Alisha Rai

Alisha Rai returns with the second novel in her sizzling Forbidden Hearts series! He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with his brother’s widow… Accused of a crime he didn't commit, Jackson Kane fled his home, his name, and his family. Ten years later, he’s come back to town: older, wiser, richer, tougher—and still helpless to turn away the one woman he could never stop loving, even after she married his brother. Sadia Ahmed can’t deal with the feelings her mysterious former brother-in-law stirs, but she also can’t turn down his offer of help with the cafe she’s inherited. While he heats up her kitchen, she slowly discovers that the boy she adored has grown into a man she’s simply unable to resist. An affair is unthinkable, but their desire is undeniable. As secrets and lies are stripped away, Sadia and Jackson must decide if they’re strong enough to face the past...and step into a future together.

Forbidden Hearts

Wrong to Need You

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

What happens when two old friends rediscover a passion and love they had forgotten about and rekindled those old flames....

Wrong To Need You is the second book in this fabulous new series by Alisha Rae....Forbidden Hearts. Now this book pretty much takes off right after book one, where our hero and heroine from "Hate To Want You" have gone off and everyone in town is talking about the forbidden lovers. Our heroine, Sadia, is best friends with Livvy, and she doesn't have a clue what is really going on. Sadia is busy enough with recovering from the grief of losing her husband Paul and raising their son Kareem. She is running the cafe and bartending nights just to fend off the loan sharks left behind by her late husband. Then she comes across the one man she hasn't seen in years but loved since she was young, Jackson Kane. Jackson fled when he was accused of a crime that he didn't commit but everyone but his brother and mother knew the real truth. Now he is back after traveling the world and aiding the one woman he has loved for as long as he can remember...Sadia.

In this story is some very heartbreaking truths that become revealed about Jackson and Sadia. Of course, Jackson hasn't written to Sadia for quite a while, and so Sadia is pretty angry with him for some logical reasons of course. But they soon overcome those past hurt feelings in the beginning and focus on being friends again which turns into developing something more. Jackson has traveled the world and become an infamous chef and starts helping out Sadia with her cafe and he begins to reconnect with Sadia and her son Kareem. Now there is the complication that Jackson is Sadia's late husband's brother. But they have known each other since they were children. The hero is one of those that I would have to put in the "book boyfriend" column for sure. I love how truly honest and good this man is. He does tend to get into trouble with the law but only when trying to protect someone else. He always does it because he is caring and loving. He has been betrayed by his family in the worst way possible, but I like that it doesn't corrupt him on the inside. He does have a forgiving nature and is accepting of everyone and I just adored that. Seeing a hero that isn't selfish or unkind was so refreshing in this book. And he is so perfect with Sadia's son, its like they were meant to play and cook together. Kareem takes instantly to his Uncle Jackson, and those sweet moments that Jackson takes care of Kareem for Sadia is truly poignant.

Sadia is one of those heroines that is independent and self-reliant, even if she can be stubborn at times. What I truly admired about her was how comfortable she was in her own skin. She didn't have the perfect body or anything, but she was confident in who she was and not ashamed of it and very well at ease in her own sexuality and femininity. Boy, did I just love that about her. She, of course, is dealing with her own life trials of course, and family drama but she is such a great mother and not shy at all. But she does have some vulnerabilities that really are so human and I just love the way she deals with them and how her family helps her when she needs them the most.
 
  You're our moral compass and our organizational whiz and our heart, Sadia. If you're looking for what you're truly good at, that's what a great example right there of your success.
 
I would say in this relationship, both Jackson and Sadia share roles of the "pants" in the relationship. Like honestly, it went back and forth between both of them that you see how well intune they balance each other's flaws and virtues.  Their relationship is far from perfect and they do have to deal with the issues of the past and rediscovering the feelings they once had and exploring the passion they feel for each other. This story had a unique feel to it that feel awe-inspiring and I wanted to see what would truly bring them together. But little by little they build a foundation together without ever realizing that they are even doing it. Its a slow burn romance but its one that steals your breath and catches you unaware even when you are expecting it.
 
  My dream is for you to let me love you. And maybe, someday, you can love me back. You don't have to love me a lot. A little love is enough."
 
 
  "You want a relationship."
 
 "I don't care what yu call it. I want to fall asleep with you. I want to have a family. I want to travel with you all over the world and then come back to our home. I used to walk away from the hard stuff, but I figured, maybe this one time, I could try fighting for it. And I would fight. 
Overall I found Wrong To Need You a sexy and addicting romance that held my attention from beginning to end....a love tale of heartbreak, loss to desire, connection and the test of true love against all odds.....Alisha Rai pens a powerfully woven story that tugs at your heartstrings!!

 



 



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Becky A

Oh wow, I liked this one EVEN MORE than the first -- the hero is assumed to be a criminal but he's actually just large and awkward and absolutely devoted to the heroine (who is also great). Basically, I'm in on any character who at one point is told, "I'm sorry I thought you were a felon, but please stop breaking into my house." (I laughed out loud.)

Nedu

I have been eagerly awaiting this book since I read Hate to want you and let me tell you it did not disappoint. It's safe to say this series is my favorite of 2017 and Alisha Rai my fave new author.

Grace O'Callaghan

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m just not loving this series that much. I’m not sure if it’s the writing, the plot, the pacing but hopefully I’ll find out while writing the review.

It’s been ten years since Jackson was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Now he’s back in town to check on his sister but is confronted with his long repressed feelings for his brother’s widow.

Sadia is keeping herself together, just about. Being a working single mum while still reeling from her husband’s death is hard. Sadia is still angry at Jackson for leaving when she needed him most and not turning up to his brother’s funeral. However when he offers to be the stand in chef at the cafe she inherited after her husband’s death, she can’t say no. Jackson and Sadia can’t help but be attracted to each other, but when their messy family situation and forbidden love stands in their way, can love prevail?

Firstly I have to give credit where credit is due. Alisha Rai is very good at crafting characters. Sadia is a very realistic portrayal of a perfectionist. She’s independent and doesn’t want to rely on others to help her. But she’s being crushed by the pressure of having to be the best mum and the best business owner while coping with her grief.

Jackson was also a well done character. He’s more reserved and carries a lot of baggage. He’s been closed off from love for a long time, not wanting to be hurt or hurt the people around him.

Sadia and Jackson both bring out the best in one another. Jackson helps Sadia in her grief and takes some of the pressure off of her when he offers to be the stand in chef at the cafe she inherited when her husband died.
Sadia helps Jackson to open himself up to love a bit more and show that he deserves it.

I think one of my main issues lies with the pacing and the length of the book. I find that I’m intrigued in the beginning but then I get to the middle and things turn a bit stagnant. I think I’d enjoy it more if it was shorter.

I appreciate the messages that Rai weaves into her stories. There’s a big emphasis on family. Grief was also explored a lot in this book as well as perfectionism. It was also a very feminist book without shoving it down your throat that Sadia was a ‘strong, independent woman’. We were shown it instead of told it.

Partially why I don’t enjoy this series is the amount of angst and drama. I think the writing is a tad over dramatic for my tastes, but not in a way that it knows it, it’s a very serious style. There isn’t that much humour in the books either, perhaps I just prefer a bit more banter between my characters.

Sometimes I think that the reason the book didn’t work for me is that it’s trying to do too many things. There’s the romance, the business, the family, the drama, the friendships that I’m not even sure if the romance was the majority of the story.

Basically I can see on a technical level why people love this series, I just don’t think it’s too my taste. Despite saying that I am going to try the last book because I want to be a completionist.

Christina M Masters

I am currently in the worst reading slump since learning how to read back when I was a wee lassie. I have read 2 books in about 2.5 months, which is unheard of for me, and this is one of the two books. Alisha Rai is currently helping me out of my slump. I liked this book because it was fun, it was an easy read, I wouldn't call it entirely laugh out loud funny, but there were definite moments. I liked her characters because they are real and not without their issues and some of the issues are pretty major. And it isn't all about the romance. There is a large family element, which I also enjoyed. So, I highly recommend this as a good contemporary romance if you are in the market for one (the first one in the series is also very good).

Triana Jordan

3.5/5 stars. Jackson is such a soft boy..never read a romance novel with so much complex family drama.

b.andherbooks

On the outside, Sadia is a mom, a widow, and a master juggler. On the inside, Sadia is falling apart. She wants to be seen as a woman, she wants to stop constantly worrying about everything, she wants security. 

Moonlighting as a bartender to earn extra money to help keep her struggling Cafe afloat, Sadia also uses the gig to find impersonal one-night stands. She's been eying a tall, dark and handsome stranger for a few days but when she finally musters up the courage to hit on him, she finds out he's no stranger.

Jackson, returned after 10 years, has loved Sadia his entire life. She never knew he loved her and she married his brother Paul. Jackson has his own secrets including a huge one involving Paul and the fire that destroyed his family and their business partnership with the Chandlers.

Jackson, a secretly famous chef, tries to help Sadia by cooking at her cafe but can no longer keep his serious interest hidden. Sadia is blown away by his revelation and struggles with her own desires and the very real problems that could arise as a consequence. 

Picking up directly after Hate to Want You, this is another spectacular tale by Alisha Rai. Jackson is a fantastically different hero. He's painfully shy despite his good looks and is totally in awe of the heroine. Rai does an excellent job of creating characters who are real, with real issues. Loved it!

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the ARC!!

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Despite only having read two of Alisha Rai's books, she became one of my new favorite new-to-me authors in 2017. Books like Hate to Love You and Wrong to Need You are why. They're also why I love reading romance as much as I do. Alisha's voice is fresh and her take on the usual tropes is unique and I appreciate the diversity of her characters. I can't get enough of any of it. 

I'll admit I was a little leery of the pairing of Sadia and Jackson at first. I mean, she's his brother's widow after all. In hindsight, I can admit that was silly. The story Alisha spun with these two characters was everything. It was sweet and thoughtful and the chemistry between Sadia and Jackson produced a crazy intense slow burn. I couldn't get enough of these two together and I desperately wanted them to move things to the next level, if you know what I'm saying. ;) Their story perfectly balanced respecting the past, while still moving forward. Feels for freaking days.

I could say all the words about Wrong to Need You and the Forbidden Hearts series in general, but I won't. I honestly can't do it justice. If this series isn't on your radar — or more specifically, your TBR — it should be. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Love is like an addiction sometimes, isn't it? You get a taste, and you want more."

That means he's interested in you, you should probably have lots of sex with him. Lots of it. Until you're weak and can't move and sweat's dripping down your body and maybe you're aching in all those secret, dirty places.

"My shoulders are strong. I'll help you carry your baggage."

Lacey

A sweet, slow burn romance between a widowed single mother and her former brother-in-law! I'm seriously enjoying this series so much. Review to come!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Wrong to Need You Forbidden Hearts

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