Maria and her best friend Paloma live in the small Spanish town of Fuentes, the girls dream about what they will do when they grow up. Maria can’t decide if she should travel the world, be a writer or get married?
Maria’s father is the local doctor and Paloma’s mother works as a cook for Don Felipe and Dona Sofia.

The Spanish Civil War erupts, in Fuentes they hope the remote location will keep them safe, and then the rebel soldiers arrive. The villagers have heard rumors about the violence the soldiers have committed in other towns, everyone's on edge, and Maria’s father has forbidden her to leave the house. Maria doesn’t listen to her father, while out of the house shopping for food, she meets a soldier called Luis, and she stops paying attention to what’s happening around her. Corrupt people are compiling lists to give to the authorities, those who have been out spoken in the past, Maria’s one of them and she has no idea. A terrible crime is committed in the village, Maria’s father knows they have to leave and quickly.

Like many others they flee to Madrid, with only the clothes their wearing, and they stay with Maria’s maternal grandparents. The Government leaves for the safety of Valencia, the Italians and the Germans are bombing the city and the civilians are starving. Maria questions if she will survive, and can she love a man who’s fought in the terrible war and will she ever see Luis again?

I received a copy of A Forbidden Love by Kerry Postle from NetGalley and HQ Digital in exchange for an honest review, its a story about a young selfish girl and Maria did eventually learn from her mistakes and during a violent war. I gave the book three stars, it was a little long and tedious in places.

I received a free copy of A Forbidden Love in exchange for an honest review. I always hesitate before writing any type of negative review. I almost didn't make it past the first ten percent of the book, and I rarely if ever stop reading a story. In this case, I'm glad I kept going. At first, the book was extremely confusing. There were so many characters and I was having a very difficult time relating to any of them. There was also a ton of dialogue that was focused on politics in Spain which I know little to nothing about, making it even more difficult to relate to as a reader. I was disappointed that the romance part was lacking. It existed, but the main focus of this book was to discuss the Spanish Civil War. For readers that are interested in historical events, then this would be a book that I would recommend. If you are looking for romance, then I'd highly recommend moving on to the next book.

I thought when I was asked to review this novel that it would be a standard romance- I was wrong.

The tragedy of the Spanish Civil War and how it affected people's lives, and still does, was vividly made real in this book.

To start with I found the frequently changing point of view quite offputting, but once it settled into the story of Maria's life, I found it easier to read.

I wasn't quite sure that I ever got under the skin of Maria, I would have preferred to see her interpretation of events in the first person, but then that would have made covering such a vast subject very difficult.

An enjoyable novel, in spite of the distressing subject matter, where Kerry Postle makes us face an horrific crime as well as celebrating lives lost.

This book was like a pleasant surprise that I was not expecting to open. A Forbidden love follows Maria living during the Spanish Civil War. The narrative and the historical facts kept me engaged until the very end.

A lush, well researched and beautifully written historical story, I greatly enjoyed A Forbidden Love and look forward to reading other books from Ms. Postle.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a heart wrenching historical novel that will stir your emotions
The author has researched this book well and is educational as well as a nice novel to read.
I read this book in 2 days. It was difficult to read at times due to the subject matter.
A brilliant book

Thanks so much to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

I was very excited to start reading this book - I love romance and I love historical fiction, of which it is definitely both. And it is set during a moment in history that I don't read about very often, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it. And overall I did really enjoy the book - the characters are well written and formed, and I found the relationships between the characters all really interesting and complex.

I didn't quite expect how much of the story is focused on the war itself - the fighting, the casualties, etc. This definitely isn't a bad thing, sometimes I seek books out with that type of story in mind, but since I wasn't expecting it I thought I would put one word of warning out to others who may be in the same boat. Also worth noting, those stories are all told through the eyes of a young women - I believe that she is 16 at the beginning of the novel. That was very interesting because again it isn't a side of war that we see very often, but it definitely makes some of the wartime moments a little bit more difficult, so just keep that in mind as well.

The only other thing that I will say is that the book was pretty lengthy, taking me quite a while to get through, and there were some chapters that were quite a bit more dry than others. By the end I was invested enough in the story and the characters to not mind as much, and I tore through the last five chapters very quickly because I needed to see how it would end, but there was a bit particularly closer to the beginning when it was dragging a bit for me.

Over all though, as stated, I did enjoy this book. I would recommend it to people who enjoy wartime fiction specifically, and love a few splashes of sweeping romance.

I love historical fiction especially those based around war so this book was right up my street. A thoroughly enjoyable and moving read. A book that contains all the ingredients for a brilliant historical fiction of love, loss and the harrowing effects war has on people. I will definitely be looking out for this author from now on. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGally for letting me read and review this book.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
First time reading this Author and absolutely delightful book it grabbed my attention and held it for the duration of the book very emotional and moving story that makes you think I can highly recommend this book a total delight

The author beautifully presented this historical era with emotion and poignancy. I appreciated how she drew attention to atrocities committed against woman by their own countrymen. She honoured their innocence and memory.

Overall, I was truly engrossed once I was a few chapters deep. It’s a stirring account of oppression, corruption, and survival. It may leave you feeling a little raw and vulnerable by the final chapter, but in awe of the bravery and desire to fight for what is right. A tale extraordinarily told that asks if the enemy can be loved and truly forgiven. Pick up a copy for yourself!

Full review on my blog:
http://lifelovelaughterlinds.home.blog/2019/04/24/book-review-a-forbidden-love/

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Maria is sixteen living in the Spanish town of Fuentes when civil war breaks out, she is an outgoing confident girl, definitely the leader with her younger best friend Paloma. Maria's father is the doctor a and a respected member of the community but when the rebel army take over the town he is hard put to keep his views to himself and finds it even harder to control Maria's outspoken views...... will this lead to trouble for her..... or will a certain soldier be able to protect her.

A great historical novel covering the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War. No punches have been pulled with the danger and terrible acts carried out but there was still a love story at the heart of it and a strong character in Maria dealing with heartache and danger, definitely a book that I couldn't put down and will be looking for more books by this author

As I'm writing this review after finishing A Forbidden Love I'm still feeling overwhelmed and in awe by the book because it realy left a big impression on me. It took me a good while to read it but I wanted to take my sweet time with it because I knew I wanted to absorb each and every word. Obviously it was an amazing read but even more than that it was an important one as well.

I'm finding it's kind of hard writing this review because I'm still reeling for everything that happened in it. I'm gonna start with saying that before reading this book I knew pretty much nothing about the Spanish Civil War. I was never taught anything about it in school, which now seems like a real shame because it was such an important and devastating event in human history. And we can't ever forget it.

As horryfing some of the events in this book were I really did love the story. I'd even say it's one of my favorite historical fiction novels I've read so far this year. The story gripped me so hard that sometimes I was almost in tears because of it. I don't think we're necessarily supposed to like the main character, Maria. She's sixteen years old at the start of this book, when the Civil War started and she was rather self-indulgent but who wasn't like this at that age? But even so I actually did like her, which is kinda surprising because I usually tend to lean more towards disliking such characters. But Maria was also courageous, tough and independent. I came to admire her growth throughout the novel. I also totally loved her father. He was probably my favorite character if I have to name one.

Even though I wasn't too familiar with the Spanish Civil War, I could definitely tell that Kerry Postle did a lot of research and poured her heart into this book. It really shows and that was a huge part of why this book stood out to me so much. Of course I had hoped to like it after I read the author's previous book, The Artist’s Muse (which was a favorite of mine in 2017) so I'm ectastic that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

I also want to say that, since I know my blog readers like to know about if the romance was any good or if it took over the plot, and I'm happy to say that no, it didn't. Personally I felt like the romance wasn't like the main focus of it all. Yes, it played a part in the story obviously since the title is A Forbidden Romance but it didn't overshadow anything else. And I really liked that.

A Forbidden Love by Kerry Postle was a beautifully written story about a terrible time in history for Spain. It's not a happy book but I'm sure it will leave readers satisfied in the end and maybe even wiping a tear away like I did. The writing was absolutely amazing and the characters were all so close to my heart. Especially Maria and her father. I can't help but highly recommend this book whether or not you like history or romance. I think it would be a great read for everyone!

This is the first I have read by Kerry Postle so I did go into this book with my eyes wide open, unsure of what I would expect. But, I can honestly say that I will be reading more of Ms Postle’s work again. This is a spine-tingling, poignant and beautifully written book that is a must read for all historical fiction readers.

A Forbidden Love is set during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930’s, I obviously have heard about the Spanish Civil War but I didn’t really know too much about it and what the people went through during that awful time, but from reading this it has made me want to learn more about this terrible aspect of history.

Growing up a little Spanish town; Fuentes; Maria has always dreamed of marrying and having a fairy-tale happy ever after, but unfortunately for Maria before she can find her Prince charming civil war breaks out and her much-loved village is torn apart by the war that is raging all around her. Her once quiet life has turned into one full of violence and she finds herself surrounded by secrecy, corruption and terror. Being faced with such horror, it understandably has an effect on Maria and makes her question all what she knew, she becomes jaded and cynical about whether human decency really exists any more. This war does change her and changes her views and makes her think that her once much sought after love was nothing but dream, but then she meets an occupying soldier who makes her again believe in love. But, with the war raging can Maria really have the happiness she so wanted?

I have purposely been very vague in this review as I wouldn’t wish to spoil the story for anyone and believe me this book needs to read without any hint of a spoiler. I am a huge fan of novels which you can really learn something from it and this one will definitely make you sit up and take notice. Because of the subject matter it is at times uncomfortable reading, it does make you stop and draw breath at what you have just read but it is a story that must be read, it shines a light on a part of history that is so rarely told. It is obvious that Ms Postle has done her research, it – at times – really bites and transports the reader from their comfy armchair to the savaged war-torn country. The writing is solid, full of passion for the story and compassion for the subject. Overall, this is a brilliant book that will both satisfy and educate the history lovers out there and it is very highly recommended!

This was an Arc from the publisher in exchange for an honest review as apart of this blog tour, Thank you Izzy!

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

A Forbidden Love by Kerry Postle is a heart wrenching historical novel that will stir your emotions as you read.
The action is set during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 – 1939. The author has clearly researched thoroughly and woven fact and fiction together to educate and inform as well as entertain. I knew very little about this topic but now I do.
War brings out the very best and the very worst in people. There were some who used the premise of war to commit the most inhumane and barbaric acts. The reader shudders to hear there are ‘lists.’ Terrible atrocities were committed against women and girls. Evil really did have a face.
The opposite side of the coin was the innate goodness and bravery of some on both sides. Some risked their own lives to do good in a time of evil, as people were smuggled to safety.
War is not a time for revenge. Civil war seems the very worst as it is neighbor against neighbor as your own are killed.
There is also a coming of age theme as the main character Maria is just sixteen as the novel opens. We watch as she blossoms and matures. I liked her. She was easy to empathise with – a strong girl with strong emotions and a good heart, although she had her wobbles at times.
Love can still flourish in times of war. Love does not choose sides. There should be no forbidden love.
I was completely engrossed in A Forbidden Love, reading it in just two sittings. The subject matter means it is not always a comfortable read but it is a necessary one. We need to know about the evils of war in the hope that lessons will be learnt.
Thank you Kerry Postle for a marvelous story.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.