Everlasting
Written by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Narrated by Xanthe Elbrick
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Once Abrielle was a proud, exceptional lady coveted for her bearing, her breeding, her wit, and her beauty. But when her stepfather is denied his rightful title and the wealth that accompanies it, Abrielle finds herself suddenly disgraced. Only one would still have her, the oafish and grotesque Desmond de Marlé. Yet no one else can rescue her once-proud family's honor, so she is left with no choice but to accept the cruel and hateful de Marlé's offer of marriage . . . even as she yearns for another lover.
Dashing, handsome, tall, and kind, Raven Seabern is 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.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
(1939 - 2007) Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, creator of the modern historical romance, died July 6, 2007 in Minnesota. She had just turned 68. Her attorney, William Messerlie, said that she died after a long illness. Born on June 3, 1939 in Alexandria, Louisiana, Mrs. Woodiwiss was the youngest of eight siblings. She long relished creating original narratives, and by age six was telling herself stories at night to help herself fall asleep. At age 16, she met U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Ross Woodiwiss at a dance, and they married the following year. She wrote her first book in longhand while living at a military outpost in Japan. Woodiwiss is credited with the invention of the modern historical romance novel: in 1972, she released The Flame and the Flower, an instant New York Times bestseller, creating literary precedent. The Flame and the Flower revolutionized mainstream publishing, featuring an epic historical romance with a strong heroine and impassioned sex scenes. ""Kathleeen E. Woodiwiss is the founding mother of the historical romance genre,"" says Carrie Feron, vice president/editorial director of William Morrow and Avon Books, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers. Feron, who has been Woodiwiss's editor for 13 years, continues, ""Avon Books is proud to have been Kathleen's sole publishing partner for her paperbacks and hardcover novels for more than three decades."" Avon Books, a leader in the historical romance genre to this day, remains Mrs. Woodiwiss's original and only paperback publisher; William Morrow, Avon's sister company, publishes Mrs. Woodiwiss's hardcovers. The Flame and the Flower was rejected by agents and hardcover publishers, who deemed it as ""too long"" at 600 pages. Rather than follow the advice of the rejection letters and rewrite the novel, Mrs. Woodiwiss instead submitted it to paperback publishers. The first publisher on her list, Avon, quickly purchased the novel and arranged an initial 500,000 print run. The novel sold over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. The success of this novel prompted a new style of writing romance, concentrating primarily on historical fiction tracking the monogamous relationship between a helpless heroines and the hero who rescued her, even if he had been the one to place her in danger. The romance novels which followed in her example featured longer plots, more controversial situations and characters, and more intimate and steamy sex scenes. ""Her words engendered an incredible passion among readers,"" notes Feron. Bestselling author Julia Quinn agrees, saying, ""Woodiwiss made women want to read. She gave them an alternative to Westerns and hard-boiled police procedurals. When I was growing up, I saw my mother and grandmother reading and enjoying romances, and when I was old enough to read them myself, I felt as if I had been admitted into a special sisterhood of reading women."" New York Times bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips, a leading voice in the women's fiction arena, says, ""We all owe our careers to her. She opened the world of romance to us as readers. She created a career for us to go into."" The pioneering author has written 13 novels over the course of 35 years, all New York Times bestsellers. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss's final literary work, the upcoming Everlasing, will be published by William Morrow in October 2007. ""Everlasting is Kathleen's final gift to her fans,"" notes Feron. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, who was predeceased by her husband and son Dorren, is survived by sons Sean and Heath, and numerous grandchildren.
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Reviews for Everlasting
114 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5good story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book is a classic for me I’ve reread it many times I just wish there were books like this out there ?
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one I haven't read, only listened to it. It was a good listen as I was cleaning, packing and re-vacuum sealing fish, needing to keep busy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I liked this book. Love the author and the narrators voice is so easy to listen to.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a good book, I am always amazed at how authors can create conflict from misunderstanding.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I picked this up at my favorite used book store's dollar sale without really knowing anything about it. It turned out to be an average romance story set in England. There was only surface historical details and scant character development. None of these people could have ever existed in real life. Upon further research I learned that this was published posthumously so it may not be the best representation of the author's work. It seems like her earlier novels were highly regarded. If you like real history than skip over this book. Only non discriminating romance readers would find anything to like here.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Average historical romance.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Woodiwiss "The Wolf and The Dove" is one of my all time favorite books. However, this book was a total disappointment. It just labored on and I had to struggle to read it. I did not find that Abrielle and Raven had any chemistry and the book just ambled along.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Yuk! I love medieval romance stories, but this is badly written, poorly researched and just a disaster from page one. I couldn't even get through the first 60 pages because the historical inaccuracies were so glaring and disruptive. From the hall to the politics to the clothing and manners -just horrendous. The characters have none. They are flat stock characters of little interest with apparently nothing interesting to say for them selves. Instead of slowly revealing them, the author just tells their entire back stories in tedious detail. If this is just an average example of her work, I can't imagine how Ms. Woodiwiss got such a highly respected reputation. She seemed to be going through the motions entirely without inspiration and it shows... painfully clear. I want my $7.99 back!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I was somewhat dissappointed that this book didn't have more romance. I rarely read true romance novels so when I did decide to try one, it was lacking in that department. It was a long book with a slow, drawn out (but really simple) plot. The language was a little too melodramatic and flowery for me. It wasn't terrible though and it did keep my interest until the end.