Love You Forever

La Fleur de Lis Trilogy #1

by Cortni Marie

St. Louis was a damned city to begin with…and now it's a city full of the damned.

For Izzy Ciampi, it’s home. One focused on navigating the landscape of professional academia, balancing the personalities of her found family, the infamous Campi di Fragole mob, and avoiding the ever looming threat of vampires in the shadows. That is until The Society comes lurking into town and hunting down one her. As she gets pulled deeper into the trenches of their sudden appearance, she starts to question her reality and worse, who to trust in this city of deceitful souls.

Noah Broussard is running from his past while trying to maintain the slipping grip on his morality. Entranced by a fellow researcher with a proclivity for danger, his ability to choose survival above all else falters. When he starts to find himself in the same scenarios that pushed him to escape to St. Louis in the first place, he must decide to either protect the only place that has ever felt like home or run like he always has before.

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2024

About the author

Cortni left the Midwest after years of looking for escape only to end up right back in it, living a romance novel life with her partner, their two dogs, and a menace of a horse.
One day, she dreams of writing full time but until then, she's forced to pay a fee to Apple every month to house her extensive backlog of ideas in the Notes and Voice Memos on her phone.

IG: @authorcortnimarie
Bluesky: @authorcortnimarie.bsky.social

Reviews

[Momma T's Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampires and a slow burn. Starting in New Orleans had me going back to my "TVD and The Originals" days. It's easy to follow and has a great plot line.

[Karen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love You Forever
by Cortni Marie

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was honored to beta read this book for Cortni a few months ago and it’s so awesome getting to read and review the finished product! This story was captivating, detailed, and written so beautifully!

Love You Forever is an urban fantasy romance set in St. Louis where our FMC, Izzy Ciampi, lives as an anthropologist and researcher for the university. St. Louis is no longer the city it used to be and is getting taken over by vampires all because of Emilien Dumas, a French scientist, who found that the cure to his dying wife’s illness was vampirism. This was decades ago and now, being a vampire has become a social status for those who can afford it. Those who can’t? They can either choose to be a donor, or risk their lives by avoiding the change and The Society— the vampires and their leader, Emilien.

Izzy is well-prepared and learns how to protect herself the best way she can; with weapons and her quick wit. Trained and under the protection of Lando, the Italian mobster who’s become like family, Izzy is thrown for a loop when an anonymous package arrives for her at work— a very old book that may be The Ramblings of Charlemagne. Having lost her family just before The Society came to town, she’s made her own family with her coworker Barry, and Lando’s gansters Vagahn and Charlie. Vagahn is like the brother she never had and Charlie is the handsome, brooding ex that she can never seem to get away from.

Noah Broussard is a charming, southern gentleman from New Orleans and is a new resident to STL. He and Izzy meet at the university where he works as a research fellow. Their chemistry is instant but Izzy can’t help but feel he’s keeping secrets; secrets that could get them killed. Noah is running from his past but feels connected to Izzy and, while fighting his inner demons and the secrets that he’s keeping, decides to help Izzy figure out and translate the mystery behind the package she received.

They train together, eat together, and spend time together… but Izzy keeps feeling like something is missing. The slow burn between Izzy and Noah is beautiful and I loved getting to see how their relationship grew and changed. The way that Izzy loves and will do literally anything for those she considers family is amazing, as you see with her relationships with both Barry and Vagahn. There is hilarious brother/sister type banter and some witty comments that had me laughing out loud!

Love You Forever is book one in the La Fleur de Lis trilogy, with book two coming out next year! This book ends on a cliffhanger so be prepared!! If you’re like me, you’ll probably shed a tear during this book because Cortni really knows how to rip your heart out and stab it with a dagger!

[The Sewist's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐
1 🌶️


Love You Forever is an urban paranormal story set in post-apocalyptic(ish) St. Louis. While trying to save his wife Adette from dying, Emilien Dumas accidentally disovers how to become immortal- through vampirism. Except vampires have slowly started to take over. Now in the present, the MCs, Izzy and Noah have been pulled into the fray when The Society shows up in town.


I struggled with what rating to give this book, going to between a 3 and 4. Ultimately I decided that due to the excellent writing and the extensive background/world building that it deserved a 4. However for me, this was a 3 star read. I’m pretty sure the reason I wasn’t as interested in it had more to do with me, my expectations/preferences and just my life at the moment. I don’t think it’s fair to penalize the author because I’m too busy to give this book my full attention.


I usually prefer actual romance stories- so ones more focused on the relationship/getting together. And specifically right now all I want is soft/fluffy/low substance/formulaic romance. 😂 This is more of a vampire novel with a romance side plot. It’s also a slow burn which is not my fave. There is a lot of world building and back story which is well done but I felt like it dragged. It also took me a while to feel like I understood what was happening and it was hard to follow so a lot of the story didn’t make sense until the end. I would say at about 60% is when I started to follow it. It also ends on a cliffhanger which was frustrating lol. (But I will definitely read the second book at some point because I do wants to know what happens)


So, as I said this was a 3 star read for me, but I think the quality is there so it’s really a 4+ star read for people who know what to expect and like this story type.

[Ashlie Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love a thrilling ride through a city where mobsters and vampires lurk around every corner, then Love You Forever is a must-read! Izzy Ciampi is no damsel in distress—she’s too busy balancing academic life with her found family of mobsters and dodging vampires like it’s just another day in St. Louis (which, let’s be honest, it probably is). Enter Noah Broussard, a broody researcher with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time—and falling for the right girl. Their chemistry crackles like lightning over the Gateway Arch as they dive headfirst into a whirlwind of deception, danger, and some seriously steamy tension.

With witty dialogue, unexpected twists, and just enough mob-vampire intrigue to keep you on your toes, this book is a perfect cocktail of suspense, romance, and supernatural chaos. Buckle up—this one’s a wild ride!

[Emily Saint-Evens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. For a vampire romance novel, it is very literary fiction to me which personally I love, but the reason for my rating is because of the combo of plot and the writing. I love the authors use of historical elements of the city tied into the storyline, it really helped world building, especially for the end (I don't want to spoil so I'll leave it at that). The writing made the characters real for me, and I love that they're not paper dolls, they have a lot of depth. I've seen a lot of people comment on this as a slow burn, which it is but I don't think it would deter those who enjoy a faster burn. It's hard to write a review without spoiling a great storyline but if your favorite books are vampires mixed with a definite vibe of a cool historical city setting amply sprinkled with romance, then you'll read this and be happy you did.

[Cortni · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author, I've read this book more times than any other book 😅 and listen to me when I say, the ending gets me every time. It's full of morally grey mafia found family, medical miracle gone wrong vampires, and some truly satisfying slow burn spice. And ACTION ACTION ACTION!

I can't wait for you to meet me in St. Louis and experience it all for yourself 😊

[Madeeha Idrees]

Ahhhh back to vampires and I'm loving it!

I have been a huge fantasy girlie and have not read a vampire-centered book in a bit, so this was so great to read!

I love the relationships between the characters, and the author's writing to name a few. If you love vampire and slow-burn I HIGHLY recommend it for all!

[Smutty Demi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I prefer fast burn, so this book has more of a slow burn which took some getting used to for me, although in retrospect it was worth it! I'm a big fan of vampires, so that was a good thing with this book. Recommended!

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good book. Well written and I really liked the story and I was very intressed while reading it. Amazing author as well. Did an amazing story.

[Kori Arkfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the pleasure of knowing Cortni (on social media but still) and I was so excited to read her book. I am so glad I did. The timeline between chapters was confusing at times and sometimes the plot bounced around but overall this was a cool, spicy, fun vampire read. The death killed me and she has said that book 2 is worse. I’m ready!

[Jess Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new spin on vampires set in the Midwest with ties to New Orleans - the worldbuilding in Love You Forever hooked me right from the start! Vampirism is tied to immortality, but it comes at a price only the wealthy can afford. People like our spitfire MC Izzy can only arm themselves and avoid stepping outside at night to avoid the new society of vampires taking over their city. When Izzy receives an unexpected & mysterious package, it becomes impossible for her to avoid the vampires on her heels. The new guy on campus, Noah, tries to help, but he is pulled right into her dangerous life.

It’s been months since I read the final version of this book (and even longer since I had the amazing opportunity to beta read an earlier draft!) and these characters still live in my head. The slow burn between Izzy and Noah gets me. Banter with Izzy’s friends Barry and Vahagn will have you cackling. If you’re looking to scratch the nostalgic itch with an urban fantasy about vampires but want something new, say with mafia and mayhem in the mix, look no further.