Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Released by Avon October 30, 2007
Reviewed by Lawson
Abrielle of Harrington is the talk of London. She’s the daughter of a celebrated knight who fought valiantly in the Crusades and is being honored by the king. Though he died on English soil in a duel, he was well known by King Henry II and Abrielle is happy her father is getting the recognition, even if it is after his death. It’s also expected that King Henry will give her stepfather (who married her mother after an unknown amount of time after her father’s death) similar honors due to his own service in the Crusades, perhaps even a title, lands and money. Many young Norman knights are asking for Abrielle’s hand because she’s beautiful and she’s expected to soon have a sizable dowry.
But the ceremony does not go the way she hoped, her stepfather is not honored, and the attention turns from marriage to something else less honorable from the knights who are no longer the chivalrous knights they had been in previous days. At the ceremony, however, Abrielle dances only once, with Raven Seabern, a Scotsman, who she thinks pities her and though she thinks him handsome, she doesn’t trust him.
Raven thinks Abrielle is beautiful, and that the King has slighted her family. He knows that he could offer her a wonderful life, but is afraid of how she may feel, since she seems to ignore him most of the night. When he saves her from being raped by a bully, he hopes that will turn her feelings, but instead she runs away in fear.
With no other options, Abrielle is forced to accept the marriage propsal of Desmond de Marle, the attempted rapist and monster of a man, though he’s wealthy and her family is in desperate need of money. Desmond invites Raven to the wedding, to show off what he’s won, but not all is what it seems, and though Abrielle is marrying Desmond, she longs for Raven. Intrigue, lies, deception and dishonor could stand in the way, unless Abrielle and Raven decide to follow their hearts.
I wanted to like this book. Truly, I did. Woodiwiss’ books have made me love Romance. But I couldn’t. Maybe I just don’t like Woodiwiss’ medievals, I didn’t like (hate would be a closer word) The Wolf and the Dove at all, and that one dealt with the same issues, in a way. Normans invaders against Saxon defenders, others wanting to take a wealthy estate. The only difference between the two stories is in Wolf, everyone was out to get the H/H, Everlasting is set later. Also, the hero of Everlasting is Scottish with a Saxon and not a Norman with a Saxon. Neither romance worked for this reader, and that makes me sad.
Abrielle was spoiled, self centered, and felt the weight of the world rested on her, not her parents. The fact that she felt it was up to her alone to save her stepfather and marry such a horrid man, though historically accurate, rang false. The fact also that she was flip-flopping about Raven, even though he always told her the truth, irritated me. She was so sheltered because of the horrid nature of men toward women in the Middle Ages, it made her stupid.
Raven wasn’t much better. He constantly stated his desire to possess Abrielle, to make sure she was his. Sounds like he thought her as a possession rather than a person to love. He suddenly switches from making her his to loving her in the blink of an eye, but his actions toward her don’t change. The chemistry doesn’t work between them either because she keeps running from him, but she succumbs to her lust anyway. Then she cries afterwards.
The secondary characters were all flat as well. Abrielle’s stepfather is a knight, but he’s rather cowardly in some of the things he does. Desmond is just a bully and a jerk and gets what he deserves. His nephew Thurston de Marle is a sniveling weasel of a person. Abrielle’s cousin and best friend Cordelia wants to go after Raven’s father, who is probably three times her age (Raven is said to be about 30 and I’m guessing Abrielle and Cordelia are maybe 17 at the oldest). The characters just sort of seemed to be there.
It seemed rather short as well, since some things were one way, and then the characters suddenly had a change of heart or something and felt completely different. Not much was elaborated on, characters, setting, plot. . .nothing seemed very fleshed out.
I don’t feel it deserves an F though, because Cordelia, though she wants a geriatric, is spunky and is the voice of common sense for Abrielle, especially where Raven is concerned. Abrielle’s mother is obviously the source of strength in the family, and shows genuine caring for her daughter and is angry that her husband would let Abrielle burden herself with the family’s problems instead of dealing with it himself. If there had been more elaboration and the plot had more time to work itself out, it could have been a better book.
Yes, I gave it a bad review. You can throw the rotten fruit and vegetables at me now.
Grade: D+
I won’t throw anything at you! Unfortunately, I have not been much impressed by any of her books after A ROSE IN WINTER quite frankly. I couldn’t finish Jeff Birmingham’s book (forget the title), felt FOREVER IN YOUR EMBRACE was an attempt to recreate THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER on some (failed) level and didn’t bother with THE RELUCTANT SUITOR. I likely won’t be reading EVERLASTING either, though if I read more positive feedback I may give it a shot. I prefer to re-read her earlier classics if I’m going to read KEW.
I still want to go back and read more of Ms. Woodiwiss’ older books having read The Flame and the Flower and A Rose in Winter. They were both so wonderful that I definitely want to read more, but Everlasting probably won’t be a book that I buy. Well, I might buy it. I never say never when it comes to books lol.
i’ve not read anything but her older books. so I can’t throw anything at you
I love all of Ms. Woodiwiss’s earlier books. After “Come Love a Stranger” disappointed me I didn’t read any more until “The Reluctant Suitor,” which I thought was okay but not up to her best. She is my favorite romance writer of all time. I read that “Everlasting” was finished by her family. At only 336 pages, I don’t think it will match her earlier work, but since it’s her last book, I wanted it. The cover’s pretty cool too.
While the book does not rank among Shanna or Rose in Winter, I found it to be a good read. It was much better than Reluctant Suitor, which had to many romances, and a lead male character who was the least likably of all of her leads. What this one lacks is the abundance of background detail. The premise for the story and the characters were fine to me. It just lacks the depth of background detail that helps you identify with the characters and their feelings.
If marrying a man who disgusted you and murdered his first two wives to save your family from ruin constitutes a spoiled woman than I guess she was. Personally, I think she sacrificed her wants for the greater good of her family which is the farthest thing from spoiled I see.
I liked Raven and his father Cedric, who have a great relationship. It is through the dialogue with his “da” that you get to see Raven’s real personality. And Cedric had that, as I call it, Sean Connery quality. Where age has only added another layer to their attraction. I personally am not attracted to that, but could understand why some women would be.
I liked Everlasting better than the Elusive Flame or Petals on the River. If given the time and more detail, I think this one could have polished as nice as Wolf and the Dove.