Series Sunday: Sempre

(Forever #1)

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

"Why drown in love when you can have so much fun swimming around in lust?" ~ pg. 24

My Series Sunday pick is Sempre, the first book in the Forever series by J.M. Darhower. Even though Sempre features two seventeen-year-olds, it is sexy with traces of a dark mystery. Haven is a second-generation slave and victim of human trafficking. It goes without saying that her life is full of abuse. Carmine was born into a Mafia family and happens to be the son of the man who enslaved Haven. What a twist!

Fate causes Haven and Carmine's lives to cross and they are soon caught in a web of secrets, lies, betrayal and murder. Over 500 pages worth! I like big books and I cannot lie (♬ cue Sir Mix-a-Marie ♬). Sempre is very engaging. I was so caught up in the story that I lost track of time and didn't realize I was flipping hundreds of ePages. This novel can be categorized as young adult but young-to-middle aged women may enjoy the well written dark romance too.

"Colpo di Fulmine (Love at First Sight)" ~ pg. 76

In the Author's Acknowledgements, she states that "while Sempre is a work of fiction, the concept of modern-day slavery is not make-believe. There are an estimated 27 million people in the world today who are coerced and forced into sexual or labor slavery." Darhower encourages us to become abolitionists. You have to love fiction with a cause!

DISCLAIMER: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Title: Sempre
Author: J.M. Darhower
Published: January 2012
Pages: 530
Edition: Galley
Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥