First, let me direct you to the cover of this book. Nice view, am I right? Forbidden by Jacqueline Frank was an enjoyable read for me. I have not read any of her earlier books in the Nightwalkers series, but I did not feel the least bit lost. In fact, I may pick up a few of them to read at my leisure. Forbidden is the story of Docia Waverly and begins as she meets her untimely demise when she is pushed off a bridge. While she is in the Ether, the in between world between life and death, she is given an offer she can’t refuse. Docia is not yet ready to die, so she chooses life. Life as a host to a Nightwalker has plenty of advantages: long life, rapid healing, strength, closets full of designer clothes, and a very handsome protector named Ram. Sounds wonderful, huh? Docia seems to accept her fate. It really isn’t too hard when Ram is there to protect her. He tells Docia that she is the reincarnation of Hatshepsut, the queen and lover of Menes his king. Docia is a little taken aback that she will be the queen of the Nightwalkers, but she seems to take it in stride. It’s kind of funny when she figures out that the people around her are reincarnations of various ancient Egyptian royals going by Anglicized names. There is a rather humorous exchange between Docia and Ram when she realizes that he is Ramses and she asks him about the ten plagues. He refuses to answer her questions, almost embarrassed by the event. With regards to the romance, I enjoyed the connection between Ram and Docia. Poor Ram, so loyal to his king and so conflicted about his attraction to Docia. ”Beautiful, sweet-smelling, unsettling Docia. You are the wild card here. You are the source of my troubles.” If I had to choose a favorite character in this book, it would be a tossup between Jackson Waverly, Docia’s police officer brother and SingSing, a djynn. Jackson was absolutely relentless in his search for Docia. He could not stomach losing her a second time. Singsing, the djynn was so hilarious. Her lack of brain filter made some of her quips hysterical:” I suppose I ought to have made cocoa, with it being so cold and all. But I do so love cold chocolate milk, don't you? It's sweet and refreshing at the same time. Isn't that great? And yet it looks like liquid poo. Go figure.” I liked how the author used ancient Egyptian lore and mythology to create her story and transposed the characters to modern times. I also liked her explanation as to why the characters kept reincarnating. Fascinating. Forbidden was the first Jacqueline Frank book that I’ve read. It won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to reading Forever next spring. It’s Jackson’s book. Thank you to Edelweiss and Ballantine Books for a review copy of this book.Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
