Customer Reviews

The Forever Kiss: a novel of Erotic Romance

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If I had one day to spare which I had absolutely NOTHING to do, I'd probably take my copy of The Forever Kiss and count how many times the word 'penis' is used. Or....how many times Dar (Ducas) refers to his mistress' sex as a 'honeypot' or his incessant nipple fetish. I don't even think hardcore porn has the female character saying to the male character "I want your penis....I'll never refuse your penis....I need your penis.....I'm here for your penis......I live for your penis...", well you get it.

However, if you can get past that cheesiness, the story is quite good. Unless you read very carefully, you may get confused at times, since the hero (Dar) is impersonating a supposed dead traitor (Ducas) for whom he looks exactly alike, in order to uncover evidence of Ducas' treachery and treason at his manor.

But.....Ducas really isn't dead - well, he is on the inside, not on the outside. Turns out...he's a vampire and he returns from his 'dead' state to go back to his manor to kill the man (Dar) who's there impersonating him and trying to move in on his woman (Angene - the penis lover).

With Ducas and Dar now in the same house, (although cleverly avoiding each other) Ms. Devine see-saws back and forth between Dar and Ducas' point of view and, because Ducas is a vampire, we have scenes were Dar is pummeling the life out of Angene's 'honeypot' only to be invaded with Ducas' thoughts.

If you can follow along, you'll find this plot very taut and nailbiting and I would have given it higher marks if not for the cheese factor. Ms. Devine should make her heros tone down their nipple obsessions and find other words synonymous with the male appendage just so the reader doesn't develop 'penis' envy!

I have previously ready Ms. Devine's books and found them okay. At least they had a coherent story line to go along with the hot sex scenes that are her trademark. This book was a huge disappointment. The story was stupid, the ending was so abrupt and seemingly disconnected from the story all I could think was 'HUH??' Even the 'hero' in this book didn't have clue what was going on and what he was supposed to be looking for while impersonating someone else. The 'heroine' was always in heat for no apparent reason - just the thought of the 'hero' sent her into a frenzy without any explanation why she was so 'in love' with him. ... Look and see how many used copies are for sale of this book. If it was any good, people would be adding it to their keeper shelves and not trying to unload it. I had preordered this book based on my previous experiences with Ms. Devine's books. Next time, I'll wait until after it's published and read reviews and see how many used copies are trying to be unloaded before I drop [$$$] on one of her books again.

Sometimes Thea Devine has written some great erotic romances, sometimes she totally misses the boat. In this case she is standing on the dock as the boat pulls out of sight.

The hero in this case, Dar, is asked to take the place of a dying man, Ducas Sangbourne, who just happens to be his double. The reason for this masquerade involves the hunt for a traitor, but this seems to be just an excuse for the writer to plop Dar down in the middle of Ducas' life, including his realtionship with Angene, who is determined to become Ducas' mistress for no clear reason.

Things are very lively at the Sangbourne estate (get the name?) with the older Sangbournes arranging happy little sexual swapmeets. Then who should turn up but Ducas. That's when things go from merely being vague to downright confusing. Ducas, you see, is a vampire of the evil sort-- hardly a spoiler. He and Dar engage in a round of identity swapping and battling that is never adequately described or explained. It would have been nice if someone had just sat down and told the reader what is going on in the book.

So it's an erotic vampire romance that is not particularly erotic or romantic but does have some vampires. One out of three is not good.

First let me say that Thea Devine is one of my favorite authors and I have gotten some delicious ideas/inspirations from her hot..hot..characters and storylines...but this book was just confusing, slow, and disappointing. I never finished the book and it currently sits on my bookshelf gathering dust.

Ms. Devine, I will not give up on you or future books to come and everyone gets a free pass once in a while but please do your fans a favor by embracing what works for you:hot Russian Counts, strong-willed independent women, cold foreign lands or hot desert backdrops, wicked/cheating antagonists who just don't understand our heroines and finally that yummy alpha male who knows how to keep your readers satisfied all night long(smile)!

A garble of macabre horror and explicit racy sex sets the pace for Thea Devine's latest steamer The Forever Kiss. Dar St. Onge a penniless soldier of fortune is employed by the colonel to uncover treasonous secrets by masquerading as the identical dying heir Ducas Sangbourne. However the moment he enters the Manor in Cheshamshire, eccentric characters begin to sprout in the decadent place. There is Duca's protective mother Lady Veleka and a wastrel of a father Sir Eustrace, as well as a gypsy mistress Angene who seems to think Ducas is the love of her life. This far-fetched plot machinations has occasional bursts of suspense and dark terror with a trail of murder and a dabble into paranormal realm and vampires. Thea Devine's erotic scenes sizzle with primal lust and debauchery but some parts could be revolting with Angene involved with Ducas in fellatio. The Forever Kiss may spell repugnance for the uninitiated but for the seasoned readers, Ms. Devine's latest is a vortex of dark suspense and prurient sex.

In 1899 in a South African hospital, Ducas Sangborne lies dying when The Colonel, noticing the uncanny resemblance to mercenary Dar St. Onge, recruits the latter to masquerade as Ducas back in England. The Colonel believes that Dar will easily gain entrance to mysterious Sangborne Manor. He needs to uncover the identity of the traitor that caused the death of many English soldiers on the battlefield. Reluctantly, Dar accepts the undercover operation though he is a bit shook that the almost dead Ducas could have been his twin.

Dar arrives "home" faking amnesia to cover his lack of knowledge about his parents, his home and himself (or should that be of Ducas). To his surprise gypsy woman Angene claims that she is his mistress something he wants very badly but as Dar, but not as a masked imitator. He also fears entanglement will interfere with his mission and his need to find out who is killing manor residents leaving their blood drained like the Stroker's vampire.

THE FOREVER KISS is a powerfully written paranormal erotic historical romance that contains a strong plot and two intense delightful protagonists. Though "twins" have been used as a mechanism in many novels, the story line still grips the audience from the moment the Colonel realizes that Dar and Ducas must have been adjoined at the hip. Though Thea Devine needs to leave out the unneeded shock value profanities that no one, even a gangsta rapper, uses in her manner of speaking, erotic romance readers will still appreciate a well-written heated tale.

Harriet Klausner

I was hoping to see what Thea Devine could do with a paranormal plot, but was very disappointed. She is a GREAT writer, with her other books always pushing the envelope and having elaborate plots with trademark character buildup.

What happened here? The heroine gets no development time, leaving us to think for the whole book that she is just a TSL (too stupid to live) gold digger. The whole plot, what there is of it, involves the two MALE characters playing foil off of one another. The heroine is merely background, except that the furniture was described better than she.

A vampire romance where neither the hero nor the heroine is the vampire doesn't work. Even if the hero is pretending to be the vampire, or whatever he is doing.

The ending is given 4 pages from the being in the middle of the plot, into a resolution that doesn't make sense. Still no idea why the pair got together -- all they did in this book is have rough sex, and almost no conversation.

Skip this one.

Good book but...if you're looking for a romantic story, this is not for you! But if you're looking for some hot sex scenes, this IS for you! This is a vampire story to boot! I would have like to seen more interaction between the main characters. I don't think they talked that much at all! If you like Vampire erotica, you will like this. I was just looking for alittle bit more story than what was actually there. The end of the book left open the possibility of a series. But, I did finish the book in 2 days! Hope this helps someone out there! : )

The story line is pretty good, if confusing at times, but the poor editing job done on this book really irks me. I know Thea Devine's writing style is very unique and probably hard to edit, but come on! If I was her I would be absolutely livid at how many mistakes the editors did not pick up on. It takes away from the story and is quite a distraction. Otherwise, this review isn't very helpful for deciding whether or not you'll like the book, it's just a warning to be on guard for numerous typos and a heads up to the editors at Kensington - spend a little more time on the copyediting in the future!