Forever: A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jude Deveraux (Author)

Book Description

Series: Thorndike Core | Publication Date: May 2003

From A Knight in Shining Armor to The Mulberry Tree, Jude Deveraux's bestsellers sparkle with stunning originality, heartfelt wit, and adventurous passion. Now, this superb storyteller mixes the flavor of a classic fairy tale with a very modern love story -- set in a town locked in the shadows of an abiding evil -- in this imaginative new novel.

Forever...

Darci Monroe overcame a childhood of neglect with an ebullient spirit, a positive attitude...and extraordinary determination. Now the resourceful young woman, hired as Adam Montgomery's personal assistant, devotes more than just professional attention to this devastatingly handsome millionaire. But one thing bars Adam from accepting Darci's love: he is intent on discovering the secret of his parents' disappearance, for she possesses the otherworldly abilities needed to help him fight a terrifying mistress of the dark arts. What Darci ends up offering is a gift greater than Adam ever hoped for, for Darci loves with all her heart, and all her soul, forever...

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Deveraux's previous novels (The Summerhouse; A Knight in Shining Armor; etc.), she has proven herself a master of stories mixing mystic mystery and history, time-travel and timeless love. This beguiling paranormal romance also has roots in the past, but it is much darker in tone, forgoing playful time-travel plots for scarier, supernatural evil. The protagonists are Darci Monroe, an attractive yet insecure young woman who can get anyone to do whatever she wants using her powers of "True Persuasion," and Adam Montgomery, a gorgeous yet grim guy obsessed with uncovering the secrets of his past, including his parents' mysterious disappearance. Darci and Adam meet when she answers an ad to be his personal assistant, but it isn't until they travel to the creepy town of Camwell, Conn., that she learns the particulars of her position he wants her to assist him in bringing down a sinister coven of witches. The task will not be easy. The coven's elusive leader possesses a future-forecasting mirror, and she will stop at nothing to increase her powers. Irresistibly eerie, yet decidedly a love (rather than horror) story, Deveraux's offering bursts with high-spirited repartee and bizarre but bewitching characters. A hasty conclusion wraps loose ends up a little too neatly but, overall, this is a noteworthy addition to the genre.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

From Booklist

Darci Monroe is a born heroine in this modern fairy tale. Raised haphazardly in a small town, she ends up in New York where she hopes to land a job as Adam Montgomery's personal assistant (yes, Deveraux has brought back the very popular Montgomery clan). The line of applicants stretches for many city blocks, but Darci knows that the power of her positive thinking will get her the job. Sure enough, guided by a psychic, Adam Montgomery, who is seeking knowledge about how his parents died and why he was kidnapped as a child, hires Darci for a task worthy of a medieval knight--she must fight off a sorceress and find a magic mirror. Adam unwillingly starts to trust Darci, and she, in turn, begins to reveal her psychic power, discovering along the way that there is more to his story and much more to her abilities. This is Deveraux at her most pleasurable. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 415 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786252405
• ISBN-13: 978-0786252404
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (118 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,332,073 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jude Deveraux was once a fifth-grade teacher who loved to read. When her imagination began to be filled with her own stories to tell, her career as a writer began. Jude's novels have been set in both contemporary and historical periods. Her strong, lyrical writing style and ability to write stories with memorable characters, rich detail, and believable dialogue has garnered her many devoted readers.

Jude has had over thirty books on the New York Times bestsellers list, has over 60 million copies in print, and has been translated into 18 languages. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading murder mysteries, working in her garden, and in boxing class she likes to show much younger males that she can throw a mean right cross.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It goes on "Forever", March 25, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Forever... : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope (Forever Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading Deveraux's "Summerhouse" (and absolutely loving it), I was anxious to be taken on another ride of romance...and, boy, was I ever taken for a ride -- out to the country with a looooonnnngggg walk home!

This was ABSOLUTELY the worst book I've ever read in my entire life! It was horrible! I kept thinking it would get better, but it never did. I forced myself to finish it (I'd spent the money already) but even the last page was awful.

The characters are completely unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the magic and witchcraft. That stuff is fine (actually, that's why I bought the book in the first place). It's how the characters are portrayed. Darci is an idiot. When Adam buys her some new clothes, she won't even hang them in the closet...she has to walk around with big moon-eyes showing them to total strangers. I mean, really, who does that? There are several instances when her reactions are just completely unbelievable...the stuff with the mind control (or "pushing" people to do what she wants) is okay and Deveraux explains it well. But Darci's life background just doesn't fit with this innocence thing.

And then there's all the coincidences...Darci's father falling for Adam's sister. Give me a break! That's just too creepy!

The average rating for this book so far is 2½ stars...that should tell you something. I wanted to buy another of Deveraux's books...but I don't think I ever will because I'm afraid it will be just as awful as this one and I'll feel that knife in the back again! I would have given this one zero stars...but that wasn't an option.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent Jude Deveraux, March 17, 2003

By 

KLETCO "kletco" (Manchester, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever... : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope (Forever Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I haven't liked many of Jude Deveraux's recent novels, but I actually really enjoyed this one. Unlike "The Summerhouse", it really did include some romance. But just like "The Summerhouse" and "Remembrance," it didn't follow the usual romance story plot. I thought the story was very compelling and it truly kept my interest. As for the hero & heroine - I had no issues with them, but some other readers apparently did. I was more annoyed that she could eat all she wanted and not get fat than I was at any of her other actions. As for Adam, he seemed to be just like most of the other Montgomery heroes.

I think what was missing was the formula - there was no separation of the characters (except a little separation near the end) and no real conflict that tore them apart, only to have them brought back together when they realize how stupid they were. They were, for the most part, in love thoughout the whole novel and any conflict they had was with the other characters. I think I would actually label this as a sci-fi/fantasy type novel where there was some romance thrown in. However, you can usually expect Jude Deveraux to fall a little outside the norm.

I really enjoyed this novel, I found it to be a great read and worth my time. I wouldn't suggest reading it first in the line of novels by Jude Deveraux, but it was worth reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, but..., June 7, 2005

By 

mamabear (OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever... : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope (Forever Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I gave this book 3 stars because I was really disappointed in the climax. I read like a crazy woman to get to the big confrontation and then it just ended. There really wasn't a "battle"
I would still recommend reading this book, many parts of it were very entertaining, just don't stay up till nearly dawn trying to get to the ending!