Book Review: Forbidden by Jacquelyn Frank

Title: Forbidden
Series: The World of Nightwalkers, #1
Author: Jacquelyn Frank
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: Edelweiss
Published: October 30, 2012 by Ballantine Books

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.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Strong paranormal plot but characters were downright confusing and romance was lukewarm. Nightwalker series fans will read this because it’s a spin-off of the beloved series but may end up like me and just skip subsequent books in this series.

The Set Up: Shy Docia is killed on the way to work one day. She’s offered a choice to return but she’ll have to share her body with another spirit, an Egyptian Bodywalker. Ram/Vincent is a Bodywalker charged with guiding Docia into her blending of the two spirits but he is attracted even though he thinks Docia is his queen incarnate. But the Bodywalkers’ Civil War reignites as Ram and Docia navigate her blending.

Why I Read this Book: I adore Frank’s Nightwalkers series and have enjoyed her other series spin-offs, especially the Shadowdwellers.

What I Liked: Frank writes a compelling paranormal plot where Civil War threatens to collapse the unique worlds. I like this action plot in paranormal romance and it has worked very well for her other series as well as this one. I like the premise that humans live in oblivion that paranormal worlds intersect with our own. Frank has always had a great imagination for world building and blending it into our world readers are familiar with. The Bodywalkers have a well-defined Civil War with clear bad and good guys so the action plot moves briskly and understandably.

What I Also Liked: I liked the human secondary characters, Docia’s policeman brother and his best friend, Leo. Their tough, Alpha-male personas will be familiar to readers and help ground this otherwise strange novel.

What I Didn’t Like: I didn’t like the Bodywalkers at all. Each Bodywalker merges his or her soul with a human one to inhabit their body. So the hero Ram is also Vincent and the first half of the novel is with Ram as the hero and just when I felt like I got to know him a bit, suddenly he’s called Vincent and is acting differently. This made me feel like I had no idea who Ram/Vincent is as a person so I couldn’t connect with him. Docia’s blending with an ancient Bodywalker is less dramatic as it happens only in the final third of the book but it also fractured her character. The secondary Bodywalker characters suffer from the same confusing personalities as I couldn’t connect with them since they’d go in and out of their two halves plus a third when they acted as blended.

As to the romance, the first half is Ram’s attraction to Docia but just when he’s ready to share intimacy with her, suddenly he becomes Vincent. I couldn’t stand this as it felt almost like a different hero was suddenly in Docia’s pants.

IMO: I didn’t like the Bodywalker concept for a romance at all and I won’t read others in this particular series, though I’ll still read the other series by Jacquelyn Frank.

J9’s Rating: