Today’s team review is from Alison, she blogs here http://alisonwilliamswriting.wordpress.com/
Alison has been reading Forbidden by F. Stone
This was a difficult review to write because there are some really good elements to this book. The author has obviously researched extremely thoroughly. She has also put a huge amount of work into this novel and it is clear that she cares deeply about her characters and about her story.
The plot is a good one and there is plenty of drama here to keep the reader entertained and the two main characters certainly lend themselves to a potentially explosive and compelling romance. There is a good mix of conflict and attraction between the two.
The setting and the storyline are timely and the idea behind the story is sound.
However, in my opinion the novel needs another edit. There are too many issues with both the story and the writing itself that should have been picked up and improved upon prior to publication. There are places where the writing needs tightening. There are common issues like exposition, unnecessary dialogue tags and awkward prose that need a thorough going over.
I also felt that some of the characters were a little stereotypical. And I wasn’t convinced by the ‘seer’ aspect of the story. It felt under-developed and unnecessary.
I do hate to be negative, and I’m sure there will be a lot of readers that will really enjoy this novel. But for me, it needed an extra polish.
Three out of five stars.
Book Description
Year 2047, City of Samarra, capital of the Republic of Islamic Provinces & Territories
Fifteen American travelers have vanished. Surrendering to Mayor Aamir’s demands, a devout Muslim and police captain becomes the reluctant keeper of his city’s bloody secret – and the witness, Eliza MacKay. Captain Sharif is horrified to discover that if he exposes the cover-up, his family will suffer dire consequences.
The CIA has the lying Sharif in their cross hairs. Sharif’s only hope is to prove his country’s government is free of guilt. Secretly, he hunts forensic evidence. Cryptic messages, backstabbing informants, and corruption threaten Sharif’s resolve to see justice served. When he discovers the shocking truth, he and MacKay become the targets of a ruthless killer.
Sharif is tortured by his attraction to the impetuous Eliza MacKay. In spite of her struggle with PTSD, he’s drawn to her vivacious personality. Islam forbids the intimacy he craves. In desperation to save Eliza, Sharif plots an act most forbidden and fatal.
About the Author
Rosie Amber 
Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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What a shame – I was thinking about this yesterday, because, as you know, I edit my own work. But it took me a long time to be able to do it to a good enough standard. My first seven books could all do with a go-over; I should have given them to a professional, perhaps, although I wouldn’t have learned to do it myself if I had! The trouble is, these days, that even if you DO give a book to an editor, so many people are setting themselves up as such without actually knowing what they’re doing, including those allied to small publishers.
It’s hard when you read a basically good book let down by poor editing, I know.
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Absolutely Terry, it’s a minefield, it really is. I see so many people offering ‘editing’ who have no experience. It’s very, very frustrating and so difficult for authors.
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Yes, indeed, and of course, at least in the past, traditional publishers would have a team of editors and a book would undergo several reviews by different people, as there is always something that will be missed, but very few published authors would have the finances to allow them to do that, and as you say, it’s difficult to know who is qualified.
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