The Eternal Trust [Paperback]

Melinda Rucker Haynes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2000

Dorel Everly receives a legacy from her grandfather -- a beautiful samurai sword. Michael Gabrielli, former special ops psychic spy, uses his abilities to find an ancient samurai sword of vast power. Dorel's sword. He wants it and her, but his love could very well mean the death of both of them. Again.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Dorel everly inherits a mysterious sword from her grandfather, it brings her a lover she's known in another life, but his passion has a dangerous edge. Melinda Rucker Haynes's The eternal Trust was originally released as an e-book, but with four stars from Romantic Times Magazine, it seemed like a good bet for print - which it is: Haynes crafts a highly readable romance complete with a "trained psychic spy," a magical samurai sword, time travel and a lesson about the "transformational power of love."
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Just after Dorel Everly has lost everything--her beloved grandfather, her engineering job with Boeing, her house-sitting job, and all her savings--a courier shows up with a samurai sword left to her by her grandfather. When she investigates selling it at a weapons show, she meets Michael Gabrielli, a pilot who had been a psychic spy in the military, and is swept with him into a maelstrom of danger and adventure involving ninjas and past-life experiences. Dorel and Michael had been linked with the mysterious sword through several lifetimes in an Eternal Trust as the Defender and Guardian. If they are to avoid a terrible death, Dorel must find a way to defeat the cycle. Originally published as an e-book, Haynes' tale won the 2001 Eppie Award (e-book) for Best Fantasy/Paranormal Romance. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075990278X
• ISBN-13: 978-0759902787
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,221,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual tale with imagination and Japanese Culture, October 15, 2002

By 

Rose Chastain (www.aromancereview.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Five Star Expressions - The Eternal Trust (Hardcover)

Martin Everly died of cancer and left his granddaughter, Dorel Everly, a Japanese samurai sword. Dorel is a laid off aeronautical engineer of Boeing and in need of money, so she decides to sell the sword at the gun show.

Michael Gabrielli is a collector of ancient weapons and was a psychic spy of the military. He has been tracking down the sword for a while and when he meets Dorel, he wants both the sword and Dorel.

For eight incarnations, the sword has been passed on to couples that are destined to be the Guardian and the Defender of the sword. Dorel and Michael are the ninth incarnation - Dorel, the Guardian and Michael, the Defender. Dorel knows that both she and Michael will die if they cannot break the cycle of the trust. Dorel must persuade Michael to give up the power of the sword and destroy it to save their lives.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a paranormal romance full of action, suspense and danger. The story is centered on the battle of good and evil. The power of the sword reflects the ugliness and greed of human beings. Ms Haynes has written an unusual tale with her imagination and knowledge of the Japanese culture.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing reincarnation saga, October 1, 2002

By 

Kelley Hartsell "Kelley" (Irving, TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Five Star Expressions - The Eternal Trust (Hardcover)

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Dorel Everly has just lost her grandfather and her job... and found a mystery. She receives an unusual package that had been kept by her grandfather for many years, in trust for Dorel. It is a one of a kind samurai sword, ancient and beautiful, that just happens to carry the weight of a curse on all who possess it. She toys with the idea of selling it, convinced such a unique piece of work would be worth more than enough money to finance her; at least until she gets back on her feet. Just as she is about to transfer it in a sale, something indefinable halts her, making Dorel change her mind and keep it. Now... the next cycle in THE ETERNAL TRUST is to begin.

Michael Gabrielli is a former military agent, with special psychic abilities honed in war, where he learned how to control and use them. He is also a collector of Eastern Asia artifacts and fine craftsmanship. When he finds out about Dorel's sword, he wants it. No... he NEEDS it, for he feels it rightfully belongs to him. When Dorel is nearly killed by a madman, also obsessed with the sword, Michael steps in, protecting her and making himself a fixture in her life.

When Dorel and Michael meet, sparks fly from the beginning, and their entwined destinies come full circle. They are the latest reincarnations in a long line of people involved with the sword. Dorel is The Guardian, and Michael, The Defender, and neither can be apart from the sword nor each other without dire consequences.

The sword has a special use; it gives immense power to the possessor, causing many to desire it. It also causes significant personality changes in Michael and Dorel, not for the better, as the ghosts of their past lives come to the forefront and take over their free will. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, their love for each other grows, and brings great danger as well, causing them to doubt everyone they know, not knowing whom to trust. If they do not break their bond to the sword's power, THE ETERNAL TRUST will claim their lives, as it did all their past incarnations.

This was an intriguing story, though slow going in the very beginning. It is a fascinating look at the possibility of past lives and how they affect the present. The lives of Dorel and Michael are often influenced by everything that has come before. The flash backs to their past lives adds an extra dimension to the story, and helps them to understand their current lives.

Ms. Haynes has written well her story, and keeps the reader going, in spite of some rather confusing segments and an ending that is a little bit hard to believe. However, there are so many surprising twists and turns, one can't wait to find out what they mean to the tale... and Dorel's and Michael's lives.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, July 2002. All rights reserved.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars cogent paranormal romance, June 8, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eternal Trust (Paperback)

In Seattle, Boeing engineer Dorel Everly is laid off just two days after her beloved grandfather's funeral. Still in shock from the double blows, a monk visits Dorel at her home to give her an enclosed case that her grandfather entrusted to him. Dorel opens the case to see it contains a samurai sword.

Desperate for money, Dorel leans towards selling the sword even if it is her grandfather's legacy. However, pilot Mike Gabrielli traces the sword to Dorel. He wants the sword, but also desires Dorel in his life. She reciprocates his feelings, but others are now aware of where the sword is. These malevolent beings will murder to possess this particular sword that contains special powers. Only if they trust in the love that has a long history well before the incarnation of Mike and Dorel and learn about THE ETERNAL TRUST that bound the sword to them might Mike and Dorel stand a chance to survive.

THE ETERNAL TRUST is a cogent paranormal romance that centers on the battle between good and evil. Though the story line takes some adjustment to the flashbacks and journal entries, readers will find that even using that typically passive technique, the plot is action-packed yet the characters not lost in the focus. Mike is a wonderful hunk who will risk his life for his beloved while the heroine struggles to find her place in the latest war. Melinda Rucker Haynes provides a wonderful journey into a strange world that seems so real due to the author's ability to create quite a tale.

Harriet Klausner