Rating: 
Summary: Not Her Best, But Not The Worst Either!!
Review: This is not the best story that Ms. Deveraux has written but it is not the worst either. Darci T. Monroe was a kick. She was funny and quirky. This is another story about Ms. Deveraux's Montgomery Clan. I found it to be entertaining and fast paced. The charaters were fun, the storyline although out there was also entertaining. Don't expect this book to be like her older stories or you will be let down. Judge this book on the basis of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Superficial fairy-tale ending
Review: Not that I don't love fairy tales and the "happily ever after," but this ending just didn't taste sweet - it tasted of strong artificial sweeteners. What happened? I liked the characters, I thought the story line was interesting and there were a lot of tunnels through the book (the witches have a coven where there are many tunnels...well, the book had a lot of different ideas running off in different directions which I thought was interesting, but many of them dead-ended and didn't go anywhere), but instead of allowing a tunnel or two to lead into a gold mine, we are supposed to be satisfied with being yanked out of the story a step before the peak of action begins? What's up with that? I was holding my breath when the characters were just an exhale away from confronting the witch and her followers and finding the captive children... then I was shocked to turn the page and see "One year later" instead of being allowed the privilege of "seeing for yourself" what happens with the "final battle." What a letdown; we have to hear what happens "after the fact." And the resolution just seemed too simple - too easy. This is only the 2nd Jude Deveraux book I've read and I'm not sure if I'll pick up another - The Summerhouse was excellent, but Forever sure won't stick with me forever.
Rating: 
Summary: what the hell...?
Review: Possibly Jude's worst ever book. I was the first in the queue for this book at the library and eagerly collected it when it came in. It was unimaginably bad. I have never hated a heroine as much as I hated Darci T Monroe and I hoped fervently that she would be killed off by the witch. No such luck though. She was an idiot, a selfish little piece of trailer trash and a freeloader. She constantly accepts money from our hero (very nondescript and dull Montgomery - not a patch on Mike Taggert.) She is hired for a job (on $100K per year mind you) and treats it like a joke. I know that if I had zero skills and was offered a $100K a year job, I certainly would be as professional and competent as possible, even if I did believe my employer was eccentric. Not her. On their first expedition down to the caves she is more interested in candy bars and making noise. She lets him buy her bagfuls of clothing from an exclusive boutique because she won't spend the $300 (!!!) he hands her in cash to buy something warm. (Which, might I add, she pockets). Then she goes into a trance because she's received new clothes (at which we women readers are supposed to nod and chuckle and think 'Yep I can relate' - Puhleease) and nearly gets hit by a car. Plus all the women in the hotel come to see her showing the clothes off. For God's sake Jude, could we please be a mite more realistic??? What on earth did Adam see in her? I was practically snarling with dislike.
The ending was much too glossed over. Did JD get bored writing this book and suddenly decided to finish it? Not that I would blame her for that.
Additionally I was appalled by the description of what happened to Adams parents. What the..? Charming. Especially his mum. Nothing like that is supposed to happen to a Montgomery. Lets hope she won't bring out a book about their romance, as it would leave a sour taste in your mouth, knowing what becomes of them.
Rating:
Summary: Mirror Mirror on the Wall........
Review: Ms. Deveraux should have looked in her bewitching mirror and seen how many fans she was going to disappoint with this book. Don't waste your money or your time on this one! (I guess I should have bought that hot fudge sundae instead)!
Rating:
Summary: what happened?
Review: There really should be a rating of less than 1 star. I have always been a die-hard fan of Jude Deveraux. If I meet someone new to the genre I tell them to go read Jude Deveraux as fast as they can. But this book should be stricken from the record.One of the reasons that I enjoy Deveraux so much is her attention to detail and the research that she obviously puts into books. Well. Hmph. I don't know if she had to write this on a strict deadline or if someone forced her to write this at gunpoint, because this book lacks research as well as the well-developed characters that usually characterize her books. Despite a myriad of little details that add to a general bad taste in the mouth, the major bone I have to pick with the book is Deveraux's insistence in equating witchcraft with evil. All she had to do was about 10 minutes of research on google to realize that witchcraft is a part of a variety of religions in which practitioners would be offended at being called evil. Of course the novel is meant to be a fairy tale, so I could have forgiven Deveraux for her lack of research if the plot had been riveting. Nope. Again, as a fairy tale, you should be willing to suspend your disbelief. However, the plot lacks organization - seeming rushed in some sections and way too slow in others. Honestly, I really don't care how much Darci eats. (What is this fascination with food? In the Mulberry Tree the main character obsessed about NOT eating even as she made gobs of food.) Fairy tales, though seemingly simple, are actually full of symbolism and underlying themes that were only hinted at in this book. To add to the lackluster plot are boring and unlikeable characters that are less like fairy tale figures and more like talk-show rejects. Only my respect for Jude Deveraux, brought by years of reading her books, made me finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: Darci T. Monroe belongs in the Heroine Hall of Shame!
Review: I think this is going down in my book as the worst novel of 2002. J.D. has always been a mixed bag for me. Rememberance, the Dutchess, The Maiden, and an Angel for Emily I deplore, but I've really enjoyed the Princess, the Raider, and Temptation. I've heard a lot of die-hard fans complain about how she's lost her touch. I've read some really asinine stories in my day but this one takes the cake. I only got to the half way point before it went careening into my bedroom wall.
Where to begin... I'll start at the prologue. An old woman tells a child a scary story about an evil witch-lady and a magic mirror. It took me a few chapters to realize this is the back story. Maybe because its told like a fairytale it makes the villianess so one-deminsional and over the top, the Coyote from the roadrunner cartoons looks credible in comparision. Yes, she's evil and dispicable but she's evil an a generic sort of way.
The plot is dumb. Okay, maybe the premise isn't dumb, but the execution is handled so terribly... Adam Montgomery hires a young woman with special powers to help him investigate a witches' coven to find answers about his missing parents. The coven operates in the open, they are known to be evil, everyone knows their behind some murders but the law doesn't go after them. Adam and Darci are supposed to be undercover, but the first thing they do is start asking random people about said evil coven. Hello! Subtlity anyone? Even more shocking is that the townspeople are willing to talk candidly about the coven that has been murdering random people and getting away with it! If an evil coven with so much power was really terrorizing the populace I think they'd be scared to death.
The worst element is definitely Darci T. Monroe. In my romance reading career I've read about alot of braindead, irritating dingbats but they all look like saints in comparison to Darci. What we have here is a spoiled, dishonest, manipulative, childish brat with no moral compass whatsoever. Darci is the biggest liar I've ever seen. She lies about everything even when it's not nessecary. She lies in the first chapter and lies at least once ever chapter! She uses her True Persuasion for her own personal gain. She uses it to make Adam give her the job and used to use it to blackmail people. She said she's never used it to hurt anyone, but on the next page she tells a story about how she used to get a man arrested and make him lose his house! She repeatly acts like a five-year-old. Her personal history is convoluted.
Adam is sort of a wimp. I can't believe he (or anyone for that matter) could fall for Darci Big-Mean-Liar Monroe.
Please avoid this book. I tried to find at least one good thing in what I managed to force myself to read but I truely couldn't.
Rating: 
Summary: great
Review: I loved this book. If you are looking for a typical hot and steamy romance novel this is NOT the one to buy. This is my first J. Deveraux book I ever read. I usually read the horror and mystery books but I wanted something with a touch of romance. I could not put this book down. I do have to say that I was a little disappointed with the ending. There were a lot of unanswered issues. Definatley give it a try if you are into witchcraft and mystery. I think romance novels ane usually boring but this is not a romance novel.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute Worst Book She has Written
Review: I'm a huge J.D. Fan but this book made me question my taste. To say it was awful is an understatement. The only reason I kept on reading it was to see if there was a "GOTCHA-- JUDE DIDN'T WRITE THIS" somewhere. Unfortunately there was nothing like that and I wasted a good 2 weeks of my time. Yes it took me 2 weeks to read this book because it was so bad. Normally it takes 2 days.
Rating:
Summary: not the best
Review: I am reading Forever now and am more than halfway done.
I am somewhat disappointed that there is not much in the way
of magic to the story. The romance is somewhat plain.
I recommended A Knight in shining Armor to a friend but,
this one is nowhere near as good.
Rating:
Summary: If Only I Could Have Used A Magic Mirror...
Review: If only I could have used a magic mirror such as the one centering this novel, I would have seen that Jude Deveraux's latest offering holds none of the emotionally evocative romance I remembered from books like 'Velvet Song' or 'Remembrance.' The writing contained no style, the plot did not develop any tension, and the character motivations seemed malnourished (though almost every chapter included gratuitous talk of food). The narrative lacked imagery, and the dialogue disappointed me highly - no wit, no spark, just flatness. I wasn't charmed by any of the characters, nor did I develop an interest in their untimate fates, which is just as well since Ms. Deveraux chose to skip what should have been the most climactic scene in the entire book and summarize its events in an epilogue chapter. 'Forever...' is definitely not worth the purchase. You're far better off reading an old favorite.
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