- Review: Sweetest Taboo & Tainted Love
- Series: Sweetest Taboo
- Author: Eva Marquez
- Release Date: Published October 1st 2012 by Terra-Mía Press
- Release Date: Tainted Love – March 5, 2013
- Age Group: Mature YA /Ages 16+/Female
- Genre: Contemporary Romance
- Received From: AToMR Tours
- Giveaway!!
- Series Rating: 4/5
Sweetest Taboo Synopsis:
Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart.
This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
Join Isabel as she makes her way through this dark love story, hiding from teachers, lying to her parents, and defying the authorities to make a life with the man she loves. Watch as she discovers the wonders of love and romance, and the terrible betrayal of jealous friends. And cry with her when she learns the hard truth about life and the people in her world.
Sweetest Taboo is inspired by the true and tragic stories of students who fall in love with their teachers, and live with the hard truths of forbidden romances. In a world full of after-school specials on sexual predators, this touching book seeks a different path, casting both student and teacher in a gentle light, and showing that true love may lie at the base of even the most illicit romance.
Tainted Love Synopsis:
Isabel thought her life was on track – she was doing well in school, moving quickly toward her future, and deciding who she wanted to be. Best of all, she’d reunited with Tom, the love of her life. But it doesn’t take long for her history – and his – to start catching up with them, presenting a range of uncomfortable questions. Does he really love her? Are they meant to be together? And what exactly has he been doing in their time apart?
My thoughts:
Sweetest Taboo was my favorite of the two. Getting to know Isabel and Mr. Stevens really was an interesting beginning. The illicitness did not distract me, although this definitely wouldn’t be for everyone. But I think Isabel’s coyness and her lack of knowledge really spoke volumes for her. Yes, she’s a teenager with tons of hormones raging, and you can see that but she isn’t someone that goes out to seduce, or be seduced, she just knows she’s interested in someone older than her.
The relationship is very innocent at first and she thinks it’s mostly in her head until Mr. Stevens starts giving hints that he is interested in her as well. Of course you can scream and say that isn’t right, or you can sit back and enjoy an intriguing story about two people that are trying to find love. If you overlook the age difference, this isn’t only about love, it’s also about trust. And in a relationship like this, if you lose the trust, you may lose everything.
Sweetest Taboo ends sort of on a cliff hanger. Isabel knows exactly what she wants but doesn’t let US know! You have to read book two to find out!
Even when I found myself cringing at the plot, even with as I try to pride myself with an open mind, I do have a daughter and the subject matter can be difficult to read and discuss, but I still found myself cringing in certain places. More so in Tainted Love. Isabel is nearly an adult and has gone off to college and still you wonder what their lives will be like. Book two is where the issues of trust really come into play. And although you get to see more of his side of the story, I was still wondering why he would do the things he does. Is he really just a nice guy?
I can tell you one thing, I wanted to kick him for some of the idiotic things he does. I mean really… being nice is fine and all but putting yourself in very bad circumstances is not cool. No matter what your age.
Tainted Love definitely ends on a cliff hanger and I feel for the characters! Both want the best for everyone around them and both don’t know how to show it so they wind up making mistakes. Sounds like real life right? It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, to say the least!!
Time After Time is due out in September of 2013 and I can definitely say that I’m interested in how this is going to go.
Author Bio:
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, daughter of European immigrants, Eva Márquez has spent most of her life outside of her home country. At the age of five, Eva accompanied her parents to the United States, where the family settled permanently. After graduating from university, she went on to complete graduate studies in International Relations in Spain. Eva received her Master of International Studies degree from the University of Sydney and went on to work in the global health field in Sub Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Eva currently resides in Southern Africa.
Social Media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sweetest.Taboo.YA.Book
Google+: https://plus.google.com/115157410016888825820/about#115157410016888825820/about
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvaAuthor
Pintrest: https://pinterest.com/evamarquez/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flff2TcA4AQ&feature=youtu.be
Tumblr: http://evaauthor.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15754577-sweetest-taboo
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My Seryniti 
Wow this is a tough subject as someone who has raised two teen girls and know how they are so not ready for this kind of relationship…it made me shiver. I am glad you felt it was well done, and life lessons were worked through
Yeah, it was definitely weird but Eva did a good job at making it understandable without judgement. It’s hard though! I’m curious where book three is going to lead.
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