Rozberry🍓's Reviews > Forever Never

2.75 stars *(I explain at the end)

{what follows is admittedly a rambly one & I probably could do better. Honestly, I’m just ready not to think about this one anymore. So below is more of a reminder to myself why I won’t be rereading this, to air out my grievances…just a smidge 😉 & cut to the chase << might be spoilery, so fyi.}

Before I do that & say anything about this book, Forever Never, let me preface the following by saying I still view Lucy Score as a very talented writer and I still have every intention of reading more of her books. Until proven otherwise, I have a feeling there’s a good possibility Forever Never is just an anomaly. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like she was trying something here & it just didn’t work…at least for me. I’m most certainly not trying to dissuade anyone from the rest of her books. My previous LS reads were some of the better reads I’ve had this year.

BUT back to this book…

…SO I’m just going to say it…

📌 The “hero” was a pu$$y through most of the first half & in pretty much all of the flashbacks. He’s also a dick majority of the time — so multi talented, isn’t he? 🤦🏻‍♀️— . He rejects the heroine not once, but over & over…AND OVER again. Often it’s not gently either. It may not be publicly, but on more than one occasion, it’s still humiliating nonetheless. All on the grounds of a sorry ass martyr act excuse. Including marrying her hs bff to distance himself from her so he could hide from their feelings & attraction. Then there’s all the bullshit of basically being angry at her for tempting his restraint or not behaving how he thinks is best, & wanting to “punish” her or “teach her a lesson” for it. Not to mention, his frequent sporting of a steel rod in his pants at the slightest provocation in those situations between them. Seriously, he has no more control than a barely pubescent boy over his erections. As if his near constant angry woody was really supposed to be complimentary & solves all problems 😂. I wasn’t even through the first half before those earned my reaction of this >> 🙄 & then this >> 🤦🏻‍♀️. The repetitiveness became so so cringy.

📌 The whole “ special snowflake ” shtick got old fast. I mean I’m all for unique/quirky heroines, but you lose me pretty quick when it crosses into “special snowflake” territory. Especially when others resorted to spiteful behavioral responses to it & blamed her for it. She isn’t a favorite heroine of mine (I’m neither here nor there on her honestly), but WTF! Grow up ppl. She is not responsible for their insecurities. She wasn’t being manipulative or a bully about it either. I cringed so hard when the heroine took it upon herself to apologize to her backstabbing hs bff not only slept with the hero, but married him. WTF! I just can’t with her making up with hero after a pretty damaging fight in the second half like it wasn’t his fault.

📌 Not into the romantic partner musical chairs. Yes, there are exceptions once in awhile, but here’s a big ol’ NOPE.

📌 The “forbidden” elements were never validated. Piling up obstacles that have no real weight is 😴. Seriously, why bother?

📌 dom/sub vibe in the bedroom just isn’t my cuppa. Not critique(so long as both are mutually consenting adults, which they were). Just a preference, or lack thereof one for it, I guess.

📌 Too much smut. If you’ve looked at my GR shelves, you’re probably side-eyeing me 👀. Believe me, I’m there with you reading my own words, but the sheer volume just downplayed the romance & the plot too often in the second half. So much so I actually began skipping parts of the love scenes — if not all together later on. It felt so “wash, rinse & repeat” along with their kink just not being mine. {“hero” is POed at the heroine, instant steel rod in his pants, & they screw, then repeat.}

📌Nothing wrong with a long romance book(I love some of them actually), but here Forever Never specifically, could’ve easily been trimmed 75 pages minimum from the story & it wouldn’t have altered or suffered any.

Now what worked — yes! something worked…
📌 Perhaps not the most unpredictable, but the tension of the suspense element was well built up & kept me hanging in there all throughout.

*So 2.75 stars for suspense & although the story wasn’t for me, LS’s writing style is still a pleasing one to read.