The Forever Kiss

by Angela Knight

New York Times Best Selling Author Angela Knight

The Forever Kiss by Angela Knight - First Time in eBook format

Won PEARL Award Best Erotic Novel of the Year Award

Won Romantic Times Erotic Romance Novel of the Year Award

The Forever Kiss by Angela Knight
For years, Valerie Chase has been haunted by dreams of a man she knows only as Cowboy. When she was a child, her fantasy Texas Ranger rescued her from the nightmare vampires who murdered her parents. As an adult, she still dreams of him – but now he’s her seductive lover in nights of erotic pleasure.

Yet Cowboy is far more than a dream. He’s very real. And he’s a vampire.

For years, Cade McKinnon has protected Valerie from Edward Ridgemont, the sadistic vampire who Turned him. But now, Ridgmont is determined to take her for his own, and Cade is the only one who can protect her. And he means to do just that, even if he must kidnap her to do it.
When Val finds herself abducted by her handsome dream man, she’s appalled to discover he’s one of the vampires she fears. Now, caught in a web of fear and passion, she and Cade must learn to trust each other, even as an immortal monster stalks their every move.

Their only hope of survival is . . . THE FOREVER KISS.

Foreword
I would like to dedicate this book, my first, to the many people who made it possible.
My publisher and friend, Alexandria Kendall, and my editor, Claire, who worked so hard to help me make it the best it could be.
To all of those who wrote asking when it was going to be published. I hope you find it worth the wait.
To the wonderful S.P.s of my Yahoo! e-loop, who waited for it for two years, if not with patience, at least with humor and encouragement.
To Diane Whiteside, my critique partner, who read each and every draft and made great suggestions about improving it.
To my sister, Angela Patterson, who gave me critiques and encouragement on everything I wrote long before I ever had a single word published.
To my parents, Paul and Gayle Lee, who believed in me when I was a nine-year-old writing my first opus, “The Mouse Who Went to the Moon,” published in pencil.
And most of all, to my own hero, Michael, and to my son, Anthony, future author, who provided me with inspiration and love.


4½ stars, RT Top
“Battling vampires, a protective ghost and the ever present battle of good and evil keep excellent pace with the erotic delights in Angela Knight’s The Forever Kiss—a book that absolutely bites with refreshing paranormal humor.” 4½ stars, RT Top Pick
—Romantic Times Book Club


“The Forever Kiss flows well with good characters and an interesting plot. How can you help but like the handsome Cade who ignores his own pain to protect and love the mortal woman? … The story has a fresh look at vampires that dispel some of the myths and the romance is very scorching between the protagonists with many love scenes. “If you enjoy vampires and a lot of hot sex, you are sure to enjoy The Forever Kiss.”
—The Best Reviews

5 angels!
“I found The Forever Kiss to be an exceptionally written, refreshing book. Immediately readers are drawn into this story by the very steamy love affair between Cade and Valerie. Angela Knight has written this cast of characters wonderfully. Ms. Knight has captured Valerie’s internal struggle so well, that readers also feel undecided; if she helps Cade her life is forever altered, but if she doesn’t can she live with the repercussions?
… I really enjoyed this book by A

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Erotica, Ebooks, Fantasy

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2004

About the author

Angela Knight is an American author of mostly erotic fantasy.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I found another Cowboy Vampire! Whoop Whoop Yeehaw

Hooked me in the first chapter.

(The last few books I've read have been extremely moving taking me into emotional depths I haven't visited in a looooong time. So I was primed for this story.)

The time is present day.
Main characters:
800 year old Vampire sire who was a Knight of Richard the Lion Heart. This one is a sadist SOB.
140-150 year old fledgling (H) - Cade McKinnon - turned in the late 1800's, post civil war.
At the time he was a Texas Ranger and a "kith". That's explained in the book.
60+ year old fledgling who was a German (Nazi? I can't remember) but he was in the war. Another
sexual sadistic.
Valerie Chase (h) who is plagued by dreams of terror that have haunted her since she was 12
years old and witnessed the brutality of these vampires when they murdered her parents.
Abigail- 11 year old ghost who has been hanging around since her death in the late 1800's.
Beth who is a secondary minor character and is Valerie's younger sister.

There are so many paranormal (vampire) books on the market today with unrealistic (super hero status) main characters...and cartoon villains that make me think I really am watching a cartoon or reading a comic book as I turn the pages.

Not so with this story.

315 pages, but the story zoomed by. The characterization of each individual is realistic, intelligent, believable, and, in spite of the shortness of the story, clearly defined.

Fun LOL moments...sick twisted scenes...graphic violence...hot steamy sex scenes...believable love story...mature alpha male lead...great spitfire heroine...

Angela Knight wrote this story as a grown up. Does that sound funny? Well, in comparison to writers in this genre today, it really doesn't seem silly to me. :D

Good Story!

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

For some bizarro reason I'm finding this book very hard to put down even though the heroine calls the hero "Cowboy" and it contains a plot element that usually puts me off for good. You know that old relic where the vampire hero, under the guise of "protecting" the heroine, watches her grow from child to young lady and secretly lusts after her once her breasts appear? Yep, this book has it (but he goes one step further and invades her dreams) but for some reason I'm not finding it gross or thinking the hero is a big old lecher unlike the Madelaine Baker books that contain the same device. Guess that makes me a big hypocrite.

Later:

Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations and fizzled out about midway through. I ended up skimming to the end, reading a sentence here and there and finding nothing interesting enough to nab my attention again. Though the author used some rougher language and the hero engages in sex with a woman other than the heroine to gain power, the erotic parts of the book were all rather vanilla and blah despite the inclusion of some chocolate and strawberries. Sigh, I feel so jaded . . . The characterization of the two main characters was only so/so and the villains were way over the top Evil and thought only about rape, rape, a break for a bit of torture and more rape.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, but I wanted it to be over. Nothing grabbed me emotionally.

Bad vampire Ridgemont turns Cade and Hirsch into vampires. At the time 1883, Cade was a Texas Ranger. Hirsch was a Nazi sadist around 1940 when he was turned. Ridgemont has power over the younger two vampires and forces them to help him kill Valerie’s family. Valerie is a human with psychic powers. Ridgemont and Hirsch kill her parents, but Cade helps Valerie escape with her sister Beth. Valerie was 12 at the time. As she is growing up, Cade visits her in her dreams. Because of her psychic power, she will bring extra power to any vampire who turns her into a vampire. Cade tries to protect her from Ridgemont and Hirsch who want her.

The events seemed to drag. I wanted things to happen sooner than they did. There was a little too much pondering in the mind of Cade about not wanting to change Valerie. I wasn’t emotionally drawn in. I didn’t feel anything while I was reading.

CAUTION SPOILERS (good parts of the story):
One thing that was interesting that wasn’t in the typical vampire story was the character Abigail. She was Cade’s sister. She died in 1865 of yellow fever. Instead of going to the Brightness permanently, she stayed around as a ghost to help Cade. She warned him of danger. She communicated with Valerie, educating Valerie about the history between Ridgemont and Cade. She helped convince Valerie to let Cade change her into a vampire.

There was a good scene at the end about killing Ridgemont. It surprised me.

Story length: 312 pages. Sexual language: strong/erotic. Number of sex scenes: 16. Length of sex scenes: 2 short scenes (1 paragraph each) and 14 longer scenes (average length 2.4 pages with the longest scene just over 6 pages). Setting: 2003 Atlanta, New York City, and a few other places in the U.S. Copyright: 2004. Genre: erotic paranormal romance.

To date, I've read the following Angela Knight books.
5 stars. Dragon Dance (in anthology Beyond The Dark). Copyrt 2007. My 5 star review for the anthology was posted 12/31/07.
3.5 stars. Jane’s Warlord. Copyrt 2004. My review was posted under 3 stars on 4/03/07.
2 stars. Master of the Moon. Copyrt 2005. Review Date 6/15/08.
2 stars. The Forever Kiss. Copyrt 2004. Review Date 9/09/08.

[Holli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book both the first time I read it and this time as well. I have only a few problems with it. Format issues, especially at the end when the italics was missing during one mental conversation and where it was present when it was narration, rather than dialogue. The fight scene between Cade and Ridgmont is built up so much, it's kind of short for the payoff. And, the cover. I like the cover except for the small error that Val is a redhead, not a blonde. Other than these things, this book is really good and an enjoyable, steamy romp.

COYER: Read a book with a couple (two people) fully clothed on the front. (2 points)

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Angela Knight that I have read. The book focuses on three main characters:Valerie, Cade amd Ridgemont. This was a gripping story of a vampire who had been beaten and tortured through the years as a slave to RIdgemont. Ridgemont had ulterior motives for killing Valeries family and for bringing Cade and Valerie together. The story was very well written and the storyline flowed smoothly throughout the book. I literally couldn't put this book down. Rating this book was easy. 5 stars all the way! Angela Knight has a winner with this book: The Forever Kiss.

[Kathrynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Valerie is haunted by dreams of "the Cowboy" AKA a vampire. LOL

She finally meets Cade McKinnon (the cowboy/vampire).

This is a great read to "get you in the mood," but not much of a story line.

[Karringrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

So...this book was a major let down. LIKE MAJOR LETDOWN. It was starting off so strong, but then it just got to a point where I just couldn't wait for it to be over. After about chapter 13, I was rushing through the book so then I could finish it. There are definitely some parts that grabbed my attention, but most of it was just that waiting game for me to hit the finish line. The pace of the book was very weird, and it seemed like after a certain point, the author just wanted to write porn and didn't know what to do with the actual story.
And don't get me started on the rape talk. It was weird and made me extremely uncomfortable. Like I know we all have some strange fantasies, but the amount of time that this is mentioned, it might as well be a focal point of the book. Also the authors strange obsession with men's butts is weird too. Every sex scene she's talking about how perfect Cades butt is, and how Valerie is looking at it and touching it. It's so distracting.
Also, the way she describes black people is unsettling. Everyone else who is white gets extreme descriptions on how they look, however the black characters just get called black and the story continues. There is also one part where she gives the black children in the book extremely offensive and stereotypical black names. It was too noticeable as a black reader, and it made it really hard for me to enjoy. Some of the characters were enjoyable, but not many, except for maybe the ghost Abigail. Valerie and her sister both got on my nerves and Cade was a bit too self righteous. The ancients were just way too obsessesd with all kinds of torture, and there was NOTHING else to their personalities.
All in all I will not be looking for another book from Miss Knight again.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cawboy con le zanne!

Primo libro della scrittrice Angela Knight che leggo qui da noi e come impatto ed inizio serie non è male.
Sinceramente mi aspettavo qualcosina in più, visti i commenti letti in giro, ma una buona sufficenza non glie la toglie nessuno.
I personaggi sono interessanti e ben costruiti, con vampiri ed umani infestati dalla presenza di Abigail, il fantasma della storia, che rende speciale il racconto.
Per certi versi è sempre la solita evoluzione dei fatti, ma qualcosa nella creazione di questi vampiri, forse nell'assorbimento e nutrizione di non solo sangue ma anche di emozioni, li rende piacevoli. Accettabile come passatempo da qualcosa di più impegnativo ed altro!

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 1 out of 5]

nonostante i refusi e la traduzione così così, trovo che abbia una trama ben congegnata. le scene hot non sono male, i cattivi sono "sopportabili" e le caratteristiche paranormali molto interessanti. non tutte le autrici sanno raccontare in maniera egregia. è anche vero però che questa mattina mentre ero al lavoro pensavo a come avrebbe concluso la storia, perciò posso dire che mi è piaciuto. manca un pò di emozione, quello sì. sembra più una sceneggiatura che un romanzo. lo vedo molto come film. per ora lo tengo. magari me lo rileggo un'altra volta

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun Read

[Recensioni in tre parole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Monocorde. Stereotipato. Anonimo.

[Nicola Schmidt · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

....Shocking.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

TRAMA: Per anni i sogni di Valerie Chase sono stati popolati da un uomo: il Cowboy. Quando era bambina lui la salvava dai suoi incubi, ora che è adulta è un amante seducente che trasforma i suoi sogni in notti di piacere. Ma il Cowboy non è un sogno, è reale. Ed è un vampiro. Dopo averla protetta a lungo dal malvagio che l’ha mutato, a Cade McKinnon è rimasto un solo modo per prendersi cura di Valerie: rapirla. In una rete di paura e passione, ma prigioniera dell’uomo dei sogni, Valerie dovrà fidarsi ciecamente di Cade per fare l’unica scelta che salverà entrambi…

Romanzo decisamente piccante o per meglio dire bollente. Le scene di sesso costituiscono buona parte della storia. Sono calde e appassionanti . Siamo di nuovo nel mondo dei vampiri ma la storia è insolita,perché la protagonista,molto ben caratterizzata è una giovane donna che si innamora dell’uomo dei suoi sogni ,il quale in realtà è un vampiro. Quando le loro strade si incontreranno,la passione prenderà il sopravvento il tutto cementato da un profondo amore nato con il passare degli anni. E lei di sua spontanea volontà si farà trasformare per impedire che Cade venga ucciso dal suo sire Ridgemont. Cade l’addestrerà ed entrerà nella sua mente fino a creare un’unione completa,unica via di scampo per la coppia . Seppure Ridgemont userà la sorella di lei come incentivo per uno scontro avrà di che pentirsene. Troveremo una bella scena di lotta alla fine con una vittoria tutta femminile. In alcuni tratti ho trovato la storia un po’ cruda,violenta,ma non per questo meno leggibile. Buone le descrizioni,belli i personaggi,intrigante la trama. Da leggere sotto l’ombrellone con una bibita bella ghiacciata!

[Mollie *scoutrmom* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really got into these characters. In spite of the fact that Knight's other work at the time was published in the erotic romance Secrets collections, the sex scenes in this novel are no spicier than one would find in a Nora Roberts book. Safe for the timid among us. The writing is almost as good as Knight's later work.

The paranormal elements of the story were very well done, horror where needed without gratuitous graphic descriptions. We have a hero who is a good man trapped in a seemingly no-win situation. A vampire who has always been a sociopath converted him for nefarioius purposes. Our hero's sister, the ghost, is a wonderful character whose well-intentioned interference upsets the hero's plans.

Our heroine is a human with a few extra abilities. She ends up having to be converted in order to make it possible for our hero to defeat the evil vampire, though that does not end up being how the pair accomplish it in the end.

The love story element of this plot is a bit weaker, though still good. I found myself re-reading conversations I liked. One of my favorite shticks is when he sarcastically starts quoting Bram Stoker.

I have most of Knight's later work, and was very glad to come across this one. I believe it was the first full-length work she had published. It is in no way related to her later "Master of..." series which contains different vampires and a different set of worldbuilding.

I will read it again, I'm sure.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I set out with poor expectations for this book but ended up finding it entertaining. Valerie Chase has always thought that her erotic dreams about Cowboy were just that, dreams. She comes to find out that Cowboy, Cade McKinnon, is very real. He's a vampire and saved her life when she was 12. Now his sire is out to get her in order to engage in a showdown with Cade. Although the story isn't tightly woven, neither is the story overwhelmed by sex. Valerie was much less fully drawn than Cade and it was hard to know whether to like her or not. Cade, by contrast, has a fully realized past, not only because he's been a vampire for more than 100 years, but because we needed to understand his motivations. I had gotten this book signed at RT 2005 and met her again at RT 2010. It will be interesting to read a newer book to see how she's grown as an author.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover made me keep putting the book back in my TBR shelf - but I needed it for a February challenge and ended up really liking this book a lot. It grabs you in the beginning and I just loved the story. I had read a short story last month that was part two of this book but that didn't spoil this read at all. Would recommend this book.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started off with a bang and just kept going. Cade and Val were characters I could definitely get behind. I have an intense love/hate thing going for Abigail, but she was written perfectly into the story. Oh and Ridgemont was a baddie I'm sure no one would have a problem hating. Over all this was another winner from Knight for me.

[Natascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever read an erotica novel, in the classical sense. In which the hero saves the damsel in distress. But there's a first time for everything, right?

I was intrigued by the story, to be honest, which consists of vampires – good and bad ones – so there's the fantasy part that I like. And who am I kidding? A little erotica has never hurt anybody, am I right? Thought so.

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 12.04.06

[B. L.]

She has another winner with The Forever Kiss. I'm enthralled with it, no question. The only reason I stopped reading was because I needed sleep!

[CraftyBirdies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh...ambivalent. The sexy dreamy part sounded promising but there are just so many better vampire sexy stories out there. I didn't hate it, hence the 3 stars...but I would pick so many before it.

[Lara]

hot hot hot vampire passion action...this one's got sizzle

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a fantastic book!!

[Irinak Kish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just OK, fast paced story, but not the best work from Angela Knight.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little cheesy, but hot...

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms. Knight is one of the authors I really enjoy reading. This is a happily ever after book with good sexual tension. I recommend reading this as a nice escape from a hard day's work.

[Karen Desmond · Rating 5 out of 5]

5

[Twilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually it's more of a 3 1/2 rating.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with wanting to like the book. The premise seemed nice but I just couldn't care about the characters. Didn't finish.