Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Forbidden in the Falls
SERIES: Devon Falls Book 2
AUTHOR: J.E. Birk
PUBLISHER: Maple Mountains Press, LLC
LENGTH: 303 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2024
BLURB:
He’s my boss. He never smiles. I have a totally off-limits crush on him. Oh, and I just moved into his house.
All I’ve ever wanted is to escape the tiny town and trailer park that never accepted me. I came to Devon Falls to start over, and things here were starting to look up—until I accidentally ended up living in a drug dealer’s barn and became a town pariah all over again. And on top of all that, I’m now homeless for a second time. Is there a hotter mess than me on the planet?
Things get really wonky when my boss rescues me from my car and takes me home with him. I’ve been crushing hard on Dr. Sam Evers since the day we met, and moving in with him isn’t making that crush go away. He may be one of the growliest people in town, but Dr. Evers takes care of me and protects me in a way no one ever has. Still, I know better than to think that will last once he realizes what a disaster I am. Plus, Dr. Evers swore off all relationships after he lost his husband. And then there’s the fact that he’s my boss…
But when I end up managing the Devon Falls Leaf Festival and quickly discover I can’t do it all on my own, Dr. Evers steps in to save me yet again. Now I can’t decide what’s harder: earning the acceptance of an entire town, or making sure I don’t fall hard for a doctor I can never have.
Forbidden in the Falls is a forbidden boss-employee romance. It comes with a grouchy doctor, his hapless young office manager, leaf festival shenanigans, and all the small-town quirk you’d expect from a Devon Falls book. This is the second book in the Devon Falls series, but it can be read as a standalone.
REVIEW:
Malachai is sweet and hardworking and doing his best to make a better life for himself. Life has not been cooperating with him very well.
Sam ran away from the city when his life fell to peices. His realization about his relationship with his dead husband has left him angry at himself and determined to atone for his “sins”. Malachai is not making that easy.
This is a very sweet and adorable romance that is very Harlequin-esque so if that is your jam, you care going to love this story. If you are the kind of person who plan their Christmas around the Hallmark movies that come out every year, you will love this story to death.
Of course, this is a little more…down and dirty, but manages to be romantic at the same time. Both characters had not trouble stealing my heart and they are very easy to relate to.
Devon Falls? It’s very small town, like the kind I lived in for the past 20 years or so and if you think they are exaggerating the drama that goes on here, then you have never lived in a small town. The author does a great job of showing how living in the pockets of everyone around you can be both a blessing and a curse.
There is a book that comes before this in the series but I didn’t read it. I don’t think not reading it took away from the story, but it would have given more life to some of the side characters who’s story was told in that book. But, even still, I did enjoy this story.
There’s nothing surprising about it, it’s very clear from the start where it’s going to go, but there is comfort in that. Some days, knowing that happy ending is coming and that it’s going to leave you smiling is the best thing you can hope for.
The author is great at dialogue and has ALL the steamy aspects down pat. Plus, there’s some soft BDSM aspects that will send a few shivers of pleasure down your spine. Nothing too out there, but yeah, it left me in need of a cool shower.
I have no problem giving this a decent 4/5 hearts!
RATING: 
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