Customer Reviews

Forever... : A Novel of Good and Evil, Love and Hope (Forever Trilogy)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(41)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

If this novel is typical of the author's work, I have to wonder how she ever achieved her reputation. The story is terrible; the heroine not just oddball but genuinely repugnant and geeky. There is no logic to the hero's attraction to her; she puts their lives in danger, does stupid and unattractive things, she snoops, she's insufferably smug, she's written as pathetic trailer trash, and yet this handsome and supposedly intelligent man...well, it may be the fantasy of some women out there to be able to win the handsome prince, no matter how much of a toad she may act, but this was not entertaining.

I didn't care about the plot, because I didn't care about the protagonists. I detested them.

I couldn't finish this book, and wish I hadn't spent my money on it.

If only I could have used a magic mirror such as the one centering this novel, I would have seen that Jude Deveraux's latest offering holds none of the emotionally evocative romance I remembered from books like 'Velvet Song' or 'Remembrance.'

The writing contained no style, the plot did not develop any tension, and the character motivations seemed malnourished (though almost every chapter included gratuitous talk of food). The narrative lacked imagery, and the dialogue disappointed me highly - no wit, no spark, just flatness. I wasn't charmed by any of the characters, nor did I develop an interest in their untimate fates, which is just as well since Ms. Deveraux chose to skip what should have been the most climactic scene in the entire book and summarize its events in an epilogue chapter.

'Forever...' is definitely not worth the purchase. You're far better off reading an old favorite.

I think this is going down in my book as the worst novel of 2002. J.D. has always been a mixed bag for me. Rememberance, the Dutchess, The Maiden, and an Angel for Emily I deplore, but I've really enjoyed the Princess, the Raider, and Temptation. I've heard a lot of die-hard fans complain about how she's lost her touch. I've read some really asinine stories in my day but this one takes the cake. I only got to the half way point before it went careening into my bedroom wall.
Where to begin... I'll start at the prologue. An old woman tells a child a scary story about an evil witch-lady and a magic mirror. It took me a few chapters to realize this is the back story. Maybe because its told like a fairytale it makes the villianess so one-deminsional and over the top, the Coyote from the roadrunner cartoons looks credible in comparision. Yes, she's evil and dispicable but she's evil an a generic sort of way.
The plot is dumb. Okay, maybe the premise isn't dumb, but the execution is handled so terribly... Adam Montgomery hires a young woman with special powers to help him investigate a witches' coven to find answers about his missing parents. The coven operates in the open, they are known to be evil, everyone knows their behind some murders but the law doesn't go after them. Adam and Darci are supposed to be undercover, but the first thing they do is start asking random people about said evil coven. Hello! Subtlity anyone? Even more shocking is that the townspeople are willing to talk candidly about the coven that has been murdering random people and getting away with it! If an evil coven with so much power was really terrorizing the populace I think they'd be scared to death.
The worst element is definitely Darci T. Monroe. In my romance reading career I've read about alot of braindead, irritating dingbats but they all look like saints in comparison to Darci. What we have here is a spoiled, dishonest, manipulative, childish brat with no moral compass whatsoever. Darci is the biggest liar I've ever seen. She lies about everything even when it's not nessecary. She lies in the first chapter and lies at least once ever chapter! She uses her True Persuasion for her own personal gain. She uses it to make Adam give her the job and used to use it to blackmail people. She said she's never used it to hurt anyone, but on the next page she tells a story about how she used to get a man arrested and make him lose his house! She repeatly acts like a five-year-old. Her personal history is convoluted.
Adam is sort of a wimp. I can't believe he (or anyone for that matter) could fall for Darci Big-Mean-Liar Monroe.
Please avoid this book. I tried to find at least one good thing in what I managed to force myself to read but I truely couldn't.

Darci Monroe is a young woman who uses her true persuasion (a paranormal gift) to help out the small old town she lives in. Not knowing her father she is left to live with her mother all her life. Darci's mother doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in Darci's life. She see's Darci as a burdon. Her mother's only passion in life is sleeping with the younger men. Darci decideds to use her true persuasion to land a job and ends up landing a job with Adam Montgomery (yep another drop dead sexy montgomer) At fist Adam Montgomery looks at her as a father would. Adam is looking for his sister who was long ago kidnapped with his self except only he was able to excape. Adam and Darci go on a phycic adventure full of magic, mysteries, and witches. JD's sparkling wit and award winning romance makes you want to read it over and over.
If you liked this book you should finish it with the rest of the trilogy. Always (the 2nd book) Forever and Always (the 3rd)

I don't normally read romance books. I have always thought that they were too mushy and didn't have much to them. I hate reading single plot stories. I had read a few in the past that I thought we ok but nothing I would read over a good thriller or mystery. A friend of mine told me to try a Jude Deveraux book and recommended this one. She gets really into all of the romance books so I doubted her but she was right this book was awesome. I have already read the second one and am so excited to read the final book always. The plot thickens and gets more exciting in each book. I do belive I have found a new favorite author. I would highly recommend this book to people who like mystery's and are not normally into the Romance genre.

If you like Jude Deveraux as much as I do, and like paranormal adventures, this is a great trilogy. The first and the last are the strongest, but that's usually the way it is in trilogies. I love it. The character's become very real to the reader, and I really enjoyed these three books. Jude Deveraux is the best romance novelist, in my opinion, she makes wonderful strong female character's and male character's you wish you knew! :)

Like many of you, I have been reading Jude Deveraux for a long time. Also, like many of you, I buy her books just because she wrote them. This time, I wish I would have read the customer reviews before I took the time to read the book. I can't say it was a waste of my time. The book wasn't awful. It was just disappointing to me. I kept waiting for something else ... that never happened.
After writing for a period of time some authors seem to become bored with what they have been writing and try to branch out. I understand that. This just seemed to be too much of a branch out for me. I am so used to Jude Deveraux providing a GOOD love story that this one just fell flat for me.
In the past, when an author has moved too far away from my reasons for reading their work I have found it easier to just let their books sit on store shelves. I'm not too sure that I'm not at that point with Jude.