High Priestess of the Land Between the Seas, Cryessa has spent years honing her magic and skills to serve her beloved Goddess of the Temple. The king of her land despises everything about the temple and in turn makes Cryessa's life difficult by waging war and destruction. The only bright spot in her duty is her relationship with her slaves, or Zinahs; five men, some former war prisoners, whose only duty is to see to her pleasure. One Zinah in particular, the Prima Zinah, stands out. Unfortunately, for Cryessa to claim him as her beloved would mean treason and death. It is in loving this one man, that Cryessa will ultimately risk everything.
Tamlohn came to the high priestess bound in chains. While he hates being called her slave, he takes pleasure in the fact that she calls him her love. His chains were removed years ago but Tamlohn is held bound to Cryessa by ties that no mortal man can see. He is bound to her by love and passion. When the king once again threatens his woman's temple and kingdom, Tamlohn considers no other choice but to fight for the woman he believes in, even at the cost of his life.
FORBIDDEN was an achingly and hauntingly exquisite read. Per the blurb and warning that came with the book, I was unsure if I would enjoy reading this novel. I can honestly say that not only did I enjoy it, I daydreamed about it afterwards. Full of imagery, poignancy, and base emotions, I was enthralled from beginning to end. I found FORBIDDEN to be very well written. While it came with a warning as to what sexual acts could be found in the text, there was nothing in this book that I didn't like. Cryessa was beautiful in the way she tamed and handled her men, and their loyalty and submission to her was fascinating. Of course Tamlohn was my favorite Zinah, but the other four men could greatly charm anyone out of their clothes!
I look forward to reading more from Lila Dubois. I can only cross my fingers and hope that she will possibly continue this wonderful story with tales of the other four Zinahs. If she does, I plan to be there with her right along for the ride. FORBIDDEN is definitely a keeper!
