la hermana gemela de su ex prometida.
Después de años de amar a John en la distancia, una noche Scarlet se dejó llevar por el deseo y se coló en su cama. Pero lo suyo jamás podría ser más que un romance prohibido…
Protagonistas: John Harlan y Scarlet Elliott
Argumento:
Deseaba lo que jamás podría ser suyo…
La misteriosa “mujer de rojo” que apareció en casa de John Harlan y encendió su pasión era la única mujer que nunca podría ser suya: Scarlet Elliott, la hermana gemela de su ex prometida.
Después de años de amar a John en la distancia, una noche Scarlet se dejó llevar por el deseo y se coló en su cama. Pero lo suyo jamás podría ser más que un romance prohibido…
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July 7, 2017I am not usually interested in reading story-lines where the sibling has a relationship with the ex but to be honest I started reading it and didn't realise this was the premise.
It helps that the original sister and the ex have not had sex so it doesn't feel ew.
A good story, a tender hearted hero.
It helps that the original sister and the ex have not had sex so it doesn't feel ew.
A good story, a tender hearted hero.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews