Plain Fear: Forbidden by Leanna Ellis

Rachel Schmidt Nussbaum, a young widow, is now seven and a half months pregnant with her first child. She blames herself for her husband Josef’s death and she believes that she is being punished by God for her past sins. 

So when a stranger arrives claiming to be an old friend from her wilder years, saying only she can fix things for him, for Josef, and for herself, she makes an impulsive decision to follow him. Thus begins a journey that will lead Rachel to the depths of ultimate danger, the potential for new love, and a battle that will decide both the fate of her soul and the life of her unborn child.

In Plain Fear: Forsaken, the first book of the Plain Fear series, Rachel's husband, Josef, was killed by vampires.  Now, in Plain Fear: Forbidden, she's several months pregnant and just trying to move on with her life while she waits for her little one to be born. 

When an old friend from her younger years shows up one day, she's at first leery to see him.  He's supposed to be dead.  But he convinces her that he is very much alive, just different and that if she comes with him, she can see her Josef once more.  He assures her that she and her unborn child will be safe.  Rachel only hesitates a moment.  Her faith in God is strong and she knows that He will watch over her.

But when it becomes apparent that Rachel is missing, her sister Hannah and her husband Levi call in an old cop friend, Roc.  Roc knows the horrors of what happened to Josef and prays that Rachel isn't with the monster.  But his investigation takes him back to his old town of New Orleans and it is there that the answers begin to reveal themselves, bringing with it more unanswered questions and soon, a race for their very souls.

An emotional packed journey of love, loss, heartbreak, life and death, good and evil, Forbidden is a stellar read from the busy streets of New Orleans to the plain life in Ohio and Pennsylvania.  Ellis builds her characters layer by layer, and reveals their true heart and path as the story unfolds, leaving the reader begging for more.  If you missed the first book, definitely pick it up before you read Forbidden, even though Ellis does a great job and it can be read as a standalone.  A great read!

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.