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The Forever Kiss: a novel of Erotic Romance
There is desire in deception. . .
On a bloody Victorian battlefield, the penniless soldier of fortune, Dar St. Onge, has just been recruited for a covert mission to uncover the dark secrets of a mysterious family by taking the place of its dying heir, Ducas Sangbourne, a man who looks enough like him to be his twin.
. . .lust behind fear. . .
From the moment he arrives at Sangbourne Manor, Dar enters a world of unimagined privilege and wealth, where every decadent craving is gratified, every erotic fantasy is fulfilled, and the sins of the past simmer just below the surface. Dar must navigate a minefield of things he doesn't know, and raw emotions he's never felt before to even scratch the surface of the secrets of Sangbourne Manor. But nothing can prepare him for the half-gypsy Angene, who is determined to become Ducas's mistress. Wholly feminine, exotically beautiful, and too suspicious of him by far, she has the power to destroy him--when she isn't bringing him to his knees with her warm, willing sensuality. . .
. . .and danger in total surrender.
Now, as darkness settles over Sangbourne Manor, a powerful and unholy menace is gathering force, an unnatural bloodlust that hides behind the veneer of society and threatens everything Dar has ever wanted. In this opulent world where everything has a price and no payment is too steep, two suspicious lovers will have to learn to trust each other as Dar battles body and soul to claim his woman and his destiny.
"Thea Devine continues to reign supreme as the divine queen of sensually spicy love stories." --"Affaire de Coeur"
"Thea Devine gives her fan exactly what they desire. She knows just the right sexual fantasies to tap into. . .There is no doubt that Ms. Devine intends to give bliss a new meaning." --"Romantic Times"
She's the hottest writer in the industry. "Romantic Times" calls her "The queen of erotic romance," and "Affaire de Coeur" hails her as "the divine mistress of sensual writing." She's Thea Devine, and she's the author of nineteen steamy historical romances (all published by Zebra Books), four novellas, and featured in the bestselling erotic romance anthologies, "Captivated, Fascinated, " and "All Through The Night." She also writes contemporary romance and is a long-time freelance manuscript reader."
On a bloody Victorian battlefield, the penniless soldier of fortune, Dar St. Onge, has just been recruited for a covert mission to uncover the dark secrets of a mysterious family by taking the place of its dying heir, Ducas Sangbourne, a man who looks enough like him to be his twin.
. . .lust behind fear. . .
From the moment he arrives at Sangbourne Manor, Dar enters a world of unimagined privilege and wealth, where every decadent craving is gratified, every erotic fantasy is fulfilled, and the sins of the past simmer just below the surface. Dar must navigate a minefield of things he doesn't know, and raw emotions he's never felt before to even scratch the surface of the secrets of Sangbourne Manor. But nothing can prepare him for the half-gypsy Angene, who is determined to become Ducas's mistress. Wholly feminine, exotically beautiful, and too suspicious of him by far, she has the power to destroy him--when she isn't bringing him to his knees with her warm, willing sensuality. . .
. . .and danger in total surrender.
Now, as darkness settles over Sangbourne Manor, a powerful and unholy menace is gathering force, an unnatural bloodlust that hides behind the veneer of society and threatens everything Dar has ever wanted. In this opulent world where everything has a price and no payment is too steep, two suspicious lovers will have to learn to trust each other as Dar battles body and soul to claim his woman and his destiny.
"Thea Devine continues to reign supreme as the divine queen of sensually spicy love stories." --"Affaire de Coeur"
"Thea Devine gives her fan exactly what they desire. She knows just the right sexual fantasies to tap into. . .There is no doubt that Ms. Devine intends to give bliss a new meaning." --"Romantic Times"
She's the hottest writer in the industry. "Romantic Times" calls her "The queen of erotic romance," and "Affaire de Coeur" hails her as "the divine mistress of sensual writing." She's Thea Devine, and she's the author of nineteen steamy historical romances (all published by Zebra Books), four novellas, and featured in the bestselling erotic romance anthologies, "Captivated, Fascinated, " and "All Through The Night." She also writes contemporary romance and is a long-time freelance manuscript reader."
282 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2003
About the author
Thea Devine
59 books69 followersThea Devine is the author of eighteen historical romances and four novellas, including her contributions to the Brava anthologies Captivated, Fascinated, and, most recently, All Through the Night. Devine lives with her husband of 35 years in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 18, 2018
There's a good plot buried somewhere in here, but it lacks focus. The vampire dynamic is a muddle; I liked the Iscariot stuff, yet it wastes too much time with repetitive & confused-identity sex, particularly in the middle third. And while it was a nice change that the leads didn't despise each other (TD is a big fan of hate!sex), I can't get over the unreasonable quantity. HTF does Dar keep boning Angene like 8 times overnight, then 4 more times in the morning? O__o
Anyway. Devine penned a better version of another ultra-goth fanged family in THE DARKEST HEART -- one where the vampirism isn't so convoluted & the sex doesn't overpower the story. This one bumbles around under the strain of pointless amnesia + overly-abundant nipple & penis action.
Anyway. Devine penned a better version of another ultra-goth fanged family in THE DARKEST HEART -- one where the vampirism isn't so convoluted & the sex doesn't overpower the story. This one bumbles around under the strain of pointless amnesia + overly-abundant nipple & penis action.
October 27, 2021
I would have given this a 4-star rating, except I realized I stopped reading this halfway through and skimmed it to the end. I enjoy the set-up of the doppleganger, especially when we find out a twist where that sets up an intriguing game of cat and mouse. I enjoy these types of suspense thriller plots where one person has to pretend to be another person for Life And Death Reasons. Because I enjoyed the initial premise, and I do like Dar and Angene together, I think this is readable and enjoyable for fans of Thea Devine.
However, it's not her best work. The plot is a little thin and veers towards horror pastiche towards the end (the atmosphere feels a little Halloween store quality, if you get what I mean), but it's not in a fun way like Sinful Secrets. The mystery feels vague, even for Devine, and the ending is a tad hurried.
However, it's not her best work. The plot is a little thin and veers towards horror pastiche towards the end (the atmosphere feels a little Halloween store quality, if you get what I mean), but it's not in a fun way like Sinful Secrets. The mystery feels vague, even for Devine, and the ending is a tad hurried.
January 6, 2018
Steamy, dark clever plot. Secret vampires? Which one is the real bad guy?
May 25, 2012
The plot centers around Ducas Sangbourne a military man who has apparently become a traitor to England. When he is dying, his superiors find a perfect look-a-like and send him on a clandestine operation to infiltrate Ducas's family estate to find evidence of wrong doing. Dar St. Onge is the man they send and he uses a tried but true gambit of amnesia to easily distract the family and enter the premises. When
I had a lot of trouble with this book. The plot is very convoluted and confusing as it is really difficult to keep track of who is doing what - Ducas or Dar. Also the number of missing words was unbelievable in a professionally edited manuscript and very distracting. Here are a few examples:
p.41 "They had make use of every minute."
p.55 "I have no good reason getup the enthusiasm you want."
p.101 "He had wanted her at that instant as much she had seemed to want Ducas."
p.247 "Couldn't begin comprehend it."
These go on and on throughout the entire book and remove your focus from the story.
There is a romance angle as well which is less than romantic and seems forced on all three sides. Also the stilted speech of all the characters made it seem as if they are acting in a play without proper rehearsal. Nothing flows properly, it just kinds of plods along jumping to conclusions without explanation of major details. This is definitely not an author I would read again.
I had a lot of trouble with this book. The plot is very convoluted and confusing as it is really difficult to keep track of who is doing what - Ducas or Dar. Also the number of missing words was unbelievable in a professionally edited manuscript and very distracting. Here are a few examples:
p.41 "They had make use of every minute."
p.55 "I have no good reason getup the enthusiasm you want."
p.101 "He had wanted her at that instant as much she had seemed to want Ducas."
p.247 "Couldn't begin comprehend it."
These go on and on throughout the entire book and remove your focus from the story.
There is a romance angle as well which is less than romantic and seems forced on all three sides. Also the stilted speech of all the characters made it seem as if they are acting in a play without proper rehearsal. Nothing flows properly, it just kinds of plods along jumping to conclusions without explanation of major details. This is definitely not an author I would read again.
February 13, 2010
Uhmmm... Horrible.
Terrible writing, no real story line, other than the incessant and crude sex scenes. I can completely understand why I found this book in the bargain bin of my local book store.
Don't get me wrong, I am far from prudish, and can appreciate a good steamy scene, but there normally has to be some form of romance,and emotional connection between the characters. However, even more important, it needs to accompany some form of 'intelligent' script.
This was a poorly, developed porn novel. Without any thing else, to keep you captivated. If I could have given it 0 stars, I would have.. Without a second thought.
Don't bother.
Terrible writing, no real story line, other than the incessant and crude sex scenes. I can completely understand why I found this book in the bargain bin of my local book store.
Don't get me wrong, I am far from prudish, and can appreciate a good steamy scene, but there normally has to be some form of romance,and emotional connection between the characters. However, even more important, it needs to accompany some form of 'intelligent' script.
This was a poorly, developed porn novel. Without any thing else, to keep you captivated. If I could have given it 0 stars, I would have.. Without a second thought.
Don't bother.
June 18, 2014
Hard to follow, repetitive (author has a limited vocabulary when it comes to "romance") poorly written. honestly, it made me question how it got to print with so many errors. The dialog, despite authors attempts to make it sound period accurate, falls very short. Although I completed the book (only for the fact that I feel the need to finish what I started) it was a waste of time.
October 26, 2010
This was an unexpected surprise, I picked it off the shelf because I liked the cover, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The attention to detail in the architecture and back story was good and I could picture things beautifully!
July 17, 2022
This book is absolute trash. Do not waste your time
Read
June 20, 2012loved it
October 30, 2014
It was my first vampire book..it was ok.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews