Received from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Loveswept div) for a completely unbiased review.
Sophia is your average high school student, her dad's a pastor, and a few years ago she lost her mother. She has had her brush with an abusive boyfriend, and is hoping that moving to Haven Hurst will help her put it behind her. Haven Hurst is a town that Sophia learns to appreciate, and falls in quickly with the town's inhabitants. Her skills as a photographer are utilized by her new school and the town newspaper, she makes plenty of new friends and even reveals the existence of real-heavenly-Angels.

Mrs Adams develops a unique story about demons, Angels and the unearthly battle for human souls. I felt that she masterfully created a world where Angels and demons roam together on Earth, but are subject to some very strict hierarchies (like real life corporations, including the sympathy lacking demon side of the coin!). The story is unique in character development and the love story isn't a complete yawn fest. Star-crossed lovers. Mystery. Wonky town council members who enjoy a little hex time.

The relationship between Sophia and Dante has its rather unsettling moments, as does her romance with Michael, and unfortunately Mrs Adams dabbles a bit with a love triangle, some Twilight-esque moments in the school where the Angels blow off school and no one cares, and things happen that only Sophie see (sound like Bella, anyone?).
clearhex time.
Although I got the uncomfortable feelings of Twilight dazes, and the eye-rollingly-annoying use of young adult names/phrases (hey! im old, i can roll my eyes!), this book was a great way to turn my brain off after a long day at work. The content isn't too serious, Angels saving lives aside, and the cliffhanger ending will not disappoint!

Fresh ideas, quick read, sexy hero. Ill be coming back for more, and suggest anyone interested in YA Paranormal romance with Angelic spice should check this new title out! ( )

The Forbidden by Lori Adams
(Book #1: The Soulkeepers Trilogy)
Source: Netgalley
Rating: 4½/5 stars

I have long been a fan of books that involve angels, prophecies and, humans who are more than they appear to be. The Forbidden, Lori Adams first book in the Soulkeepers trilogy gave me everything I like to find in an angel read and more.

Adams covers a lot of ground in this first read including why Sophia and her preacher father are moving across the country, why Sophia’s father is seemingly losing his mind, why the stunningly beautiful Michael Patronus and his stunningly beautiful brothers rarely ever mingle with the rest of the kids they go to school with and, why the strange new European boys are so intensely interested in Sophia. In addition to answering the above questions, Adams also has to provide a serious amount of information about the entire world she has created. Here’s the skinny:

The Patronus Family: Michael and his brothers Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel are Guardians. Their purpose on Earth is to help souls either back into their corporeal bodies if it isn’t quite their time or help guide their souls to Heaven. Beyond being a guardian, each of the brothers has a special gift or talent that aids them in their endeavors. Though Michael is the oldest of the group and has always been the most focused and dedicated, he is now the most conflicted and that has everything to do with the arrival of Sophia. Michael is connected to Sophia in a way that no one in the “other” world thought possible and the connection will be either the destruction or the salvation of the young Guardian.

Sophia: For her entire life Sophia has had one overriding and sometimes overwhelming thought, “What is my purpose?” After a particularly nasty incident with an ex-boyfriend, Sophia finds herself in a small Connecticut town making new friends and trying to get through her senior year with no problems. From the moment she sees Michael – in the “other”/spirit realm no less – she is drawn to him. She can’t understand the weirdness that happens when Michael is near and she certainly can’t understand why he hates her so very much. Though she doesn’t know it yet, Sophia is the key to everything and everything and everyone is interested in the path she will take.

Knights of the Unforgiven/Demon Knights: These are the big bads and they have come to town for one reason and one reason only, to collect Sophia’s soul. Posing as high school students, Dante and his gang of Demon Knights infiltrate Haven Hurst and cause as much trouble as they possibly can. The Demon Knights are devious, angry, desperate, volatile and, will stop at nothing to get what they came for. Though they are meant to be all kinds of scary, I had a really hard time taking these guys seriously. I totally understand that they are very, very old and have an agenda so posing as high school students and trying to woo the locals was a bit far-fetched for me.

Halos of the Son: these are the elite guard of Heaven and only show up when the situation is all kinds of serious or seriously interesting. When the Halos come to town everyone in the “other” world takes notice and most quake in fear. The Halos are seriously interested in Sophia and a lot of folks are quaking.

The Bottom Line: Yeah, I have some issues taking the bad guys seriously but that didn’t stop me from totally enjoying this book. This is a character-driven read that is backed up with some totally cool history and information. Adams is very, very good at spacing out the delivery of the information; in fact, I found myself reading as quickly as possible so I could get to the next bread crumb of information. Adams has built a world where the past, the present and, the future are all on a collision course with one another. (It’s totally tense – HA!! See what I did there? ) Adams cleverly answers the questions she needs to in order to make this story feel complete but she also leaves the reader with a huge list of things still unanswered. In all, I am hooked!! I NEED to know what happened to Sophia’s mother and why she has some serious “other” worldly connections, I NEED to know why the Halos of the Son (and others!) are so interested in Sophia and, I NEED to know exactly how Sophia is going to truly impact Michael and his world. Bring it on, Lori Adams because I am more than ready for round two! ( )

I would like to thank NetGalley and Flirt for the opportunity to read this e-ARC. Although I received the ebook for free, that in no way impacts my review.

Lori Adams gives New Adult a haunting paranormal twist with the first novel of The Soulkeepers, a series that blends ancient legends and new myths with an enchanting mix of thrills, humor, and high drama.

When Sophia St. James learns that she’ll be moving from Los Angeles to a podunk town somewhere in Connecticut for her senior year of high school, she isn’t expecting an otherworldly encounter. But there is more to Haven Hurst than meets the eye: it’s home to a family of Guardian Angels, and she is the only one who can see them in spirit form. Sophia soon realizes she wants to see much more of Michael, an irresistible yet volatile Guardian who seems drawn to her too.

As Michael battles his forbidden desire for the beautiful young newcomer, one of Hell’s most notorious Demon Knights arrives. Handsome and charismatic, Dante has come to claim the reincarnated soul of his lost lover trapped in Sophia. Cursed with the demon of Persuasion living inside him, Dante will use his seductive charms to lure Sophia into a dangerous game that ends with the kiss of death—unless Michael, who has captured Sophia’s heart, can now capture her soul.

An entertaining book, Ms. Adams has tackled a not uncommon concept and worked to make it her own. In some ways she has succeeded, and in others the story has fallen a bit short of the mark. That is not to say it isn't an enjoyable read, because it certainly is. It makes for a great beach book, or if you are simply looking to escape reality for a while without having to work too hard while doing so.

What worked for me:
Sophia is an entertaining character in many ways, but what makes her stand out is her belief in what she is able to do. Of course she has the momentary questioning, but she'd be crazy not to. However once she has an idea of what's going on she runs with it, and actually enjoys her unique abilities rather than the typical lamenting anything that makes her different than her peers. Additionally she doesn't spend too much time thinking about her looks, sure she takes time with her appearance, but she doesn't obsess over her weight, hair color, clothes, etc. And when the chips are down Sophia thinks of others first - her friends, her dad, even her teachers. Not something you come across on a regular basis.

It was also really nice that this book didn't focus heavily, in fact hardly at all, on a mean girl(s) vs the nice new girl. Definitely a nice break in a YA book to avoid the whole stereotype of the mean girl clique threatening the shy, new girl because of jealousy over a boy or just perceived popularity.

Michael and his 'family' are wonderful. Granted one would expect that given their status, yet they genuinely seem to care about one another, which is even more unexpected when you learn that they are not biologically related. And then there is Dante. His emotional conflict concerning Sophia is touching and feels real. You can feel his pain at times, getting a sense of the man as opposed to the demon.

What didn't work for me:
This storyline just feels as if it has been done to death even though Ms. Adams did add her own creative spin. The whole new girl moves to town and catches the eye of the most unattainable guy is totally overdone. Add the fact that she thinks she is plain looking but he finds her irresistible and I could name a fair number of books with the same broad-strokes plot without batting an eye.

Then there is Michael's internal dilemma and how he handles the situation. He behaves just like a teenager rather than the being that he is. He spends far more time dithering than Sophia. Add that their attraction is more supernatural than natural and it just leaves me feeling kind of cheated. What do they really have in common? Would it be enough to sustain their romance without the extra bells and whistles?

My overall feeling:
This was a great read if you are looking to escape the real world for a little while, but don't expect anything really unique to hold the book up on its own for very long. The characters are mostly fun, and refreshingly wholesome for the most part. Granted the protagonist is the Pastor's daughter, but even the ultra popular/pretty/wealthy mean girl is still fairly wholesome. There are the normal pranks, but nothing extraordinarily mean or age inappropriate. The last quarter of the story really picked up speed, and the ending left me curious to know more. Curious enough to add the sequel to my ever-growing 'To-Be-Read List.' ( )