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Once and Always (Sequels #1)

4.18 of 5 stars 4.18 · rating details · 8,875 ratings · 293 reviews

"Once and Always," one of Judith McNaught's most masterful and moving love stories, powerfully brings to life the fiery passion of a free-spirited American beauty and a troubled English lord. Suddenly orphaned and alone, Victoria Seaton sails the vast ocean, eager to reclaim her heritage at Wakefield, the sumptuous English estate of a distant cousin, the notorious Lord Jas...more

Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Published April 25th 2006 by Pocket (first published 1987)

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May 11, 2013 Susanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Susanne by: ❤Summer

Shelves: genre-regency-romance, buddy-reads

I've found a potentially new favorite author, but unfortunately not a new favorite book. There was so much going for this book, but in the end I am still battling over how many stars it deserves.

I really don't know how to explain any of this without spoiling the book. So beware, there might be mild spoilers below. It was a high-quality, well-written regency romance. There were parts that truly sparkled and at one point I was sure it was going to make it to the top.

There was an unmistakable aura of virility about Jason that made female hearts flutter. His thick hair was coal black, his piercing eyes the green of India jade, his lips firm and sensually molded. Tough, rugged strength was carved into every feature of his sun-bronzed face, from his straight dark brows to the arrogant jut of his chin and jaw.

Add a feisty, incredibly warm and sweet heroine from America, a dashing, dangerous hero with a tortured past, meddling relatives and a ton debut and you get this book! It had all the right ingredients. It was charming and funny, and I loved the language and the tone of the book. I especially liked all the interactions with the ton!

What I didn't like was Jason's abominable treatment of Victoria. Just because you've been treated badly does not give you an excuse to treat other people horribly! He constantly jumped to the wrong conclusions, and always thought the worst. And the wedding night completely horrified me! After that, he really couldn't redeem himself in my eyes. To be honest, I couldn't fathom what Victoria saw in him.

There were also some loose ends. The book is in desperate need of an epilogue. The Andrew subplot was very unsatisfactory. (view spoiler) The book ends in a way that makes you sure that the next book will be her sister's but it isn't. It was almost a small cliffhanger - and then we are left hanging? There was also too little groveling on Jason's part IMO, and there was too little time before the end. I wasn't sure they had resolved all their issues and was on the path of HEA when the book ended.

Thank you Karen for reading it with me <3 (less)

33 likes · like · see review

Sep 15, 2010 TJ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

In terms of writing ability and talent, Judith McNaught will always be a 5 star for me. Her gift for drawing the reader into the very emotions of the characters is amazing! As is her ability to reveal all the layers of the soul, bit by bit until discovery and redemption are not only found but felt.

As with all things, with great gifts come great responsibilities, however. If we, the readers, are drawn into the heart of a tortured soul, we need also be allowed to experience the process of redempti...more

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Mar 29, 2010 Shell Schroth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This is the one.. The one that started my chemical embalance towards everything historical romance...

I was an avid reader, in elementary school. (Anyone out there remember Fear Street? lol) Mostly horror, mystery and suspense. Anne Rice and Stephen King ranking among my top authors.

Then life happened, and I stopped picking up books for well over a decade.

2 1/2 years ago, I started a new job, and met many new people, making friends among my co-workers. One, of course being Rhonda Krieger, a fe...more

31 likes · like · see review

Mar 26, 2010 Zeek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: alpha-hero, romance-anxst, hist-rom, romance, uber-alpha-male

Once and Always is an earlier release for Judith McNaught and though I know I've read it before it's been so long, I had forgotten all about it. Because of this, I felt like I was coming to a brand new McNaught novel. Reading Once and Always was such a pleasure because it still holds up- after all these years- and it packs a powerful emotional punch. (Although I must admit not so much now as it would have back in the day because so many authors have copied her style.)

Jason Fielding, embittered b...more Once and Always is an earlier release for Judith McNaught and though I know I've read it before it's been so long, I had forgotten all about it. Because of this, I felt like I was coming to a brand new McNaught novel. Reading Once and Always was such a pleasure because it still holds up- after all these years- and it packs a powerful emotional punch. (Although I must admit not so much now as it would have back in the day because so many authors have copied her style.)

Jason Fielding, embittered by a marriage gone horribly wrong, is not interested in marrying ever again. His father has other ideas. Charles Fielding wants an heir and he wants Victoria Seaton, the daughter of the woman he loved and lost years ago, to give his son that heir.

When Victoria, orphaned and alone, shows up at Jason's Esatate he's sure she's yet another empty-headed, gold digger. But her free-spirited charm, kindness and sharp mind begin to weaken his resolve from the first moment he meets her.

Victoria has sworn to never marry for anything but love and the arrogant Jason Fielding is the last man she would ever consider marrying, especially since she's already met the love of her life back home in America.

Circumstances change though when she gets word that Andrew, the man she thought she'd spend the rest of her life with, marries someone else and the ailing Charles Fielding makes her promise to marry Jason while on his deathbed. Feeling betrayed by Andrew and strangely attracted to the man who would be her fiancé, she agrees.

Misunderstandings ensue when Jason, for self-preservation reasons- pulls away from her soon after their marriage. On top of that, Andrew suddenly appears, unmarried and desirous of a re-connection with Victoria. When Victoria discovers that Charles and Jason tricked her into marriage- she abandons the Estate on a wild ride, disappointed beyond belief- the tremulous dream of everlasting love dashed once again by the betrayal of men.

Though Jason is the type of man to love once and always ... will their love be enough to conquer the circumstances aligned against them?

Okay, this is old school romance. The guy is alpha, brooding and difficult to like. But Mcnaught won me over with Victoria- she charmed the mean Jason Fielding out of his arrogance and me right along with him. People who read romance novels now won't like him- heck he keeps a mistress even after he's met the heroine- SHOCKING!- but I fell for him all over again ... even if it all felt a bit contrived.

Sadly, they just don't write these emotional tour-de force romance novels anymore and I miss them.

Realizing this book is a first in many ways, I'm giving it 4.5 out of 5. Can't wait to re-read some of McNaught's other oldies! (less)

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Jul 12, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency, romance-historical, favorites, read-own, read-in-2009, ebooks

I loved this book! Victoria was so compassionate and giving; all she wanted in life was to have someone to love and be loved in return. When Victoria’s parents died she was shipped to England under the care of Charles Fielding who had plans of his own to see that Victoria marry his illegitimate son, Jason (whom he claims as his nephew). Jason was not too thrilled when his father announced to the ton his engagement to Victoria. But he decided to let the ton believe there was an engagement so that...more

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Jan 21, 2009 joy in wonderland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romantic-novels

"(sigh) entertaining, funny and simply heartwarming... can't ask for more"

i downright agree to one of my friend here at goodreads, but can i put it on another version? haha that once you read this novel, you'll cherish it for always!

tory is awesome! i like her personality, she isn't afraid to care and show compassion, she's genuine... she's funny in her innocent way and yeah i like her from the very start not to mention she's quite a red hair haha

jason is cynical and quite rude haha however...more

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Feb 24, 2008 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who likes a good love story.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 05, 2011 Shawna rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of angsty historical/regency romance & tortured, cold heroes

Shelves: aar-top-100-romances-2007-2010, historical-romance, judith-mcnaught, historical-romance-regency, 2011-reads, 3-to-4-stars, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, animals-matter, bodice-rippers, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, cheating-hearts-fidelity-issues, hero-abused-scarred-tortured-angst, hero-alpha‎, hero-antihero-gamma, hero-cad-rake-rogue‎-scoundrel, hero-cold-cruelbrute-dark-dangerous, hero-duke-heir-to-dukedom, hero-i-wanna-smack, hh-aristocracy-nobility-royalty, hero-or-heroine-illegitimate, hero-stalk-me-baby-possessive, heroine-abused-traumatic-past-rape, heroine-beautiful-bombshell, heroine-bluestocking-unconventional, heroine-i-adore, heroine-kickass-spirited-strong, heroine-naïve-virgin-like-a-virgin, hh-disfigured-injured-scarred-ill, hh-sweet-nice-paired-vs-gruff-cynic, hh-widow-or-widower, i-read-no-longer-own-sold-swapped, love-triangle-vying-courtships, married-couples-married-convenience, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, steam-2-warm, faux-betrothal-engagement, hero-brooding, hero-not-enough-groveling, hh-bad-communication-conflict-mgmt, hh-big-constant-misunderstandings, hero-undeserving-of-heroine, dubious-consent-force-nonconsensual, ending-abrupt-poor-epilogue-needed, hero-recluse-loner-lonewolf, hero-asshat-award-hall-of-shame, hero-bad-guy-ruthless-villainous, hero-i-despised

3 ½ stars – Historical/Regency Romance

This is my first McNaught read and it certainly twisted my emotions. I admired the heroine’s kindness, strength, and fortitude, but the hero was an utter, unforgivable ass. Yes, he suffered a horribly abusive childhood, a manipulative first wife, and agonizing grief, and for that I understood his cynical, detached coldness. But Jason’s continual abominable treatment of Victoria and the repeated misunderstandings were exasperating and exhausting, and he just...more

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Mar 21, 2010 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm re-reading after 10 or so years. I remember loving it :)

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Dec 20, 2012 Princess rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: possessive-hero, tortured-hero, lots-of-misunderstandings, read-if-you-re-bored, it-was-okay, hot-cold-hero

I hated the hero. Their relationship was such a mess. They just kept going in circles over and over and, you guessed it, over again! Once was fine, you need to build your story. Twice, acceptable, but then again, again, again... *throws book through the room*

(view spoiler)...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read a hard copy of this book at the same time as I was listening to an audio version of "The Stranger in My Arms" by Lisa Kleypas. I was struck by the similarity. I say that because if you liked one of these two books, you will probably like the other one.

This book is the story of a young American girl (Victoria), who when her parents are killed in an accident, is sent to England because her mother's last words reveal that she is related to a member of the gentry who lives at a wonderful Engl...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Surveysdonna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, judith-mcnaught, read-that-scene-again, re-readable

I've read this book so many times and re-read it again a few days ago. Had it been a few years ago, I would've given this book 5 stars. But I have to knock off a star. This time around, I really felt for Victoria. Jason was such an asshole. It seemed that no one was entitled to be grieving as much as he. So much injustice was done to him but hello! Let's not forget about Victoria. Let's see...she JUST lost her parents, forced to separate from her sister, move to a new continent with unknown dist...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Cata rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Once and Always foi a minha estreia com esta autora. Descobri-a no Clube Nora Roberts e fiquei tão curiosa devido às boas críticas das meninas que já a tinham lido que decidi arriscar. E ainda bem que o fiz!

Jason não é o homem ideal...pelo menos à primeira vista. Sim, ele é lindo, alto, rico, inteligente e tem um título. Porém, não é o que se pode chamar um gentleman: ele é rude, frio, indiferente e arrogante. Mas por debaixo dessa fachada esconde-se um homem atormentado por um passado que lhe d...more Once and Always foi a minha estreia com esta autora. Descobri-a no Clube Nora Roberts e fiquei tão curiosa devido às boas críticas das meninas que já a tinham lido que decidi arriscar. E ainda bem que o fiz!

Jason não é o homem ideal...pelo menos à primeira vista. Sim, ele é lindo, alto, rico, inteligente e tem um título. Porém, não é o que se pode chamar um gentleman: ele é rude, frio, indiferente e arrogante. Mas por debaixo dessa fachada esconde-se um homem atormentado por um passado que lhe deixou marcas tanto físicas como emocionais, sendo que as feridas emocionais são extremamente profundas.

Victoria é uma rapariga alegre e doce, idealista e espirituosa. Os primeiros contactos com Jason não são fáceis, mas aos poucos ela vai conseguindo ver para além da máscara que Jason exibe ao mundo.

O facto de Jason não ser aquele herói perfeito agradou-me. Os seus defeitos e medos tornaram-no, de certa forma, mais real. E a doçura da Tory conferiu um toque mais suave ao livro. O herói sombrio e atormentado e a heróina alegre e doce- dois opostos que se atraem, equilibram e completam- não é algo novo, mas é algo que resulta sempre que é bem trabalhado e explorado, o que foi o caso.

Para além do casal protagonista, outros personagens que sobressaíram foram o Duque de Atherton e a Duquesa de Claremont. Estes dois personagens ao primeiro contacto pareciam ser desprezíveis, mas acabaram por revelar-se personagens maravilhosos, estando presentes, ou até mesmo protagonizando, alguns dos momentos mais divertidos do livro.

Com todos os ingredientes para um romance de época estrondoso- drama, romance, bom-humor, ciúme e intriga - Judith McNaught conquistou-me. O seu estilo de escrita é bastante acessível e o livro é leve, ideal para descontrair e passar um bom pedaço. Estou ansiosa para ler outro livro dela e verificar se outras obras dela são ou não tão boas como esta, porque fiquei com a ideia que esta autora tem potencial para se tornar numa das minhas preferidas no género. (less)

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Jan 22, 2012 Thea rated it 2 of 5 stars

I got so tired of the unending back and forth bantering, that I almost forgot that this is a love story. I mean seriously, how many arguments does this book have? It was endless and pointless. Some banters are funny however some of the lines are just plain annoying. The characters were created to be TOO assuming and too ignorant to create yet another conflict in the scene. I had a hard time continuing and I honestly skipped a lot of paragraphs, which I rarely do. I am a big fan of the author, bu...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Sari Loocev rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Benar-benar cerita yang menghibur dan mengaduk emosi. Banyak adegan lucu yang membuat kita tersenyum-manyum dan adegan penuh emosi dan brilian khas Judith McNaught. Sedikit kasian dengan para pelayan yang sering kena sengat Jason yang uring-uringan dengan Victoria tapi lucunya mereka selalu kompak kalo soal gosip hubungan majikan mereka. Mengharu biru ketika mengetahui masa lalu Jason dan hal itu benar-benar gak disangka apalagi ketika mengetahui alasan sebenarnya Jason menikah dengan Victoria.....more

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Dec 30, 2011 Janusz rated it 3 of 5 stars

A complex, deftly crafted novel that loses impetus along the way and ends with a trite and unoriginal climax.

Once and Always was published over twenty years ago and is widely acknowledged a classic of the genre. Perhaps it's unkind to compare it with similar books written before and after, but having read several dozen historical (mainly Regency) romances in less than a month, I couldn't help a sinking here-we-go-again feeling as the narrative developed.

My personal problem with this sub-genre is...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Yona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I don't know what to say, Judith McNaught is an amazing author.

Victoria and Jason are so different but they are exactly what they need for each other. It was so beautiful to read how they fall for each other slow, how they change to become something better. Victoria is such a frees spirit that it is pleasure to read for her, how she can make everyone smile and feel better, how she makes the children from the village happy, and how nice is she with everyone. And of course her love for Jason. It w...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Zumbagirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bastard-child, emotionally-scarred, favorite-author, humorous-sarcastic, regency-romance, super-beautiful-handsome-couple, tragedy, unlikely-husband, dark-cynical-hero, teenaged-heroine, orphan-heroine, rake, spunky-heroine, waiting-for-fiance, marriage-of-convenience, hero-keeps-mistress, misunderstandings, adultery, widower, illegitimate-hero

Judith McNaught has been my favorite author for the past 20 years, so I read all of her books. This particular book I've read many times, and each time I try to figure out why I go back to it. While the hero, Jason, is tall, dark, handsome and rich, his personality is a real problem - he's a gigantic jerk!!!! Well, he's had a terrible life and is very scarred. But still, even looking at the big picture, his moods are mercurial and in real life this guy would need to be on strong meds.

The heroine...more Judith McNaught has been my favorite author for the past 20 years, so I read all of her books. This particular book I've read many times, and each time I try to figure out why I go back to it. While the hero, Jason, is tall, dark, handsome and rich, his personality is a real problem - he's a gigantic jerk!!!! Well, he's had a terrible life and is very scarred. But still, even looking at the big picture, his moods are mercurial and in real life this guy would need to be on strong meds.

The heroine, Victoria, is one of my favorite McNaught heroines. Her parents die tragically, leaving her and her sister alone in the world. Her almost-fiance is out traveling when this happens, so he can't help her, and he has a control-freak mother who is against the relationship. the two young girls are shipped to England to live with distant relatives. Our "wonderful" hero is very nasty to Victoria from the moment he sees her. She's beautiful, young, has a great personality - but he treats her beastly at every turn. She fights him back and there is great dialogue between them, which many times had me laughing out loud. The hero's father loved Victoria's mother and regrets deeply not marrying her. So he's now determined to arrange a marriage between these two, even though his son is dead against it and Victoria thinks her almost-fiance will rescue her any minute.

I love/hate this book. The characters and dialogue is some of the best out there. But I can never get over how Jason treats Victoria - especially after they are married!!!!! I honestly always wish Victoria would have married Andrew (her almost-fiance), who was her best friend. Jason just has so many issues and I think unless he made a drastic change - which again probably would require strong meds - he isn't husband material. We do see him show love to Victoria, but underlying this he is jealous, controlling and prone to anger. His trying to "buy" his wife with jewelry was just disgusting. Honestly, this book would have been my favorite of hers if she cleared up some of these issues. I wanted to understand Jason and maybe some groveling would have gone a long way. An epilogue would have made a big difference too. Oh, well, it's still a DIK and I will probably read it again, just to see if I can figure this hero out.(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 Brenda Britton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book in which Victoria was able to penetrate the wall, Jason had hidden behind due to his miserable childhood. He was rejected by his father and sent to live with a woman who after the death of her husband, treated Jason with terrible cruelty. Fortunately he was retrieved from the cruelty and made his mark on society. His father finally accepted Jason but was a schemer by encouraging Victoria and Jason to wed; she did but only when she thought her previous love had rejected her. Vic...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Buqet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Off off bu salak erkek karakterler kadar beni uyuz eden şey az bulunur.Kızı nasıl kullandı pislik , Jason son anda Vici ikna etmiş olabilirsin ama beni kandıramazsın :D :D
Ne kadar sitem etsemde çok güzel bir kitap olduğunu söylemeliyim. Hatta muhteşemdi. Bir çırpıda okuduğum gibi kah güldüm kah ağladım. Hele Jason'ın Vic'in pelerine sarıldığı yer insanın için parcalıyor. Tabii bu Jason'ın Vic'i nasıl kullandığı gerçeğini değiştirmez. Parlak taşlar,giysiler ile kızı satın almaya çalışması bir ya...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Stevie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was hard to rate. McNaught's writing is wonderful, there is never any question about that. But in comparison to her other books, Kingdom of Dreams, Something Wonderful, and Almost Heaven to be exact, this one just doesn't hit the full mark. It's very good, but the others were much better. I liked the characters very much, so the potential was there but it seemed to just skim over what could have been much more intense. I was disappointed in the reaction of Jason when Victoria finally came h...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Ash rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was "meh". Not bad by any means, but not great. Maybe "meh" is too harsh. It was good-ish.

I liked the male lead alright, and the girl was "okay" most of the time, but she was a little stupid, cared too much what he thought of her, and wasn't the strong type of woman with spunk that one likes to read about. I understand that she might have been a little naive because she was a virgin and from the country, but...c'mon. Virgins may not have any first hand experience with sex, but that doe...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Booked rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-and-all, guardian-stepsibs, sprinkled-with-humor

description

Across the vast ocean sailed Victoria Seaton, a free-spirited American beauty left suddenly orphaned and alone. Eager to claim her long-lost heritage, she was amazed at the formal elegance of Wakefield, the sumptuous English estate of her distant cousin...the notorious Lord Jason Fielding. Sought after at plays, operas, and balls by London's most fashionable ladies, Jason remained a mystery to Victoria. Bewildered by his arrogant demeanor, yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she came...more

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Sep 26, 2010 Michelle Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, historical

Once and Always was really good. I really really enjoyed the story! I loved the heroin Victoria (Tory) alot. Lord Jason Fielding warmed my heart as well. It was a beautiful tale.

Once and Always was full of angst and the plot basis was the constant misunderstanding between the couple. The writing was so good, that the constant misunderstandings didn't grate on my nerves but it worked well.

The only things that fell a little flat to me was the considerations to the secondary characters. Later in t...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 28, 2013 Sophie ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks-i-own, historical-romance, favorites, setting-1800s, read-2013, bodice-ripper

This is my second Judith McNaught book and I loved it just as much as I loved the first. After reading one of her contemporary romantic suspense novels and now one of her historicals, I have to say I'm blown away by the talent she has for switching between genres so beautifully. Usually an author's style of writing limits them to a certain genre and when they try to change genres it usually isn't that effortless... but wow. Judith McNaught is one helluva writer.

What I loved most about this book...more

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Jun 07, 2011 Faye rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, historical-romance-novels, first-in-series, judith-mcnaught, romance

This book had changed my view in historical romance and I would dare say that I would want to recommend it to everyone. This is my first book read written by McNaught and I utterly enjoyed it. There were lots of emotions in this book, for Jason: the pain from losing someone you dearly loved made him an unapproachable man, someone who will not reveal any of his feelings to anyone, not even to his closest friend and father; then for Victoria: who had lose her parents and who felt alone in the worl...more This book had changed my view in historical romance and I would dare say that I would want to recommend it to everyone. This is my first book read written by McNaught and I utterly enjoyed it. There were lots of emotions in this book, for Jason: the pain from losing someone you dearly loved made him an unapproachable man, someone who will not reveal any of his feelings to anyone, not even to his closest friend and father; then for Victoria: who had lose her parents and who felt alone in the world, it was amazing when the two had found each other to depend on, even if it took a lot of time to do so.

I wouldn't normally read a historical romance because sometimes I look solely for the humor the book could provide me and I have prejudiced those books that came in with the genre somewhat boring because of the formal English used in those books but in this one, I will correct myself and retract those presumptions. Tory and Jason had provided a battle of wits, she brought humor and laughter and light to his very dark life after enduring so many years of being abused by the mother he had known then was later used by his wife because he have the money, the title, the connections that would benefit her. I would say that Tory had been the balm to all his old scars and had given way for the loving man he is inside.

The story wasn't at all I expected, since like I said, I did expect it to be boring bordering into a a book you ought to read before you go to sleep, but I am very very wrong at that. At first, I am amused by Tory's courage and I then sympathized with her when she taught that the only man, Andrew, her only friend who would get her and marry her had married another woman, then her extreme bravery to reach out to Jason even if he's insisting that he doesn't need anyone, I would say that a woman like that is truly a lady worthy to be honored. Jason, on the other hand, man, what a description for a leading man? A bitter, cold, ruthless man and a very handsome at that? No wonder many girls would want to change him, but I did understand his part where he had very much difficulty trusting anyone after what he had injured. It was only Tory who could have made him trust again and in that part, it was really nice to see two people finding solace to each other (even fictional characters at that. haha.)

I loved the ending too. A little twist before a big finale. I know that this isn't very unique and not at all unheard of (the concepts I mean), but I found myself really enjoying reading historical romance not only because of my previous admissions that I am a sucker for romance but because McNaught was able to write with impeccable taste, with humor while using formal English at that (or a lot of synonyms, I might add but readers should not need to worry because it was written in a way that one can understand it easily) and also she had provided a very good story line, no part of the book isn't essential (even if I felt sorry for Andrew because of Charles' schemes).

Beware to readers: this book will take you in an emotional roller coaster, if you're as emotional and a sucker for romance as I am. :)(less)

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Jan 09, 2011 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

As many other people, I also think that Jason does something very reprehensible on their wedding night. But the whole story is very good, and Jason is truly captivating, despite that mistake. For me, it would be an imprudence to condemn this lovely story just because of that. Plus, when we find out more about Jason´s past we understand why the author wrote that scene. And, as usual in Judith McNaught´s characters, later Jason redeems himself completely (with his actions and his love, not by sayi...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Diana~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, author-judith-mcnaught, regency-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This was definitely a 4 1/2 stars book! I do have to admit that this book caused my emotions to go up and down like a roller coaster. I really loved the heroine because of how strong she was and how her love for Jason broke all of his barriers. The hero however... it did take some time for me to truly appreciate the guy. I liked him in the beginning, not in the middle, but definitely in the end.

During the course of the book, I truly despised Jason because of how he treated Victoria. But of cours...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Lori McD rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012_read, chick-lit, british-lit, coming-of-age, guilty-pleasure, historical-fiction, regency, romance, some-steam

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3.5-4 stars

It's tough for me to rate this book, because so much of it is a 4-star book... the main characters are richly drawn, the story is engaging, and one cheers on the Hero and Heroine as they come together.

The problem is that the Hero has some very old, very deep emotional wounds that won't go away with a little love. We see him want to open his heart, and then cruelly close it again - jumping to some rash conclusion about the Heroine and what she's thinking or feeling. His behavior reflec...more 3.5-4 stars

It's tough for me to rate this book, because so much of it is a 4-star book... the main characters are richly drawn, the story is engaging, and one cheers on the Hero and Heroine as they come together.

The problem is that the Hero has some very old, very deep emotional wounds that won't go away with a little love. We see him want to open his heart, and then cruelly close it again - jumping to some rash conclusion about the Heroine and what she's thinking or feeling. His behavior reflects his wounds throughout the book, until *suddenly* we're at the end of the story, and the Hero seems healed all at once. Perhaps I overstate the end?

Victoria (Tory) is a wonderful American heroine. She's sweet but feisty, compassionate but with a biting wit, and as innocent as they come. She's almost constantly wide-eyed at the world and people around her. She befriends and tames a half-dog/half-wolf. And while one would expect her to have difficulty navigating the ways of the "ton", she seems to glide effortlessly through it. Although she does mention the strange rules that the "ton" has often. Being an American (Irish-American at that), I wondered if even a title and a betrothal to a marquess was enough for the "ton" to overcome its blatant class distinctions. But those aren't of any consequence in this book.

Lord Jason Fielding (Marquess of Wakefield) is living a lie. He's supposed to be the nephew of Charles Fielding (Duke of Atherton), but in reality, he's Charles' by-blow from an affair with a French dancer. Charles placed him with his youngest brother, a missionary sailing to India, and only years later realized how cruel and harsh his life was there; rather than take care of him, his brother's wife beat him and publicly humiliated and berated him as "the devil's spawn". Jason escaped that life by the grace of a man who became his best friend, and then Jason built a life and an empire for himself in India... including a beautiful wife. But Jason's idea of love left something to be desired, and his wife's interest quickly waned despite all the expensive gifts he gave her. She also publicly humiliated him by having open affairs, and in the end, she ran off with a lover, taking Jason's only beloved son, intending to ransom him back to his father; except the ship they were sailing on was lost at sea, no survivors.

Charles Fielding loved Victoria's mother, but in the usual way, family intervened; Charles was engaged to another, and Katherine (Victoria's mother) was supposed to be engaged to a man who'd bring a powerful alliance to her family - at her mother's behest. Knowing that they'd both be disinherited if they eloped and believing that Katherine wouldn't know how to be poor and would leave him, Charles decided to go forward with his marriage to his fiancee. Katherine hastily eloped to America (where she wanted to go with Charles) with an Irish doctor. Now Charles feels he has a second-chance to "make things right" for Katherine's daughter, Victoria. But how he could have the unmitigated gall to believe that she and Jason would be perfect for one another and announce their engagement in the London Times without even meeting Victoria... beyond me.

And that's another part of the problem... yes, in this time families often made decisions on behalf of their young without consulting them. But without seeing them or knowing them?

As it turns out, Jason and Victoria are a good match, but both have some healing to do. Victoria believes that her American sweetheart, who's on a six-month Grand Tour in Europe, will come for her upon learning that her parents are dead and that she's in England. But everyone conspires to tell her differently - that her father didn't really want the match, that Andrew's mother will never let him go, and so on, until she gets the fateful letter from Andrew's mother telling her that Andrew has married a second-cousin in Switzerland. Now Victoria is heart-broken and bitter against men. Jason is broken and bitter against everyone, but especially women. What a match!

How they come together is the intriguing and engaging part of the story. And this is a romance, so I should cut the author some slack. Because it is a beautiful, dreamy romance, fraught with the "issues" of the tortured hero and the problems caused by his behavior towards the heroine.

I did enjoy this book, and I intend to read the next one in this series.(less)

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About Judith McNaught

Judith McNaught is a bestselling author of over a dozen historical and contemporary romance novels, with 30 million copies of her works in print. She was also the first female executive producer at a CBS radio station. McNaught is credited with inventing the modern Regency Historical romance subgenre.

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“I do not believe that grief is ever so great that it can not be contained within.” — 32 people liked it

“(...)Did she really tell Roddy Carstairs she could outshoot him with his own pistol?"
"No," Jason said dryly. "She told him that if he made one more improper advance to her, she would shoot him- and if she missed, she would turn Wolf loose on him. And if Wolf didn't finish the job, she had every faith I would." Jason chuckled and shook his head. "It's the first time I've been nominated for the role of hero. I was a little crushed, however, to be second choice after the dog.” — 18 people liked it

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