Strictly Forbidden

Strictly, Book 2

By: Shayla Black, Shelley Bradley

Narrated by: Carmen Rose

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Miss Kira Melbourne is anything but a proper English rose. Her exotic beauty, courtesy of her foreign mother, has marked her as an outsider, and her ghastly reputation as a woman of loose virtue has only added to that status. The victim of a devious viscount's horrible lies, Kira has the chance to redeem herself and become a member of polite society as the fiancée of a respected country clergyman. She'll finally have a place to belong...even if it's in the tepid arms of a man she doesn't love.

Gavin Daggett, Duke of Cropthorne, isn't about to let his naive country cousin marry a scandalous woman like Kira Melbourne. The solution is a simple one: Gavin will seduce the vixen and prove her unworthiness, thereby releasing his cousin from any obligation. But spending time with Kira is like awakening to a world of color and beauty, and it stirs the fiery desires Gavin has fought to suppress his entire life. Caught in his own dangerous game, sharing forbidden pleasure with Kira, Gavin knows that the price of loving her is high - and yet it is one that he will willingly pay...with every beat of his heart.

Contains mature themes.

©2002 Shelley Bradley LLC (P)2018 Tantor

Typical Period Piece

If you like these type of books, you like this too. Good story line and good narration.

Such a sweet story.

I loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. And the ending had me smiling so hard!

Purely beautiful

omgsh I absolutely love this story. I am so excited I discovered this author. I am now a fan for life.

Decent love story, unique

This was a decent love story of this period. It is unique to others I have heard. There were a few discrepancies. If you know anything about this period, you would know that the actions represented in this book would be more typical to the bourgeoisie than the beau monde. It was acceptable behavior for the duke, but not for the leading female role. Both her status in life and her easy actions, blamed on using her heart instead of her head, would have landed her in a brothel, not a duchy. I guess I appreciate a more historically accurate tale. Also, while the ridicule would have been typical for the time, the acceptance into a high society circle would not. I have studied all of the most well known names of the period and can firmly say, none married outside rank or race. At least not while remaining part of the elite set. Be it right or wrong, these were small-minded people. The biggest scandal of this time was Lady Worsley. There was one lady, Anne Coventry, who was rumored to have married an Indian Sikh(Victor Duleep Singh), but many records state she also was only ever married to Thomas Coventry. Both Anne and Victor had a child, but not with each other. So, it is doubtful. These men literally had ownership over all women, which is why their behavior was often so reprehensible.

Solid historical romance

I really enjoyed this book. I only wish it had an epilogue. Don’t get me wrong it does have a happy ending but I wanted more I guess.

Didn’t care for Hero or Heroine

Not a bad book but not for me. I felt for heroine and her plight at the beginning but after the scene on the carpet I lost all respect for her: she was a “woman of loose morals” be that a naive one. I skipped from chapter 12 straight to the end....

🤦🏾‍♀️No and No

While I love a good regency story, this one made me cringe with how little the main MC, Gavin thought of Kira. Throughout the entire book, he claimed he couldn't have her in the family due to her "loose moral" all from gossip and him being a creep. No actual facts, no asking her with sincerity what happened. And then for Kira to make the same mistake, not once but 3 times, that got her into her problematic situation just floored me. Where is her intelligence the characters praise her on? Where is he since of danger? Why does she just assume every single time?! I finished the book just to see how the story ends and yeah, I can't say I enjoyed this read unfortunately. The historical time period might be different for social and class situations, but to be that naive and see idk what in Gavin----thanks but sorry I couldn't get into it.