His Forbidden Desire

Twisted Hearts #4

by Katee Robert

All she wants is her freedom…

Princess Camilla Fitzcharles is willing to risk everything to escape her gilded cage of her life. She’s secured an invitation to participate in the Wild Hunt, a deadly game hosted annually on the secretive Island of Ys. This year’s prize is the one thing that can set her free. Cami just has to survive long enough to win it.

He’ll do anything to get his revenge…

Luca has spent the last fifteen years waiting for vengeance. Now the plans are in motion, and there’s no going back. He couldn’t have anticipated Cami, though. She’s an innocent, a reminder of the life that was stolen from him. Something to be protected, not leveraged in this dangerous game.

Getting what they want might cost them everything…

This year the Wild Hunt has changed. For the first time since its inception, an outsider is named as the White Stag, the prey the rest of them hunt—Cami. She’s on the run and in danger, and Luca will do anything to keep her safe.

The person she needs the most protection from?

Him.

In HIS FORBIDDEN DESIRE, you’ll find:
-> Royal Romance
-> Bodyguard Romance
-> Grumpy One and Sunshine One
-> Danger bang!
-> Forced Proximity

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Dark Romance, Erotica, Smut, Fiction

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 25, 2019

About the author

Katee Robert is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spicy romance. Entertainment Weekly calls her writing “unspeakably hot.” Her books have sold over two million copies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, a cat who thinks he’s a dog, and two Great Danes who think they’re lap dogs.

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Reviews

[Bookgasms Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

His Forbidden Desire is just another perfect example of how I will always place my trust in Katee Robert and her books. I am legit here for it. This story was amazingggg! I am obsessed with her and all her stories. I honestly loved Luca and Cami. They were fiery, sexy and just delicious. This story was also emotional and was the perfect combination of heart and heat. I loved this so much!

I don't even know how to describe this series. It feels part contemporary, part dystopian and also part mystical lands/kingdoms. All you need to really know is that it's pure kindle crack. It's gripping and compelling and you feel a connection between Luca and Cami right away. I loved this story so much and am so intrigued about War and Liam. Bravo! 5 stars! ~Ratula 

[Dísir · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘His Forbidden Desire’ starts off as an odd cross between fictional European aristocratic romance and the Hunger Games series, where a princess thinks the latter is key to the gilded cage that she’s found herself in.

I’m unfamiliar with this particular aspect of Katee Robert’s writing; then again, Robert is an author who dabbles quite significantly in overlapping genres and I never quite know what I’ll get out of her next book. ‘His Forbidden Desire’ falls within the realm of speculative romantic fiction if labels are to be put on it, but then, I had a hard time getting past the feeling like I’d missed a big chunk of a back story that was never fully laid out.

Essentially, I went through the pages thinking that I barely knew anything by the end of the book: the four Horsemen—alternative identities laid out deliberately and elaborately by abuses children who banded together and now seek revenge—whose pasts are only hinted at, the wild scheme on an island off the African coast where cut-throat games are held for stakes higher than we know about, and a princess competitor who wants her freedom by winning the competition but exactly how that could be achieved isn’t quite told.

For this reason, I couldn’t get into Cami and Luca at all too. Hooking up during a hunt, pulled together and apart by competing agendas—it was quite a mess where emotions barely got a chance to ride out their full potential, busy as the protagonists were trying to avoid getting caught, and then the lust that somehow gets transformed into love by the time a betrayal is executed.

But in all, just too bizarre and frustrating to buy into the whole scheme.

Maybe I do prefer my stories more grounded in ‘reality’ so to speak as ‘His Forbidden Desire’ has taught me, where fictional countries and even odder but dangerous competitions stay as territory that I’ll only venture into when I’ve got nothing else lined up. Not the fault of Robert, obviously, just me.

*ARC by the author

[Jess *lovetolovebooks* · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Forbidden Desire is one of Katee Robert’s earlier works. I greatly enjoyed the premise: think sexy Hunger Games. Princess Camilla ends up being the White Stag, which is essentially the prey that everyone else in the Wild Hunt gets to...well for lack of a better word, hunt. Enter Luca or Famine as he’s called on the Island of Ys. After a brief meeting and a hot sunscreen rubdown, Luca enters himself into the Wild Hunt to make sure no harm comes to Camilla and also to make sure that a certain person wins. Why would he do that? To avoid spoilers, I’m just going to say read the book.
I enjoyed the characters but I found them to be kind of flat. I didn’t really connect with anyone which is a shame, but that didn’t interfere with my ability to enjoy the story. What did put a damper on my reading experience was the lack of chemistry. I think the author was going for enemies to lovers but it rode the line of insta love to me. The angst just wasn’t there for me to buy into this being an enemies to lovers romance. The smut scenes were ok but not at the level of which I’m used to from Katee. The Wicked Villains series and Your Dad Will Do were 100x hotter in my opinion.
The ending did set up the next book but it felt a little rushed. We are introduced to the Bookkeeper who is supposed to be this huge evil mastermind only for the four horsemen (Luca and his friends) to sneak up on them in the middle of the night with no conflict. A little anticlimactic that was.

I’m still interested in reading the other books in the series because I’m interested to see our other characters find their happily ever after. I think if i had read this before reading Katee’s newer books, I would have loved this. It is amazing to see how far she has come in her writing journey.

Overall rating 3 stars
Steaminess 2 stars

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (4/13/2020)! 🎁

[Lyndsay]

i seem to be in a bit of an obsession with this author's books.

this was fine, nothing super special or mind-blowing. it's kind of a continuation of her thalanian dynasty series which i read in may. and i think i'm going to continue on and read all 4 books in this series but idk yet. i like that there's actually a plot to these books despite it being a little far-fetched.

10/10 for the smut though.

[nick (the infinite limits of love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very different from any romance novel I've ever read. It almost had a Hunger-Games feel to it with the island and the hunt, but I enjoyed it!

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7 ⭐

The Hunger games meets Katee's erotica with our (not anymore) little Thalanian princess and the Wild Hunters...
Interesting ❤️‍🔥

I look forward to silent Ryu's story!

[Zen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So the setting didn’t do Luca and Cami any justice imo I feel like they could’ve been THAT couple if they weren’t in this island hunt thing but it could just be me not liking the hunt but yeah a lil disappointed :/

[Marti (Letstalkaboutbooksbaybee) · Rating 3 out of 5]

What in the AU hunger games erotica was this

[Nicole Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ this is a much much much better introduction to KR than Neon Gods…

[C.J. Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this author on Radish. I thought this book was related to a story I read there, but it is only is very peripherally. I found parts of this unbelievable.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

INCREDIBLE. MAGNIFICENT. STUNNING. I need all the words to describe this book. All of them. This is the best book @katee_robert has written yet. Shades of the Four Horseman with some Hunger Games and Fantasy Island thrown in. Revenge, justice, humanity amongst the darkness. Plus romance and steaminess. Just simply beautiful, and had me in crying in a good way by the end. Do yourself a favor and pre-order it! #Famine #Warisnext #Deathiscoming #Pestilencetoo

[Ally Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cami and Luca are the love story I didn't know I needed! Katee’s no good side character left behind has become one of my favorite author sayings!! This story was suspenseful, sexy, challenging, and full of sass! They were both complex characters full of angst, tension, and raw lust turned love! Island of Ys is a series I am looking forward to fully reading!

[Ana]

[Mentally checked out by 26%, DNF'd by 60%] I tried to push through this book more than once. I enjoy Katee Robert's writing. The writing is still good in this book. The story just didn't grow on me. It could be that I started it soon after finishing "Theirs Ever After," and I just found Cami's motivations had elements that reminded me of that book in a way.

I mean, at this point, lack of communication is obviously hereditary, as is stubbornness. I understand Cami's reasons for joining the hunt. They're not unreasonable, but...hear me out. Is it easier to join a hunt to earn a favor than to talk to your brother about your frustration? I'm curious whether she even tried talking to Meg about things. Meg must have a license on dealing with Theo. And the way the phone call with Theo got handled? Eh, the more I got to know Cami, the more I hoped she did die in the hunt, and that made me feel worse about trying to finish it.

And the four horsemen...were interesting but not enough to hook me. Before I knew who they were, I felt they were characters the story was trying to highlight. It made more sense once I realized the books that follow this one are about them. Maybe one day, the curiosity will win, and I might pick it up again, but for now, I'd rather put it down than begrudgingly force myself to read it.

Some important notes that bear mentioning: reviews are highly subjective, including mine. My opinion is meant to give an overview of what I saw/felt when I read it. What I see might not be what you see, and what I don't like might be what you enjoy, which is fine. My advice to anyone looking into a book? Read the premise; if it interests you enough, give it a chance, and it may surprise you—or not, but at least then, you'll know.

[Alex (HEABookNerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from HIS FORBIDDEN DESIRE but I loved what I got! It's dark, gritty, emotional, and so, so sexy. The Island is essentially a fantasy land for those who are filthy rich and have questionable morals. But there's a lot deeper things at work and the Four Horsemen have a plan to finally take down those who hurt them many years ago. This book is heavy and dark and addresses some really horrible issues. I felt so much for Luca and what he suffered as a child, it's truly tragic and still affects his whole life.

Luca was dark and mysterious and used to getting his way. He sees Callie as an innocent woman and she brings out a protective side of Luca he's not used to. His brother and sisters, the other Horseman, are the only people Luca trusts and cares about but suddenly he cares about Callie. But even with all of that he's not sure he can trust her. I loved watching Luca and Callie go head-to-head. Callie is nothing like what Luca expects and she challenges all the walls he's put up.

I really enjoyed Callie's fire and her desire to be the person she wants to be instead of what's expected of her. I wish we could have learned more about Callie's training and why she felt the need to be trained in survival and combat skills in the first place. But I did love seeing her compete in the Hunt and fight for what she wants. Underneath all of the determination, is a deep well of compassion and Callie really is such a sweet woman -- with a spine of steel of course!

I'm very intrigued and curious to see where this series will go.


Content Warning: Luca was kidnapped as a child and was abused and forced to participate in a fight ring

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out this review over on my blog too! 💛

https://hdsreadinglife.wordpress.com/...

I wasn’t sure what this was about exactly beyond knowing that it followed Camilla and honestly, that’s all I needed to know lol!

This was so much fun and so much darker than I was expecting but I still had such a great time with it. It had creepy moments, badass moments, swoon worthy and sexy moments and everything in between.

Luca’s past and his present mental health were such an important aspect and I like how Camilla both helped and fit with him. Also loved their banter so so much.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series, the rest of the Horsemen have me so intrigued!

3.5/5 🌟

[Danai Christopoulou · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars. The cover art and title may be a bit generic and forgettable. This book is anything but.
What a surprise this book was! I found it for free on Amazon, amidst a sea of other book covers featuring hunky naked men and downloaded it not expecting an awful much... and was in for a ride!
I've never read anything by Katee Robert before and I was just blown away by how thoughtful and exciting the story was. At first glance you could say it's a bit like a Hunger Games adult spin-off... but it's really much more than that. The past trauma of the main male character is conveyed brilliantly, making us really invested in his wellbeing throughout. The family of choice is quirky and touching. The adventure and thriller elements are all there. The romance is scalding hot. Really, if you're looking for a captivating read about a Hunger Games' style hunt in a jungle island with hidden depths and twists and turns, a heroine who's so much more than meets the eye and a prose that doesn't fall into the usual cliches of the genre, I totally recommend this book.

[Serial Romance Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, the focus of the book was on the Hunger Games-like competition in the book, rather than the building of tension and romance between Luca and Cami. Cami seems like an impulsive (and spoiled brat). She’s risking her life for freedom from a gilded cage. She doesn’t wanna be a rich princess who pretty much gets to do whatever she wants so she decides to risk her life for a favor... okay. Oh but she’s betrothed to one of the four horseman: Famine (Luca). Luca doesn’t seem to be very high up in rank though because his sister, Death, calls all the shots. Both Luca and Cami end up in the game! It is really an unbelievable scenario. There was simply not enough backstory to explain all of the bizarre circumstances. This book was entertaining, but not captivating. I didn’t feel the chemistry between our MC’s because the focus wasn’t on them. I normally love Katee Robert but I won’t be reading any more of this series.

[ashleigh - ladyofdarkriver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

𝙒𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙔𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚.

The beauty for me of going into a new series with no knowledge of concept, generally means I am pleasantly surprised with what I end up reading! This story has strong fantasy island/hunger games vibes with the idea that you can stay on island Pleasure or Pain and for a price, enter the Wild Hunt - except this year, there is a twist. The winner can be granted a favour from Death.

The island is run by The Four Horsemen - Death, Pestilence, War and Famine - four friends who experienced a traumatic past together who are using the island to lure out the one responsible for it by hosting a game. This story arc was enough for me to be like YESSSS GO GET THAT ASSHOLE. But then throw in a Princess who wants to win to use the favour to be granted freedom? Freedom from the life of a royal, to love who she chooses? Oh and did I mention that one of the four horsemen used to be a royal himself? Was actually promised to said Princess?

Ahhh this was just so much better than I could have expected! The smut was delicious, I loved that we got to see the tie back to Theo, Galen and Meg and the grand gesture? I’m looking forward to continuing this series.

[Dreamers_and_lovers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Like I loved Camilla and Luca. I didn't had much expectations from the book because I had read Theo's story and in that book Camilla looked as a timid and soft girl but i'm so happy that in her story she had grown a background. She was amazing and it was good that she was not a virgin because I hate virgin heroins. She was confident in her own skin and sexuality and was kind of badass in the whole book.

And yeah I loved Luca cause:
He wasn't a manwhore
He actually started liking Camilla even if he had underestimated her at first.
He was just too good and I can actually understand his reasons for betraying Camilla.

And yeah they both were equally attracted to each other because in most books the heroine always falls for the hero first. And Luca respected Camilla after he understood that she wasn't as timid as she acted.

Yeah the book deserves a five star rating...

[Anabel de la Rosa (Smutbeaconreport) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled through the second book of the series, so I skipped the third and dived straight into the little sister story. Camilla wants nothing more than to stop being the princess everybody expects her to be. Why does she need to enrol in a potentially life threatening man hunt in a secluded jungle island to quit being a princess is unclear. How a noble grandmother trained her to be deadly whilst appearing innocent? You won't find the answer in the book even if the question keeps coming back. Why does the guy organising the manhunt need to protect her at all costs? He doesnt know, neither will you.

This was entertaining nonsense with decent smut. However none of it was great and I mildly regret investing the time to read it.

Left me with a lingering and uncomfortable taste of "what am I doing with my life"?

[Asmaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic start to a new series. We get to see characters from three different series. We see Cami who is from the Thalamian Dynasty and Liam from the O’Malleys and Bellamy from the Kings. This story is specifically about Princess Camille from Thalania(Cami) and Luca who is one of the four horseman from the Island of Y who run the Wild Hunt. It’s such a suspenseful and sexy book. It’s so many stories at once. It’s Camis battle to establish her independence and the four horseman are looking for revenge for their childhood which are concurrently happening with such a crazy contest like the Wild Hunt. It is a thrilling ride with the most captivating characters and I can’t wait until Liam and Kenzie’s story.

[Magical Martini · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW… this book really surprised me, for a number of reasons. In the beginning I was so confused, because this book basically started a new series. Following the Four Horseman on the “Island of Ys” ~ Connected to the novella and first 2 books I just read from the “Thalanian Dynasty” to create the whole “Twisted Hearts” series.

The link between the two is Cami (aka Princess Camilla ~ Theo’s ~ the King of Thalania ~ little sister) and her journey to the Island of Ys to participate in the Wild Hunt. This book was primal with definite Hunger Games vibes. I loved how the story was brought together with one of the Horseman (aka Luca ~ aka Famine ~ aka Cami’s betrothed, who was kidnapped as a child) being not only her love interest, but also the reason she wouldn’t win. The spicy scenes in this were really hot, from the rub down on the beach to the all night cave sex. I obviously knew there was going to be the betrayal, but I was so happy that Cami did the right thing by forfeiting her desires for the Horseman’s goals. (I’m looking forward to hearing more about what happens after they interrogated the bookkeeper, and hopefully we will get more information on what happened to them as children)

I LOVED how it ended with Luca going to Thalania to confess his love to Cami and asked her to come back to the Island. We got a little more of Theo, Galen & Meg as Cami gave up her Princess title, and I teared up when he was reunited with his grandmother. It did end pretty abruptly, I wish we got more from Luca and Cami’s perspective once they got back to the Island. But I know we will hear more about them and their future in the upcoming books!

[Ashley Wehrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

ugh ok i saw potential for this! i loved the hunger games and this had to many parallels to the function of the games which i like. i thought it was going to be a hunger games vibe that had a little more prominent of a love story. an action filled sloan burn that after all they’ve experience they realize they’re in love. oh a girl can dream. but these characters have the fastest flowing enemies to lovers, unrequited love situation. it’s more like the hunger games if peeta and katniss decided to randomly have sex all over the arena. thanks but no thanks!

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an okay read; not really my style and way too different from the first books. Barely any romance and rushed at the end. Cami was strong and wonderful but Luca came up short. He was honestly too self absorbed with his hero syndrome and quite annoying. I never felt any connection to him or saw any growth in him.

There was so much potential to write a better story given Cami and Luca's history and upbringing, but this book fell short. It was focused too much on the hunt/game. I would've preferred to read a story of their journey together.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

I liked this book. It was a quick read that had me not too emotionally invested in the story and characters, and for me, that’s okay.
I liked that the protagonist was strong and proved everybody wrong most of the time. I thought the ending wrapped up most of the loose ends. Crazy to think that this was a simple read when it had all the markings of it being Hunger Games-esque.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tried to tackle a lot, and I think it was too short to really pull it off. I liked the premise and the characters, but I was left feeling like I didn’t get enough of anything. I didn’t get enough of Luca’s story or him and Cami spending time together. I didn’t get enough intersections with other players during the Wild Hunt. And I didn’t get enough of the conclusion. So it wasn’t bad, but it just felt incomplete.

[Carolyn Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as spicy as the earlier ones in the Twisted Hearts series. 2🌶️. And, a few holes IMO -- I didn't really believe that they fell in love so quickly and I also didn't really understand Cami's predicament about feeling trapped, it felt like she could have resolved that.
But, I'm interested to see where the storyline of the Four Horsemen goes in the Isle of Y's series, I'll keep going. I can see how this was a precursor of writing Dark Olympus.

[Darcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing beginning to this series!

Luca and Cami stoke my heart. Their heat and fighting drove me crazy throughout this story. I loved Luca’s refusal to realize his feelings but continued showing of it. Cami was an amazingly strong woman who would fight for what she wanted, even if her goal changed. I can’t wait for the rest of the Horsemen to be brought to their knees!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Premise like The Island + The Hunt. Found the concept of the Island of Ys interesting and assume the Pain side will be explored further in the series. Book deals with child abuse and has some violent scenes. Characters fell in love without really having too much conversation. Still unsure what the FMC would have even asked for if she won.