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Anything for Love
Terribly injured in a fire, former supermodel Victoria Ashford longs for death, until a mysterious doctor gives her the power of new life, in the person of a poor Irish immigrant of the late nineteenth century, where she finds herself drawn to Jack Wilkins, a widower tormented by shattered dreams.
348 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1997
106 people want to read
About the author
Jane Goodger
24 books286 followersI grew up in western Massachusetts and have lived most my adult life in New England. Thanks to my adventurous husband, I've also done brief stints in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Naples, Italy. Although I've written four contemporary romances under the name Jane Blackwood, my first love is historical romances set in Victorian times. I've written 17 of those with more on the way.
I have three kids, one a college grad, one in college, and one still in high school (who's a fantastic writer). I love the Red Sox and the New England Patriots. I work full time, have an editing business, and in my free time write like a fanatic.
Above the desk in my office is this sign: "And They All Lived Happily Ever After." It may not be reality, but it's real nice to think about...
I have three kids, one a college grad, one in college, and one still in high school (who's a fantastic writer). I love the Red Sox and the New England Patriots. I work full time, have an editing business, and in my free time write like a fanatic.
Above the desk in my office is this sign: "And They All Lived Happily Ever After." It may not be reality, but it's real nice to think about...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 7, 2014
Opening Line: “Victoria Ashford ran a slender finger across the line of her jaw, her cool grey eyes studying that small bit of smooth, perfect skin.”
I picked this one up second hand and enjoyed it way more than I expected to despite a few moments (where the time travel is concerned) when I had to just “go with it” and not ask too many hard questions. The writing is good and the story kept me guessing with numerous twists and turns. I also really liked the heroine in both eras, as she takes the form here of a poor Irish immigrant from the 1890’s as well as a supermodel from our time. The hero was pretty good too, all hunky, brooding beta but still willing to do almost anything to keep the woman he loves while also trying to control a “passion that burns hotter than fire” –or at least that's what the back blurb says.
Supermodel Victoria Ashford is on the top of the world after landing a huge perfume contract, her perfect face will be everywhere in the coming months and the massive paycheck that comes along with it feels like a bonus. The media blitz is just beginning when Victoria decides to celebrate with friends in her New York apartment; however tragedy strikes that night in the form of a horrific fire, leaving the beauty alive but permanently scarred and disfigured.
Two years and countless surgeries later Victoria is now all but homebound; depressed and in constant pain she longs for death, edging closer to suicide daily especially after her distorted face turns up in the tabloids. On a whim her best friend convinces Victoria to seek the help of Dr. Wing, a mystic who claims to be able to give his clients a new life. Victoria is of course skeptical but with nothing to lose she accepts his rules with a solemn vow (she can’t marry, have children, murder anyone or tell anyone who she really is as that would change the course of history) She will also have to die to begin her new life.
The actual “hows” of the time travel are a little vague but next thing we know Victoria finds herself residing in the body of Sheila Casey who is about to give birth in 1898 Boston. After giving the baby up for adoption to Jack and Cristina Wilkins “Sheila” finds work as a scullery maid –which I’m assuming would be a sucky job for a supermodel. Anyways, even through the baby isn’t really hers she can’t seem to stop thinking about her new “daughter” and goes about trying to find her.
At around the same time Sheila/Victoria is washing dishes and peeling potatoes frail, sickly Christina Wilkins dies and poor ole Jack needs a nurse to care for his ever crying baby. As luck would have it the baby immediately quiets when Victoria enters the room, Jack of course hires the saucy red head on the spot and together they enter into a quiet friendship which quickly crosses the lines of what’s acceptable between wealthy widower and nursemaid.
Now Victoria’s in a pickle; she’s fallen in love but she can’t ever marry, Jack’s bitch of a sister in-law has set her beady eyes on him as future husband material –making Victoria’s life a living hell and if Jacks guilt over never having truly loved his dead wife weren’t enough now the baby’s father has shown up with all manner of blackmail and bad doery promised. How will these star crossed lovers ever get their HEA?
328jb4
I picked this one up second hand and enjoyed it way more than I expected to despite a few moments (where the time travel is concerned) when I had to just “go with it” and not ask too many hard questions. The writing is good and the story kept me guessing with numerous twists and turns. I also really liked the heroine in both eras, as she takes the form here of a poor Irish immigrant from the 1890’s as well as a supermodel from our time. The hero was pretty good too, all hunky, brooding beta but still willing to do almost anything to keep the woman he loves while also trying to control a “passion that burns hotter than fire” –or at least that's what the back blurb says.
Supermodel Victoria Ashford is on the top of the world after landing a huge perfume contract, her perfect face will be everywhere in the coming months and the massive paycheck that comes along with it feels like a bonus. The media blitz is just beginning when Victoria decides to celebrate with friends in her New York apartment; however tragedy strikes that night in the form of a horrific fire, leaving the beauty alive but permanently scarred and disfigured.
Two years and countless surgeries later Victoria is now all but homebound; depressed and in constant pain she longs for death, edging closer to suicide daily especially after her distorted face turns up in the tabloids. On a whim her best friend convinces Victoria to seek the help of Dr. Wing, a mystic who claims to be able to give his clients a new life. Victoria is of course skeptical but with nothing to lose she accepts his rules with a solemn vow (she can’t marry, have children, murder anyone or tell anyone who she really is as that would change the course of history) She will also have to die to begin her new life.
The actual “hows” of the time travel are a little vague but next thing we know Victoria finds herself residing in the body of Sheila Casey who is about to give birth in 1898 Boston. After giving the baby up for adoption to Jack and Cristina Wilkins “Sheila” finds work as a scullery maid –which I’m assuming would be a sucky job for a supermodel. Anyways, even through the baby isn’t really hers she can’t seem to stop thinking about her new “daughter” and goes about trying to find her.
At around the same time Sheila/Victoria is washing dishes and peeling potatoes frail, sickly Christina Wilkins dies and poor ole Jack needs a nurse to care for his ever crying baby. As luck would have it the baby immediately quiets when Victoria enters the room, Jack of course hires the saucy red head on the spot and together they enter into a quiet friendship which quickly crosses the lines of what’s acceptable between wealthy widower and nursemaid.
Now Victoria’s in a pickle; she’s fallen in love but she can’t ever marry, Jack’s bitch of a sister in-law has set her beady eyes on him as future husband material –making Victoria’s life a living hell and if Jacks guilt over never having truly loved his dead wife weren’t enough now the baby’s father has shown up with all manner of blackmail and bad doery promised. How will these star crossed lovers ever get their HEA?
328jb4
May 26, 2012
A terrible fire leaves fast paced super model Victoria Ashford scared for life.When this tragedy happened to her she died that day. She became a soul living in a "monsters" body.No longer wanting to live a life in constant pain and known now as the "starlet-beast" She longs for death. She hears about a "mystic" Doctor with the power to give her a new life. Probably some con,but is willing to seek him out. In order to have a new begining she must"die"and become a poor Irish immigrant in the late 1800's and follow some rules.She cant marry,cant have children (the body she enters gives up her daughter for adoption)cant murder anyone,and cant tell anyone who she really is as this would change the natural course of history.Seems simple enough considering the life she had..does it not? The plan wasnt for her to love the baby she had to give away,nor falling for the baby's adoptive widowed father. Victoria takes many risks to find her daughter and become part of her life,and somehow deal with feelings for Jack that she cannot have. To break any of these rules will mean her permendent death.This story reminded me at lot like one of Constance O'Banyon's "timeswept" books..same plot/story/theme and same ending.For that I give it 3 1/2 stars,as I found it very "un-original" in that aspect. It did have some different twist's & turns which kept me holding on,but I pretty much knew from begining to end what was going to happen.
The characters were well developed and likeable so I have no issues there. Only "quibble" I guess I had was when the Dr was to "transport" her body into the other woman,they were sitting in her car..she feels pain..and off she goes leaving her body behind. Hmmmm..no standing stones here folks just a car.And there were some "off-historical-correct-too modern" parts that you would think the persons of "then" would question why? Anyways still a fast,light,if not predictable read.
The characters were well developed and likeable so I have no issues there. Only "quibble" I guess I had was when the Dr was to "transport" her body into the other woman,they were sitting in her car..she feels pain..and off she goes leaving her body behind. Hmmmm..no standing stones here folks just a car.And there were some "off-historical-correct-too modern" parts that you would think the persons of "then" would question why? Anyways still a fast,light,if not predictable read.
July 19, 2012
Jane Goodger hasn't written a bad book yet! Every single one of her books I've read has been at LEAST a solid 4 outta 5 stars...
February 16, 2023
To the heroine, her life ended when she accidentally set herself on fire and scarred her face and ruined her modeling career. She's even contemplated suicide to stop the psychical and emotional pain. Then, on a one in a million chance, she discovers a Chinese mystic who offers her a chance at another life all she has to do is surrender her psychical body and accept the rules of the exchange. She's not permitted to fall in love, marry or have children. Desperate to free herself from the prison of her life now, she agrees but does with under the conception that the if she chooses the life of an Irish immigrant who died in childbirth, she can have that child as her own. But when she wakes up in the body of a stranger, she realizes that the fairytale of keeping the little girl was just that-a myth. But she's determined to be as close to her daughter as she can so she takes a job as a scullery maid in hopes of happening upon the baby at some time. When she hears the baby crying from the room across the other side of the mansion, she's drawn to the cries of pain that echo so perfectly with what she's feeling inside herself.
The hero's wife died only a month ago and while he can't saw he grieves for her, he grieves with guilt and a sense of wasted time and unfulfilled life. Adopting the baby girl was his idea and while he knew his weak and sickly wife would never embrace the child, he hoped for something other than the cold and relentlessly dull reception the baby received. Now, a widower and father to a baby girl who cries out in pain and sadness for something he can't give her, the hero is desperate to find a way to sooth his child’s agony. It comes in the form of a pretty and petite maid who possesses an almost magical ability to stop the sobbing. He doesn't understand it but after 2 months of noise and lack of sleep, he can rest easy knowing the loved child has found some peace. Whatever feelings he may have for the new nurse, he initially dismisses as lust. With his dead wife, the hero never had a healthy sexual relationship and now, over 2 years later, he's been without a woman long enough to lust after anything with legs. Only, as much as he tries to convince himself that that's the reasoning behind his desire, he knows it's far more than that. This woman is completely opposite than what it was with his wife. She's bright and cheerful and so damn strong for such a tiny little thing. She stands up for herself against his sister in law and defends herself in such a bold way that he begins to doubt she's truly a maid. But not only that, he welcomes the intelligent conversations to be had late at night with her in his study. He can talk about things he's never imagined talking to a woman about and she makes him smile and feel lighter than he has in recent memory. He knows it's wrong, to tease the dangerous life he's walking but no matter how hard he tries to distance himself from her, he finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into her spell. The heroine herself knows it's wrong to feel this way about her employer but she can't help it. It's more than just being with her daughter now, it's being with the man she's come to love. But just as he's proposing marriage, she's realizing that the rules state she can never marry. She breaks his heart and, in the process, breaks her own. When he throws her out after discovering she is the baby's mother, the heroine is heartbroken and then, much to her horror, she is beaten by the man the step sister has hired to pretend to be her husband. The road to forgive is hard and it's long as neither the hero or heroine can find it in themselves to put aside their pride but what is constant in the feeling that no matter what, fate has destined and they are meant for each other.
This book started off slow but it certainly kicked into overdrive. My god, it became an emotional roller coaster by the second act and I couldn't stop the train even if I wanted to. I found the characters relationship to be a lovely example of friendship leading to love. It started out as a bonding over the love of the baby and the connection of believing in the same parenting tips. Then, it morphed into a deeper relationship built around respect and exploring each other’s minds. But always, there was a layer of sexual tension that pulses in every late-night conversation or encounter. I admired the fact that they didn't just surrender to desire. The hero made vows to his dead wife and to himself that he would never marry again. He also made a statement of how inappropriate their relationship was and that she was the master and she was the maid but at the end of the day, he never saw her as such. He saw her as a confident and a desirable woman. She shattered his heart when she turned does his offer of marriage but while he was bitter and hurt, he still hired a detective to hunt down the son of a bitch who hurt her and made great effort to convince himself and her that his feelings were dead when in reality they burned hotter than ever. The heroine went from a spoiled and dramatic 'model' to a young woman who understand what true loss was and what needed to be done to get what she wanted. Sure, she complained but she snapped herself out of it quite enough and at heart she was a kind soul who only wanted love. I thought this book had a lot of heart and while it was an odd concept what with the Chinese mystic and all but if you get over that, it's a marvelous love story with hints of Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice rolled into one.
The hero's wife died only a month ago and while he can't saw he grieves for her, he grieves with guilt and a sense of wasted time and unfulfilled life. Adopting the baby girl was his idea and while he knew his weak and sickly wife would never embrace the child, he hoped for something other than the cold and relentlessly dull reception the baby received. Now, a widower and father to a baby girl who cries out in pain and sadness for something he can't give her, the hero is desperate to find a way to sooth his child’s agony. It comes in the form of a pretty and petite maid who possesses an almost magical ability to stop the sobbing. He doesn't understand it but after 2 months of noise and lack of sleep, he can rest easy knowing the loved child has found some peace. Whatever feelings he may have for the new nurse, he initially dismisses as lust. With his dead wife, the hero never had a healthy sexual relationship and now, over 2 years later, he's been without a woman long enough to lust after anything with legs. Only, as much as he tries to convince himself that that's the reasoning behind his desire, he knows it's far more than that. This woman is completely opposite than what it was with his wife. She's bright and cheerful and so damn strong for such a tiny little thing. She stands up for herself against his sister in law and defends herself in such a bold way that he begins to doubt she's truly a maid. But not only that, he welcomes the intelligent conversations to be had late at night with her in his study. He can talk about things he's never imagined talking to a woman about and she makes him smile and feel lighter than he has in recent memory. He knows it's wrong, to tease the dangerous life he's walking but no matter how hard he tries to distance himself from her, he finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into her spell. The heroine herself knows it's wrong to feel this way about her employer but she can't help it. It's more than just being with her daughter now, it's being with the man she's come to love. But just as he's proposing marriage, she's realizing that the rules state she can never marry. She breaks his heart and, in the process, breaks her own. When he throws her out after discovering she is the baby's mother, the heroine is heartbroken and then, much to her horror, she is beaten by the man the step sister has hired to pretend to be her husband. The road to forgive is hard and it's long as neither the hero or heroine can find it in themselves to put aside their pride but what is constant in the feeling that no matter what, fate has destined and they are meant for each other.
This book started off slow but it certainly kicked into overdrive. My god, it became an emotional roller coaster by the second act and I couldn't stop the train even if I wanted to. I found the characters relationship to be a lovely example of friendship leading to love. It started out as a bonding over the love of the baby and the connection of believing in the same parenting tips. Then, it morphed into a deeper relationship built around respect and exploring each other’s minds. But always, there was a layer of sexual tension that pulses in every late-night conversation or encounter. I admired the fact that they didn't just surrender to desire. The hero made vows to his dead wife and to himself that he would never marry again. He also made a statement of how inappropriate their relationship was and that she was the master and she was the maid but at the end of the day, he never saw her as such. He saw her as a confident and a desirable woman. She shattered his heart when she turned does his offer of marriage but while he was bitter and hurt, he still hired a detective to hunt down the son of a bitch who hurt her and made great effort to convince himself and her that his feelings were dead when in reality they burned hotter than ever. The heroine went from a spoiled and dramatic 'model' to a young woman who understand what true loss was and what needed to be done to get what she wanted. Sure, she complained but she snapped herself out of it quite enough and at heart she was a kind soul who only wanted love. I thought this book had a lot of heart and while it was an odd concept what with the Chinese mystic and all but if you get over that, it's a marvelous love story with hints of Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice rolled into one.
August 13, 2017
It's not really a short story according to the info. This book was unexpectedly good! I like it!
June 17, 2025
I enjoyed the read
nothing interesting to write
it's just a love story
nothing interesting to write
it's just a love story
June 18, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews