Forever Waiting: Colette's Appeal [Paperback]

DeVa Gantt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2009

The gripping saga of the Duvoisins—an extraordinary American family both blessed and cursed—reaches a stunning conclusion. . . .

In the wake of heartbreaking tragedy and volatile revelations, the once-great Duvoisin family of Virginia teeters on the brink of disintegration. And trusted governess, Charmaine Ryan, suffers with them.

Their world has exploded—and aging patriarch, Frederic Duvoisin, desperately tries to salvage what remains of his shattered family. His mercurial son John has left, vowing never to return, taking a piece of Charmaine's heart with him. Paul, the roguish, illegitimate son and aspiring heir to the Duvoisin shipping empire, offers love to the vulnerable Charmaine. And Agatha, Frederic's shrewish wife, plots to destroy anyone who stands in her way. Haunted by the past, John returns, inadvertently unearthing the most devastating scheme of all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sisters Debra and Valerie Gantt finally complete the Colette trilogy (begun 30 years ago) with the story of Charmaine Ryan, governess to the late Colette Duvoisin's girls and heir to Colette's role as soul of the Duvoisins, a family of prosperous 19th-century plantation and mill owners. The novel is heavy with flashbacks and recaps intended to catch readers up with preceding events. It's now 1837, and Colette's widower, Frederic Duvoisin, wishes to make up for past mistakes, but son John remains estranged in Virginia while John's half-brother teeters on the brink of marriage. Meanwhile, Agatha Duvoisin continues to hatch sinister schemes, leaving hardworking heroine Charmaine to triumph the old-fashioned way: by not giving into anything but true love. The novel feels very much like a throwback to the staid romances written a generation or two ago, where a man's masculinity is silhouetted by a burning fire and love ignites when hero and heroine dance at a ball, then stroll alone together through a garden. (Dec.)
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About the Author

DeVa Gantt is the pseudonym for coauthor sisters Debra and Valerie Gantt, career women, homemakers, and mothers. They are the authors of two previous books in the Duvoisin family saga, A Silent Ocean Away and Decision and Destiny.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (November 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061578266
• ISBN-13: 978-0061578267
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,717 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, January 15, 2010

By 

J. Taylor (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Waiting: Colette's Appeal (Paperback)

I can't give this trilogy enough praise. All three books are wonderfully written and I highly recommend reading all of them. The authors have a way of making you fall in love with the characters and you become part of the story. I own all three books, and now that I am done reading all of them I go back and reread all of my favorite parts. I hope that the authors write more because this trilogy was amazing!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, January 9, 2010

By 

Elizabeth M. Lombardo "Liz Lombardo" (Sparrowbush, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Forever Waiting: Colette's Appeal (Paperback)

I would highly recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes to read for escape. Deva Gantt writes stories that take you away.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A wee bit too much melodrama and coincidences, December 14, 2009

By 

Misfit (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Forever Waiting: Colette's Appeal (Paperback)

This book completes the trilogy begun in A Silent Ocean Away and Decision and Destiny. In the first two, Charmaine Ryan was employed as governess to the Duvoisin children on the family's private island in the West Indies. It doesn't take long before she becomes involved in the family's secret past as well as being romantically drawn to Frederick's two sons - John the embittered legitimate son or Paul illegitimate but oh so devastatingly handsome and charming. As this book begins the family is just beginning to heal from the unbearable loss they suffered at the end of book two. Frederick is preparing a huge bash to celebrate Paul's business successes and John returns from his self-imposed banishment, Frederick's evil wife Agatha continues her schemes and Charmaine must finally chose which of the two brothers she loves.

While not the greatest works of fiction, I did enjoy the two books a lot - I love big old family sagas with lots of secrets, intrigues, deception and treachery - although this one was so OTT with it all that except for the fact I wanted to find out how things turned out with Charmaine and ---- (no I am not spilling the beans like another reviewer did) I would have sent it flying. The constant switching of POV's was very distracting, the twins at ten were just waaaaay too precocious and much as I liked John's character his cynical jokes were very off-putting and downright rude at times.

Worst of all though was the melodrama and flashbacks. I felt like I was in an episode of Days of Our Lives with Charmaine and the Duvoisin family suffering every possible set-back outside of being possessed by the Devil. The bad guys were all very very bad and of course Charmaine was very very good - no shades of gray here. There is so much great story potential and I'd love to see what like Mary Stewart of Daphne Du Maurier could have done with it. In the end, I'm glad I read the series and I'm glad I now know the rest of the story. Sorry, but I'm calling this one at two stars.