Blurb
When all that you want, is all that’s forbidden…
I’ve known him my entire life.
Before marriage.
Before fatherhood.
Before betrayal.
Now, he’s one of rock’s bad-boys trying to be good.
Trying to be the best father he can for his daughter.
He’s my brother’s best friend.
He’s my boss.
He has a wife.
Max isn’t mine to have, but I want him all the same.
And I haven’t survived all that I have to not go after what I want.
Her story is a tragedy, mine’s a publicity disaster.
Just when I needed her most, she walked back into my life, and the timing couldn’t be worse.
With a newborn baby, a divorce, an album to record, and a world tour to plan, I don’t need the distraction.
She’s off limits.
She’s my best friend’s little sister.
She’s my nanny.
Billie’s a golden drop of sexy sun on a grey autumn day, tempting me into the light and a life full of possibilities.
A life not meant for us.
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My Review
I always tell my students that when they come up with a title for their papers that they need to think about their audience as well as the content of the piece and then create one that not only represents what readers will be heading into but also name it something that will lure them in from the start.
I can wholeheartedly say that Lesley Jones definitely knew who her audience was and created a title that would make readers want to quickly see and understand what all of those forbidden things were! And believe me, they were aplenty.
I loved how Jones crafted Max and Billie’s characters. Max is an edgy rocker, but he’s also a caring man and loving father and that’s what is clearly conveyed in the pages of this story. And, it’s not that he doesn’t have a sorted past or indulged in the things that rock stars are known to – drugs, drinking, women – but he’s more of a seasoned veteran at this stage in his life, so he has his priorities where they need to be and although his burgeoning feelings for Billie complicates his already dramatic life, sending things spiraling even further, she becomes essential to his and his daughter’s lives.
What I admired about both Max and Billie is their fortitude and the way they see things, even when they’re crumbling. Neither of them would give up; of course, they feel every single emotion involved when it comes to what they’re coping and dealing with, but they understand what matters and go about containing the chaos in ways that won’t affect the sweet little girl who has come to mean almost as much to Billie as she does to her father.
Because I’ve read several of Jones’ stories in the past, I thought I was mentally prepared for the amount of angst that would be included as the hero and heroine try to get on the same page and deal with outside circumstances, but the complications that occur in Max and Billie’s story are even more dramatic due to the fact that there’s a 16 year age difference between them and Max’s wife is an untrustworthy witch who seems to only be alive to make Max’s life as miserable as possible. There are also a litany of factors involved in sabotaging anything that Max and Billie could build: his fame is a factor…the paparazzi and tabloids are a factor…his WIFE is more than a factor because she’s her own brand of drama llama…and all of these factors pose a huge threat to not only a relationship between Max and Billie but also Max’s image in the public eye.
Jones never allows her characters to have an easy go of things; in fact, at times, I feel like she torments and tortures them in as many ways as she can, not necessarily for sport, but to show them just how strong they truly are and to offer true examples of perseverance in the face of adversity. And let me tell you, Max and Billie will have to fight with everything that they are for their loved ones, for each other, and for themselves.
All Things Forbidden is one heck of a bumpy and dramatic ride, but it’s also one that has a great cast of characters with a bevy of poignant, sweet, and steamy scenes and readers will absolutely be smitten with Max – the dad, just as much as they will with Max – the rock star.
4.5 Poison Apples
Excerpt
It’s at that point I notice Billie climbing from the car. Although, if Mel hadn’t told me, I’d never have recognised the girl standing on my drive as Billie Wild.
She closes the car door and turns towards me.
Silence.
She stares down at her feet as she moves slowly along my driveway. When she reaches the front of the car, she looks up. The bluest of blue eyes meet mine, and she stops moving.
Deafening silence.
No birds singing.
No traffic sounds.
The silence is so loud it hurts my ears.
What. The. Actual. Fuck?
She takes a step towards me, and my hearing returns. The gravel crunches beneath her green biker boots, a pigeon coos, brakes screech, engines rev . . . a bomb could fucking drop, but nothing, not a single thing can divert my attention from Billie Wild as she moves towards me.
About the Author
Lesley was born and raised in a small working-class town in Essex, just outside of East London. She’s married with three sons and in 2006 they all moved to the other side of the world, settling on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, about fifty kilometres outside of Melbourne, Australia.
Lesley is currently ‘a stay at home mum’, but in the past, she has worked at ‘good old Mark & Spencer’ for thirteen years and as a teacher’s assistant.As well as writing, Lesley loves to read and has been known to get through four or five books a week, when she’s not writing that is.
Her other interests are watching her boys play football… the round ball version. She’s happy to admit to being an addict of social media and owes a lot to her Facebook and Twitter family in promoting her book. Lesley is also rather partial to a glass or bottle of wine, a nicely chilled Marlborough Sav Blanc being her favourite.
Being a born and raised Essex girl, she will happily admit being a big fan of spray tans, manis, pedis, and is regularly, waxed, tinted and sculpted, although she doesn’t own a pair of white stilettos.
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