7 Forbidden Romances to Heat Up Your Fall

Seduction of a Highland Lass (McCabe Trilogy #2), by Maya Banks
A highland warrior, bound by duty to his family and to his honor, is riding to claim a bride and solidify alliances between the McCabes and the McDonalds. But when Alaric McCabe’s horse is ambushed, he is attacked and left for dead…only to be saved by a different woman than the one he intended to marry—and one who cannot be trusted. Keely McDonald lives as an outsider to her own clan, betrayed by those she loved most. He is betrothed to another of her clan, and she is an outcast—but their forbidden love cannot be stopped.

Unteachable, by Elliot Wake (writing as Leah Raeder)
Nothing says forbidden love like a teacher-student romance. Maise O’Malley has lived more in her eighteen years than the average teenager—but she has plans for her senior year, plans that cannot be screwed up, especially by a chance meeting with a guy at a carnival that is so perfect and so intimate…and totally wrong, when she finds out he’s her film class teacher. The sparks between Evan and Maise fly as they try to resist their attraction to one another, but sparks can only go so long before igniting into flame.

The Saint (Original Sinners #5), by Tiffany Reisz
Teacher-student romances are one thing…but a fifteen-year old spitfire rebel and her almost double-her-age Priest? That has forbidden love all over it. I’m a big fan of Tiffany Reisz’ Original Sinners series (and recommend that you read in order, starting with The Siren!) but The Saint is by far my favorite of these eight books, because it goes back to the earliest days of Eleanor and Soren’s forbidden relationship. She was a rebellious teenager heading down the wrong path, and he was a Jesuit Priest, devoted to his faith and his deepest dominant urges. But when he and Eleanor meet—despite believing that they are fated and that one day, she will kneel for him, Soren resists their connection. The push-pull between this couple will definitely heat up your cool autumn nights.

Thoughtless, by S.C. Stephens
Fair warning: affair novels aren’t usually my thing, and this one has inspired a lot of opinions online, good or bad. But I enjoyed reading about the forbidden love between Keira, a university student, and Kellan, a local rock god. The problem? Keira has a boyfriend, Denny, who is overseas for a job—and Kellan is an old friend of his! This is sort of like a modern version of The Bridges of Madison County, and while the heroine’s indecisiveness between her two choices was frustrating at times, I felt it added to the overall tension of the novel.

House of Dark Delights, by Louisa Burton
This novel leans more towards the erotica scale than the romance scale, but there’s certainly no shortage of plot! A mysterious chateau in France is inhabited by all manner of mythical creatures: an elf, a succubus, a satyr and a djinn. But the forbidden romance is between Elic and Lili, the elf and the succubus, who, because of ancient law, can never make love. They are soulmates, however, and, in a passion for one another that cannot be denied, resort to some—creative—methods of consummating their relationship. Evocative and ethereal, this is a romance for fantasy-lovers.

A Pound of Flesh, by Sophie Jackson
Once again, this romance takes the teacher-student relationship to another level by adding an additional obstacle: Kate Lane is teaching inmates at a New York prison when she meets Wes, an inmate with a serious chip on his shoulder. But Kat and Wes find that they are bonded together by shared pain, and a desire that cannot be fulfilled behind prison walls. Secrets, tortured pasts, and tension run amok in this romance.

When the Heart Cries (Sisters of the Quilt #1), by Cindy Woodsmall
A non-traditional pick to round out this list—when I was a teen I read Lurlene McDaniel’s Angels Watching Over Me, in which an Amish boy and non-Amish girl fall in love despite numerous obstacles. I found it riveting; the culture clash, the characters torn between family obligation and passion. When the Heart Cries is the adult version of that romance, but this time, Hannah is the Amish girl, and her forbidden love is Paul, a Mennonite. They decide to become secretly engaged, but when tragedy strikes, Hannah has a terrible choice to make.
What are your favorite stories of forbidden love?