Verdict: A fast, steamy sapphic Romeo-and-Juliet set in Boston’s warring crime families. The chemistry between Jules and Rowan is electric and the action lands — but the relationship build-up is thin and the ending arrives abruptly.
Best for: Readers who want an enemies-to-lovers, rival-families mafia romance that gets straight to the heat and the drama, and who don’t mind a story that skips the slow-burn courtship.
Heat: 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (4/5) — wickedly steamy and explicit, with strong chemistry that reviewers consistently call scorching.
Rating: ★★★★½ (4.3 average across 543 ratings — well-loved for its heat and premise, with some readers docking points for a rushed structure).
Tropes: FF mafia romance · rival crime families · enemies to lovers · forbidden love · sunshine daughter & dangerous heir · standalone
Forbidden Girl by Kristen Zimmer is a standalone FF mafia romance. For more recommendations in this vein, see our full dark sapphic romance guide.
What Is Forbidden Girl About?
Forbidden Girl is a sapphic spin on Romeo and Juliet, set among the warring crime families of Boston. Jules is the daughter of one mob boss and wants nothing to do with the family “business.” Rowan is the deadly second-in-command of the rival family — the woman Jules has been taught to hate.
When the two lock eyes across a crowded room, the attraction is instant and undeniable. As their families’ feud escalates into open bloodshed, Jules and Rowan must decide whether to run from the underworld or stand and fight for a love that both sides consider a betrayal.
What Makes This Dark Mafia Romance Work
Kristen Zimmer leans hard into the forbidden-love premise and the sparks between two strong-willed women. Here’s what stands out:
- Instant, magnetic chemistry: Jules and Rowan crackle from their first meeting, and the heat rarely lets up.
- Two distinct POV voices: alternating between the reluctant “good girl” and the guilt-ridden enforcer gives the romance texture.
- A propulsive mob war: the rival-families conflict brings real stakes, violence, and suspense.
- A satisfying “us against the world” arc: supporting characters who root for the couple add warmth.
- Steam with feeling: the spicy scenes read as genuine connection, not just filler.
Book Synopsis
Jules grew up knowing her father runs the biggest crime family in Boston, and she vowed never to be part of it. Then she meets Rowan — beautiful, dangerous, and the second-in-command of the family her father is at war with. The pull between them is immediate and impossible to ignore.
Rowan set out to tempt the “holier-than-thou” daughter of her enemy, but Jules turns out to be different from anyone she’s known. As the feud between their families turns deadly and people they love start getting hurt, both women are forced to choose between blood loyalty and each other — even if it means betraying their own fathers.
My Review
The best thing about Forbidden Girl is the chemistry. Zimmer writes Jules and Rowan with real heat and two clearly differentiated voices, and the mob-war backdrop keeps the pages turning. When the book is firing on the romance-plus-danger cylinders, it’s genuinely hard to put down — I read it fast, and I enjoyed the ride.
That said, I understand the common reader complaint: the story skips much of the early relationship-building, opening after the attraction is already established, so the slow-burn courtship some readers crave isn’t really here. The ending also lands abruptly, leaving a couple of threads (like Jules’s mother) feeling underexplored. It reads like a story more interested in momentum than in lingering.
| Element | In Forbidden Girl |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Jules & Rowan, f/f (rival crime families) |
| Core tropes | Enemies to lovers, forbidden love, rival mob families |
| Setting | Boston’s warring crime underworld |
| Heat level | 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (4/5) — wickedly steamy and explicit |
| Series | Standalone |
| Content notes | Violence, mob war, dark themes; HEA |
My honest note: go in expecting a hot, fast, action-driven forbidden romance rather than a meticulous slow burn. If that’s your mood, Forbidden Girl delivers a fun, spicy read; if you need a fully developed courtship and a tidy ending, temper your expectations.
How Spicy Is Forbidden Girl?
On the heat scale, Forbidden Girl lands at 🌶🌶🌶🌶 (4/5). It’s marketed as “wickedly steamy,” and reviewers agree — the chemistry between Jules and Rowan is hot and the explicit scenes are frequent.
Because the book opens after the initial spark, the physical relationship ramps up quickly rather than through a prolonged tease. The result is a spicy read that prioritizes passion and intensity over slow-burn anticipation.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you enjoy enemies-to-lovers and forbidden-love tropes, you want a sapphic mafia romance with strong chemistry and real danger, and you like fast-paced stories that don’t linger.
You may want to skip it if: you need a fully developed slow-burn courtship, you dislike abrupt endings or unresolved subplots, or you’re sensitive to on-page violence and dark mob themes.
In short: it’s a hot, propulsive forbidden romance that trades depth of build-up for speed and spice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Forbidden Girl a standalone?
Yes. Forbidden Girl is a standalone FF mafia romance by Kristen Zimmer, with a complete story arc for Jules and Rowan.
Is Forbidden Girl a true sapphic romance?
Yes. It’s explicitly an FF mafia romance centered on the relationship between two women, Jules and Rowan, from rival crime families.
How steamy is Forbidden Girl really?
It’s a 4-out-of-5 on heat — “wickedly steamy” and explicit, with strong, fast-building chemistry between the leads.
Does Forbidden Girl have a happy ending?
Yes, it delivers a happily-ever-after, though several readers note the ending feels abrupt and leaves a few side threads unresolved.
Do I need to read the early build-up, or does the story start fast?
The story starts fast — it opens after Jules and Rowan’s attraction is already established, skipping much of the traditional getting-to-know-you phase, which is the most common critique from reviewers.
If You Loved Forbidden Girl, Read These Next
If Jules and Rowan’s forbidden romance left you wanting more dangerous women and rival-family drama, our dark sapphic romance guide is full of reads in the same vein.
Craving more stories like this one? Forbidden Girl is just one pick from our full, data-backed roundup of the best WLW mafia romance books — a curated master list of sapphic mob, crime, and morally-gray romances with short reviews and links to every full breakdown. It is the perfect place to build your next dangerous-women reading list.
The Bottom Line
Forbidden Girl is a hot, fast-moving sapphic take on Romeo and Juliet that nails chemistry and mob-war tension, even if its rushed structure and abrupt ending keep it from greatness. For fans of forbidden-love mafia romance who want to get straight to the sparks, it’s an easy, spicy recommend. Check Forbidden Girl on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
Within our dark sapphic mafia rankings, Forbidden Girl sits in the solid mid-tier — a scorching, entertaining forbidden romance held back from the top spots by thin relationship build-up and a rushed finale.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall — ★★★★ 4.0/5
- ✓ A hot, fast forbidden romance
- ✓ Great chemistry and mob-war stakes
- ✓ Thin build-up, abrupt ending
- ✓ A fun spicy read, not a classic
Romance — ★★★★ 4.3/5
- ✓ Electric enemies-to-lovers pull
- ✓ Instant, magnetic connection
- ✓ Forbidden-love stakes land
- ✓ Courtship phase mostly skipped
Characters — ★★★★ 4.2/5
- ✓ Two strong, distinct voices
- ✓ Rowan the enforcer intrigues
- ✓ Jules’s reluctance grounds it
- ✓ Side threads left thin
Writing — ★★★½ 3.8/5
- ✓ Propulsive, easy to read
- ✓ Sharp dual POV
- ✓ Some acerbic wit
- ✓ Structure feels rushed
Emotional Impact — ★★★★ 4.0/5
- ✓ Real “us vs the world” feeling
- ✓ Danger raises the stakes
- ✓ Warmth from supporting cast
- ✓ Less catharsis at the close
Heat Level — ★★★★½ 4.5/5
- ✓ Wickedly steamy throughout
- ✓ Explicit and frequent
- ✓ Strong physical chemistry
- ✓ Ramps up fast
Ending — ★★★½ 3.5/5
- ✓ Delivers an HEA
- ✓ Big showdown pays off
- ✓ Feels abrupt to many
- ✓ Loose threads remain
Re-read Value — ★★★½ 3.9/5
- ✓ Fun spicy comfort read
- ✓ Quick one-sitting binge
- ✓ Trope fans will revisit
- ✓ Less depth for re-reads
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