Always & Forever

Always & Forever

by Lauren Crossley

WARNING: This book is not for the faint hearted. If you do not like to read about dark themes, obsessive love or crazy, jealous and possessive heroes, then this book is not for you.

"Being with you isn’t a choice; we’re not an option, Bethany. Don’t you understand that? I’ve actually reached the stage where I know I wouldn’t even be able to exist without you. My need for you is like oxygen, it’s not something I can control or even try to explain. I can honestly say that I would cease to exist without you in my life; I would sooner die than be separated from you. You’ve taken over my mind, body and soul, all I think about is you. You’re the centre of my universe, you’re all I can see and you know what? That’s absolutely fine; it’s fine because you’re the only one I need. It’s you, Bethany. It will always be you.” - Jake.

"Jake’s intensity can sometimes scare me and yet it is the same unyielding intensity that draws me to him. I’ve never wanted anything or anyone as much as I want Jake. I crave him and I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to admit that he’s now become the centre of my world. He’s completely taken over my mind, my body and my soul. The truly messed up part of this is... I don’t mind." - Bethany.

Bethany is a twenty year old young woman craves freedom. She longs for an escape which will free her from her controlling father's clutches but hope of escape has always been impossible. Until now...

...Until Jake.

Irresistibly handsome and fiercely protective over the fragile young girl he's just met, Jake is adamant that nothing will keep them apart. He soon becomes fixated on the idea of them being together and will stop at nothing to make sure that happens.

Bethany knows her father and the lengths that he will go to. He's a cruel man who wants to keep her for himself and will share Bethany with no one. However, Jake is not to be underestimated. He hasn't always been the good man that he is today.

Jake is desperate to keep Bethany in his life. He also wants to protect her from the darkness which surrounds him and his past, a past which continues to haunt him.

Jake has a secret... one which is dark and extremely painful, threatening to tear his whole world apart if he allows it.

But will he?


It's love versus evil in this enthralling debut about first love, passion, obsession and jealousy...

***Read at your own risk.***

*** This New Adult romance novel contains mature themes, scenes of violence, strong language and sexual citations. It is recommended for readers 18+ ***

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Dark, Young Adult, Abuse, Contemporary Romance

877 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2014

About the author

Hi there, I'm 26 years old, I live in the UK and published my first book 'Always & Forever.' In 2014. I spent two years working on my first book and can't begin to count the hours I put in trying to figure out how to publish my first novel! 'Forever & Always' is the second and final instalment in the series.

'Wrong Girl' was originally supposed to be a standalone novel but I decided to make it part of a series and wrote 'Now It's Just Us' which is a short novella as well as 'Right Girl' which is the third and final instalment in the series.
(Due to high demand, I am currently working on an alternate ending to 'Right Girl' which will be released at some point in 2017)

'That Summer' (Part One & Two) are also available and deal with the highly controversial subject matter of two half-siblings who meet as young adults and fall in love.

Part One of 'The Secret' is available to download and part two will soon follow.

I've uploaded my darkest romance 'Monstrous Love' on Wattpad but have also published the complete novel on Amazon.

Part One of 'In Love with Lies' is also available on Amazon and you can read the first ten chapters on Wattpad. Part Two will soon follow and you will be able to buy the complete novel once part two has also been completed.

I am a hopeless romantic and love reading books within the New Adult genre. My own books tend to focus on the darker side of love, the side that comes along with crazy, obsessive, jealous and possessive heroes.

I really hope that you will enjoy reading my stories and will continue to check back here now and then to keep up to date with my progress.

My Wattpad username is: MissLauren26 or you can click the direct link below:

https://www.wattpad.com/user/MissLaur...

I have an email address which is laurencrossleyauthor@gmail.com

My readers can contact me on this if they wish to do so and I look forward to hearing back from you!

You can also find my author page on Amazon where I have each of my books listed:

https://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Crossle...

Thanks for reading, Lauren xx

Reviews

[Book-Bosomed blog]

What is the deal with authors who want to write angsty fiction and try to sell it as romance??? Why in the devil would you label your book a romance if it doesn't have the socially accepted ingredients of romance? Per the Romance Writers of America, books in the romance genre "primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Translated to mean if you torture your love interests and don't give them an HEA, then you aren't writing romance books anymore. So if you have to stick the type of warning written in this book description in your Goodreads listing then you're not marketing in the right category. Quit using a genre designed for positive depictions of love as a dumping ground!!!

*This is not a review; this is a rant* lol

[BWT]

I don't promise my readers or guarantee my characters a 'Happy Ever After...' Happy endings are harmonious but they're not always real life. I'm a sucker for bittersweet endings...Hearts and flowers won't be found in my writing and neither will perfect conclusions to my stories.

Well, I appreciate the warning, especially as it cements this would not be a "romance" I would be interested in reading.

[Angie Hemmings · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was hard for me to finish, it was way too long and needed another review from the editor because they missed way to much. There are parts of the book where they main characters name is actually miss spelled. For the most part I usually just skip this because I am an author and I know how hard it is to catch everything, but some of the editing issues actually affected how I interpreted the story and when you have to stop and figure out what the author meant you get frustrated and that ruins the story for you.

With that said the story is ok, Bethany is probably the most infuriating heroine I have ever found and by far redefines mousy. You will want her to die by the end of the book and that’s not how romance novels are supposed to go. Bethany didn’t grow as a character at all, she went from being controlled by her father to being controlled by her boyfriend and both apparently have anger issues. To have as much passion at Bethany and Jake supposedly have they fight all the time and it ends with him attempting to literally murder someone. And what is even worse is that towards the end of the book you have chapters dedicated to characters that don’t really matter. I get that they are leading up to the next book but it could have/should have been handled differently. All it did for me was piss me off and I ended up only partially reading those chapters…because I didn’t give a crap about those people!

OH YEAH…and before I forget. The grandma. She means so much to Bethany and she’s a catalyst for this story. She added something to the book and then she has a fall that was just a random accident. When she gets out of the hospital she just up and decides to move away and then BAM she just dies. I mean really? It’s one of the many infuriating things that happened in this book. There were so many ways in which her death could have made this story not boring. I mean seriously, have the crazy dad kill her…it’s not like we don’t know how much he hated her and then there would at least be some suspense to keep you interested.

I don’t like giving bad reviews but I also hate to read a book where you skip sections because they are so drawn out and boring that you literally fall asleep. I want to read a romance novel that I can’t put down, that has me dying to know what’s going to happen…that didn’t happen with this book.

So to conclude…the first half of this book is great. The rest is dragged out to the point that you’ll end up frustrated and ready to just throw your kindle out the window.

Will I read this again?

NO.

[Fre06 Begum · Rating 1 out of 5]

My rating has gone down after reading the sequel, no way can I think about this couple and have fuzzy feelings! Thanks a lot author....

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 877 pages that has to be the biggest book I have read to date. The cover of the book and the summary barely even hints to what this book is actually about, when I started reading I was so surprised it wasn't what I expected. I did however enjoy it a lot. The story was compelling and there was so many characters, point a views, and twists that made this book even better. I definitely felt drained at times reading this book because of all the secrets and drama that occurred throughout the book but I was definitely surprised several times and can honestly say this isn't like any other book I have read. I'm not sure how I feel about reading the next book considering so much happened in this one I can't even imagine what will happen in the next one. The only thing that let this book down was the spelling mistakes. I started to notice it more and more towards the end which was annoying because there is nothing worse than trying to get in the mood of the story and have to work out what the misspelt word was. I'm hoping this wont occur as much in the next book.

[Megan Crisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young intense love

This story is so heart breaking yet beautiful at the same time, Bethany is technically a prisoner of her father and Jake is a lost soul, by chance they meet and the explosion begins, they have intense passion and love.. It's not but it kind of is a typical first love.. Onto book 2 I can't wait to see what happens with them :) happy reading

Edited 12/28 read all 8 horrendous reviews for book 2.... Yea I won't be reading it...

SPOILERS I GOT FROM BOOK 2 REVIEWS: DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT LIKE SPOILERS!!!!

Bethany cheats on jake, aborts their baby and in the end jake dies.. The end... Yep that was a review I read and all eight reviews were either 1 or 2 stars... I wouldn't read it if it was free, I hate books like that!!! HATE!!!HATE!!!!HATE!!!! So no book 2 for me, I'm going to totally block the fact I even read book 1 aside from all the grammar errors... Sorry for the spoiler had to vent it out there!!!!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I try to avoid all reviews before I read anything by an author I am not familiar with. I am glad I did that in this case. I would agree with many of the other reviews that this book is LONG. Honestly it should have been broken up into a minimum of 2 books but 3 would be best. There is a lot happening.

This is a complex and highly emotional read. It is not for the faint of heart. It is a story of one young woman who has been so emotionally and verbally abused to the point that the fact she is still standing is amazing. At 20 years old Bethany's life is not her own. She is the product of an abusive, obsessed and beyond overbearing father and a timid, abused and damaged woman. Her father is quite frankly, a horrible man that I wished was given a bit of his own medicine throughout the book.

At 22, Jake is has assumed the role of man of the house to 3 women. After years of abusing his wife and children, Jake's father left the family. His mother turned to alcohol and verbal abuse to cope. Jake chose a path of alcohol, sex and violence. On the surface Jake is a good guy with a bad hand dealt but as the story grows you realize he becoming a product of his history. As his relationship grows with Bethany he is almost obsessive about his feelings.

I wanted to grab Bethany and drag her away from these people. I wanted to scream at her when she just simply accepted the life she had been given and the life she was choosing.

The secondary obsessive and horribly tragic characters intrigued me but also scared me. I finished this book scared. I was frightened for the women in this book. The rage, the hate, the obsession and the control that the men in this book so obviously exude was awful. Perhaps this is why I enjoyed it. There is no white knight in this book. There is no one person that can be redeemed. Each character if flawed and needs years and lifetimes of therapy. They are all products of the lives they were given, the lives they have chosen and the way in which they live.

Through it all Jake and Bethany fall in love. I truly believe their love is real. It is dysfunctional and honestly not in either's best interest but nonetheless, real. They love with completeness and yearn for each other. It is as though they each give the other meaning to want a better life. The question remains ... can they make a better life or is what they've learned the only life they will lead?

We are set up for what is going to be a very violent and emotional read. The secrets and betrayals will be like no other. I'll be there to witness it all.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review Coming

[100sweet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was waiting anxiously for this series to be complete so I can begin reading it. I have only read one book by this author and have to say I love the way she writes her heroes. So why only 3 stars? z

First, I'll start with the cons:
- h's low self esteem and poor confidence was annoying.
- the other woman drama is a huge pet peeve of mine, especially baby mama drama.
- the pregnancy storyline with the h seemed forced and the story would have been better without it.
- story dragged and was a bit slow at some points.
- TOO much crazy drama and soap opera type twists which hurt the story.

What I loved:
- the H; Jake was so possessive, jealous, protective, and obsessed with the h.
- the sex scenes are so DAMN freak'n GOOD. This author really knows how to write them!!

Lauren Crossley is a serious talent. I will be jumping into the next book immediately.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free download. Well I wasn't sure what to expect but I did really enjoy this story. It was difficult to empathise as I haven't been in the position Bethany was in but its well written so you can get right into her mindset. I did find her a bit annoying, I kind of wanted her to get angry and push back, but she's left herself weak by never standing up to her father. Her life is totally controlled by her father, who is a bully and a hateful man. I wanted to hit him for her, and the way he treats her mother. Both Bethany and her mother have no life, and no say what so ever. When she meets Jake, everything seems to turn around for her, but she still doesn't stand up for herself, Jake however is the opposite, he's a force of nature with a very possessive personality, and capable of protecting those he cares about. He has his own issues and history. Their relationship is so fierce, loving, obsessive, hot and all consuming, they need each other but their relationship has lots of twists and turns creating a huge amount of angst. Their are many reasons that you fall in and out of love with Jake, but Jake and Bethany can't seem to get enough of each other, even when they are angry at one another their passion ignites making for interesting reading. This story has many characters, the ones you love and the ones you absolutely hate, these hateful characters are going to make the second novel grip worthy and I can't wait. The story gives you an extreme amount of rage toward the people who are intent of hurting and ripping Jake and Bethany apart, the story will hopefully have the finale we all want, but I would imagine we are in for a ride before that happens. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys a story full of everything.

[Kasumi Ren · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was WAY TOO LONG. And nothing too important was happening.

I didn't like the hero. He was explosive in an angry and stupid way. And I hated the heroine. She was always crying and never even had a backbone. A rapist appears and she lies there and thinks, 'It will happen, I just won't think about it.'

It was too much repetitive. Girl's curiosity, guy's hesitance, girl's insistence, she walks away and wallows in misery, he gets mad, they make up - cycle.

I can't believe there is a book 2. I doubt I'd read it.

In the last few chapters, other POV's suddenly appeared. The dad's, the ex-girlfriend and even the drunken pervert without a name had one. I know the author wanted to tease on what the next book was about, but it didn't work for me.

1/5

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Love at first sight....multiple times! Bethany is a spectacularly innocent beauty (unknown to her) that every man wants. She falls for Jake who is obsessed with her. Her overbearing father has raised her in a prison, abusing her mentally and emotionally. Bethany and Jake become closer after her dad leaves town for a few weeks. Jake has to deal with a dirty past and Bethany has problems coming to terms with his past. Danger lurks everywhere and both Jake and Bethany are unaware of those planning them harm. So many complications leave you wanting to get to the next book. This book needs extensive editing, but overall it was a good read.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

WOW! I swear it feels like yearS since I've read this! I just noticed it on my Kindle and though, oh my, it was a cliffy and I forgot about it since it's been FOREVER! This was a long a** (excuse me) book! It crossed me as creepy, childish at times, and slow BUT I think Jake is alpha of all alpha's. I have never come across one like him and I think that's why I want to read #2, of course the ending but I want more of that mouth. I can't believe how much longer I have to wait!
Hey there Jake... I'll be here waiting :)

[Kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know what I was thinking when I purchased this book I purchase so many free books that catch my attention so I had put this book on the back burner....Which was a huge mistake! This Love story about Bethany and Jake is the sweetest love story, I dont want to give the story away but I strongly recommend this love story it will make cry and make your heart squeeze when you read the love Jake feels for Bethany I very disappointed I have to wait for the sequel I need more much more!!

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unreal, but I'm not sure if it's good or bad.

Jake's anger is so extreme, maybe a bit to extreme to be real. I love how protective he is over Bethany but at he same time he seems a bit too suffocating. He sees her as a piece of property and it's just confusing because isn't that why she resented her father? This book was good and I really enjoyed it but I couldn't help but question what statement Jake and Bethany's relationship is trying to make.

[Parminder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, I loved and enjoyed this book so much! I don't usually write reviews but I had to with this one because I really did like it and Jake was so likeable. He is the perfect alpha male and you can tell he loves Bethany. Bethany seems confused....I hope she makes the right decision in the second book. I can't wait to read the second part and I hope she makes the right decisions....I love Jake, and I would definitely read this book again.

[Donna Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

I don't even know where to start. The words in this story really make you think. I honestly have never read anything like this. The intensity of this book is the only way I can think of to describe how I felt reading it. So much is going on and it's amazing all the twists and turns this story takes. Definitely not your typical love story but an excellent read.

[Veronica245]

If this was half it's size, I may have considered finishing it. But the thought of 600 pages of this gave me the hives...

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read.

Very interesting. Definitely had me hooked. Lots crazy and interesting things happening. Wondering what will happen in the second book.

[Slide224 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved It!!!

[Srishti Ghosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book dat I have ever read. Just waiting patiently for d nxt book

[James N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it, too many cliffhangers Can't wait for the next book

[Mustlovebooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is a nut case!

The main character Bethany lives with her mom and dad. Dad is so controlling and over protective. Bethany meets this great guy and starts falling in love, at least I think? I don't know. She is a nut case! She freaks out repeatedly for things he has done, but in the past, long before he even knew her. She is obsessive, jealous, whiny, bat shit crazy, and annoying. He, the main dude, Jake, is also possessive, jealous, and a little crazy. But he does worship her and tries to constantly reassure her. Something happens (I don't want to say what it is) but she is all for it one minute and than trying to hook up with another dude and says she is not sure if she is for it. The same day she wants to hook up with her old buddie, she sees him talking to a girl and freaks that in the past before he knew her, they had been together. She freaks! Yes, the same day she tries to hook up with a dude. , she gets jello he is talking to a woman, at his job. Its constant "I can't be with you, I am running away from you, oh wait, I am changed my mind", she is psychotic and I am not sure if the author wanted you to like her or hate her? I hated her. I will read the next one, cause I am hoping something happens to her, maybe involuntary commitment? I don't know. I really can't figure it out. Go for it and read it. There was a lot I had to skip through cause it did seem tedious. Hmmm. I think I am kinda stumped for the first time on how I feel about the book.

[Roridy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Always & Forever" is a romantic film that tells the love story between a young man and a young woman who face adversity to be together. With an emotional atmosphere and convincing performances, the film captures the intensity of youthful feelings and the struggle for true happiness. It's a love story that will especially resonate with audiences who enjoy romantic dramas with a touch of emotional realism.

[Isabella Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

CUTE!

[Alexandraa XX · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the first one because its really good in many ways. The second one I didn’t read it because many says it doesn’t have a happy ending which I’m really sad about. I really like that the guy from this novel is very sweet to her and he is very possessive towards her in a sweet way. He get jealous so fast but seriously in a sweet way. He cherish the girl because the girl is a virgin and he really loved that the girl is a virgin, he adores her virginity which I don’t get in most novels these days. The first book which is this one, it’s a good one. And also the girl is very good too, she doesn’t have a lot of experience in relationships but she really do loved the guy. Okay thats it :)

I didn’t read the second book of this because many said that the hero died in the second book and there are so many unsafe things that’s happening there so I didn’t give my time to read it… the author did say that the book was not a promise happy ending one so i think its not really worth it tho because the story from the first book right here is actually so great but it turns out to be a sh*thole so quick and so annoying in the second book and not happy ending as well…

Trigger: depression, killing, controlling and abuse.

🌐🌐🌐➡️↘️⬇️➡️This is my own personal thoughts and opinion about the book so if thats not sit right with you or you feel I’m not being fair blablabla, please know that everybody in this world have their own different things that they like and don’t like. It may not be the same thing with you but thats okay because i am my own person and you cannot control me or tell me what to do. For example; i put ketchup (tomato sauce) on my fried chicken. You think that’s disgusting? For me its not and i’ve been eating it like that for many many years. You tell me to put another sauce and see if i like that better? I already did many many times in years but i still like the way i like it. It’s called differences between me and you and billions people in this world😊 be open minded😙 I respect people’s opinions about my opinions but in the end of the day if i say I don’t like it or i do like it, its up to me and its on me. And in the end of the day i always liked and show my respect to books and people’s opinions on books whenever that book is good or not good in my opinion 😊 Respect people’s opinions guys😙😙 I don’t want to write this down because its not really my thing to do it. To like address something like this when obviously i know the people who’s been reading my reviews many times and all the time, they are smart enough to understand and respect other people’s opinions no matter what their opinions on book or their point of view 😙😙 am i right? 💕 also there are people even though i already write “this book is different because i have my own taste of book” those people still comment my taste is this and that when HELLO… everybody have their own thoughts on books and what they want to read… why i read it then? I read it and give it a review because i have to read a book to give it a review… why not read the description book to understand before I’m going to read it? Hello just in case you haven’t notice, description books can be tricky because they write this amazing things about a book but turns out the story is so toxic. Maybe for me its toxic but not for you? YES HELLO THATS WHY US HUMAN BEING HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES, WHAT I LIKE IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU WILL LIKE IT AND EITHER WAY TOO. why i still write the review then if i just don’t like a book? Because I CAN and i want to, you cannot tell me what to do and not what to do🤪 if you still wants to be negative and be karens about my review on book after all of what i just write, i will never acknowledge you and simply ignore you because its not that hard🙏 ⬅️↖️↕️⬅️↩️⤴️

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst book I ever read. I really am not a big fan of writing bad reviews but honestly this book tested my patience. The fact that it was agonizingly long the heroine Bethany was so annoying I wanted to strangle her at the end of the book. Mousy doesn't begin to describe her. Her indecisiveness with Cullum( I don't care about him) was grating and painful. She doesn't want the baby that is kind of understandable(this is coming from someone who is unapologetically pro life) however the way she is going on with Cullum is just arggghhhhhh!!!! I don't get the angst undecided bit, there are many other ways to bring that to surface.

Didn't care much for hero Jake either he is just as bad. Going caveman when someone even looks at her. I understand this is the authors first book and that she considers the hero to be possessive, however, there is a fine line between being possessive and plain creepy, abusive weirdo. The guy wanting to murder someone is scary and frankly mousy girl doesn't need that. I wont be reading the next book considering this one made me feel stupid by reading it. Although the writing style o the author is good. Maybe if the set was of historical romance it perhaps would have made some sense.

The good thing about the whole book was that it was free, other than that this was waste of my time.

Will I read the next book? Not unless I was chained to a tree with 1000 ants crawling on me and someone reading this out aloud to me...on second thoughts I still wouldn't.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

My opinion of this book -- Way too long. Way too many dysfunctional characters. Too many narrators for my taste. I really could not find many redeeming qualities in any character - Bethany moved from one life as a prisoner to another life as a prisoner -- each life with a psycho and violent person. 900 pages is way too long for the story not to have finished in this book, in my opinion. I skipped a lot of pages in this book to try to get the plot development pieces -- I stuck through it until the end because I did want to see how Jake and Bethany ended up - only to find it is was not in the book - probably will not read part 2, I am sad to say.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like to write a negative review of someone's hard work. I do believe the author put a lot of blood sweat and tears into writing this book. But to be 877 pages long and end as a cliff hanger I was quite disappointed. There wasn't an ending to any part of the story which was rather annoying. I will not be looking for the next chapter in 2015 unfortunately. I wish the author more luck in their next story. I do agree with some previous reviews that pretty much every character needs therapy.

[LeinF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't mind all the grammatical errors, seeing as this was a self publish book. But all I can say is that the main heroine came off really stupid, and annoying. She made way too many stupid decision and end up in a terrible position. However I am looking forward to the next book. Hope the author release it sooner then the estimated date.