Five full standalone novels full of steamy forbidden romances sure to heat up the coldest winter nights. Settle in with these sexy bad boys and the ladies who’ve been forbidden to love them. Book One: His MuseI fell in love with my brother’s best friend.Only to get pregnant, and then abandoned.He left me when I needed him the most.I’ve survived five years without him.But my heart still races when … five years without him.
But my heart still races when I see him again.
Book Two: Filthy Mistake
Every girl desires to climb into his bed.
I’ve done that already.
Now I want more.
More than his lust and his money.
I want his heart.
Because he has mine.
Book Three: Pretend Wife
I said yes to being a fake wife to the hottest Hollywood actor alive.
Was it a stupid move?
Probably.
But I have to tell him how I feel.
Especially now that he’s fighting for his life.
Book Four: Picture Perfect
I’d never been rejected by a woman.
Much less the only woman I obsess over.
I know I’m playing with fire.
Eventually it’s time for me to leave town again.
But this time I’m not leaving without her.
…And her little secret that won’t stay little for long.
Book Five: Dating My Best Friend
She’s still hurt that I broke my promise.
There’s no room in her life for me now.
But this attraction won’t be ignored.
Her lush mouth, her touch, they bring light to my dark corners
But my secrets, my past, threaten to scare her off.
I don’t know if she can handle what I’ve become.
Forbidden Desires is a collection of five steamy standalone romance novels. No cliffhanger, no cheating, plenty of steam, and a guaranteed HEA.
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I liked all of the books but my favorite was Dating my best friend. Khloe and Jasper’s connection was unstoppable even after 12 years apart. Love conquers even tragedy. Annie Rose is a good storyteller I really enjoy her books.
What terrific stories there are in this box set. Winnie is dating her brother’s best friend, Ben. And what a romance it is. Abby is a screen writer and meets a gorgeous star in a lift. He is a sex symbol but oh so nice. Khloe and Jasper were childhood sweethearts and best friends. But a terrible tragedy when Jasper was almost eighteen tore them apart. These are just some of the fantastic stories in this set and I give them all five stars.
Awesome Box Set!!
This is an awesome five book box set, all with HEAs included.
I read a free copy of this set and this is my voluntary review.
I am posting individual reviews for each book in this set. Overall I give the set a 4.3/5.
Filthy Mistake: 4.5 Stars (rounded up)
In Filthy Mistake we meet Jax who is a Rock Star. He was part of a band and has a certain reputation. Striking out on his solo career he’s looking to change his image. One of his PR ploys is to go back to his small town roots. While there he runs into Emma, an old childhood friend. They never crossed the friendship line even though Emma always had a huge crush on him and even helped him write his first real song.
Seeing each other again after such a long time they’re both surprised how comfortable they feel with one another. When Jax’s PR manager comes up with a crazy idea they agree to jump in but can they keep it just friends?
Obviously not! Prepare for some steam as they really hit it off, even when they try and deny their chemistry. You can’t help but fall in love with them.
Pretend Wife: 4 Stars
Josh is a movie star, a walking sex symbol ans nobody takes him seriously. He’s been trying to break out of the mold he’s been cast in. He knows he can be so much more than just dumb eye candy.
Abby is a script writer, she’s just gotten her dream job writing for a popular tv show and should be happy but it’s mot easy breaking into the boys club. How can she get her ideas out there without coming across as argumentative and hard to work with?
We have a nice little meet-cute in an elevator. Josh casually gives Abby his number as he’s got connections then is surprised when her place burns down and she called desperate for help. Right from the start these two are perfect together. They start off building a friendship and once they realize they can help each other it becomes something more. It does take something really drastic to get them to admit their feelings.
This story is not typical in that once they admit what they want things are not so smooth. Their careers seems to be pulling them apart and it felt like they were really starting to drift apart. We get to the HEA ending we want but for whatever reason it didn’t seem fully complete to me.
Picture Perfect: 4.5 Stars
Alanna always wanted to be a baker. When her father got diagnosed with cancer she decided to put her dreams on hold and stay home to take care of him. She was dating Bradley but when he got a full scholarship he decided to break her heart rather than try and work things long distance.
It’s been six years but Alanna is still stuck. After her father passed her mother hasn’t been the same and Alanna has to help try and pay off the bills left behind. Her friend Shannon blindsides her when Bradley comes back into town to photograph the football team. He’s made his dreams come true but when he sees Alanna again he realized his biggest dream is yet to come.
The road to forgiveness is a tough one. Alanna isn’t going to be won over easily and it takes awhile for her to trust him again. Overall a satisfying HEA.
His Muse: 4 Stars
Grab the tissues!
We start off with the backstory and setting up the summer fling our characters had before going their own ways. Things get extremely complicated quickly and it’s a bit of heavy reading. Readers should be prepared to feel in depth what’s happening and connect with how the characters struggle. There’s so much realism you’re sure to cry while you experience with them.
The romance and second chance is beautifully written I’ve we get to it and you’ll be cheering for a happy ending.
Dating My Best Friend: 4.5 Stars
This story starts is the past. We meet two best friends who love each other dearly but neither is willing to admit it. They don’t want to ruin the friendship they have, even in the face of tragedy. Jasper has just lost both his parents in an accident and has to move to Vegas to live with his aunt because he’s not 18 yet. Khloe tried her best to comfort him and just be there for him. When he leaves he promises to call as soon as he gets there.
Fast forward twelve years and we find out he didn’t keep that promise. He never called, never came back, nothing. Khloe has turned into a shadow of herself. I would describe her as timid and she hides herself away from the world. She’s a widow and never followed any of her dreams, she has so much anger towards Jasper and it’s obvious that even though she moved on he’s still in her heart.
Jasper has changed a lot too. After enlisting he’s making a career in law enforcement but suffers from PTSD. His dog was one of my favorite parts of this book. You can tell the author researched the types of things trauma dogs do to help their people. It’s heartbreaking to see all Jasper has had to deal with and how far he’s come. Can Khloe help chase the ghosts away?
I really enjoyed watching these two get to know each other again. They may have never stopped loving each other but they are very different people than they used to be. The growth they both experience and the amount they help they provide was good.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great set of romance reads.
This review is for dating my best friend
This is a sweet second chance romance read.
It’s about best friends becoming more than friends
than heart ache and finding each other again.
To find out what happens to cause the trouble between them
you are going to have to read it for yourself.
Great plot and very believable characters.
All of the books are a good read.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book via Booksprout.
His Muse
Winnie and Ben had a secret thing when they were younger. Before he left to go to his father’s company and she left for college. However she turned up pregnant and came home. Now years later Ben is coming home to the life he always wanted and to claimed the woman he had to leave behind. He just had no clue what was waiting for him when he arrived. Things had changed and people looked at him differently it wasn’t until he talked to Winnie that he found out why. She shared her heartbreak and pain with him. But would it be enough for them to find their way back to each other?
Filthy Mistake
Jax is a famous musician that is getting disconnecting to his music and fans. He returns to his hometown and runs into an old friend Emma and they reconnect. Emma is a music teacher and she asks if he’ll come and talk to her class about what its like in the music business. He does and they continue hanging out and a picture of them together gets published in the tabloids. His publicist gets the idea that it would be perfect if they got married and he’s fans could see a side of him that’s a settle family man. However he doesn’t want to use Emma that way so he ends up asking her if she would be interested in doing it for traveling around the world with him on tour. She agrees but things gets confused for her when her feelings get involved. Will Jax see that they can be a real thing and make their marriage real? Will Emma end up leaving because he won’t give her what she needs?
Pretend Wife
Josh is a movie star looking to change his image so he can possibly branch out into some different movies than what he has been doing. His publicist suggests that maybe he either get married for real or have a fake marriage of convenience. Abby just got her dream job as a script writer and things look like they’re going well for her until her apartment catches fire. When she’s in the elevator getting out she doesn’t have her phone so she uses the emergency phone to call the only number she has Josh’s. Josh comes running even though they barely know each other. He takes her to get soup and its the beginning of their friendship. Sparks fly between them but they’re slowly building to something more without either really knowing it. Even though she laughs when he asks her to marry him and he explains why he asked. She continues to see him until he finally convinces her. What happens when something that was supposed to be pretend suddenly becomes very real between them? Will Josh end things after the time frame he suggested they stay married?
Dating My Best Friend
Jasper and Khloe were young when tragedy breaks apart their friendship. Jasper gets sent to an aunt out of state when his parents die in an accident. He leaves and never gets in touch with Khloe. Khloe never forgets about him even as she moves on through the years. Now years later after Jasper has gotten out of the Marines he has come back. Khloe has suffered in her own life while being away from Jasper. She was married but lost her husband so when she sees Jasper struggling she wants to help despite everything. Can they become more than friends?
This is an amazing collection of stories that will draw you in with each story. This is a well written and very entertaining collection. I would recommend this book to any book lover.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Great story lines and characters, Awesome !! Loved this boxset. The storylines were so interesting that it had me turning pages in anticipation of where it would lead . I was very intrigued with the characters in the stories. Simply awesome . Definitely recommend this boxset to anyone looking for great reads. I would recommend to others. Worth the read and the money!
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”
Filthy Mistake
What a terrific read, between old friends Jax and Emma. It all starts out as a favor for Jax to improve his rock star image, while Emma gets to break out of her boring teacher job and experience the world with Jax on tour. Loved how they each help one another with past hurt and loss and discover how they can be the answer to what they have been missing.
Dating my Best Friend
This book nearly had me in tears within the first chapter. So much emotional upheaval in these characters lives, and left a lot of destruction behind. Absolutely loved the way PTSD was portrayed for the reader to get a better understanding on how to help people with this condition and to be upfront when needing help. The storyline of characters reconnecting after so many years was heart warming and wonderful ending.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A Set of Romances Filled with Forbidden Desires for the Reader to Have and to Hold
Forbidden Desires: A Contemporary Romance Box Set
Annie J. Rose is a thoughtful writer of sophisticated, contemporary romance novels. I have read 4 of this 5-novel set, so I bought the set to access the last title! No Rose romance should be left unread. The characters and their encounters with love –some for the first time and some for a second chance to get it right–connect with the reader’s mind and heart; they are tender and passionate—a challenge to put down and always a temptation to pick back up for a few more minutes of pleasurable escape.
Filthy Mistake
Chords of Emotion Destroyed by a Filthy Mistake
Annie Rose has skillfully crafted a hot, sweet love story filled with passionate scenes and tender moments as true love slowly emerges between friends. After 10 successful and riotous years of recording and touring with his band Slamming Doors, hot rock star Jax Henshaw is going solo. To launch his new career, his publicist wants to re-image the wild rocker into a mature, creative force, who is getting back to his musical roots. Returning to his hometown in Arizona for a photo shoot to craft the “new” Jax, the singer runs into, Emma Stanley, the high school music teacher who was the shy, younger musician who had hovered just outside of Jax’s high school world. When internet uploads of photos of Jax and Emma’s reunion spark interest in Jax’s possible new love interest, the publicist grabs the public interest to create a story of past love reigniting, despite the fact that Emma was not really part of the high school story. Agreeing to become the love interest and bride of the rock star, Emma begins the fictional relationship, struggling to protect her heart by hiding the fact that her love for Jax is real.
His Muse
The Sins of the Father
The stricture that warns that the sins of the father can carry forward to his children, even impacting the grandchildren is true, or at least it is true for Ben. Five years ago, Ben unwillingly left all that he loved to follow the dictates of his controlling, divorced father who demanded that his son leave his home, his mom, his friends, his dreams and his passion to paint on the West Coast and return to Boston to fulfill the father’s dream of a family company. For five years, Ben hated his life, living his father’s dream with only short trips back to visit his mom. He had little contact with friends back home—his father made sure of that. He heard for a while from his best friend Steve, but soon those calls stopped. Whom he never heard from was the love of his live, Winnie Jolie, Steve’s younger sister, who had begged Ben on their last night to make love with her, to initiate her into sex, to be her first. And, he did. But, with that final act of love, Ben left thinking that Winnie was off to college, to new dreams, to new friends, to new men. The silence from Winnie, his secret love, confirmed in the weeks that followed that she had followed his last words of advice to her—to explore, meet others, move on. So, the life back home really was gone.
When he returns home after 5 years free of his father and the business that had meant more to his dad than his son’s happiness, he quickly learns from his mom that Winnie is living and working at home, that she did not go to college. And so, he seeks her out. Of all the news he expected to hear—that she had moved on, that there was someone else in his place—what he did not expect to hear was that Winnie’s silence was not moving on but being frozen in place. Unknown to him—blocked by his father—were Winnie’s repeated attempts to tell him that she was pregnant with his child. And, after nine months of carrying that precious life, their perfect baby girl, Hope, had died as the result of horrific problems at the time labor and delivery. Ben is overwhelmed, crushed, furious—all the emotions of grief. Winnie’s story explains so much—her silence and the loss of contact with her brother Steve. How can he bear this tragedy of which he is a part, but not a part?
Annie J. Rose breaks her readers’ hearts in the opening chapters of this sweet story of second chance love–of learning to love again, to forgive and to hope. The love story of Winnie and Ben is a tender journey of letting the heart heal the soul. This is a novel well worth reading, providing vicariously a cathartic experience for the reader, reaffirming the healing powers of love.
Pretend Wife
Real Love, Not Pretend
Josh Mason is stuck in an acting rut. The handsome and physically fit actor can’t get the casting gods to allow him out of the typecast image of handsome jock, sexy stud or intellectually limited, but funny hunk. The casting directors don’t see that besides good abs he really does have a brain and acting skills. So, what’s a guy to do to get a chance to show his range of skills with his clothes on as well as off? His agent and his publicist understand and sympathize and suggest that if he wants roles that move outside the current range, he needs to change his image from looking-for-fun single and available male to serious, grounded adult male, engaged in charitable work and thoughtful past times. He needed to get married, start a family.
Abby Lang is an aspiring writer, slowly working her way into the Hollywood writing world, first as a script supervisor who also wrote teleplays on the spec. Now, with the unexpected death of one of the male writers, she has broken into a male-dominated writing team for a top television warfare drama. The problem is that she hates her job—she hates the testosterone laden writing team that rebels against plot lines that empower the few women in the series, or only see women as tension release for the warriors after a long day on the battlefield. She needs something that will change her professional trajectory and will value her as a writer who happens to be a woman.
Fate intervenes when Josh and Abby get stuck on a cranky elevator which breaks down, allowing them to fill time introducing themselves. As the elevator starts back up, Josh hands Abby his card with his phone number which she drops in her pocket. Fate continues its intervention later when Abby, fleeing her burning apartment building in a fluster, leaves her phone behind. When one of the attending firemen offers to let her use his phone to call friend, Abby can’t recall any numbers. But, she does have Josh’s card, and she calls, and he comes to pick her up. Recognizing Abby’s need to calm down and relax, he takes her to a Chinese restaurant to eat and calm down, sharing their professional frustrations.
When Abby uses her skills as a writer to craft an article for TMZ recounting the “knight in shining armor” kindness and help of Josh, his image begins to be reshaped from playboy to knight. And, a vision begins to take shape, first by Josh, then Abby, that they could form a partnership to help each other. Josh’s new image with a wife would help him enter a new phase of his career. Abby, as Josh’s wife, would have a stable home, financial support and professional contacts to redirect her writing career. And so, they decide to “pretend” to marry for two years.
Annie J. Rose’s characters may “pretend” to marry, but she does not exercise pretense in her presentation of the clever and grounded evolving relationship of Josh and Abby. The characters are well-drawn and the emotional engagement of the two is a pleasure for the reader. The interaction of the characters is smart and draws the reader into the “pretend” relationship with the hope that it will become real.
Picture Perfect
“Fate Has a Way Of Smacking Us Directly In the Face.”
Second chance romance always provides an emotional reading experience—great passion is naturally woven with great pain. Annie J. Rose’s newest romantic offering Picture Perfect shares with the reader emotional pieces of the backstory—the sweet and the bitter—allowing us to experience vicariously the emotional rollercoaster of the characters as we follow their pathway from youthful dreams and mistakes to adult acceptance and love.
Bradley and Alana were high school sweethearts who had planned a future including college and New York City together. But when fate intervenes and plans unravel, so do the young lovers. Disappointment mingled with acceptance of a new normal comes to both, but the joy of life experienced in their shared love is missing until fate once more intervenes and Bradley and Alana have a second chance to find love. I do wish, for Alana’s sake, that Bradley had been more concrete and expressive in verbalizing to Alana what had been the rational the actions of his 18 year old’s rejection of Alana knowing the reasons why Alana felt that she could not follow their plans for a new life in New York. Rose’s novel is a sweet treatment of love lost and lost found.
I received a free copy of these books via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review, but I enjoyed these books so much, and I wanted to read Dating My Best Friend, so I bought the 5 book set. I had to read them all!