When all that you want, is all that’s forbidden… 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.
more
I loved Lesley’s Carnage series, so I couldn’t wait to read this one.
From the very first page it drew me in, couldn’t stopping reading this. The angst between Billy and Max is off the charts.
5 stars isn’t enough for this.
Can’t deny Lesley Jones writes great rock star romance books with all the feels and this was no exception. Right from the very start I knew we were in for a tumultuous ride.
I instantly fell in love with Max; who doesn’t go weak at the knees over a single dad!?! Billie was ideal for Max, she was strong, resilient and accepting. Combine that with the situation her and max had to work through they certainly earned their HEA.
For me though, I felt there was just something missing but I can’t put my finger on it. Not sure whether it’s because it was an age gap romance, with Max being thirty eight and Billie early twenties… or it’s because Max was an ageing rocker or whether I figured the plot twist early on or a combination of all three. It doesn’t detract anything from Lesley’s superb writing and story telling , that was on point as always.
Great story and a nice feel to catch up with some characters from Carnage
Max is a rock-star bad boy, who has turned his life around in order to become a single dad to his little daughter. Billie returns home broken after a horrendous event, and she is Max’s best friends little sister. Knowing that Billie is forbidden, they both hide their undeniable feeling for each other. This is a beautifully written story which is and emotional roller coaster journey throughout, and is raw, gritty, heartbreaking, heart-warming, and is a powerful second chance love story with a tad angst and drama as well as a crazy ex thrown into the mix, which all had me totally captivated throughout this addictive gem of a masterpiece. I cannot wait to read more from this truly gifted author, whose work I highly recommend for all readers.
All the Forbidden Things by Lesley Jones was an emotional and angst-filled read I devoured. A man who thought he had it all only to be betrayed in the worse way possible. A young woman who has grieved, lost and been hurt. The age-gap alone should keep them separated but being the little sister of his best friend should make her off-limits. But their connection is undeniable and strong.
Max Young was once the very definition of a rock star. He partied hard and had the past to prove it. But then his daughter came into the world and everything changed. But his wife had very different plans. Billie is his best friend and bandmate’s younger sister and knocks his world upside down. He was strong and determined and a bit lost. She was rocked to her core by past events, but caring and loyal as well. There being together could cost them everything but could be everything they ever wanted and needed.
I absolutely loved All the Forbidden Things by Lesley Jones. Touching story about friends, love and second chances, it will captivate readers from start to finish.
4.5-stars. Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Definitely read Callum and Mel’s story before jumping into this! This story starts with Max after his child has been born, but he’s realizing that a child doesn’t necessarily fix a relationship, especially one doomed from the start. As his personal life implodes, we find Billie who is working in the US but in an extremely toxic work environment. After an incident at work, Billie retreats back home to her family and her comfort but now has to address the major crush she has had on Max for years. The twist for her though is that Max realizes she’s all grown up and wants his happy ever after too. While I love the romance aspect of this storyline, what really drew me to it and kept me reading was the aspect and concept of family within the band and how they look after and support each other no matter what. When the drama that filled this book would typical break up a band, this one stuck together and pulled through. I’m definitely a sucker for a good band series, and after reading this one I really want to go back and read Callum and Mel’s story but also can’t wait for Jake and Kenzie’s story too!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
“Our us involves all of the forbidden things, but if we can overcome even a few of them, our us might just end up being all of the most magnificent things.”
Before I was a reader, I exposed myself to different authors. I want to experience different love stories. I wanted to expose myself to dynamic writing from more talented writes. That exposure led me to a beautiful story called arnage. Led me to a brilliant storyteller, Lesley Jones. I was assaulted with all the feels from amazing characters and a captivating storyline. Carnage made me a fan of Lesley Jones. Every book I have ever read from her truly has blessed my heart. My love for her books led me to a special story, All the Forbidden Things. Wow. All the feels!! All the warmth!! All the love!! All the Forbidden Things is a story within a story. A breathtaking treasure. A special gem. A rare and beautiful find. My heart cascaded. My soul moved. All the Forbidden Things is truly HEART EVERLASTING.
All the Forbidden Things is a heartwarming standalone book with addictive story full of touching moments and unforgettable characters. A tantalizing romance filled with so many deep feelings that captured me as a reader. Every page is rippling with love. Every page is crackling with passion and heat that burns deep in my soul. Every word brought me to my knees. Heart Pounding. Fiery. Soul Capturing. All the Forbidden Things is an incredible romance filled with angst and heart melting moments that attacked everything inside. A rockstar romance with a story blinded with emotion and tender love. An age gap romance that rocked my world. Utterly irresistible. With all the swoons and sexiness, All the Forbidden Things spoke a sweet song in my soul. A song that makes you feel its melody and notes. Lesley Jones makes you fall in irrevocably love with All the Forbidden Things with her soulful writing and her mesmerizing words.
As always with a Lesley Jones book, you are introduced to characters that become friends to you as you read. You feel all their feelings. You become close to them. I definitely became close to Max and Billie. I seriously adored them so much. Max and Billie electrified my heart with their magnificent chemistry, witty banter and beautiful love. Two broken souls, who create so much magic with each other, made me admire them so much. There is nothing more perfect than two people who are meant to be, fall in love. Max and Billie are the definition of perfection.
My heart is so happy. Stories like All the Forbidden Things, absolutely touch my heart. If you are new to Lesley Jones, I truly recommend you any of her books. She writes for the heart and you feel every single word.
ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Max Young, the hot rock star seems to have it all. Married to a model, newborn baby and at the height of his career, he’s hugely in the public eye and the paparazzi love to know everything going on in his life. Max is your typical rockstar until he settles down to be a husband and father; however, what he thought was his life turns out to be nothing but lies. Just when his life couldn’t get any more complicated, Billie Wild walks back in. She’s his bandmate and best friend’s little sister. Totally off limits but such temptation.
“I thought you were going to kiss me back?”
“I did, with my heart. Didn’t you feel it touching yours?”
Billie Wild is a nanny by trade and happens to be in need of work. That poor girl has been through some heartache but when a situation has her running home to her family, she finds herself in the company of Max Young for the first time in years. He isn’t hers to have but it doesn’t stop her wanting him. She thought the years would have made her childhood crush fade but as soon as she sees him, the feelings come flooding back.
“Something needs to be done! I don’t know what, but I will never, ever, have that girl put in that position because of that bitch again.”
I was sucked into the story from the very first page right to the end. The storytelling flowed fluently and the word-manship had me spellbound. It’s as if I was there viewing it in person rather than reading about it. The characters intrigued me and of course in true Lesley style, there is a villain within this and I just wanted to throttle the baddie. It was shocking the lengths they would go to hurt Max, even Billie or anyone else that got in their way.
I loved the way the tracks from the playlist were intricately placed within the story and listening and reading at the same time gave me a sense of what the setting was. There’s so much chemistry and the perfect amount of steaminess is by no means overdone. I was so happy to see a couple of well-known characters from previous books make cameo appearances; one of them, in particular, had me smiling with his humour.
Ms Jones hasn’t published a book for two years and this made me even more excited to see what we were going to get in her new standalone. I was blown away with the story and long after turning the last page, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. A forbidden age-gap romance, in some of the chapters the protagonists gave me a feeling of hopelessness. I’m not letting on how it pans out because you simply have to read this story for yourselves. But I do suggest going in blind as your enjoyment will be enhanced if that were ever possible. To sum up; every emotion from being smitten, angry and laughing was provoked in this epic rollercoaster which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The forbidden is definitely one of my favourite tropes, possibly because it always contains a lot of angst. I can’t stop listening to the amazing playlist and now have one almighty book hangover. Certainly worthy of re-reading, thank you for such an epic story!
All The Forbidden Things by Lesley Jones was a roller coaster of emotions all the way. From the first page to the very last line. The story sucked me in with the amazing characters and brilliant storytelling. It was unexpected portrayal of an expected story.
Max Young. He is just everything. Chapters from his POV are the most stunning ones. A reformed Rockstar playboy who is wronged by the person he loves and his whole world is turned upside down. His devotion to his little angel girl Layla is one of the most beautiful and adorable thing I have ever read. This guy stole my heart with his intensity, crazy charms, dirty mouth, dirtier mind and a golden heart. I don’t know how Lesley Jones made this combination but she did. My heart was breaking with his pain and struggles when he was trying to protect his girls. He was a mess, a ball of anger and frustration and a protector at the same time. He is a very real person who makes mistakes and goes after what his heart wants. Even if she is Billie, his bandmate’s sister and newly appointed nanny.
Which brings me to Billie. God I love this woman. She has been through so many traumas, but her capacity to love and empathize is astounding. She was the light in Max’s darkness and strength to his breakdowns. Her strength and cheerful attitude light was refreshing. The chemistry was on the point. It was nuclear hot, slow burn and just the right kind of taboo thrills. It was a captivating journey where they navigated through the dark and thorny road of media circus, conspiracies by the nasty woman aka Max’s wife and basically the whole world standing on their way. It was a very mature relationship where they faced everything together and became stronger.
Lesley Jones has written an enthoralling and mesmerizing story in All The Forbidden Things. It was sensual, heartbreaking and awe-inspiring.
Received ARC for Honest review
Lesley Jones is the queen when it comes to rockstar angst! She has a way of making a rock star larger than life while also showing his perfectly normal everyday side of life. He is an average Joe just trying to make a good life for those he loves. Her characters have a way of separating their stardom from their personal lives. And this is what makes her books so wonderful.
All The Forbidden Things is exactly that. A married man who is a new Father falling for a woman more than sixteen years younger who is his best friend and bandmate’s little sister. Only Lesley Jones could pull a book like this off and make it absolutely acceptable. It’s not about what’s forbidden in life but what is deserved… a life of love and happiness.
Max is struggling to take care of his new born daughter Layla. Layla is only four weeks old and it appears his wife Whitney doesn’t want to care for her. He’s shocked when Whitney announces that she is leaving him and Layla for another man. She’s walking away from her daughter. While he’s reeling from shock and sheer exhaustion, he’s also willing to do anything to protect his daughter. Thus begins his greatest love story, one that includes his baby girl.
Billie is Max’s best friend and bandmate’s younger sister. Her brother raised her after her parents were killed when she was a kid. She has known Max almost all of her life. She understands his fame as well as his need for privacy. She also is a professional nanny who loves children. Coming home to England not only brought her home to her family but also led her to Max and Layla. This will be the beginning of a love story worth fighting for!
Whitney hasn’t finished destroying Max’s life. She is only beginning. This time it isn’t going to be easy because Max is playing for keeps when it comes to his daughter. The battle is just beginning.
Life and love are never simple in a Lesley Jones novel. She has to wield her magical pen and create turmoil and strife. Her characters have to earn their happiness. They have to experience heartache, despair, anger, lust, passion, and hope before they can live happily-ever-after. The journey is worth it because not only do her characters win their love , the readers get to experience it through every word and magical moment. This is what makes a Lesley Jones novel fantastic.
I highly recommend reading All The Things Forbidden by Lesley Jones!
First page had me falling in love with Max Young. I was gone
After Sean Maca, Les creates another wronged man, whose life has turned topsy turvy In a matter of minutes. A man who can shed tears & show his vulnerability when overwhelmed with life, gets straight entry in my heart, it makes me want to cuddle him
“I want to be loved, Mum. I don’t want it to be about the fame, the band, or the money. I just want someone to love me. And I’m scared. I’m fucking terrified now that I’ll never have that.”
A baby.
A disastrous public life.
Betrayal
He has all of them and deserves none at all.
Yet here he is…
Totally naked.
Semi-hard.
Zero fucks left to give.
Lesley created Carnage family and that both involved & invested in their lives. She repeats with this new family she creates in Young, Wild and Rong . All the characters are likeable, lovable and relatable…..as much as you can have affinity with Rock Star Celebrities, that is!!. Their lives are scrutinized, hounded and judged by constant media rags and gossip columns. As it is the creative people are more sensitive and sentimental, they think with their hearts. Now add to that the pressure of being under constant surveillance, and you have perfect recipe of biased publicity disaster. it’s harsh and totally unfair but it’s part of the package of fame
“What the fuck is happening to my life?”
Back to the story. Sentiments are raw and emotions are stripped naked.
Max Young has a massive responsibility on his hands and he needs a nanny. Step in Billie, Cal’s young sister
“Billie is a ripe, juicy, very forbidden fruit, but what I feel for her is far too important to me to involve her in the shitshow of my life.”
She’s hurt, broken, coming back home. The ready-made solution is what they BOTH need and their situation just fits together perfectly…..but for Whitney who’s the new Whorley
Her dilemma is real and heartbreaking
“He’s a married man. He’s my boss. He’s my brother’s best friend. He’s all the forbidden things.”
Lesley gives her characters enviable rich and famous lives but not an easy ride. They have to endure heartbreak of epic proportions and betrayals just like the commoners and this story is no different.
As much as i fell head over heels in love with soft hearted Max, Billie steals the show with her maturity. She’s forced to grow up overnight, steels up her resolve to live and live fearlessly. And then she gives Max the crutches he needs for Layla.
I loved that it didn’t become cheesy at any point. There was a rare occurrence of miscommunication leading to misunderstanding between the couple and Les didn’t unnecessarily stretch it out.
Loved seeing some oldies guiding the newbies. Loved the family dynamics and supporting cast of characters too, how they were there for each other.
Enjoy this hell of ride through breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs in a Rockstar life
4.5 Autumn Sunshine stars
Love love love!! All The Forbidden Things is a book of finding love in the most unexpected places, it is about fighting for love when everyone and everything is standing in your way. But it is about watching love grow into something beautiful and precious!!
I honestly loved Billie, from the moment she stepped on the the pages, I knew she was going to be a strong woman that I would fully stand behind. Not to take anything away from Max because omg he is amazing but Billie made me fall first and hard! She is quiet but strong. Loving, kind and special. Max’s reaction to her was a pleasure to watch unfold. Oh can I just say that I absolutely hated Whitney!!!
This book has so many emotions running through the pages that at times I didn’t know which way was up. It is a book that I feel like everyone should read!! You will definitely not be disappointed!! Plus the cameos that bring us back to Carnage…ahhh
When I saw Lesley was releasing a new book I knew I had to read it. No one writes rockers like this lady her storytelling abilities are amazing.
Lesley is an author who builds her characters from the ground up. They are relatable and flawed and oh so real. I felt like I knew Max in all his rock god deliciousness. It was do easy to get lost in Max and Billie I was swept away into their story.
I loved the storyline and the secondary characters. Having some familiar faces pop in was an unexpected bonus. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of the band I want them all to get a book.
This is my first read by Lesley Jones and I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I am not one for reading blurbs, so I went into this one blindly and was intrigued from the very first chapter. I had no idea what was going to happen or where this story was going to go but I was hooked and wanted to know more.
Max is a fantastic father and his love for his sweet baby girl Layla is adorable. His “wife” and baby mama on the other hand is not so great. I am far from being on Team Whitney. Despite everything going on in Max’s life he has a fantastic support system when it comes to his family, friends and bandmates.
Billie has experienced so much trauma for her young age. From the tragic loss of her parents, to the horrors she experienced at the hands of her former employer. She has a new job and Max is her boss. They’ve known each other forever, Billie’s older brother is Max’s best friend and bandmate. She’s also had a crush on the man since she was a child.
Max and Billie had a ton of chemistry. This book was heavy on the tension and the steam when it came to those two. Billie was super sweet when it came to Layla, she loved that girl as if she was her own from the very beginning. I loved that despite everything Billie had experienced she was a fighter and she didn’t let the past ruin her future.
This story is full of forbidden things. If you’re looking for angst, drama, steamy, a sweet baby girl, great family dynamics, a nanny and a Rockstar and an age gap (she’s 22 and he is 38) this is definitely one for you.
Wow. Absolutely wow. I’ve read other books by Lesley Jones and so I was hoping this one compared to how good they were. I needn’t have worried she’s gone and done it again. Written the most amazing characters who made me laugh who made my heart ache and made me fall in love with them. This story is just everything…. All the things and it gives you all the feels. Just read it. Nothing else needs to be said you need to read the story of max and Billie. Loved it loved it loved it. Instantly one of my favourites
Ok
500000000 stars!
Favourite book of 2019… maybe even new all time favourite EVER!
Lesley Jones has this amazing ability of transporting me into the pages and lives of the characters she so vividly writes.
It would normally take a series of books to get the feel for a group of people and side characters but, Lesley has done this in one PHENOMENAL story.
I am sooo in love with Max. I have a girl crush on Billie and a murderous rage for two other characters; boy does Lesley Jones know how to evoke the hate for some members of humanity!
The angst and love just burst from the pages. The plot is compelling and managed to get my devotion and attention from the first page. Oh Max *swoon.
You will be badgered and bullied into reading this book by me. It will be forever in my memory and another story to add to my reread list.
Buy it! Read it! Love it.
I really didn’t know what to expect from this book considering the author hasn’t published anything for 2 years and with previous books being what they are, this story has so much to live up to. So much to beat and my god did it do all those things. I was blown away again by this authors ability to bring the story with a punch that stays with you.
I found myself pulled into Max Young’s world from the first words I read. Again this is a rockstar book and will no doubt be compared to Carnage and all that followed. But compare away. It holds it’s own and for me, it trumps Carnage on so many levels.
This book was so much more than a rock stars story, it’s a story about the man not the star. What he has been given to deal with due to the choices he’s made, due to his profession. Those choices that lead to mistakes that impacted on levels you have no idea about.
On the flip of this story you have Billie Wild, she is the baby sister of Max Young’s band mate and best friend. Billie has had a rough ride with all that she has had to endure in her short life and the beginning starts with an incident that is horrific and for me somewhat life changing, but it sets wheels in motion for a love story like no other.
My heart broke in numerous places in this book and I can’t mention any of them. It’s not me, I can’t ruin a story that needs to be read and experienced by the reader first hand. The battles that are faced and situations that arise boiled my blood and I felt every word that Lesley Jones tried and succeeded in conveying in this story.
From an apprehensive start to this book it has become my joint read of the year to date. I can not recommend this book more and I really feel you will be missing out on a great, honest, and a totally beautiful love story. This is an epic read.
What a fantastic read! I loved this story from Lesley Jones, it has all her usual grit, drama, fun and romance, not to mention a good helping of lust. This story really had me glued to the pages waiting to see what transpired next!
This is a rock and roll story; a classic Lesley Jones. Max is a thirty-eight year old rock star, whose life is imploding. I adored Max, he is so sweet and loving. Despite everything going on in his life, he is there for everyone and his better side always wins out. I was rooting for him the whole way through. The way he is with his daughter just melted my heart.
I loved Billie, Max’s best friend and bandmates little sister. Hell does she go through a lot. I love her attitude to life, her vim, vigour and her ballsiness. She like all the characters is so well written, even the characters you hate leap off the page in Lesley Jones’s signature style.
It’s been a while since Lesley Jones released a book but boy was it worth the wait. This one is great! It hits all the right targets and will have you totally engrossed.
I highly recommend this wonderful story and suggest you one-click it immediately.