Once and Always (Mass Market Paperback)

by Judith McNaught (Author) "OH, THERE YOU ARE, JASON," THE RAVEN-HAIRED beauty said to her husband's reflection in the mirror above her dressing table..." (more)
Key Phrases: Lord Fielding, Captain Farrell, Miss Flossie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Judith McNaught is in a class by herself."-- USA Today --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Across the vast ocean sailed Victoria Seaton, a free-spirited American beauty left suddenly orphaned and alone. Eager to claim her long-lost heritage, she was amazed at the formal elegance of Wakefield, the sumptuous English estate of her distant cousin...the notorious Lord Jason Fielding. Sought after at plays, operas, and balls by London's most fashionable ladies, Jason remained a mystery to Victoria. Bewildered by his arrogant demeanor, yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she came to sense the searingly painful memories that smoldered in the depths of his jade-green eyes.

Unable to resist her spitfire charm, Jason gathered her at last into his powerful arms, ravishing her lips with his kisses, arousing in her a sweet, insistent hunger. Wed in desire, they were enfolded in a fierce, consuming joy, free at last from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of blinding anguish, Victoria discovered the shocking treachery that lay at the heart of their love...a love she had dreamed would triumph...Once And Always.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (September 20, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671737627
• ISBN-13: 978-0671737627
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (168 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,777 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Bit Disappointed, December 31, 2004

By	L. McCreadie "slmchicago" (Elmhurst, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I loved "Kingdom of Dreams" and "Whitney, My Love," so I dove into this book expecting great things, especially since it came so highly recommended by McNaught fans. I have to say, I was sorely disappointed. To be sure, the writing was good and it contained McNaught's flair for story telling. But the characters really let me down.

I found the hero, Jason Fielding, to be far too much of a jerk for me to ever understand why the heroine would love such a man. I understand he had a tortured past, and that did much to explain his general attitude. But throughout the story he was consistently cruel and indifferent - downright mean - to Victoria. I never saw him softening or doing anything that indicated he was anything more than a hardened, cynical alpha-male. It wasn't until the very end that he expressed any indication that he cared for her at all. Too, we were not afforded enough glimpses into his thought processes to believe he was falling in love with her. I never felt that he fought against a growing attraction - from what I saw through his actions and treatment of Victoria, he really didn't love her at all until the very end.

Too, I didn't like that Jason continued his relationship with his mistress after he'd met Victoria. Perhaps that would have helped me buy into the premise that he loved Victoria - if he would have lost all desire for other women.

And since I found Jason hard to like, much less love, I didn't much respect Victoria. She was a little too perfect - a little too understanding and accepting of his cruel treatment of her. Sure, he took her in and bought her clothes, but that didn't give him the right to treat her the way he did. Their wedding night was a true horror, and I had a hard time understanding how Victoria would ever get over her fears enough to sleep with him again. Since Jason never did much to earn her love, I found Victoria's feelings for him baffling.

Also, I am getting a bit tired of some of the repeated plot contrivances McNaught uses. The young ingenue who becomes the darling of the British ton. The endless misunderstandings that cause both the hero and heroine to act in loathsome ways towards each other. In this story, especially, I was annoyed by Jason's lack of understanding of Victoria's innocence and his willingness to believe she wasn't a virgin. And in the end, when Victoria learned of her cousin Charles' treachery, she instantly condemned Jason despite Charles telling her that Jason had no hand in it.

My final complaint was the ending. All of the sudden, after one tiny argument in the scheme of their relationship, Jason does a 180 degree turn and is confessing his love for her. He'd shown her no affection for the first 7/8ths of the book but suddenly became a doting husband. I felt like McNaught was nearing her word count and realized she was running out of pages and needed to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

I did like Jason's reaction when he believed Victoria to be dead - it was the only time in the story when I got a glimpse as to the depth of his feelings for her. And I did like that Victoria didn't require pages of convincing to believe that he had no hand in the misunderstanding with Andrew.

All in all, this one was not my favorite McNaught. I'll stick with "Kingdom of Dreams".

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite..., December 26, 2000

By A Customer

I've read every Judith McNaught book there is and Once and Always is my all-time favorite. I don't know what it is about this story, but it really touches me everytime I read it. I like the fact that Jason was not as controlling as some of the other leading men in her novels (I couldn't stand Clayton in Whitney, My Love, for example), although he was a very strong and commanding character. I thought Victoria was a strong heroine and had a lot of self-respect. Their story was so moving, but it was extremely funny at times too. Although I enjoyed her books Something Wonderful and Perfect, I felt that they lacked something that this book had. All in all, this book has everything you could possible want in a JM novel. I also recommend Almost Heaven and Paradise.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of McNaught's Best!!!--Emotional and Touching, August 10, 2000

By A Customer

Once and Always is one of McNaught's best works. I love this book. I read this book so many times and I still can't believe the love between the two characters, Victoria and Jason. Both characters were very 3-dimensional, strong individuals. I laughed and cried. I think that out of all McNaught's books, this book outshines all the rest because she concentrated on the development of the relationship between Victoria and Jason. I recommend this book to everyone. I promise you that you won't regret reading this book. The Best!!!! I also recommend A Kingdom of Dreams, Almost Heaven, Something Wonderful, Whitney, My Love, and Paradise. Ok, I am a McNaught fan. She's a great writer. I also recommend Devereaux's Heiress and some of Garwood's works.