Ever My Love [Mass Market Paperback]

Gretchen Craig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

On the eve of Civil War, the daughter of Southern planters finds her loyalties tested in a magnificent saga of family pride and forbidden love...Brought up amid the luxury of plantation life, Marianne Johnston never questions her sheltered life until, driven by her conscience, she joins the Underground Railroad. Soon Marianne is living a dangerous double life, helping slaves flee by night and acting the belle by day. And nothing is riskier than her attraction to wild, heartless young Southerner Yves Chamard - while being courted by his noble older brother. Now, Marianne is desperately trying to resist Yves' seduction, knowing that her surrender to his touch may cost her everything...Gretchen Craig returns with another sweeping story that brings the Old South to life in all its glory - and a passionate heroine compelled to follow her heart...

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Although she's the daughter of a Louisiana plantation owner, Marianne Johnston does not fit the mold of a Southern belle. Acting as a nurse to injured slaves, Marianne hides her abolitionist sympathies behind feigned ennui until she decides to risk all and join the Underground Railroad. When Marianne's brother brings his friends the Chamard brothers to the plantation, she is disturbed by the way Yves, the younger brother, makes her feel. Yves realizes that Marianne is more than a typical insipid debutante, and trusts her to help him find his missing mulatto brother, taking her on an adventure that exposes her to the real evil of the slave trade. Craig's romance depicts Southern life before the Civil War with sympathetic characters, and highlights the lifestyle and the moral dilemma faced by white Southerners who opposed slavery. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A sweeping debut... Vivid... Wonderful... - praise for ALWAYS AND FOREVER, Gretchen Craig's debut novel."

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Zebra Books; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821780204
• ISBN-13: 978-0821780206
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gretchen Craig is the critically acclaimed author of novels and short stories.
Her most recent novel, Theena's Landing, takes her readers into the lush landscape of South Florida, the land of exotic birds, fragrant blossoms, and bright skies. In that narrow strip of land between the Atlantic and the Everglades, Gretchen grew roses in the sandy soil and orange trees in dark loam reclaimed from the swamp. In Theena's Landing, the early settlers living among the scarlet ibis and wild orchids tamed the wilderness to make way for the storied city of Miami.

She has also been recognized for her ante-bellum historicals, set in Louisiana among the Creoles, Cajuns, and African slaves. Always and Forever, from Kensington Zebra, won the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence for Mainstream with Romantic Elements and was chosen as an Editor's Pick in the Historical Novel Society reviews. Continuing the saga of the same extended families, Ever My Love won the Booksellers Best Award from the GDRWA. The last book of the trilogy, Evermore, carries the families into the early days of the Civil War.

Gretchen was born in the Florida Panhandle and grew up in St. Petersburg on the Gulf Coast. She and her husband have lived in South Florida, Germany, and Maine, and are now in Texas among the mesquite and sunflowers. Maybe because she's lived in such diverse climates and terrains, Gretchen's novels are notable for their strong sense of place. Readers swear they can smell the bayous of Louisiana and taste the gumbos of New Orleans. Crimson Sky, a Kindle Novel inspired by the pueblos, mountains, and deserts of northern New Mexico, evoke the lives of people living under a searing sun among the stark beauty of mesas and canyons. Visit her website at www.gretchencraig.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Antebellum romance that really looks at the institution of slavery, May 18, 2007

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ever My Love (Mass Market Paperback)

Since spending time in the north, Marianne Johnson's belief in the institution of slavery has been shattered. She does her best to nurse back to health those slaves who are captured and injured by slavers, and she tries to provide a positive environment for her own servant, but her father and brother, not she, are responsible for the plantation. To look the other way when slaves try to escape is one thing: to break the law and actually help them escape would be something else--wouldn't it.

Yves Chamard sees war coming as the south clings to the institution of slavery even after the entire rest of the world has outlawed it. He won't fight for the institution, even if his friends and other members of his class see him as a traitor. Instead, he's played his role as a 'shepherd' for the underground railroad while he prepares to head for the north. His one regret--he certainly wouldn't be able to offer the beautiful Marianne Johnson the kind of life she's accustomed to, that she deserves. Not that he has much reason to believe Marianne would accept his proposal--except that he can't be ignoring the attraction that flows between them.

When Yves's black half-brother is kidnapped by slavers, Yves isn't available to serve as shepherd and Marianne must face her fears and learn whether her hatred of slavery can translate into action. But an attack by slavers throws Marianne and Yves together and their chances to be nothing more than friends are shattered. Still, how can they find hapiness when their entire culture is about to be convulsed in violence?

Author Gretchen Craig doesn't pull any punches in this ante-bellum romance. Sure the upper classes of the white south lead priviledged and beautiful lives, but these are lives built on the suffering of their slaves. No matter how well some masters attempt to treat their slaves, those human beings remain property--and this disease of the soul cannot be avoided. In her effort to do justice to this painful truth, author Gretchen Craig neverheless manages to keep a focus on the relationship between Yves and Marianne as they come to terms with one another and with the roles they must play in a society that is rotten to its core, no matter how beautiful its outward appearance. I strongly recommend EVER MY LOVE by Gretchen Craig.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars! Civil War era romance: Do hearts lie?, May 5, 2007

By 

D. Merrimon Crawford (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ever My Love (Mass Market Paperback)

Set in Louisiana six months before the election of Abraham Lincoln with the underground railroad as a backdrop, Gretchen Craig paints a brutal picture of the dehumanizing effects and violence perpetrated against slaves. Set against this society, Marianne Johnston lives within it but not of it. Her heart, intelligence and soul ennoble her life, those around her and her choices for romance. Secondary romances and plot lines detailing the lives of slaves and also the different branches of the Chamard family may distract the reader at first but their addition makes this romance a more daring and interesting read than portrayed on the book's cover or description.

This novel vividly sets the historical scene. The violence is not gratuitous because it sets a realistic image of the times from which the courage of Marianne, the hero and the slaves moves the reader's heart. Gretchen Craig does not shy away from the complexities of the setting. The reader sees the Creole influence on Louisiana and also the reality of the in-between world of freemen, slaves, mixed races and those caught in the middle. Nothing is black or white, literally or figuratively---not the people and not the friendships. As a Southern (albeit relocated) reader, I appreciated the less stereotypical view of the location and of the friendships formed across society's barriers. The heroine is about as far from a shrinking violet as a reader will get in a historical romance set in this period without huge time placement problems. Marianne is tender and loving but she will stop at nothing when circumstances force her to choose. The daring hero is the perfect match for this fine heroine. The reader will take delight in seeing the unfolding of this romance of heart, mind and soul.

The romance between the memorable secondary characters Pearl and Luke, two of the slaves owned by Marianne's father, intrigues the reader. In one incredible scene Pearl daringly and boldly reaches for the dream of her heart. This one scene stuns the reader with its emotional beauty. All the main free and slave characters are forced to choose sides. Do they follow their hearts or society's rules? This is the heart of the romance for all of them!

If you are searching for a nice tender, pretty Southern romance, do not buy this book. If you are searching for a memorable read and a historical romance with a bit more cutting edge, Ever My Love is definitely is one to consider. Within this romance, historical circumstances and hearts coincide to present the reader with much more than a pretty picture. The characters are truly heroes and heroines.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies!, December 12, 2007

By 

Natalie S "ns65" (Nashville) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ever My Love (Kindle Edition)

Marianne Johnston is the pampered princess of the Magnolias Plantation near New Orleans . Having attended finishing school in the North, she was exposed to anti-slavery thoughts, feelings, and books. Upon her return home to Louisiana, Marianne begins writing down the ways her family takes care of their slaves in an attempt to convince herself that she is not what the people from the north believe. She writes down how her family treats their slaves' illnesses and how much their food allotments are. Marianne is content that the plantation's slaves are better off than most until she wakes up one morning and sees first hand exactly what happens to slaves who try to escape. Aghast at the viciousness of her overseer's discipline towards a young boy, Marianne's conscience works overtime and she finds herself becoming two people; a beautiful southern belle by day and an Underground Railroad conductor by night.

Yves Chamard is one of many sons of a prolific plantation owner. No matter the color of his siblings, Yves cares for and loves them all. He also has a secret; he is part of the powerful Underground Railroad and he risks everything each time a slave runs away and needs the help of the `shepherd'.

Talk about risking all. Marianne and Yves, each in their own way, defy pre-Civil War conceptions of slavery. Their moral consciousness is awe inspiring at times and I found myself wincing more than once at the chances they take to do what they believe is right. Forces came at them from all angles but they prevailed. Add in a very happy ending and I can honestly say that EVER MY LOVE is one of the most exquisite books I have read in a very long time.

While EVER MY LOVE remains first and foremost a romantic story, the sensuality is very low key and oftentimes subtle. This by no means deters from the story; in fact, I think the book is better for it. Ms. Craig has a new fan and I am definitely going to find and read more from this writer.