This one was a DNF for me....

It was recommended because I liked Forbidden and no, just no.... Not even close. I enjoyed the first part, but as soon as Christopher came into the picture, I checked out. His British dialogue was hard to follow and the way she described him made him seem very unattractive. Not to mention everything felt forced. I didn't feel a connection between them at all.
Another thing the drove me nuts was Lily constantly talking about her mom. We get that her mother is young at heart and lives vicariously through her... It doesn't need to be said multiple times...

To say the least I was bored and not into the story at all.
Wish I could have liked it, but it wasn't for me.
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INBREEDING.

That is the one word that I can say the author didn't consider when she wrote this story, and scarily the only word I could focus on while I was reading this. And no, it's not because I am a squeamish person, or this was my very first brush with this kind of subject. It was the terrible way this book was written.

There are authors out there who have an extremely rare talent to balance a taboo subject in a way that a reader could relate to. The end result would be this – even though the readers would stay with their original conclusion and feelings regarding the subject, they would approach it from a different angle. They would strive to understand the driving force behind the actions of a character. That, my friends, is something that a good storyteller is capable of producing.

I am certain that the author chose incest purely for the reason of it being 'fresh' and 'edgy' subject, and in hopes that the controversy alone would be enough of an inspiration for people to spend money on her book. I read this on a dare, and I have read a few novels on the subject in the past. They all have the same commonality, something of a rather vital element that Diane Rinella simply doesn't understand, or seem to get. There is a damned good reason incest is wrong and it's most certainly not just simply society's fault. Rinella created her leading lady Lilly and almost from page one, you are being told that she doesn't care if she's gross, or what society thinks.


There is an documentary available on he internet somewhere, and if you look hard enough for it, I'm sure you'll find it, I can't be bothered at the minute looking for the link. It's about natural born instincts. The subjects being observed were babies up to a year and a half old, and they were seated in a room with their mothers, the room has one glass wall covered with a curtain. The curtain parts first time and there is a snake on the floor behind the glass. The baby stares at it, not looking away until the curtain closes. When the curtain parts the second time, there is a fluffy bunny on the other side. The baby looks at it for about five seconds before it starts to play and look elsewhere. The point is simple – even though the child is that young it may not understand the concept of a snake, it's instinct tells the baby it's dangerous.

Apply the simple human instincts to mate and reproduce and you will see natural selection at it's best. In history humans suffered the worst known deformations as a result of inbreeding, and even though it's painfully obvious that some people are just plain dumber then others, we can still rely on the fine tuned human organism to sear us in the right direction. We are simply not attracted to blood relatives because the gene pool is extremely undesirable. The mere thought of it is revolting. It's instinct, just like you wouldn't eat rotten meat. IT FUCKING STINKS.


Every other book I have read on incestuous relationships, the characters seem to be aware of these facts and understand that it isn't something as trivial as society's whim behind the general disgust once you mention it. Yet Rinella inflicts upon her reader the mind of her MC Lilly, and wow, what a disturbing mind it is. There isn't a sense of wrongness anywhere, no true realization that she is pursuing her brother as a sexual partner. Her mind is full of flirtation and jealousy, like she's dealing with the kid from next door. Second extremely disturbing thing is Lilly's behavior.

If one would go trough her actions through the eyes of a male character, you will get an very persistent sexual harasser. This is as well one of the subjects that is increasingly common in contemporary romances of late, where the female characters get away with so much more then we would dare to forgive the males. Like having a vagina has somehow became a get-out-of-jail-free card that allows females to do the exact same thing we do not stand for....but that's a bone to pick for another time. Lilly pursues her brother, insisting on closeness, on sexual contact that he is uncomfortable with, and even goes out of his way to let her know, but to no avail. She plots, pushes, touches, whines and throws tantrums when she doesn't get her way. The whole thing made me sick, it was like watching a rapist in training.


Not just that Rinella lost the plot, she lost her dictionary as well. I've read some books with a shitloads of spelling mistakes, but this is the first one where the author just invents a word. She wrote eunuch – unic. Friggin unic!

The story was disgusting, the writing was horrendous.
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Love's Forbidden Flower is a heart-wrenching read that effectively deals with a highly taboo subject in such a way that is both tasteful and thought-provoking. While you may not agree with the main character's choices or path in life, you still have understanding and empathy for her, because the author's skillful writing provides the reader with insight into the character's perspective.

Diane Rinella is an excellent writer and has the ability to create rich and absorbing characters. I can't wait to see what's next for Lily and Donovan! ( )