BOOK REVIEW: Forever Never by Lucy Score
“She was home. Home was safe. As long as no one in her other life figured out where to find her. This was where she would exorcise a few demons, heal a few broken bones, and come up with a plan to fix everything before it was too late. God, she hoped it wasn’t already too late.”
Thrilling. Angsty. Sizzling. Sweet. Forever Never by Lucy Score was such a great read in my opinion. It touches upon the romance that I look for in every book I read; and the romance here was sweet yet intense. A slow burn that you just wanted to see a happily ever after happen already! The story also touches upon mystery that I find so fun in a romance book. I especially love mystery when you are surprised by the outcome and didn’t expect what actually occurs, which I definitely was with this plot. Finally, I felt like I experienced several emotions while reading the story. I felt nervous for Brick, sad for Remi’s sister, excited and anxious for Brick and Remi together, and thrilled for the danger that was playing out. With all that said, I give Forever Never a 4 out of 5 star (book) rating! Let’s see why I gave it such a high rating!
Summary
You are not supposed to fall in love with your younger brother’s high school sweetheart, your boss’s daughter, or your ex-wife’s best friend. You are especially not supposed to fall for them when they’re all the same woman!
Brick Callan’s chest beats a very loyal heart that lets very few cracks find it. He is a steady, strong and, very often, an overprotective man. He is most especially overprotective when it comes to the one woman he knows he can never have. Theirs is a long, complicated history punctuated by fights, friendship, family, and an attraction that puts his iron willpower to the ultimate test.
When Remi Ford returns to Mackinac Island in the dead of winter with a broken arm and secrets in her eyes, Brick makes it his mission to find out what is putting the shadows in those beautiful, green eyes of hers. Even if it means letting her through the walls he’s built between them. Even if it means succumbing to the feelings for the one girl he’ll never get over.
Remi, a free-spirited artist, just needs to lay low in her hometown for a few weeks so she can find a way out of the nightmare she left behind. She’s definitely not staying on the island, not when the one man who broke her young heart into pieces keeps showing up at her parents’ dinner table trying to worm his way into her life and learn her secrets. Remi doesn’t need broody, bearded Brick riding to her rescue…again, like he always does. Not when it will put them both in danger, costing them much more than their hearts, possibly even their lives.
My Thoughts
First off...Mackinac Island. The author depicted this island so beautifully that my imagination ran wild. I think I need to add this island to my list of places I would like to visit. It sounds wonderful! I have always been fascinated by small towns where everyone knows one another. To imagine this island, where there are, if I remember correctly, around 500 people living on the island during the winter "off season" months is so amazing to me!
Now, for this frenemies-to-lovers story. I will try not to give away too many spoilers in case I entice any of you to check it out for yourselves! Brick and Remi are the main characters (and love interests) who first met years ago when Remi was a young girl and Brick a few years older than her. Even at these younger ages, the chemistry and attraction between the two could easily be felt when the author would give us a chapter depicting the characters at a younger age. These snippets of their background connection are spread throughout the story and the way the author gives you a little look into their past memories leaves you wanting to know more and more of where the pain and heartache Remi feels comes from, and the responsibility and wanted, but also unwanted, desire that Brick feels toward Remi. Learning about their past throughout the story gives us more insight to why they both have this feeling of unworthiness for each other and both want to be the hero in each other’s stories.
Present day, Brick is just going about his normal business when he learns that Remi is back on the island, which leaves him feeling flustered and unsure. When he runs into her, he sees that she is hiding something, and she is not her usual self. Brick is now determined to find out what is going on with Remi, just as Remi is determined to not let anyone, especially Brick, in on the danger she is in. I really enjoyed this aspect of the storyline. You learn pretty quickly that Remi is in danger but you don’t know why, you don’t know how, and you are not sure of how her friend who is in the hospital ties into the story. I love when there is a good mystery to the romance. I find that it adds a lot of entertainment and leaves me on the edge of my seat wanting to get to the end so I learn who is the bad guy, who is the killer (when there is a killer), where is the twist to the story, etc. Lucy Score is definitely able to give us more than just romance. She provides us with that good brain teaser where you are trying to figure out what is going on with the clues she leaves throughout the book.
Knowing about the danger that Remi is in, I love that Brick was and wanted to be a safe place for her. I found it interesting that Remi felt safest, not with her parents (who are both loving and supportive of her), not in her sister (who she seemed to have a close relationship with at one point), but with Brick, the man that caused her the biggest heartbreak she has ever felt. What does that say about their connection? That even though he hurt her in the worst way, he was the one she knew she could rely on at any time. And when they finally give in to their attraction? The sizzle and excitement you feel for them is off the charts. You are happy yet nervous for them knowing that Brick feels so undeserving and not good enough. Knowing this comes from the trauma of his childhood, you hope that Remi is able to prove to him that he is good enough - that he is perfect just the way he is. I liked that when push comes to shove, Remi stood up against him and worked to prove that he was enough for her.
There is more to this story than just a love story between two people. We read through and experience a woman trying to escape an abusive connection, families who are living life and working through the everyday real-life struggles of marrying the wrong person or marrying too young and the outcomes of that, and the dynamics of a very small, close-knit town. There is so much to unpack for all types of readers. I was sucked into the storyline from the very beginning and I found an author that I can’t wait to read more of from!
I hope this review piqued your interest in Forever Never! If you’d like to see what I’m reading now, check out my Goodreads or follow us on Instagram and Facebook! If you’re excited to see what other topics we’ll be covering in the coming months, make sure to subscribe. Thanks for reading with me!