A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

YOURS ALWAYS

Author: Gabriella Anderson ISBN:0821774468 2/2004 HISTORICAL Publisher: ZEBRA
Time Period: 1854 Victorian

Yours Always by Gabriella AndersonWhere There's A Will...

The news of Lady Anthea Fortesque's betrothal to the venerable Sir Hobblesby is the talk of the town: why on earth would a young woman blessed with both beauty and intelligence promise herself to a pompous old bore? Colin Savernake, a private investigator to the ton and temporary secretary to the squire, has reasons of his own—very personal reasons—for finding out why. All of London knows that her father, a most improvident earl, left Anthea penniless after his untimely death. But the lovely lady may be hiding something else. Colin has received a letter promising a rich bequest if he can solve another mystery. Is it possible that Anthea is a master thief?

...Love Will Find A Way

Colin Savernake is annoyingly inquisitive…and devastatingly handsome. His presence at Heatherstone Grange is driving Anthea to distraction—as if worrying about her flighty mother and impetuous younger sisters wasn’t sufficient to keep her busy. His manly charm is enough to make her blush and his constant attention is weakening her will. He has even offered to become her confidant...but Anthea cannot reveal the secrets hidden in her heart...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Gabriella Anderson has a knack for writing stories that tug at my heartstrings and YOURS ALWAYS is no exception.

Thanks to Ms. Anderson's story telling abilities, YOURS ALWAYS grabbed me from the beginning and never let go. This well-written tale also had an interesting little mystery woven neatly through the story. The mystery balanced nicely with the romance in YOURS ALWAYS, but never overwhelmed it.

What did threaten to overwhelm the primary romance, however, was a secondary romance between the heroine's sister and the blind, war hero son of the heroine's betrothed. This secondary romance was a surprise for me and I was enchanted by the obvious affection between this couple. In comparison, the budding romance between the hero and the heroine of YOURS ALWAYS seemed somewhat superficial - at least at the beginning of the story. The pair were physically attracted to each other, but because of the heroine's circumstances and the hero's prejudices these two characters could not - and would not - act on the attraction. The heroine's sister had no such compulsions. She saw what she wanted and she went after it. Her chase was, well, fun.

Maybe the primary romance never grabbed me because I was never really comfortable with the heroine. The daughter of an improverished earl who left the family penniless upon his death, the heroine betrothed herself to an elderly, wealthy farmer to save her family. While I suppose her act of selflessness was supposed to be admirable to most readers, she was too self-sacrificing for my tastes and I found her motives distasteful. She is continally assuring herself the farmer is kind, but I saw him as grasping (he wanted the prestige of being married to the daughter of an earl) and, truthfully, rather gross.

YOURS ALWAYS wasn't as satisfying or as touching as EVER YOURS (the first of the mysterious, matchmaking Lord Stanhope series) but it was enjoyable. Ms. Anderson's story is fast paced with some well-drawn, interesting characters and some well-placed humor. I'm anxious to read the next installment of the Lord Stanhope series. Maybe the mystery of Lord Stanhope will be revealed...

Debbie Jett

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