Forbidden

Imagine losing everything you hold dearer than life in one day and having someone swoop in like an avenging angel to punish those who have destroyed your life. How would you feel? Would you feel some little iota of relief that the ones who had caused you such pain had been punished? What would you feel if you found out that the individual responsible for punishing the individuals who had harmed you was the very person responsible for them being there in the first place? Would you still look at them as an avenging angel? This is the predicament that Anna Garrett finds herself in…

Anna Garrett loses everything she has ever known to the Gothe'maran – the only child she will ever be able to conceive, and her husband. Then like an avenging angel, the mysterious person comes in and kills those responsible for killing her family. Then just like that, he swoops down on her and removes the body of her child from her arms telling her he will see her again and leaves. Anna soon realizes that he is none other than General Khan Mak'un, the very man Earth holds responsible for the genocide of its people.

Khan has been sent by his father to stop the bloodshed. A zealous faction of the Gothe'maran government had gone behind his father's back in the name of "saving the race." Having arrived on Earth, they forsook their honor and began killing the women and children too. It's during one of these instances that he comes upon Anna Garrett. On seeing her, he feels an instant moment of recognition and knows that they are destined to be mates. Although he leaves her behind, he knows it won't be permanent.

During the two years that follow Anna begins to have intense dreams about Khan – sexual dreams. She is beginning to think she is insane to want to give her body to this man. However, she enlists in the United World Army as a nurse knowing she will be sent to the front and that Kahn will find her, which is just what happens. When the two of them come together the sparks begin to fly as the passion mounts. How will Anna reconcile her feelings about this man and his people with the passion she feels for him? What did Kahn do with the dead body of Anna's baby? Will Kahn's people accept his choice of an earthling mate? Can Kahn convince Anna that he loves her and wants what is best for her?

Marteeka Karland's Forbidden starts out so heart wrenchingly that you can't help but empathize with Anna's pain. When she pulls out her weapon and kills one of the Gothe'maran responsible for killing her son and husband you root her on and you cheer on the man who punishes the others responsible. Then when she begins to think herself insane for her sexually explicit dreams about Khan you can't help but feel for her because this is the man who is supposedly responsible for Earth's genocide. When she becomes angry with Khan because of a couple of things he's hidden from her, you completely understand. However, what Khan has in store for her more than makes up for it!

Khan had some almost human like weaknesses. (Grin) There was a time or two that I would have liked to smack him upside the head because of his assumptions or should I say – sheer stupidity, but then we're all like that sometimes and I think that's why I liked him so much. He loved Anna, wanted what was best for her, but didn't always go about doing what was best for her from the start. He had to learn to make wise decisions in his relationship with Anna and he had to do a little bit of groveling too. (Chuckling)

Ms. Karland does a wonderful job of drawing you into the story. She keeps your attention throughout with the plotline, the paranormal element and the big surprise she throws in along the way. I must say I for one am looking forward to what use she will put her imagination to in the future and would thus, like to recommend Ms. Karland's Forbidden to those of you who like erotic science fiction romance.

Reviewed by: RogueStorm