I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. I have mixed feelings about this book. I love the second chance of love. The Batman references with Alfred were unexpected and so much fun. Parts of the story didn’t flow or didn’t make sense, such as the restraining against Julia. Because this is part of a series, several issues were unresolved. On the whole, it was a good light read.

Forbidden lovers by Kimberley Troutte.
Matt Harper falls in love with Julia. But his dad rw has other ideas. He forbids him not to see Julia or he will harm her and her family.  So Matt goes away and joins the air force. When he is called back he sees Julia and realises he is still in love with her will she feel the same?
A fantastic read with brilliant characters.  I loved Matt and Julia. But not Matt's dad rw.  I didn't like what he did to Matt and Julia. I loved the bit where he said I'm a daddy and you love me it made my heart melt and bought tears to my eyes.  5*. Would give more if I could.

this is a story about a father who is not nice to his children Matt leaves but does not have a chance to tell Julia why he has to leave, then years later the father calls the children to come home. Matt comes back but the father has changed. to find out what is going on you need to read the story, it has suspense love and a surprise

Wow, wow, wow! I loved this story of Julia and Matt. Do you believe in soul mates? You will after reading this powerful novel. The love and admiration between these two characters had me from page one. Henry is the cutest, lovable little bit ever created. I can't explain how good this book is. I can't wait for book two. I recommend this book to everyone who loves romance. This was fabulous!

"Forbidden Lovers" begins when Matt returns home after 10 years. His father forced him to join the Air Force, and he went to Afghanistan. Now, he is planning to start his own airline. However, he ends up back at home due to a call from his father for him and his siblings. His father is acting uncharacteristically- he has invited the whole town (previously considered to be just the help) to some kind of celebration for a big announcement. On his way to his father's house, Matt stops by one of his old haunts and sees someone he never thought he would- Julia, his high school sweetheart.

Convincing her to go on a date with him to the big announcement party, she does not recognize him. Matt, to her knowledge, died in Afghanistan, and she has been alone ever since- well, alone romantically, because she cares for their son, Henry. When she later finds out it is Matt, Julia is shocked but willing to have a weekend fling with him before he returns to his current life without her- however, she is not willing to tell him that Henry is his son.

Matt had a really tough upbringing and was physically and emotionally abused by his parents- this comes out in tidbits throughout the overall romance and really set a much darker tone than I was expecting. Considering the lack of contact and leaving her all those years ago, Julia welcomes Matt with open arms. While this is a fast-paced and quick read, it does have a lot of unanswered questions. I almost felt it was too fast to really go into the depth you would need to process all the big issues/events that happen. It felt too fast-paced for my tastes. I also didn't fully understand why Julia was still so enamored with Matt, considering all she has been through. I also still don't understand why he totally cut her out- I know about what RW said, but it seems like he's a fighter and wouldn't have backed down for those things. But then again, he was a teenager so who knows?

Overall, it's a quick romance, but due to the things that didn't make sense to me (probably because they are discussed too quickly/needed more time/depth) plus the characterizations, particularly of RW (Matt's father), which didn't quite flow in my mind, I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have hoped. I think it needed to be a longer book with more depth to the characters (these all felt a little flat to me).

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This was an INCREDIBLE BOOK!!! The storyline kept you hooked from the very beginning. I also liked that it was an original premise and that I CAN'T WAIT for the next book in this series! This was Matt and Julia's story and it was a beautiful and heartbreaking tale of first love and true love that never dies. I look forward to reading what happens to Matt's brother and sister and if RW and his Angel will get their HEA. I would definitely recommend this book!! I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Books like these are what I love about Harlequin books and why I still read them after 30+years.

Matt and Julia fell in love in high school. They were not only from opposite sides of the economic spectrum, but their home life could not have been more different. Matt’s family had money but no love. his parents were both abusive and manipulative and that’s what ultimately sent Matt to the Air Force, abandoning Julia. Julia is from a big Hispanic family where everyone is close and there is no doubt that love abounds with immediate and extended families. Ten years after Julia and Matt parted, Matt is called back home by his father for a “surprise announcement”. When he returns, he runs into Julia—and that is where I found the plot a bit weak. Julia is under the impression that Matt died in Afghanistan, but it seemed odd to me that she didn’t recognize Matt—even if she did think he had died. After discovering who he was, it seemed odd that she so quickly wanted to strike up another sexual relationship with him. He had left with no explanation and didn’t even say good-bye. I would have expected her to be a bit hesitant to start another relationship with him that she fully believed was going to be short term. In addition to the Matt/Julia story, there is another sub-plot involving Matt’s father and Angel. The two stories didn’t really meld together well for me. The story was interesting, but didn’t flow smoothly and plausibly.

I am conflicted on this one. I like the whole revisiting of an old love. But some of the characters did not grab me. His whole family is awful. Her family is just too involved. In 10 years to have not moved on seems unlikely if she is as beautiful as portrayed. There were some great parts like Henry and Alfred. The sudden turn around to stay in town without much review seems rushed. I guess I just felt the book was okay but not outstanding.

Forbidden Lovers tells the story of high school sweethearts who were split apart but have found each other again 10 years later. I liked both Matt and Julia, the main characters, and I loved Julia's feisty, outspoken friends and relatives. What I don't get is the relationship between RW and Julia. At the beginning of the book Julia can't go near RW's house because RW has a restraining order against her, At the end of the book, RV reveals that he knows Henry is his grandson and that is why he is building a new school. That just doesn't work for me.

Ugh, no one can stand people like RW.

It sounds like Juanita is his surrogate mother.

Oooh intrigue. Love it.

Hope he's a better dancer now.

Who the heck is Angel? Where is Matt's mom?

Is Angel Julia's mother?!

Does he get that there is a kid in the house?

Henry is a good kid.

So many secrets.

So does this mean they will be married stepsiblings one day?

Light, easy read very simple storyline and not a lot of depth. Although this couple's storyline has a HEA, there is an underlying plot that continues into the next several books.

I'm thinking this is the beginning of a series? Lots of characters, but easy to remember who is who. If you're looking for a quick love story this can fill the void. Main characters were in love as teenagers and then torn apart by his family. Ten years goes by and he is called home and of course misunderstandings are the norm and it takes the book to sort it all out to get to the HEA. Follow up books could be about siblings, crazy aunts, or the father of the rich family, lots of possibilities. Entertaining read. 3.5

This is another story filled with misconceptions. Julie thought that Matt had died years ago. Matt thought that Julie had married someone else. This book was okay. This second chance romance was not that believable to me. I did like the side story of Mr. Harper and Angel. That was more interesting to me.

I am not posting this on my website or twitter because of my low score. My intent is never to harm an author's reputation.

This story needs help.

I dare anyone to look at her lover at age 18 and not recognize him at 28. I dare anyone to get an entire village to believe in someone's death, even having a funeral, and yet word doesn't leak out that it isn't true. There is instance after instance where things wouldn't happen in real life, characters acted ridiculously, confusing plot point (Angel), to the point that I shake my head and have to say no to the story.

Thought the blurb sounded so good but after reading the book, I felt disappointed because the execution was poor. The plot was all over the place, the focus nonexistent; first we were focused on Matt and Julia and the whole communication problem (he thought she married someone else, she thought he was dead???), there was a second story going on with Matt's dad and some woman and I couldn't care less about it, and also somebody was hiding from a mob??? Is this a contemporary romance or is this romantic suspense?? Figure it out, demmit.

Could've been heaps better.

Forbidden Lovers (Plunder Cove) is the first book I've read by Kimberly Troutte and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. This is a second chance, romance-suspense story. I'm typically not a big fan of these types of stories but this is definitely worth of 3 stars.