Customer Reviews

Forever My Lady: A Novel

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Forever My Lady
Jeff Rivera
Genre: Urban Fiction
APOOO rating: 4
Amazon.com rating: 4

A Hard Knock Life

Forever My Lady is a book that vividly tells the influence the street life can have on a person's mind, body and soul. Jeff Rivera shows the constant struggle an individual can have within themselves to survive on a daily basis and in life when they are dealt a bad hand. Rivera proves through his eloquent use of words that the path one chooses in their life comes with many twists and turns.

Dio "Playboy" Rodriguez grows up with many strikes against him. The family that he shares a home with causes mental anguish and abuse in what should be a nurturing environment. It is the family on the streets that welcomes him into the fold and will serve as the force that raises him. The rules of the street life will prove to be conflicting to Dio's heart as he finds love in another lost soul, his middle school sweetheart, Jennifer. The walls that surround the heart of this thug come tumbling down when he falls deeply for Jennifer and the glistening of hope of the life that they could share together. But the future of these two young lovers will hit a brick wall with such force when a tragic event occurs in their life and Dio is sent to boot camp. Will Dio clean up his act while in boot camp? Will love truly prevail for Dio and Jennifer?

Jeff Rivera tells an extraordinary tale of struggle, abuse, perseverance and transformation. In doing all of this, Rivera was able to acquaint the readers with a love story from the streets. Rivera is a talented author with the ability to breathe life into the characters on the pages. Rivera has pieced together a well-crafted book that I would recommend to lovers of urban fiction and young adults.

Reviewed by Sharon Russ
APOOO BookClub

This is such a great book. I couldn't put it down and read it in one and a half days. Being a playwright myself, I am very sensitive to dialogue and the dialogue of the characters in this book is honest and real and true. The writer also doesn't waste time giving us unimportant info to set up scenes ...he goes straight to the heart of the story and keeps you there until the end. You actually feel the character's emotions immediately. Excellent book. I highly recommend it.

When Forever My Lady opens, Dio is preparing to interrupt the wedding of his true love Jennifer--with a gun. Then we back up a year to find out how he got to that point.

Dio is a 17-year-old gang member whose life changes when Jennifer ends up in the hospital with several gunshot wounds and Dio ends up in a prison boot camp.

Most of the story takes place at the boot camp, as Dio goes from surly and uncooperative to making friends and becoming competitive and determined to succeed. Through it all, his desire for a better life with Jennifer is his driving force.

The descriptions of his life in the boot camp are interspersed with memories and letters to and from Jennifer, and as the book progresses, you can see his growth both in the things he does and in the way he writes about them.

Boot camp was very vivid, particularly at the beginning, when it was all new to Dio. And it was very familiar. I kept thinking "and I volunteered for this?" (I went through army basic training--boot camp.)

Dio's emotions and motivations were very clear, and right there on the page. I was moved to tears at several points, particularly when as an adult--or simply a reader, seeing things from the outside--I could see what was going to happen, but knew that given his personality and emotions, there was no way to avoid the upcoming pain or heartache.

Huge kudos to Jeff Rivera for treating Dio and Jennifer's emotions with the seriousness they deserved. So often, a teenage love affair is treated like puppy love, when that time of life is when emotions tend to be most intense. Plus, given these characters' backgrounds, they were certainly not children.

My only complaint is that the ending was just a little quick and easy. Maybe it needed to be that way, to fit with the beginning, and after all, Dio did do his soul-searching earlier. But it's not a big complaint--I love the way it ended, I'd just have liked the ending to be a couple of pages longer, is all.

I'll definitely be watching for Jeff Rivera's future books.

When I started reading Forever My Lady, I was taken by Rivera's simple--though not simplistic--and breezy style. He easily creates so much with so little, he almost makes writing a touching, provocative love story seem easy. Almost. From the terse, spot-on dialogue, to the striking, at times very funny, descriptions, you get hooked.

I have to admit I didn't like Dio, the main character, at first. He was brash, self-centered, and obnoxious. At the same time, Rivera created in him a certain dopey innocence which led me wanting to see Dio grow.

I'm glad I hung in there with Dio. His journey, daunting, painful, hilarious, and, ultimately, heart-breaking, had me racing through the pages, eager to see Dio find himself.

Anton A. Hill

Forever My Lady is remarkable love story. Dio is sent to boot camp and later finds out his lady is pregnant. The only thing he can think of is getting back home to her. While at camp you see Dio grow from a thug into a man. You root for him and you hope that he and Jennifer can stand the winds of time. The supporting characters are well developed. This was an oustanding story. I hate the fact that Rivera left me hanging for the next book. I'm left with so many questions as to what will happen next. come on with book 2.
Voted Best Urban Fiction 2005
Voted Best New Author 2005

Mahogany Media Review
Albany, N.Y.

It's a rare instance indeed when I can pick a book up and read it from cover to cover without putting it down. That's exactly what occurred in my encounter with Jeff Rivera's novel, Forever My Lady. I think at its most basic, this is a book about metamorphosis. The reader is allowed to experience the evolution of every character including the novels hero, Dio. Rivera allows each character to initially hide behind titles and "akas" that belie the true nature of the individual. Dio, for example, hides behind the name "Playboy" and Senior Jackson is initially only referred to as "the D.I." However, as the novel progresses, the characters shed these titles as they evolve. The reader is taken on a very personal journey with characters like Dio, Simon, Louise, Dio's mother, and Jennifer. Their personal struggles are made real and in-your-face. The reader celebrates each character's triumphs. Likewise, setbacks and disappointments cause the reader as much pain as they do the characters themselves. In some way, readers can find a little of themselves in each of these characters, which is why they are so easy to relate to and empathize with.

This is also a book about hope and forgiveness. Hope is a powerful weapon when one is surrounded by nothing but despair. As for forgiveness, what the novel conveys is that by forgiving others, the characters are able to forgive themselves for all of the harm they may have done in the past. And it is only by being able to forgive that they are able to change for the better.

Bravo to Jeff Rivera for wielding his literary prowess so admirably. He has crafted a story that moves beyond the page. This is a story with the power to change lives.

Dio Rodriguez knows no other way of life then to strike first and strike hard. Maybe that's why he now finds himself serving time at a prison camp. One of Dio's bad decisions almost cost him the life of his girlfriend, Jennifer. As Dio waits out his time till his release, the rest of the world is passing him by. Dio believes that no matter how much time or how far, Jennifer and he may be separated, they will always be soul mates or will they? Will Dio come out a changed man or end up the same old Dio. Can or does Jennifer even want Dio back? All these questions will be answered in Forever My Lady.

Forever My Lady is Jeff Rivera's debut novel. Author, Jeff Rivera, brought lots of raw emotions, depth to both the characters and storyline, and a no holds bar attitude. Because of all these elements that worked so well together is why I loved reading Forever My Lady. I really got into the plot as well as feeling like I was experiencing everything Dio went through, right along with him; all the way to the very end. Be prepared to clear yourself some time, because as soon as you start reading Forever My Lady, you will have a hard time wanting to put it down. So find a nice, quiet place to sit down; feed the animals and send the rest of the family away as you are going to love this book. I anxiously await Mr. Rivera's next novel.

Forever My Lady is not your traditional romance. I would actually call it more of a love story. Dio is a gang member, a child of the streets with an alcoholic mother and an absent father. His childhood sweetheart, Jennifer has had a life just as rough as his. After a violent incident, Dio finds himself in a work camp for juvenile offenders. As you would imagine, he's not happy to be there but finds himself growing and changing both physically and intellectually. Dio's journey from his gang past to trying to be a responsible adult is a slow journey filled with setbacks.

The relationship with Jennifer is revealed in a series of letters between the two. It becomes evident fairly early on that the desire is one-sided. Not surprising, considering the circumstances of their parting. Dio's path to maturity and forgiveness is challenging and heartbreaking at times. I think the happy ending is more of a personal accomplishment rather than the happily ever after delivered in your typical romance. I don't want to spoil the story too much but if you're looking for something that breaks the mold of the romance and features characters in a more urban setting, you might consider Forever My Lady.

FOREVER MY LADY is a beautifully written, realistic portrayal of a teenage couple who battled the streets. Dio was a tough yet sensitive young man, aware of other people's feelings. I would love for Jeff to write a sequel so I can see how the rest of Dio's life turns out. He stayed on my mind long after I finished the book. To me, this could have been marketed as a young adult novel as well as an urban love story.

Jeff Rivera manages to find that balance between crafting a book that men will read because it takes into account the struggles some have had in their lives, and it has just enough romance and suspense that women will appreciate. It's not easy to write a book that will bring both sexes together for a discussion, but Jeff has managed to do it. Great job.