She is then informed that she will marry Simon, whom she knows will kill her the moment he learns of a deep secret she keeps hidden.

Now the only thing that brings her peace is her harp and the music she plays. Ariane has a past, and she has been betrayed by those she trusted the most. He is asked to marry a heiress Ariane, who even though she is beautiful but is known as the 'betrayed'. Simon is devoted and his only loyalty is to his friend and Lord, Dominic. She doesn't earn his trust until almost the end of the book, and by then, I already hated him. (This is after the heroine has risked her own life to save her husband!). This poor woman has been crushed by betrayal, and her stupid freakin' husband won't believe her. And after she tells him the truth.that she was drugged, brutally raped by the knight, and then humiliated by her father and priest, who did not believe her, her husband still refuses to believe her. Then, he thinks she's a slut who had an affair with a knight (Misunderstanding). First, the hero thinks his intended bride is a frigid virgin (Misunderstanding).

My major problem with this book is that the Big Misunderstanding went on WAY too long.practically until the bitter end of the book. Reading books about raped heroines is not my favorite, but sometimes it's okay if.(a) the rape is not described in gory detail, and (b) the 'healing' part is appropriate for a 'rape' book (in other words, don't have a rape victim get it on with a BDSM master, etc.) and (c) the HEA is really satisfying. But the last one, Enchanted, was a super big bummer. I loved the first two, Untamed and Forbidden. I hate that! First, I finished the trio of Elizabeth Lowell beardy hero books. I said in my review for Untamed that I couldn't review it better than the DIK review online. Quick note: there is a lot of sadness in this one. I'm highly recommend this book and this trilogy. For anyone embarking on the journey of this Medieval Trilogy, consider yourself lucky. Many of the chracters are in all three books. This is a trilogy that literally starts where the last book ended. The story is rich with character development. I felt there was some unspoken backstory between them and am eager to start the final book. I also applaud the ending, as it contains a very natural setup for the final book- Enchanted: about Simon and Arielle. Seriously be prepared to love and then hate and then love again. This is a very unexpected tale, passionate and heartbreaking. But soon she became as intergal as the characters themselves. It took me a little while to get used to the narrator. But this story appealed to me more than the first. I knew Untamed (book 1) was highly reviewed and I liked it very much. I didn't realize the all 3 of the Disputed Lands book would be so good.

Forbidden by elizabeth lowell