ARC Review: Forbidden Lust (Dynasties: Seven Sins 2) by Karen Booth

Title:  Forbidden Lust

Series: Dynasties: Seven Sins 2

Author: Karen Booth

Release Date: June 1^st, 2020

Published By: Harlequin Desire

Category: Saga – Contemporary – Romance – Multicultural

Type: Digital – Paperback

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Karen Booth Website

Rating: 

Heat:

Blurb: 

Feel the drama and passion in the Dynasties: Seven Sins series!

Next stop, paradise—With the man of her forbidden fantasies?
Giving in to desire with her brother’s best friend…

A secluded island resort is the perfect romantic setting for the night of passionate abandon Allison Randall plans to share with Zane Patterson. Her elder brother’s best friend has always been off-limits…and Zane is determined to keep it that way. But when a storm strands them together, neither can hold back. Everything Allison dreamed of is finally in reach…until unwelcome revelations threaten a rude awakening!

Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.

One man’s betrayal can destroy generations. Fifteen years ago, a hedge-fund hotshot vanished with billions, leaving the high-powered families of Falling Brook changed forever. Now seven heirs, shaped by his betrayal, must reckon with the sins of the past. Passion may be their only path to redemption. Experience all Seven Sins!

 By reading any further, you are stating that you are at least 18 years of age.

If you are under the age of 18, please exit this site.

Favorite Lines:

“But I was pretty stuck in my head when we were younger.” “I think you’re still stuck in it.”  ~  Zane and Allison

“Don’t hold me up on a pedestal and put yourself down at the same time. You’re beautiful. You’re smart and amazing.”  ~  Zane

“I know you’re not a forever kind of guy, but will you be mine for right now…I know I’m not going to get another chance.”  ~  Allison

“The fantasy just isn’t enough anymore, Zane. I need this. So much more of this.”  ~  Allison

Vocabulary Word:

Eleuthera

^{[ ih-loo-ther-uh ]}

noun

an island in the N Bahamas. 164 sq. mi. (425 sq. km).

Excerpt:

          Zane Patterson’s heart was hammering. His T-shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging to his shoulders. “I need to get out of this town. That’s all there is to it.”He dribbled the basketball with his right hand. Thump. Thump. Thump. Switching to his left, Zane waited for his opening—his chance to drive past his best friend, Scott Randall. Their weekly game of one-on-one was tied. One more point and victory was Zane’s. So very close. He did not like to lose. He hated it. 

          “Dude. You’ve been saying that since high school. It’s been fifteen years.”Laser-focused on Zane’s every move, Scott shuffled from side to side, hands high, low and anywhere Zane dared to even think about looking. Scott didn’t allow himself to get distracted by the perspiration raining down from the top of his shiny bald head. He only cared about not giving up the final point. “You either need to leave or get over it.”

          The reason for leaving—Joshua Lowell—popped into Zane’s head. Zane despised him. He had the smuggest smile, like he was perfectly comfortable with the silver spoon firmly lodged in his mouth at birth. The entirety of Falling Brook, New Jersey, put that jerk on a pedestal, even when his father had destroyed lives and families, including Zane’s. Deep down, Zane loved his hometown, but being here was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Get over it? No way. 

          Thump. He palmed the ball. Thump. Left. Thump. Right. Thump. Back left. He dropped his shoulder, slipped around Scott and beelined for the basket. With Scott in hot pursuit but several strides behind him, Zane finger-rolled the ball for a layup. It circled the rim. And popped back out. Scott grabbed the rebound, spun away from Zane and hoisted up a perfect jumper. Nothing but net. 

          Dammit. 

          “Yes!” Scott darted under the basket and snatched the ball. “Rematch? Best two out of three?”

          Zane bent over, clutching the hem of his basketball shorts and planting the heels of his hands on his knees. “No.”The competitive part of him wanted the win. Needed it. Playing basketball was one of the only activities that had ever made him happy. He’d been at it since he could walk, precisely the reason he had an indoor court installed when his company, Patterson Marketing, took off and they built their own state-of-the-art office building. But he was too exhausted to compete. Or fight. Mentally, more than anything. “I’m done.”

          “This Joshua Lowell thing is really getting to you, isn’t it?”Scott rested the ball on his hip, letting the weight of his forearm hold it in place. 

          “I can’t get away from it. The anniversary article was supposed to remind everyone what crooks the Lowells are, how they destroyed lives, how they can never be trusted. Instead, Josh’s engagement to Sophie Armstrong is all anyone is talking about. It’s everywhere. Facebook. Twitter. The Java Hut. My own freaking staff meeting.”

          “It’s a big deal. He’s stepping away from BC. Nobody saw that coming.”

          BC. The initials for Black Crescent were enough to make Zane cringe. The hedge fund, founded by Joshua Lowell’s father, Vernon, had been an ultraexclusive avenue of investment for the superrich. Zane’s family had once breathed the rarefied air of those on the limited client list, and for a time, the world was sunshine and roses. There was no shortage of money, and Zane’s life was golden—king of the school at Falling Brook Prep, captain of the basketball team, parents happily married. Then Vernon disappeared with millions, Zane’s family was left penniless and his parents’marriage was destroyed. 

          Losing their family fortune meant that Zane had been moved from Prep to the public high school at the age of sixteen. It was another brutal adjustment, especially since the kids at Falling Brook High treated Zane like the rich kid who needed to be taken down a notch or two. They had no idea Zane was already at rock bottom. The only consolation was that he’d met Scott there, and they’d been best friends ever since. 

          Scott saved Zane, mostly from himself. Scott didn’t give a damn about the money; he only wanted to help, and he only wanted to be friends. They were solid from day one. When Zane’s mom and dad fought, which was often, Scott’s parents allowed Zane to seek refuge at their house. It was an oasis of calm—the one place happiness seemed possible. One of the best parts of those stays was spending time with Scott’s younger sister, Allison. She was the coolest, smartest and most creative person Zane had ever met. She was supercute, too, but Zane had always looked past that. She was Scott’s sister, and Zane would never, ever go there. Never. 

          “Did you see Josh’s press conference? Did you hear what he said? ‘She brought me out of the dark with her love’? ‘Because she loves me, I am worthy’? What a load of crap.”Zane didn’t enjoy being so bitter, but the fifteen years since Vernon Lowell disappeared had done nothing to assuage his pain over his entire life crumbling to dust. As far as Zane was concerned, all Lowells—Vernon; his wife, Eve; and his kids, Joshua, Jake and Oliver—were pure poison. He didn’t want to see any of them happy. 

          “You know what they say. Love makes everything better.”

          Zane shot Scott a look. Romantic love was a farce. It rarely, if ever, lasted. Zane’s parents were a classic example. Yes, they’d been tested when Vernon Lowell stole every penny they had, but wasn’t love supposed to conquer all? Not from where Zane was sitting. “Said like a very married man.”

          “Don’t get salty because I’m happy. Last time I checked, there wasn’t a law against it.”

          Zane grumbled under his breath. He didn’t want to continue this part of their conversation. 

          The two men wandered over to the corner of the gym to grab the six-pack of microbrew Scott had stashed in the fully stocked beverage fridge. Zane was more of a tequila or mescal guy, but after a game, there was nothing better than knocking back a cold beer. They took it outside to the patio, where employees often enjoyed their lunch or an afternoon meeting if the weather was nice. A warm June night, the air was sweet and a bit heavy with humidity, but there was a pleasant breeze. Zane and Scott sat at a table, and Scott popped open the first two bottles. They clinked them to toast. 

          Zane took in a deep breath, washing down his resentment with that first sip of beer, trying to remind himself that he really did love it here. “I never should have gone to Joshua Lowell at the bar and told him I knew about the DNA report because I was the one who gave it to Sophie for the article about Black Crescent. I should have let him wonder who her sources were. I should have let him stew in his own juices. That’s what he deserves.”He took another long draw of his drink. That had been a difficult confrontation. Just seeing Joshua Lowell face-to-face was enough to make him physically ill. “I wanted him to know that he wasn’t as high and mighty as everyone thought. That I knew who he really was.”

          Zane remembered the odd jolt that went through his body when he received the DNA report in the mail, saying that Josh had a daughter and was refusing to take responsibility. It hadn’t occurred to Zane just how peculiar it was for someone to have sent that to him. He hadn’t even thought too hard about why the anonymous sender would pick him as the recipient. He’d only known that it was ammunition to take down a Lowell, and that had been more than enough. “The whole point of talking to Sophie was to finally tell the world that Josh Lowell is not the savior everyone thinks he is. I even gave her personal photos to use, to show her I was a legit source. Somehow that all backfired. The DNA bombshell never made it into the anniversary article, because I picked a reporter with scruples. Now everyone seems to adore him even more than before. Just in time for him to fall in love with a beautiful woman, decide to get married and conveniently step away from Black Crescent, which is the main reason to hate him. He’s getting off without a scratch, just like his dad.”

          Scott shook his head, the corner of his mouth turned up in a pitying smirk. “Maybe you do need a break. Get away.”

          “Or move.”

          Scott set his elbow on the table, pointing at Zane with his beer bottle. “You cannot move. I need you.”

          “You’re drunk.”

          “Half a beer in? I don’t think so. It’s the truth. You’re like a brother to me. And honestly, I think you need me. Who else is going to listen to you bitch about this?”

          Scott wasn’t wrong. He grounded Zane and helped him stay away from his inevitable downward spiral. “Okay. So where do I go? I need a beach, preferably with lots of women.”

          “It does not surprise me that you would say that.”

          Zane let a quiet laugh leave his lips. Yes, he had been with a lot of women over the years. That was his escape. No strings attached, no messy feelings getting in the way. In high school, it had been to numb the effects of his fall from grace. The poor former rich kid proved an easy target for other guys, but the girls didn’t see it that way. His money and status might have been gone, but the body he’d spent hours working on in the gym and his face were still enough to turn a few heads. So he’d taken what he could get. 

          “If it’s the beach you want,” Scott said, “you should go down to the Bahamas. My aunt and uncle’s resort off the coast of Eleuthera. I can hook you up.”

          Scott and Zane had talked many times about making that trip. Scott’s mom was Bahamian, but had moved to the US permanently after attending college stateside and meeting Scott’s dad. “Yes. Dudes’trip. We’ve talked about it a hundred times. It’s perfect.”

          “Sorry, man. You’re on your own. Brittney just got a promotion at work, and her schedule is crazy. It’s June, so the kids are out of school. I can’t just take off. Plus, if you’re picking up women, I think we can both agree that my days of being your wingman are over.”

          Zane didn’t let the disappointment get to him too much. Everything was a downer of one sort or another. He was used to it. “Okay. I guess I’m flying solo. Can you text me the info? I’ll call first thing tomorrow morning.”Scott shook his head. “Just give me the dates and I’ll take care of it. It’s on me.”

          “I do not need your charity. This isn’t high school.”

          “Will you just shut up and let me do something nice for you? Plus, I gotta keep you happy. I would be ridiculously bummed out if you moved out of Falling Brook.”

          Zane glanced over at Scott. He didn’t know what he would do without him. He was the thing tethering him to earth. Keeping him from going off the deep end. “I’m not leaving. I might desperately need a few days on that beach to clear my head, but I’m not going anywhere.”He knocked back the last of his beer. “I have to at least stick around long enough to avenge this loss.”

          “Black Crescent?” Scott asked. 

          “No. Tonight’s game.”

Highlight:

          Her phone, which she had tucked into her bathing suit top, rang. Things at work were so tenuous right now that she couldn’t afford to turn off her ringer, as much as she wanted uninterrupted time with Zane. “I’m sorry. I should look to see who it is.” She glanced at the caller ID. It was Scott. Did he have some sort of psychic ability to interrupt her at the most inopportune time? For an instant, she considered sending the call to voice mail, but she knew that he would just keep calling her back. 

          “Speak of the devil,” she said to Zane. “It’s my brother.”

          “Oh. Wow.”

          “I know.” She answered the call to speak to Scott. “Were your ears ringing? We were just talking about you.”

          “What the hell, Allison? You’re down at Rose Cove by yourself and Zane is there, too?”

          Of course he’s not only calling, he’s taken issue with the fact that I’m with Zane. “Yes. I’m doing this thing where you travel to a place where you don’t live and you relax. It’s called vacation. You should try it.”She glanced over at Zane, who she hoped would at least be smiling after her wisecrack at her brother. But no. Zane’s handsome face was painted with entirely too much concern. She’d seen that look before, and she didn’t like it. 

          “Is there something funny going on between you two?”Scott asked. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how weird you were being at my party.”

          Being under Scott’s thumb had grown so tiresome. In many ways, Allison felt as though she’d been born under it. “We’re hanging out. He’s my friend, too.”

          Zane cleared his throat. “Hand me the phone.”

          Allison shook her head and held the receiver to her chest. “No. I’ve got this. He’s being ridiculous, and you and I are sitting by the pool, talking. He needs to get over himself.”She raised the phone back to her ear. “Unless you have something nice to say to me, I’m going to say goodbye now and get back to my vacation.”

          “He went on this trip to hook up with women,” Scott blurted. “He told me as much. And I do not want you to fall for his charms. Nothing good comes of it, and you just came off a bad breakup.”

          Allison grumbled under her breath. As if she needed another reminder that Zane had a zillion other women waiting in the wings. Her brother was ruining her fantasy, and she wasn’t going to sit around for any more of it. “Okay. Sounds great.”

          “You aren’t listening to me. You’re just saying that so Zane won’t know what I’m saying about him.”

          “Yep. You’re right. Anything else? I need to get going.”

          “Are you watching the forecast? There’s a system forming in the Atlantic. The weather channel says it could dip down into the Caribbean. It could be upgraded to a tropical storm by late today. It could easily become a hurricane.”

          Allison looked overhead. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. “You are such a weather nerd. I’m not worried about something an ocean away, okay? Plus, it’s June. The hurricane season just started. I’m sure Angelique and Hubert will let us know if it’s anything of concern. Now, go back to your life so I can try to unwind. Kiss the kids for me.”

          “I’m calling you tomorrow. And just punch Zane if he tries anything. Or remind him I will kill him if he touches you.”

          Allison didn’t want to tell Scott that if there was any smacking going on, it would be only of the playful variety, and only if she was very lucky. “Got it. Love you.”She pushed the red button on her phone and tucked it back inside her swimsuit top. “Sorry about that. I think he’s paranoid that there’s something going on between us.”

          Zane got up from his seat and ran his hand through his hair. His forehead creases were deep with worry. “Then you need to call him back and tell him that absolutely nothing is going on. Or I’ll do it. Give me your phone.”

          Allison sat back on the chaise and didn’t bother to cover up when her sarong slipped open, revealing the full stretch of her bare leg and a good bit of her stomach, as well. She loved seeing the way Zane tried not to look…and failed. Did he want her the way she wanted him? Did he crave her touch? Her kiss? The thought of unleashing all of her pent-up desire on him, especially in paradise, where they could be blissfully alone, was so tempting it made her entire body tingle. It would be so easy to undo the knot of her cover-up and let it fall away. Give Zane an eyeful. Run her fingers along the edge of her bikini top, right where the swell of her breasts could draw the most attention. She wanted to do it so badly that her hand twitched. But she had to play this slowly. “Don’t be threatened by my brother. He’s just watching out for me. It’s a bad habit of his. He needs to cut it out.”

          “You know why he’s so protective of you. There’s a good reason for it.”

          Allison did know there was a good reason, but she’d been a little girl when she got sick. She hardly remembered any of it—it was practically a lifetime ago. Most important, she was perfectly healthy now and had been cancer-free for more than twenty years. Her entire family needed to stop hovering over her like she was made of porcelain. “And because my family is always around, I think we should take this chance to hang out on our own terms. Talk. Like friends. We are friends, aren’t we?”

          “I don’t know.”

          “What? You don’t know if we’re friends?”

          He shook his head, seeming frustrated, which was not what she was going for. She wanted him relaxed. At ease. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to spend time together.”

          “What are you afraid of, Zane? That I’m going to kiss you again?” She had a sliver of regret at putting things on the line like this at the outset, but perhaps it was for the best. If he was going to reject her, best to get it out of the way. 

          “For starters, yes.”

          Allison pressed her lips together tightly. She decided then and there that if any moves were going to be made, the first would have to be his. If he wanted her the way she wanted him, he was going to have to show her. She wasn’t putting her heart and pride on the line a second time, especially not when he was so willing to say out loud that he was worried about what she might do. “I promise I won’t kiss you, okay? Just stop acting like you’re afraid of me, because I know you aren’t.”

          “Of course I’m not afraid.”

          “Then prove it. Let me make you dinner.”

          Zane ran his tongue across his lower lip tentatively. It was one of his most adorable quirks and he always did it when he couldn’t make up his mind about something. Allison didn’t like that her offer required any deliberation at all, but she certainly appreciated the vision of his mouth. “Dinner? Nothing else?”

          Allison closed up her sarong and rose from her seat. “Fair warning. You might go home incredibly satisfied.”She patted him on the shoulder. “From my cooking. It’s really good.”

Review: 

Allison is just getting out of a failed relationship. Having caught her cheating boyfriend – who apparently had been cheating for a long time – she’s moved out and requires a much-needed break from life. But she’s a workaholic and intent on making her business successful. A new potential contract could change everything for her struggling career. Unfortunately, to some, this new position is much like making a bargain with the devil. She won’t worry about that until she knows if the contract is a for sure thing anyway though. The current position is a trial and temporary for now so she’ll have to impress the heck out of them if she wants to land a long-term agreement. In the meantime, her best friend and partner has convinced her to take a few days to relax on her Aunt and Uncle’s island before the meeting with their high-profile client. What she isn’t counting on is the presence of one super-hot, super sexy, completely off-limits, fifteen-year crush. She’s wanted Zane since the moment she met him, but he thinks of her as her brother’s kid sister. Not to mention her brother, Scott, would kill them both if he knew anything was going on between them. But islands can keep secrets and what Scott doesn’t know won’t hurt him. It’s merely an opportunity presenting a chance to dive into her deepest fantasy for a few days. If only she can get Zane out of his own head long enough to indulge.

Zane is insanely attracted to Allison, but he can’t do a damn thing about it. For one, she’s completely off-limits to the scoundrel. He doesn’t exactly have the best reputation with women. Love them and leave them has been working out just fine for him and he no intention of changing that. For two, Scott would kill him and he cannot – would not – risk losing his best friend for any reason. But when Allison winds up on the same island he’s decompressing on, he knows he’s in deep trouble. And damn if she isn’t crystal clear about her interest and intentions with him. Resisting her is becoming increasingly difficult. Maybe they can reach an agreement between them and go back to normal after they get back home. It’s not like they live in the same town. But Zane has demons to slay and Allison’s suspicious behavior has him wondering at her antics. Once they return home, they realize they can’t feign their pre-island innocence. Now that they’ve indulged, they both want more. But Allison’s reveal at what she’s been working on for her company could put a screeching halt to their budding romance and run Zane out of her life forever. Zane just has to decide if he can get past his biggest hurdle of all for the woman he loves. Demons can be difficult to conquer and Zane may not have it in him to lay this particular one who has had its clutches in him for years to rest; even to the point of ending everything with Allison.

This is my second book in this new series. The books are around a couple of hundred pages so they can be read quickly. The theme is consistent, but each new installment is provided by a different author. While I completely enjoyed the first book, this one wasn’t quite as good. By not quite, I mean a half a star difference in rating. So not a huge gap, just slight. I believe a lot of it had to do with the Zane I got to know from the initial story, RUTHLESS PRIDE. Zane has gone to a whole lot of trouble to nurture his hatred for Black Crescent; the company that brought his entire world crashing down around him fifteen years ago. He’s made it his mission in life to sully anything he can that is associated with them. Even to the point of trying to stir up bad press about them very recently. Unfortunately, the plan backfired and he’s back to scheming how to get after them another way. His hatred for Joshua Lowell, the CEO, running as deep as any hatred ever could. But Joshua isn’t to blame and Zane’s tunnel vision towards the thing he hates most skews his view anywhere Black Crescent or Lowell is concerned. And to answer your question – YES! – Josh is back for a few scenes within this next piece of the Dynasty series. I was extremely happy to be able to reconnect with him again, not really sure how each book would play out. In this case, the hunt for the new CEO of Black Crescent and Zane’s presence in both books ties them together. I do wonder what is next for this series though. The potential CEO replacements have been narrowed down to three candidates. One isn’t mentioned much, one seems to have some inappropriate connection with Allison and I can’t figure out if he’s genuine or just playing a role to obtain the position, and one seems to have an odd link to Haley who is Joshua Lowell’s assistant and long-time friend. My guess is that the connection between Haley and this character who might be more than he seems will definitely come back around in some way if not as a part of the series itself. So my curiosity is piqued and I look forward to finding out more.

As far as Allison and Zane, I enjoyed their attraction and Zane’s struggle toward her. Or against her, depending on how you look at it. They both clearly want each other, but Zane has more to lose if he caves in to his desire. Opposingly, Allison is at a point where she is tired of wasting time with losers, and denying her lust for Zane isn’t going to happen anymore. He retreats at every advance, but she continues to push past his defenses, relentless in her determination to have him. It’s actually kind of refreshing seeing a woman go after what she wants. Zane’s distance initially is admirable if not a little aggravating. As per usual, the two are fooling themselves in thinking nothing will change once they return to Falling Brook. I have to admit, I felt bad for Zane in the first book, but I really didn’t like him much. I realized immediately that his anger was misplaced, but I understood where he was coming from given his circumstances and association with Black Crescent. It took me a bit to get past my initial dislike for him that carried from the first book. But after a few chapters, I successfully put that dislike behind me and was able to see more of the person he really was, free of the constraints of the hatred that consumes him overmuch. Scott is a bit of an enabler. He allows Zane to vent everything and only slightly challenges him when he could take a more aggressive approach in helping him move forward. But neither wants their friendship to suffer, so they each play the role they adopted from the start of their relationship. Allison, however, reaches a limit in which she no longer wants to sit idly by watching life pass her by. So when she has no other option than to walk away, she also flays Zane with her words and truths of his behavior. Don’t get me wrong. She is sympathetic because she understands where he is coming from, but she also isn’t willing to remain a spectator to his destruction when they have a chance to be something so much better together. So for that, I pushed over from merely likable to adding respect for her character. They definitely sizzle together. Similar to the first book, with limited pages, everything wraps up fairly quickly. If I had a definite complaint, it is that Zane’s grand gesture isn’t much of one. What I expected him to do, versus what he did was so much less than it could have been. The big moment of “make it or break it” could have been so much more dramatic than it was and I was disappointed in that cop-out move. I don’t want to give anything away even though it becomes obvious what will happen. But for those of you who read both books – maybe even just this one itself – I am pretty sure you will see what I mean.

Above irritation aside, I did enjoy this book and look forward to the next book in the series, which I have obtained. I am thrilled to be able to continue on with the series and will soon be sharing my thoughts. I think the toughest element of this series is that each book is written by a different author. The writing style will vary from one to the next, which could interfere with the ability of a reader to be able to enjoy the entire series. But if nothing else, each book will give readers a sense of each author’s style and let them know if they’d like to continue with more of the author’s work. For me, I had read Ms. Simone previously and she wrote the first book. Because of that, I already knew I’d very likely be compatible with that book. In this case, I am new to Ms. Booth’s work. Because I was already a bit invested with Zane’s story from one book to the next, I enjoyed my time spent. As far as Ms. Booth’s writing style, I found it enjoyable. I am not completely certain of a more permanent compatibility, but I would definitely be willing to read another of her books to see where she takes me. In the effort of bringing a reader around to discovering this author and more of her work, this book succeeded. I’m pretty excited to be able to continue with the series and discover another new author. If you are looking for not only a new series but new authors to experience, then the DYNASTIES: SEVEN SINS is a good place to be. Seven books, seven sins, seven authors. Trip sevens are lucky where I come from. I highly recommend trying your own luck here.

Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.