I can't say I really enjoyed this book, but I can't say I disliked
it either. Reading a story about modern witches and demons is a
first for me. Characters in this book use a lot of magic, but I
think most of it is not visible; it's all in the mind with one's
magic being able to elicit physiological symptoms and bodily
reactions, whether these are desirable ones or painful ones. Magic
is used to push, to pull, to guard, to take over... there are all
sorts of neat tricks.
Despite Alexandrine and Xia's initial feelings for each other,
their attraction for one another starts off as a physical one, even
a magical one. They're shallow and call each other names, but their
circumstances make it a bad idea for them to be separated. They
then depend on each other for their own survival and go out of
their way for the other. Their relationship moves forward, but I
find there's something lacking in their romance, and I'm not even
talking about the love-hate scenario that we come across rather
often as readers and movie-goers, and even in our own lives.
I personally didn't like some of the language being used. There are
some terms and expressions I might need to look up on Urban
Dictionary and some swearing which I find is sometimes overdone. It
may be appropriate for action scenes or the "all-guy" scenes, but
it takes away from the romance. Expressions like "move it, buster"
or "righty-o" just seem misplaced and even unnecessary, especially
when characters are in a crisis. The wording of some passages even
made me raise an eyebrow. The pacing of the story is very good, but
I find the characters lack a certain depth to them. I'm saying this
because while I was reading, I didn't care for Alexandrine and Xia
as much as I could have (ouch) but learning more about how their
magical world kept me reading, but that's just me.
My Forbidden Desire is actually the second book, following My
Wicked Enemy. I didn't read the first one, but I didn't feel lost
while reading this one. The cover of this book has been seen in the
blogosphere quite a lot. If you like paranormal romances, give this
one a try.