Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Blog Tour: Love's Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella (Review & Giveaway!)

Love's Forbidden Flower (Forbidden Flower #1)

Love's Forbidden Flower by Diane Rinella
Release Date: November 28, 2012
Format: ebook, 309 pages
Publisher: Midnight to Six
Series: Forbidden Flower #1
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Buy It: Amazon | B&N

Description from Goodreads:
The heart cares not what society forbids.

Lily nurtures a secret love for a flawless man—the one who is her soul mate. Donovan is gorgeous, charismatic, and delights in all of Lily’s talents and quirks. Their innate knowledge of each other is almost telepathic. Together they interlock like fine threads creating luxurious silk.

But society dictates this picture-perfect adoration is the ghastliest of all possibilities.

As Lily embarks on a quest for the romance the heavens intended, her suitor turns reluctant. Desperate to uncover why Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hiding decayed from a tender-hearted gentleman into a ferociously self-serving, cocky bastard, Lily is prepared for battle when it comes to the salvation of her soul mate. However, Donovan traps Lily in a mental game of chess, leaving her to question his sanity. When Lily’s revelations about Donovan’s destructive alter ego lead to an inconceivable truth, can she help Donovan survive fate’s cruel joke?

Impassioned, witty, and deeply moving, Love’s Forbidden Flower is filled with stunning controversies that will forever haunt your heart.


Love's Forbidden Flower is a beautiful, beautiful story. There is so much feeling--so much CONFLICTING feeling--and...just feels all over the place. And that may sound scattered, but it was actually marvelous. This book had a HUGE impact on my heart.

I'm going to be honest--the issue with Donovan and Lily was completely uncomfortable to read. Some people will not like this book just BECAUSE of their predicament. But I think it just adds to everything that is this book. And I love it right along with everything else.

Character Rundown:
Lily: I guess I'm okay with Lily. I do not like her, but I am okay with her. Her situation was confusing. But nevertheless, I did not like her wishy-washy-ness. That just grated on my nerves. Especially since I had picked a team and she was pretty much dangling the possibility of my happiness right in front of my face...yeah.

Donovan: What was UP with this guy? I feel for him. So much, I do. But that does not mean I automatically approve of his bad times. He could be a real jerk. I didn't like that. It wasn't Lily's fault everything was so messed up. He has a place in my heart, though. Even throughout all of this.

Christopher: THIS IS MY BOY. Right here. I was on his team from the moment we met him. That accent and his gangly self and everything. Alllll mine. He is the absolute sweetest and just gah! Of all the characters, he was the one that made my heart smile. So much love for this boy. Even across an ocean, this boy still managed to not disappoint me. DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS?!?! I'm judgemental towards book characters. But this one...I see no wrong here. <3

Romance. Everywhere. It is all over this book. Which of course made me ecstatic. In case you didn't notice, I'm Team Christopher. But I do have sympathy for Donovan and Lily. I don't believe they should be together, but I think it's understandable for them to be sad about it. But then they are supposed to move on. And Lily goes to Christopher. The boy I rooted for since we met him. GOODNESS, THE COUPLES IN THIS BOOK. They tore my poor little heart to pieces. PIECES, I tell you!

Plot. I read this book in one sitting. I was just THAT anxious to see what was up next for the characters. Plus, there was the fact that my emotions were going haywire and I NEEDED my mind to be put at ease a lot of the time. Donovan...I kind of want to slap him. He was the one who broke my heart, you know.

The ending. Sadness. So much sadness. But understanding...and there's a sequel! Oh, sweet baby goodness, I need to get my hands on that! It is necessary for my survival.

Overall, Love's Forbidden Flower had a ginormous impact on my heart. It's a book that has stuck in my mind ever since I read it, and I'm pretty sure it's not going away any time soon. A beautiful, compelling story written by Diane Rinella, I definitely suggest Love's Forbidden Flower to anyone looking for an especially edgy new adult romance. Well, anyone who can handle the feels. Can YOU handle the feels? :)

~~~
 
GIVEAWAY
 
There's a tour-wide giveaway happening to win some awesome Love's Forbidden Flower stuff! Enter through the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
 
 
~~~
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
 
Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fan girl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

She is currently completing the sequel to Love’s Forbidden Flower.

Author Links:
Website: http://dianerinellaauthor.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592108.Diane_Rinella
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianeRinellaAuthor
 
♥Jessica(:

1 comment:

  1. Hi Jessica,

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE this review! I can't believe how may opinions there are of Lily. There may be more of those than there are of the book. It's pretty crazy! And Christopher! Yes, I adore him too! What a doll!

    I can't believe you read it in one sitting. How flattering is that? Seriously, Jessica, thank you! This is freakin' awesome!

    Cheers!
    Diane

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for commenting! Comments make my day. I do read all the comments you post and try to reply if I can. If you leave a link, I will most definitely check it out! If you specifically ask a question, please check back for my reply!

As of October 2012, Just a Booklover is an award-free blog. I appreciate it so much that you want to award me with something, though!