Once and Always
1987
- fiction, romance, historical, regency
- collectionid:bodice_ripper
- london (england), fiction
- marriage, fiction
The story
Sequels #1 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 Jason Fielding. Bewildered by his arrogance yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she senses the painful memories that smolder in his eyes. When he gathers her at last into his arms, arousing a sweet, insistent hunger, they wed and are embraced by fierce, consuming joy -- free from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of anguish, Victoria discovers the treachery at the heart of their love . . . a love she had dreamed would triumph not just once, but always. Sequel Series: Once and Always (Sequels, #1) Something Wonderful (Sequels, #2) Almost Heaven (Sequels, #3) Characters from the Sequels Series appear across the Westmoreland Dynasty Saga. If you'd like to read in order: A Kingdom of Dreams (Westmoreland, #1) Once and Always (Sequels, #1) Something Wonderful (Sequels, #2) Almost Heaven (Sequels, #3) Whitney, My Love (Westmoreland, #2) Until You (Westmoreland, #3) Miracles (Westmoreland, #3.5) The following Contain "Miracles" (Westmoreland, #3.5): Simple Gifts: Just Curious / Miracles / Change of Heart / Double Exposure (Westmoreland, #3.5) A Holiday of Love (Westmoreland, #3.5)
What it’s like
Lush, ornate, and unhurried in the way of a candlelit Regency drawing room: the prose is warm and sensual, lingering on silks, gilt-framed portraits, rain-slicked London streets, and the rolling green grounds of a great English estate, with heaving emotion played out in close, intimate interiors. The voice is lavish and confiding, with long, rushing sentences that swell in the big romantic moments and drop into quieter, aching reflection between them. Its vibe is sweeping, sensual melodrama with a wounded edge, suited to a rainy weekend, a long stretch alone with a bath and a cup of tea, or a comfort reread when you want to be swept away. Pacing is brisk in its plotting but emotionally indulgent, with a slow-burning tension between a headstrong American heiress and a guarded, brooding English lord who must learn to trust. Its sexual content is explicit and frequent, written with heat rather than restraint, and it carries a steady undercurrent of betrayal, grief, and emotional cruelty; violence is limited and mostly offstage. It is for readers who love historical romance with big feelings, bold heroines, and a tortured hero who earns his redemption.
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