Leyla had never known what it felt like to fall in love. Not until her best friend Sara broke Ben’s heart. After the devastating break up, Leyla reluctantly agreed to pick up Sara’s things from Ben’s home. Leyla thought she was being a good friend, but when she finds Ben completely shattered, her loyalties are tested. He had been her friend too. An afternoon of an innocent lunch and a walk on the … innocent lunch and a walk on the beach to cheer him up turns into fireworks when Leyla can’t get Ben out of her head.
Pushed to her limits, fighting for a love she’s always dreamed of, and against a demon she never knew existed, Leyla must ultimately make a choice. Her decision will come down to loyalty to her best friend, the expectations of her family, or the desires of her wanting heart. Is love worth taking the risk?
“Rich in culture, this first book in the Forbidden Love series immediately draws the reader in to this modern take on a familiar star-crossed lovers tale.” – InD’tale ★★★★★
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
Q: Why do you write?
A: Writing has provided a pathway for me to find myself again, years after I lost sight of who I used to be. When adulthood and motherhood responsibilities caused me to disappear into the background of my own life, writing shined a light that helped me find a way back to that creative woman I was in my youth. It’s almost therapeutic. When I was younger, I wrote songs, poetry, and even tried my hand at a novel. But as I got older, time to write was scarce, and life became more demanding. It was difficult to focus on myself. Picking up the pen again, after all these years, has reenergized me. Writing novels has become the one thing in my world that belongs to only me. I pour myself into my characters, and weave together stories that I can get lost in, providing an escape from reality, if only for a moment.
Q: What books do you write?
A: I write Contemporary Romance. I love stories about falling in love, heartbreak, and betrayal. When I write my novels, I try to make them real and raw. My characters are full of flaws, and they make all the wrong choices. Because the truth is, that’s real life. People can be emotional and selfish, we can hurt others and be hurt, and be tortured with regret. I love to encompass that reality in the stories I create, showing the ripple effect of choices as they unfold, and the satisfaction of finding true love at the end.
FORBIDDEN LOVE
- FORBIDDEN BY FAITH (book 1)
- FORBIDDEN BY DESTINY (book 2)
- FORBIDDEN BY TIME (book 3)
Q: Why should readers pick up your books?
A: The Forbidden Love series is a deeply emotional journey of self-discovery. Full of heartbreak and betrayal, all three books navigate through the joys of new love, and the fallout from when that love bends and breaks relationships. The main characters are young Iranian American women, who are not only trying to find themselves in a diverse world, but are balancing the overbearing family obligations which tie them down, and ultimately, make them question their decisions. Their struggles are endless, and at times, life-changing. Providing a glimpse into a world that is underrepresented, and showing a side of a culture that often remains hidden from society, this series will reel you in and intoxicate you with its secrets. If you are a reader who loves complex characters, rich storytelling, and whirlwind romances that you can sink your teeth into, the Forbidden Love series is for you.
more
This book takes you on a ride with Leyla. At first you’re mad at her, then you sympathize, then you get angry with her. Then Leyla’s life is turned upside down. You don’t want to stop reading. You want to continue to follow her on her journey. The author Negeen Papehn did a great job keeping your interest from the beginning.
I am starting by reviewing and recommending Book 2 of this series, but you should really start by reading Book 1, Forbidden by Faith.
Go ahead. I’ll wait.
I’ll say again, I don’t read a lot of contemporary romance. The obstacles to love seem so contrived — I mean, if there’s nothing to stop you from sleeping together on the first date, where’s the tension? Where’s the challenge? He doesn’t like your friends? He’s allergic to your cat?
I oversimplify, but you can see that I prefer the social constraints of history. If society won’t let you touch unless you’re dancing, well, that makes dancing together mighty interesting.
In this series, though, we get a unique #ownvoices insight into the Persian-American community, a world about which I knew next to nothing. I love having my ignorance illuminated, and Papehn is at her best when she’s showing us the complexities of living within a more traditional culture within modern US society. Her female characters in particular struggle with being modern women with career aspirations and sexual lives while living with parents who expect them to be — at the same time — successful but ready to give it all up for marriage and family. A break-up is devastating enough but how much more difficult when EVERYONE is judging you for it (“Oh, how could she let him get away? He was a good catch.” “I heard it was all her fault.” “What a shame. She’ll never do that well again.”) Her characters are all deep and interconnected, and you feel like you’re part of the family too.
*spoilers follow* *trigger warning*
In this second book, a shocking assault (attempted rape) traumatizes the heroine, and the act adds a whole other layer of depth to what could have been just another romance novel. You are forced, along with Leyla, to confront a survivor’s emotions, including her sense of guilt — am I to blame in some way? It was surprising and, I think in light of #metoo and our society’s tendency to ignore things we don’t want to talk about, important.
Leyla comes out on the other side safe and, with therapy and love, well. She takes charge of her life and defines what has happened, rather than letting others define it for her. This is not your typical romance novel. It will challenge you, but I think you’ll be glad you read it.
Book 3 is coming soon!
She is helping out her friend to collect their belongings from the boyfriend they are no longer in love with. She goes and finds him in a bad way so they go for a walk. Now she is in trouble as she starts to have feelings for him. What is she going to do? Be happy with him? Do what her family and friends expect? See what she will decide
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed Forbidden by Destiny for its look into Persian family dynamics which author Negeen Papehn so wonderfully described in her first book, Forbidden by Faith. The Persian drama continues with characters introduced in Forbidden by Faith, Sara’s best friend, Leyla, and her old boyfriend, Ben. Leyla is finishing law school when she “volunteers” go to Ben’s house to pick up Leyla’s things, the detritus from a broken relationship. Ben is doubly repugnant to Leyla’s family because he is Caucasian and because he is Sara’s “leftovers.” An upper-twenties young woman, Leyla must balance her family’s desires with her own, the age-old struggle of people with the dual identities of their families’ home countries and being American.
This is the second book in the Forbidden Love series. As a disclaimer, I did not read the first book so I came into the story cold. I did not have a problem figuring out what was going on or who was with whom.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The author tells a realistic love story with all its wonderful and gory details. I appreciated how the Leyla made mistakes that affected her relationships with family, friends, and lover as I have made several of those same mistakes. It was a nice change of pace from the predictable romance story. I loved how she realized her mistakes and she grew as the story progressed. I am totally in love with Ben. He is so sweet and caring that I honestly cried when he was heartbroken. I couldn’t stand to see him in pain. This book evoked a lot of strong feelings for me. I laughed and I balled my eyes out.
Ms. Papehn’s writing was engaging. I literally read the book in 24 hours. I took to work with me but had to hide it in my desk so I wasn’t reading it. I just couldn’t put it down. I am excited to read the first book in the series Forbidden by Faith. I loved how she integrated Leyla’s culture into the story. I don’t have a lot of exposure to Iranian culture but it was a real treat to read about it.
As a trigger warning, there is an attempted rape scene. The author does go delve into excruciating details and the reader gets swept into black feelings that Leyla has afterward. She does a great job capturing the terror and blankness that the victim faces, but it maybe too intense for some readers.
Thank you to the author for this book.