A review by pamgodwin
Sempre by J.M. Darhower

4.0

Bam! What a powerful opening. Kinship and family secrets converge and unravel in this tale of mafia, human slavery, sex, drugs and gun trafficking. The MC's are seventeen, but I wouldn't categorize this as YA. Despite the cornucopia of gun-fights and fist-fights, this book was long and a bit slow (531 pages). I struggled to swallow Haven's swift adjustment to normalcy after her seventeen years of slavery (living in a horse stable, never setting foot in a store). I also didn't warm to her romance with Carmine. Given her hardships, her trust in him was inconceivable. And the ending felt rash, leaving me with a slew of unanswered questions. Nevertheless, I loved the concept. If Darhower releases a sequel, I'd read it.