Review: Forbidden Love Anthology by Noble Publishing

Forbidden Love is an anthology of four historical m/m stories.  The settings are all very different, but the general quality of the writing was good and the ideas were interesting.  I shall take each story in turn:

My Outlaw by Stormy Glenn
This story, set in 1880s Texas follows cattle rancher, Daniel, who is travelling back from a cattle run by coach after his horse was injured and had to be put down.  Before the coach gets to the safety of the town, it is held up by notorious bandit Black Bart who takes a shine to Daniel and carries him off to have his wicked way with him.

This story was my second favourite out of the anthology.  The beginning is tense, but it wasn't long before I cottoned on the twist in the story, at which point I began to be rather amused by the whole thing.  Daniel's attempts to escape from Black Bart and his subsequent 'punishment' are not, I think, meant to be taken too seriously, at least I didn't anyway.  Overall, a fun light tale where the historical setting is there but only as a background to the events of the story, so those of you who are sticklers for accuracy - for example the way that Daniel is openly homosexual in the hostile wild-west - may not like this one as much as I did.

Forbidden by HC Brown
Set 1075, just after the conquest of Britain by William the Conqueror, this British set story tells of nobleman Renoir who is forced to marry an older woman to please his father and the king.  Renoir agrees, even though his heart still pines for Spanish knight Sebastian with whom he spent a wonderful few weeks before being abandoned when Sebastian had to return to Spain.

This is a more serious story than the previous one, and is also more grounded in its historical setting. Renoir fights against his arranged marriage, but ultimately has no choice but to do his duty, especially as the consummation is to be witnessed. I liked that although Renoir did his duty to his king, he was also sly enough to find a way out of his predicament, to everyone's satisfaction. I thought that the way that the romance was written partly in flashback and then moving onto the present was done well and didn't jar within the story timeline. If I have any niggles, it was that I was slightly sceptical about the 'sex on a horse' scene at the end of the story. Other than that this was a nice, passionate story of the conflict between duty and love.

Poisoned Heart by Anna O'Neill
This story is set in Japan during the Endo period (1600s-1800s) and tells of Raiden, a student of magic who is sent back in time to prevent a man, Masashi, from murdering his parents, but once there finds it difficult to complete his task.

This was certainly the most unusual story of the anthology. Raiden is on a revenge mission to kill the man who killed his parents before it actually happens, thus changing history. When he arrives in his past, he sees himself as a young man and begins to remember his enemy though the eyes of his younger, besotted self. This sends him into confusion and he delays killing Masashi. I found the way that Raiden, who is at heart a sensitive man, battles with his desire for revenge and with his remembered love for Masashi very affecting and I also found the setting unusual and well drawn. What didn't work so well for me was the way that the time-travel element worked - Raiden meets his younger self but has no memory of doing so, how does this work? Also the ending was a little confusing and I was left scratching me head a little over what exactly happened.

Deliverance by Alexsandr Voinov
Set during the crusades, this story tells of William, one of the Knights Templar, who has set aside his past misdeeds, which included his homosexual affair with a nobleman, and dedicated his life to God and to the reclaiming of the Holy Land.  When the knights come across a pilgrim who is also a skilled fighter, William cannot help but challenge him to a joust, after which the pilgrim reveals his true identity to William, leading to hard choices for him.

This was my favourite story out of the anthology for a number of reasons: Firstly the setting of the Holy Land and the courts of the Knight's Templar was unusual and gave me an interesting insight to a time and place I only know a little about.  Secondly, the story did not shy away from the difficulties faced by William as he struggles with what he sees as his unnatural urges.  William's attempt to forget all about his previous love through strict dedication to his vows was both admirable and hopeless, and gave us a view of a morally strong and yet fiercely passionate man on the verge of collapse.  Finally, I liked the strong bond between William and Guy, their shared history and how they had both, in their own way, sought redemption.  Overall a great period story with lots of emotion amongst the historical detail.

As with any anthology, there is a mix in the quality of the stories in Forbidden Love.  Having said that, I have a love of historically set m/m stories, so this anthology appealed to me: The writing was good, the settings unusual, and even for such short stories, the characters were fleshed out.  I'm giving Forbidden Love a grade of 'Very Good' and I recommend it for someone looking for an m/m historical story set somewhere other than the Regency period or Victorian Britain.

Buy this book HERE.