Customer Reviews

Once and Forever

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I loved this book! Constance O'Day Flannery is one of my favorite authors. Her books are warm uplifting, funny and intelligent. ONCE AND FOREVER renews your faith in true love. The heroine, Maggie, has fallen on hard times, so when her aunt invites her to England, she goes, never dreaming that she will meet a real knight in shining armor. What happens after is the adventure of a lifetime, especially when Maggie discovers the true identity of our William Shakespeare. The secondary characters are as charming as the hero and heroine, as the 'aunts' add their own special humor and wisdom to this well written tale. ONCE IN A LIFETIME will be one of the favorite books this year.

I love the new direction Constance O'day-Flanner's writing has taken.. I thoroughly enjoyed taking that she took things that have been mainstream knowledge for so long that when new information is discovered people don't even seem to hear it...

Like all of Constance O'Day Flannery's books, this one is very romantic and spiritually uplifting. I really liked the Elizabethian setting, and the hero is the knight in shining armor of dreams. The time travel element is totally believable, with the heroine disappearing through a maze into the past. I only wish Ms. Flannery's books came out more frequently. No one does time travel like her.

Maggie, our heroine, is recently divorced, out of a job, and at a low point in her life. Her aunt Edithe invites her to England for a retreat. While there, she travels back in time to 16th century. She's mistaken for Lady Margarite, who is to marry Lord Ashford. But she find her soulmate in Nick, Ashford's enemy. Nick is there there at the request of Ashford's mother for the betrothal banquet. Or something like that. Nick has waited eons for Maggie.

In any case, the first 3rd of the book is on how miserable Maggie is in her present life and how she tries to convince the people in the 16th century she is not lady Margarite and is from the 20th century. She basically falls in love w/ Nick once they stared into each other's eyes.

There really wasn't much development of the either characters. The author didn't spend enough time describing the character, especially Nick. There are too much internal dialogue on how they loved each other. It was sweet, but a little too much. I would have liked to know how great Nick was as a poet and musician, his temperament, his status (knight? noble? you're never sure how important or un-important he was), etc

When I first picked up this book, I thought "WOW! this story could be about me!" Having just had my own forty-something identity crisis I, too, went "joyriding" to Europe for a break from the difficulties in my life. That being said, after the first two chapters, the story became a little more fluffy and in parts I found it very preachy about belief systems. This author was recommended as a fine example of time travel but I have to say that the time travel element didn't work for me in this book. There was no purpose to the change in time and the transitioning between time periods seemed a little abrupt. Add to that the unlikely meeting with people that I suppose were reincarnated centuries later ... it didn't work for me. On another point - the twin flame idea was interesting although driven home a little too hard. I had to finish this book on a lunch hour at work (I was on the last chapter - epilogue) and someone interupted me which prevented me from finishing it. I never did finish it because I discovered that I didn't care how it ended from there. She could have left that chapter off entirely. In summary - is it a good read? Well it had some thought provoking writing, so I wouldn't say to take a pass on it. I got through it easily enough (until the ending) but I don't know that I would recommend it either.

I am a huge fan of well written, believable romantic writing. Though usually, I do not read a lot of time travel romance, this book may change that. I do believe in destiny, and this book offered just the right mix of destiny, chance, realism and fantasy to draw me into the characters and into the realm of time travel that Constance O'Day Flannery writes so well. I have read several of her books over the past few months and am looking forward to the next one... True romantic's, and I know there are many of you out there, will enjoy this book tremendously...

Thank you Constance O'Day Flannery for the wonder that you shared, for the beauty of your giving. I was delighted by the head strong Maggie, enchanted by the love of so many strong characters such as Lady Elthea/AuntEdithe. I found myself enchanted with the open, unreserved glory of Nicholas. How could this lyrical poet help but fall prey to the delighfully reluctant Maggie. She, unable to allow herself true joy, until she released the safety net of false knowing and allowed Nick's kiss, to revive her 'Sleeping Beauty's' soul and awaken her to this bliss. My word's of thanks, for your sharing, dear author, are inadequate. How may one thank a goddess who, with 'pen' for shuttle and paper and ink her loom and glorious threads, has woven this devine tapestry of wondrous comfort, reassuring all spirits that love is indeed eternal.

Wow. I am really surprised by the intense feelings generated by this book. Obviously, you really love it or hate it. I'm one who LOVED IT. Even though the Renaissance Period is not one of my personal favorites, I found it easy to read and I really identified with Maggie and how she was overwhelmed by her life and everything that seemed to be going wrong with it. What I got from the book was taking your life 'one day at a time', not planning your whole future and worring about it, but recognizing the joy that is Life. It inspired me to go out and live my life and go for my dreams, because it could all be over tomorrow and all I would have is a pile of bills that consumed me and a dream that died. Bravo, Constance O'Day-Flannery, for getting another great message and story out there. For me, this one is a keeper.

I actually really *like* time travel romance and have previously found this author's work at least entertaining if not outstanding. This book however was egregiously awful. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Heroine annoying, hero boring (though supporting characters not too bad). Between introductions, afterwords, ads for other books, etc etc, you're not getting nearly as much novel as you think you are, but I guess given the quality of this book that's not all bad. The nearly non-existent plot is hopelessly uninteresting and completely peters out toward the end. I can't believe I stuck it out til the end - it never did improve.

Like most of Constance O'Day Flannery's books, this one had an intelligent, thought provoking theme along with a great romance. How many of us have faced a mountain of bills, feeling like we are worthless and not living up to the American dream? The heroine in the story, Maggie, faces just such a pass, and learns to live in the present moment. What she discovers is true love, and her own self worth. What could be better?