23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun time-traveling romance, June 24, 2004
This review is from: Until Forever (Mass Market Paperback)
"Until Forever" isn't your typical Johanna Lindsey historical romance. Yes, it does have a medieval cast and crew, but only because the modern-day heroine, a history teacher named Roseleen, travels through time to the Norman Invasion with the help of a cursed Viking sword.
That same sword also comes with a hunky Viking named Thorn, brother to the Norse God Thor, and cursed to serve the woman who possesses the sword. Of course, Roseleen and Thorn's visits to the past screw up history, with some very interesting results. It's definitely a new twist on a JL romance!
This was a fun story. I rather enjoyed the details about the Norman Invasion. I also thought that Roseleen and Thorn had strong personalities and enjoyed their interactions - especially those times when Roseleen had to explain the modern world to Thorn. It was hysterical to see his fear over riding in the car and how fast he destroyed the (moving) kitchen appliances. The shower scene was pretty hot, too.
I had a couple minor objections to the story, which is why is has a 4 rating rather than a 5. For whatever reason, Lindsey stops the story every so often to explain women's liberation or some other inane topic during, say, a love scene. It was so jarring! For another, Thorn has a mortal enemy who appears in the last few pages of the book, and his and Thorn's battle to the death comes across as fluff. Then Lindsey resorts to a silly tactic to make Roseleen appear unattractive, which is to give her glasses she doesn't need (she also does this to Marion in "A Man to Call My Own," which was published later). Either drop the glasses ploy completely or really make the heroine blind (which could be interesting); faking a need for glasses is simply insulting to those who actually have to wear them.
Altogether, "Until Forever" is a charming read. If you like this story, you may also like the "Warrior's Woman" trilogy, also by Lindsey, which involves sci-fi interplanetary romances between modern-type heroines and barbarian-like warriors from a "primitive" planet.
Update as of November 29, 2004: I just read "A Knight in Shining Armor" by Jude Deveraux, which is the second time-travel book I've ever read, and I have to say it is absolutely amazing! "Until Forever" sucks in comparison. In fact, if I compared the two books to desserts, "Until Forever" would be a gingerbread cookie while "A Knight" would be a steaming chocolate soufflé drizzled in hot chocolate and topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream. It was that yummy! If you had to read one time-traveling romance, I would recommend "A Knight in Shining Armor" any day.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, October 1, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Until Forever (Mass Market Paperback)
I am a history major and my field of study is medeival history, just like Roseleen's. This was a wonderful book and appealed to me because I have often wondered what it would be like to go back in time to meet William the Conqueror. The book has everything, a handsome hero, a beautiful heroine, and a wonderful story. I definetly recommend this one if you are a fan of Johanna Lindsey!
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just ok, September 30, 2004
This review is from: Until Forever (Mass Market Paperback)
I feel guilty for giving this book two stars because everyone seemed to have loved it. The problem I had with this book is that the romance is secondary to the story. Thorn had absolutely no personality, he reminded me of "me Thorn, you Roseleen". A barbarian who just wanted to f***. No romance whatsoever. Roseleen was an interesting character but she spent most of her time trying to right the wrongs of the time travel mistakes they encountered. I would to have like to have read more scenes of Thorn and Roseleen getting to know each other, spending time and discovering each other. Too much time spent on a history lesson. (William the Conqueror)
Now what I did love about this book was the ending which made the laborious read worthwhile. I did get goosebumps and was very satisfied. Closed the book with a smile on my face. I do love Johanna Lindsey's work so I always find something I like about it.
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