EVERLASTING

Author: Kathleen E. Woodiwiss ISBN: 9780060545529 11/2007 HISTORICAL Publisher: WILLIAM MORROW
Time Period: Medieval

Once, Abrielle's name was on the lips of every unwed nobleman in London as a proud exceptional lady coveted for her bearing, her breeding, her wit, and her beauty. But when her stepfather—respected for his courage and valor during the Crusades—is denied his rightful title and the wealth that accompanies it, Abrielle finds herself suddenly disgraced, no longer a suitable match for any proper gentleman. Only one would still have her, though he desires no more than physical pleasure: the oafish and grotesque Desmond de Marlé. His dark and scandalous reputation is legend, and Abrielle has heard rumors that his first two wives perished by his hand. Yet no one else can rescue her once-proud family's honor and keep her stepfather from debtor's prison, so she is left with no choice but to accept the cruel and hateful de Marlé's offer of marriage and sacrifice her virtue to a scoundrel she fears and detests . . . even as she yearns for another lover. Dashing, handsome, tall, and kind—a black-haired Scotsman with vivid blue eyes—Raven Seabern is an emissary for his king, and quite unlike any man Abrielle has ever encountered. From the very first moment their eyes meet, he intrigues and mesmerizes her—and dancing in his arms at a royal banquet leaves her weak with the desire to surrender. But their love can never be, for Abrielle is betrothed to a monster. And the well-being of everyone she cares for demands that she honor her promise. Still, the fire lit that night will not be doused. Raven knows he has found the true one and must never let her go—though secrets, deceptions, dishonor, and unimaginable peril will surely be their fate if they follow the dictates of their hearts.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I purposely waited awhile until after EVERLASTING was released before putting up this review. First, let me say that I love Kathleen Woodiwiss as an author. Like many other historical romance readers, many of her books were—and still are—mainstays on my keeper shelves. I've reread many of them countless times, each time relishing and enjoying them as much as I did the first time around. Knowing that this was the last romance Ms. Woodiwiss was going to write, I wanted nothing more than to be able to give it a stellar review. Sadly, I couldn't, and so I waited, wondering how to put my feelings about this book into just the right words. It hasn't been easy and I'm still not sure that I've done that.

To be quite honest , it seemed almost like her heart wasn't in this book. The characters weren't as full and well-rounded as they usually are in some of my favorites by her, the plot not as intriguing or interesting, and the language, both in narrative and between the characters, seemed somewhat stilted to me, almost jerky at times. Perhaps it was in trying to convey a medieval feeling across to her readers that made it read that way to me—I'm not the biggest fan of THE WOLF AND THE DOVE for that very same reason—and that might be why I just couldn't enjoy EVERLASTING in the manner that I had hoped to.

No, the truth be told, I would like Kathleen E. Woodiwiss to be remembered more for the classics she wrote, rather than this book, her last. In my heart she will always be remembered for her wonderful Birmingham saga as well as her other older historicals that still remain favorites in my own little corner of the romance world.

Sadly, I can't give this book the review that I had hoped to give it. And while I personally prefer to remember her more for her vintage works than this, her newest, EVERLASTING is a fitting capstone to the extraordinary, irreplaceable legacy Kathleen Woodiwiss left to us all.

Nancy Davis