“Love will find a way against time itself.” – Sylvia Day
Jeff Erno has written some wonderful books. Trust Me is one of my all time favorite coming of age novels. I have also read his Dumb Jock series and a few of his individual titles. Forever Young is Jeff’s first vampire novel and I have to say it was absolutely wonderful. There is a lot going on in this story, but the writing was so fluid and the story so well told it all just worked, and it all worked well.
First we meet Robbie. He is an 18 yr old recent high school graduate working at the local grocery store. He is extremely socially awkward and stumbles over the most basic attempts at conversation. He is bullied by a co-worker and harassed by an elderly customer. Robbie is very slight in build, about 5’9”, with blond hair and striking blue eyes. He is also a bit too trusting at times. Especially when he meets a handsome stranger at work one night.
Colton, or Colt, is a 167 yr old vampire that doesn’t look a day over 17. Colt comes to Robbie’s rescue at the supermarket and then walks him home later that night. Colt hasn’t felt a connection like the one he has with Robbie since he was made into a vampire. His initial thought was just to feed from Robbie, but he felt a connection with him that he couldn’t understnnd. He hadn’t felt like that since he was actually 17. Against the advice of Richard and Brendan, his two fathers, he pursues a relationship with Robbie.
Richard and Brendan have been together for as long as Colt has known them, well over a century. The two men love one another more than anything else in the world. The two men worry that Colt’s relationship with Robbie is going to threaten the peace they have found in their new home. Richard has been keeping some pretty heavy secrets from Colt, and with him not understanding the ramifications, Colt puts their little family square in the middle of trouble.
Now, if you have a book about vampires, they need a nemesis. Jeff Erno wrote our vampires a very unique enemy: the Matarians. These hunters are unique in the fact that they are very well organized. Once a member of the order turns 16 they receive a tattoo on their arm and attend hunter “bootcamp”. Here at this bootcamp are two boys, Issa and Dylan. Dylan comes from a long line of Matarian hunters and is ready to train so he can avenge the death of his parents. Issa is a whole other story. Before Issa was even born, his older brother Shadi disappeared and Issa believes he was killed by vampires. Dylan and Issa become fast friends and even faster boyfriends.
There is also an ongoing battle within the vampires themselves. The half-breeds decided well over a century before that they didn’t want to be slaves to the full blooded vampires, so they rebelled. Even in the present there is still a resistance and they are still fighting for their total freedom. When Brendan comes up missing Richard appeals to Raoul, one of the oldest full blood vampires in existence, for help. This leads to a showdown of epic proportions and some major losses on both sides. I hope that Jeff Erno makes this a series because there are so many wonderful plot lines, new characters introduced right at the end and some surprise reunions. There are minimal descriptive sexual situations in this book, but the love that is shared between the couples is tangible. The final battle scene is very violent and bloody, and I loved every second of it. There are no sparkly vampires brooding in this book, but it does have a great love story. There is a HEA, but I for one hope that it is To Be Continued……
This book is well written, the characters are well fleshed out and there are some very interesting plot twists to keep you on your toes. Highly recommend this book. It should be on everyone’s summer reading list if it isn’t already.
Reviewed by: Jackie
You can buy Forever Young here: