Sempre by J.M. Darhower Series: Forever #1
Published by Gallery Books on February 25th 2014
Pages: 528
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Amazon
THIS IS A STORY ABOUT SACRIFICE... DEATH... LOVE... FREEDOM. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT FOREVER.
Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess. Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think. In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead.
Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price-especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free?
There are some 500-page books that I can fly through reading and they don’t seem very long at all. Sempre isn’t one of them. It felt very much like it is 528 pages long. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the story, because I did. The mafia, human trafficking, sacrifice, vengeance, and forbidden young love are themes that kept me interested. However, the plot unfolds extremely slowly and is bogged down with more repetitive details than necessary. At times it seems like the reader is experiencing life in the DeMarco household not just day to day, but hour by hour. The story could be told in much less time and still be impactful.
Although I found the first chapter rather confusing—and honestly there are still aspects that are unclear to me—I was fully invested in the fate of Haven, Carmine, Dr. Vincent DeMarco, and Dominic. There are some twists that make the storyline wonderfully unpredictable, and the plot is enhanced by a diverse cast of multi-faceted characters.
Despite the length and pacing issues, I liked this intriguing story. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, Sempre Redemption.
About J.M. Darhower
JM Darhower is the USA Today Bestselling Author of romance novels of all flavors (erotic, suspense, contemporary, paranormal) and is represented by Brower Literary & Management. She lives in a tiny town in the Carolinas with her family, where she churns out more words than will ever see the light of day. She has a deep passion for politics and human rights, and when she isn’t writing (or catching Pokemon) she’s usually ranting about those things. Chronic crimper with a vulgar mouth, she admits to having a social media addiction. You can find her there.
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