Published in January 29th 2013 by CreateSpace
530 Pages
ISBN: 1456527738

Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did.

Mafia books? Count me in! Forbidden romances? Hell yes... Lies after Lies mixing up in a intriguing story? You bet ya.  Sempre is a pure Badass that will get your head spinning with all of the twists and turns and truths... I loved it! It's full of deadly action, dry humor and cussing... definitely my type of book.

I really enjoyed this. The way the characters evolved and got to know each other and how they interacted due to their different past and education. I mean, we have Haven that's been a slave all of her life and deprived of the minimal things we take for granted and we have Carmine that is a spoiled troublemaker that cares only about starting troubles, and the only thing that they have in common is one big secret surrounding their mothers and the big mafia patrons... This is Big!

Sempre is a beautifully constructed book where everything appears in it's place just at the perfect timing... People who appear friends will turn on you and sometimes who appear foe will turn friend. It's a whole turn of events. There was just one thing that kept me from reading the book in one siting and had me taking several breaks... The book had too much unnecessary information and scenes, it jumped weeks at time and sometimes some chapters were there basically for nothing. I can even say that it was boring when there was just a  chapter on Carmine's bullshit and angriness or about how Haven was adjusting.


Carmine is someone we really have to learn to like because at the start he basically only cares about himself and gets into trouble. I was like: Oh no... But then he started to get to know Haven and started caring about her, always without losing the edginess he always caries. And I admit that I kind of liked him a lot because he couldn't finish a sentence without cussing... It was really funny. He has a really important tittle. He's the Principe of the Mafia, and since he was little many of his dad's co-workers expect him to go into the business but his father always tried to keep him out. So from here it forces him to have to face his future and make decisions that right or not are his to make. But Carmine never let us down in this book!

Scooting closer, his body pressed against hers as he brought his lips to her ear. “Ti amo tantissimo, mia bella ragazza.”

(...)

 “Just because some people see us that way doesn’t mean it’s what we are. We’ll overcome our labels together. They don’t matter; they don’t make us who we are. We make us who we are. Fuck those motherfuckers.”  

She laughed. “When did you get so smart?”  

“Baby, I’ve always been smart,” he said playfully. “I’m just lazy as hell and rarely show it.”

Haven was really difficult to get to know as well. She was a slave and she was used to having nothing until one day Dr.DeMarco bought her and took her in into his house where people started treating her like she was worth something after all. And that really made a different to that scared little girl. Most of the book we have her trying to learn how to live free and how to adapt. But that doesn't truly starts until she and Carmine start to get along which I though to be a bit bad because she is really dependent of him as a character. I didn't really liked her until the last part of the book because she was blah... Nothing special. But in the last part that girl showed what she was capable of and started talking more and saying what she was feeling, being mad and arguing and not letting people boss her around. THAT was an awesome Haven!

I’m surprised she hasn’t started cursing yet from hearing me.” 

“Oh, but she has,” Vincent said. “I overheard her.”  

Carmine turned to Haven. “What did you say?” She didn’t respond, and he sighed. “Come on, you can say it. Was it fuck? Because I say fuck a lot. Motherfucker? Shit? Asshole?”  

“I think that’s plenty,” Vincent said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The word doesn’t matter, but if you insist on knowing, she said ‘damn’.”  

“Oh, just damn? Not even goddamn?”

I want a book for Dominique! He's a great character that helped so much in the whole book. Him and Tess definitely deserved some main scenes! I AM SO MAD for Nicholas's ending!  He did not deserved that! He always tried to help Haven, was always adorable and took so much shit from everybody and even turned friends with carmine again and then that HAPPENS? NO!

Carmine started to pull her away when Nicholas’s voice called out. “Knock, knock.”  

Feeling guilty, she looked at him once more. “Who’s there?” Carmine stopped moving, not amused. 

“Tank,” Nicholas said. 

“Tank who?” She got it the moment the words rolled from her lips. Tank Who; Thank You. 

Nicholas smiled. “You’re welcome, Haven.”

Dr.DeMarco was one of the character that I loved from the beginning even thought he's troubled as hell. But he's also loyal to no one but his family and that's something that you don't see much in this book.  I want to see much more of him!

Sempre is a book that will make a difference in the way you view honor and allegiance. It's perfect.