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Friendship #1
Eternity
Aaron Foster thought he had the perfect life until his fiancee walked out of their apartment and then back in again with his new roommate. In desperation Aaron and his best friend, Harmony Jordan, devise The Plan, but when The Plan succeeds beyond their wildest expectation, it could spell heartache for them all.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2001
About the author
Staci Stallings
72 books582 followersA stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Staci touches the lives of people across the globe every week with her various Internet endeavors including:
Spirit Light Books–The Blog:
http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-...
Staci’s Ebook Romance Stories:
http://ebookromancestories.com/
Follow Staci on Twitter: @StaciStallings
Spirit Light Books–The Blog:
http://spiritlightbooks.wordpress.com/
Facebook Author Page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spirit-...
Staci’s Ebook Romance Stories:
http://ebookromancestories.com/
Follow Staci on Twitter: @StaciStallings
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
August 27, 2019
What a wonderful love story.
Aaron Foster thought his life was picture perfect until his fiancee walked out of their apartment and out of his life. He was left brokenhearted and devastated. Unfortunately she walked right back in again but this time it was with his new roommate, Drew, who knew nothing of Aaron's past involvement with her.
Harmony Jordan has been Aaron's best friend for four years. Neither of them want to see Drew's heart shattered like Aaron's was so they devise a plan to split the two up for Drew's protection. Well, the plan succeeds much better than Aaron ever anticipated and it backfires right in his face, devastating him once again.
I adored this story. The only reason I did not think it was 5-star worthy is my personal dislike of weak female characters, or at least the ones who appear weak to me. Harmony had many hangups and I am not sure she really put forth the effort to overcome them or work through them. She spent too much time with a 'poor me' attitude and a good dose of self-pity. She put herself down throughout the book and that was troublesome to me and I think she made herself appear very insecure in front of others. She was always down on herself, her looks, her clothing, her shoes, her hair, her everything and that, to me, is unappealing, especially to a man. She was her own worst enemy. The thing is no one saw her as she saw herself but she refused to believe what they saw even when she was complimented and praised. I know that happens in real life, as well, but she did not wear this well. After hearing this for most of the book it left me feeling that she did not deserve the guy/guys although I wanted them to have their HEA. If the female had been a bit stronger with a small amount of self confidence, it would have been a five.
Aaron Foster thought his life was picture perfect until his fiancee walked out of their apartment and out of his life. He was left brokenhearted and devastated. Unfortunately she walked right back in again but this time it was with his new roommate, Drew, who knew nothing of Aaron's past involvement with her.
Harmony Jordan has been Aaron's best friend for four years. Neither of them want to see Drew's heart shattered like Aaron's was so they devise a plan to split the two up for Drew's protection. Well, the plan succeeds much better than Aaron ever anticipated and it backfires right in his face, devastating him once again.
I adored this story. The only reason I did not think it was 5-star worthy is my personal dislike of weak female characters, or at least the ones who appear weak to me. Harmony had many hangups and I am not sure she really put forth the effort to overcome them or work through them. She spent too much time with a 'poor me' attitude and a good dose of self-pity. She put herself down throughout the book and that was troublesome to me and I think she made herself appear very insecure in front of others. She was always down on herself, her looks, her clothing, her shoes, her hair, her everything and that, to me, is unappealing, especially to a man. She was her own worst enemy. The thing is no one saw her as she saw herself but she refused to believe what they saw even when she was complimented and praised. I know that happens in real life, as well, but she did not wear this well. After hearing this for most of the book it left me feeling that she did not deserve the guy/guys although I wanted them to have their HEA. If the female had been a bit stronger with a small amount of self confidence, it would have been a five.
September 22, 2014
Review includes ***SPOILERS***.
I probably would have been okay with this book being called inspirational. Well, maybe. But when the author added the note before the book's description, she implied this is a Christian romance. God is mentioned a total of five times. In the author's note, she refers to Christians going to church without the gospel actually penetrating their hearts. I'm in full agreement with that. However, not a single character in this book went to church or even mentioned attending church. The book is rife with lies, deception, drinking, and premarital sex, none of which is inspirational, let alone Christian. None of these characters is under any pressure that would lead to any of these actions. God gets a grand total of five mentions, some of them in very casual context.
Some might argue that Harmony saving herself for marriage is Christian. Not so fast. Her reasons have nothing at all to do with a belief in God's will for purity before marriage. They are based solely on her sister's experience. And even when Aaron and Harmony discuss waiting to have sex, it has more to do with wanting to make sure their relationship is based on love, rather than sex. Again, no mention of God, faith, or God's will.
Having said that, even as a romance, I found Eternity sadly lacking. Seldom have I run across a more pathetic heroine than Harmony. Poor, pitiful Harmony, nobody will ever love her, every guy leaves her, blah, blah, blah. Why? Just because she won't have sex? No, it probably has more to do with her horrible self-worth issue, and the fact that she's in love with Aaron. When Aaron quits, she's such a sad sack she can't stand to go to work without him? What is this, high school? Grow up, you'll see him after work.
Aaron is a poor excuse for a hero, too. Why doesn't he just tell Drew he was engaged to his ex-roommate, Mandy? Why is it such a big secret? That, of course, sets the scene for Drew to meet Mandy as well, and why wouldn't Mandy say, "Oh, hey, I used to live here." the first time she comes back to the apartment with Aaron? And rather than say anything, Aaron climbs out the fire escape and goes to Harmony's place? Again, lies and deception, none of it necessary.
The friendship and conversations between Aaron and Drew were so girly that for a time I was concerned about the direction in which the relationship was headed. I'm not joking.
Finally, there were so many times in the story that made me stop and wonder, backtrack, etc. Harmony and Aaron have been friends for over four years and her family has never even heard of him? Things like that which made no sense. Add to that some typos and misused words (segue is pronounced seg-way and is its own word, not segue way, which is what the author wrote), I had a difficult time finishing this book. I just don't like to leave them unfinished.
I'm sorry, I just don't think I could recommend this.
I probably would have been okay with this book being called inspirational. Well, maybe. But when the author added the note before the book's description, she implied this is a Christian romance. God is mentioned a total of five times. In the author's note, she refers to Christians going to church without the gospel actually penetrating their hearts. I'm in full agreement with that. However, not a single character in this book went to church or even mentioned attending church. The book is rife with lies, deception, drinking, and premarital sex, none of which is inspirational, let alone Christian. None of these characters is under any pressure that would lead to any of these actions. God gets a grand total of five mentions, some of them in very casual context.
Some might argue that Harmony saving herself for marriage is Christian. Not so fast. Her reasons have nothing at all to do with a belief in God's will for purity before marriage. They are based solely on her sister's experience. And even when Aaron and Harmony discuss waiting to have sex, it has more to do with wanting to make sure their relationship is based on love, rather than sex. Again, no mention of God, faith, or God's will.
Having said that, even as a romance, I found Eternity sadly lacking. Seldom have I run across a more pathetic heroine than Harmony. Poor, pitiful Harmony, nobody will ever love her, every guy leaves her, blah, blah, blah. Why? Just because she won't have sex? No, it probably has more to do with her horrible self-worth issue, and the fact that she's in love with Aaron. When Aaron quits, she's such a sad sack she can't stand to go to work without him? What is this, high school? Grow up, you'll see him after work.
Aaron is a poor excuse for a hero, too. Why doesn't he just tell Drew he was engaged to his ex-roommate, Mandy? Why is it such a big secret? That, of course, sets the scene for Drew to meet Mandy as well, and why wouldn't Mandy say, "Oh, hey, I used to live here." the first time she comes back to the apartment with Aaron? And rather than say anything, Aaron climbs out the fire escape and goes to Harmony's place? Again, lies and deception, none of it necessary.
The friendship and conversations between Aaron and Drew were so girly that for a time I was concerned about the direction in which the relationship was headed. I'm not joking.
Finally, there were so many times in the story that made me stop and wonder, backtrack, etc. Harmony and Aaron have been friends for over four years and her family has never even heard of him? Things like that which made no sense. Add to that some typos and misused words (segue is pronounced seg-way and is its own word, not segue way, which is what the author wrote), I had a difficult time finishing this book. I just don't like to leave them unfinished.
I'm sorry, I just don't think I could recommend this.
June 19, 2008
Aaron Foster is in a bit of a bind. His fiancee Mandy, who was also his roommate, has dumped him and moved out. During his recovery period, his coworker and confidant Harmony Jordan, who has harbored feelings for him for the last four years, suggests a new roommate for him, a landscaper named Drew Easton. Aaron and Drew hit it off immediately with many a shared interest until Drew starts unwittingly dating Aaron's ex. In an attempt to save his roommate's fragile feelings, Aaron conspires with Harmony to break up Drew and Mandy by setting him up with Harmony. Even though the play acting goes against everything she believes in and forces her to deny her feelings for Aaron even more than she already does, Harmony goes along with the plan. The plan works even better than Aaron expected until he discovers that he now has feelings for Harmony he never knew were possible. A very well-written romance by Stallings that, unlike traditional romances, lingers more in the emotional and spiritual love shared by the characters instead of the physical. While the plot is pretty standard of many "love triangle" romances, Stallings throws in a pretty nice twist towards the end.
November 8, 2013
My mother was a voice teacher at a small college. She was also the church’s choir director, and was used to working with people with a wide range of musical talent. She taught my brothers and I, as well as a number of students and choir members how to hit a note just right; so perfectly on pitch that it makes your voice box tickle.
One night, we were watching a comedian on television who was singing a song off key. He was so bad at singing, that it was hilariously funny.
When we turned the set off, my mother said “now, that was talent.”
“Talent?” I asked. “He was off key on every single note.”
“Yes,” she replied. “But people who don’t have talent are off just a little bit. He didn’t just pick a bad note; he picked the worst note possible. To be that bad takes a lot of talent. ”
“Eternity (The Friendship Series)” by Staci Stallings is a lot like that comedian.
The story is about three friends; two males and a female. All of the characters are likeable, honest, kind, gainfully employed, helpful and courteous. They go to clubs, take each other out to lunch, and watch football on TV. There are no villains, no chase scenes, no crimes, no dead bodies, no torrid sex scenes and no evil political plots that are going to destroy the world. You’d think a story like that would be boring, but it’s not.
These friends are in a sticky situation that starts out being awkward, and just gets stickier and more awkward as it goes. One of the characters is going to end up with a broken heart. You don’t want any of them to get hurt, but there’s no way for them to resolve the situation without at least one of them being devastated. At worst, all three of them will have their hearts ripped out by the others. It keeps you turning the pages because you can’t tell who is going to win at love and who is going to cry. It’s compelling, not because it’s action-packed, but because the author makes you care.
They say don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t judge this book by its blurb. The description of what the book is about does not tell you how well this book is written. The blurb makes it sound like the roommate from Hell, but that’s not what it really is. It’s a story about good people doing good things, caring about each other, and putting their own wants behind the needs of the people they care for. And even though that sounds like it’s going to be a really boring book, it’s anything but. And as my mother pointed out, that takes talent.
One night, we were watching a comedian on television who was singing a song off key. He was so bad at singing, that it was hilariously funny.
When we turned the set off, my mother said “now, that was talent.”
“Talent?” I asked. “He was off key on every single note.”
“Yes,” she replied. “But people who don’t have talent are off just a little bit. He didn’t just pick a bad note; he picked the worst note possible. To be that bad takes a lot of talent. ”
“Eternity (The Friendship Series)” by Staci Stallings is a lot like that comedian.
The story is about three friends; two males and a female. All of the characters are likeable, honest, kind, gainfully employed, helpful and courteous. They go to clubs, take each other out to lunch, and watch football on TV. There are no villains, no chase scenes, no crimes, no dead bodies, no torrid sex scenes and no evil political plots that are going to destroy the world. You’d think a story like that would be boring, but it’s not.
These friends are in a sticky situation that starts out being awkward, and just gets stickier and more awkward as it goes. One of the characters is going to end up with a broken heart. You don’t want any of them to get hurt, but there’s no way for them to resolve the situation without at least one of them being devastated. At worst, all three of them will have their hearts ripped out by the others. It keeps you turning the pages because you can’t tell who is going to win at love and who is going to cry. It’s compelling, not because it’s action-packed, but because the author makes you care.
They say don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t judge this book by its blurb. The description of what the book is about does not tell you how well this book is written. The blurb makes it sound like the roommate from Hell, but that’s not what it really is. It’s a story about good people doing good things, caring about each other, and putting their own wants behind the needs of the people they care for. And even though that sounds like it’s going to be a really boring book, it’s anything but. And as my mother pointed out, that takes talent.
December 10, 2018
Eternity
Eternity -
I love the way "Eternity" played through the entire novel. The emotions are intense between the characters. Friendships are tested. True love comes where least expected.
Eternity -
I love the way "Eternity" played through the entire novel. The emotions are intense between the characters. Friendships are tested. True love comes where least expected.
March 14, 2019
Best friend romance is always a bit cliche, but it was pretty well done. I enjoyed it overall.
I felt like there could have been a couple of things that could have been done differently with the details, but overall, cute story!
I felt like there could have been a couple of things that could have been done differently with the details, but overall, cute story!
April 5, 2017
I will honestly say that where this novel is not a typical romance novel, I don't know if I would classify it as a Christian romance either. I think it is a good in-between, not really one, but not the other either. A decent read with a good concept.
March 9, 2014
An enjoyable read with an interesting premise. At first the novel was a little slow but once the "plan" was in place, things picked up nicely. I wish Stallings would have given a little more details in her descriptions of people and places, I couldn't fully visualize what she was seeing. Still, the characters and seeing what would happen kept my attention nicely. There is a life lesson in this novel pointing out that sex is not love and true love is based on relationship. Her characters are not perfect and make mistakes but the hope is that they will come to an awakening and learn from those mistakes. I truly enjoyed the read and look forward to Book 2.
A few things to note... in my ebook copy the chapter headings were missing and so the story just continually ran. There was spacing so it wasn't hard to tell where one segue would end and another begin. This is a clean read romance, however I am not sure why it is coined as an inspirational romance in the heading. There is no mention of God or faith in this novel, so I found that to be a little misleading. The heroine does have a wait till marriage stance in the novel but that isn't based on faith but rather fear of .... (no spoiler here). I have noticed that Stallings has some other novels that are Faith based. I would however title this a clean read romance.
***Update - Just finished book 2 in this series and it would be considered Inspirational Romance. It was wonderful by the way!
A few things to note... in my ebook copy the chapter headings were missing and so the story just continually ran. There was spacing so it wasn't hard to tell where one segue would end and another begin. This is a clean read romance, however I am not sure why it is coined as an inspirational romance in the heading. There is no mention of God or faith in this novel, so I found that to be a little misleading. The heroine does have a wait till marriage stance in the novel but that isn't based on faith but rather fear of .... (no spoiler here). I have noticed that Stallings has some other novels that are Faith based. I would however title this a clean read romance.
***Update - Just finished book 2 in this series and it would be considered Inspirational Romance. It was wonderful by the way!
July 27, 2013
This is a great love story that will keep you turning the pages and will be hard to put down until you know how the story plays out. This is the story of Aaron and Harmony and how they find each other. Harmony is the "no so special girl" who has not been fortunate in her dating life or lack of it. She is his always faithful friend who is there for Aaron's ups and downs. Aaron on the other hand, has never noticed her until she starts dating his roommate. You will be glued to this book until you find out how these two people end up together since we all know from the start that this how it ends. I truly enjoy Staci's writing because she is always so down to earth and realistic in all her stories. Her characters are well developed and we can learn so much from them. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
October 26, 2013
Aaron's in dire straits, his fiancée has walked out on him, he can't find a roommate, and he hates his number-crunching job. Who does he complain to? His best friend, the one who knows him the best, Harmony. Harmony listens patiently to Aaron, but deep inside wishes he would see her, really see her for who she is, not just a friend, but a woman.
This story is really a two-for, you get two love stories in one book. This story is intricately woven together to make a tapestry that is filled with truth, heartache, love, compassion, and forgiveness. If you have ever felt like you didn't quite measure up, or weren't quite good enough, you will commiserate with Harmony, and later Aaron, as they both find out some very important lessons of love. This is a very good read, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romance.
This story is really a two-for, you get two love stories in one book. This story is intricately woven together to make a tapestry that is filled with truth, heartache, love, compassion, and forgiveness. If you have ever felt like you didn't quite measure up, or weren't quite good enough, you will commiserate with Harmony, and later Aaron, as they both find out some very important lessons of love. This is a very good read, I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romance.
October 26, 2014
They've been co-workers for five years. During that time, Harmony has listened to Aaron's complaints, given advice and loved him from afar. Now Aaron is looking for a roommate and she sends someone his way. Only within a few days the guy is dating Aaron's old fiancé and they make a plan to break the happy couple up. Suddenly she finds herself falling for Drew. She's always been worried about getting the guy to like her enough to stick around but they always leave. When she finally is convinced that Drew does love her and will stick around, Aaron decides to let her know he has feelings for her. Things are a little screwed up for a while but eventually the stories get ironed out and the feelings get pushed in the right direction.
March 9, 2013
This was the sweetest story with characters I both wanted to hug and strangle at the same time. Aaron and Harmony were perfect for each other; it simply took them an entire book to realize it. Nice minor characters - Drew was likeable. I liked the way his friendship with Aaron worked out. Harmony's family fit into the story well. Plot was simple, but fleshed out nicely with the twist of Harmony's past. Minor editing problems, which another run through would have caught. Some sentence structure issues. Too much use of the word "as". Overall, an enjoyable read, which I really enjoyed and came away feeling good about. I was given this book in exchange for my honest review.
September 30, 2013
This book made me laugh, shake my head, and cheer. A series of relationship blunders follow the characters through this book. An easy, comfortable read- I really liked how the author portrayed the practice of sleeping together after the third or fourth date vs. waiting, and what the real meaning of love is. Not overtly, but quietly working it into the story. I wish more young ladies would read this and catch that. I feel like I should buy this book in print and highlight that part for my daughter. The whole idea that good could be standing in the way of great is something we all can take from this book. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.
April 14, 2015
The subtitle is misleading--there is nothing inspirational about this romance. It is an enjoyable story of friendship turning into love, but it's not inspiring. Specifically, inspirational usually refers to Christian romance, and there is no element of faith in this book whatsoever. Also, there is a lot of drinking and sexual activity (not explicit) among unmarried people, so it doesn't reflect the values of Christianity, either. The heroine did vow to save herself for marriage; however, it was not based on faith or principle but on what she had seen happen to her sister. I would have rated it 3 on the basis of the story if it didn't have such a misleading title.
June 21, 2013
good book at times hard to follow jumping between characters and time/place. I enjoyed learning of Harmony s past and watching her stay strong. on my tablet I had several places where paragraphs jumped mid sentence not sure if it was my reader for dramatics or just typos but I also found that annoying. I did also enjoy minor characters in this book as well. when all the lies came out you got to experience all the characters strengths.
February 18, 2014
I enjoyed Eternity by Staci Stallings. It was realistic and heart-warming. Staci did a good job expressing the reality that heartbreak fades with time. My biggest complaint was the amount of errors, especially in the first few chapters. It's still a good enough story that after a while you forget to pay attention to them.
***I received the above novel from the author/publisher for the purpose of review. The above is my honest opinion. ***
***I received the above novel from the author/publisher for the purpose of review. The above is my honest opinion. ***
February 24, 2015
It all has to start somewhere.
Eternity: An Inspirational Romance Novel (The Friendship Series, Book 1), by Stacie Stallings. Is it true that" true love comes to those who wait?" Well waiting is what I did, I enjoyed this sweet romance, even though there where sometimes I got a little confused in the dialogue. But my very favorite statement is " Yeah, well, sometimes good is standing in the way of great." So true!
Eternity: An Inspirational Romance Novel (The Friendship Series, Book 1), by Stacie Stallings. Is it true that" true love comes to those who wait?" Well waiting is what I did, I enjoyed this sweet romance, even though there where sometimes I got a little confused in the dialogue. But my very favorite statement is " Yeah, well, sometimes good is standing in the way of great." So true!
February 4, 2016
I was very disappointed by this book. I thought it would be another great Christian book like the last one I read, Deep in the Heart, but it's not. There's nothing in the book to mark any of the characters as Christians. The best I can say about it is that it's a good non Christian book...not at all what I expected or wanted. I'm reading the sequel in hopes that it changes, as I got them together. I would not recommend this as a Christian book.
March 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fluffy, diverting, romantic read. :) My heart breathed a sigh of relief when things finally, finally came together. Mostly clean- an instance of sex, but nothing explicit- behind closed doors and it is portrayed as a mistake.
July 8, 2013
I loved that Savage Garden was in there...but it's Darren, not Darrin.
March 3, 2014
This is a sweet romance. Contemporary challenges. But not preachy or quoting. Clean and good!
September 19, 2014
Super cute.
the middle got a little drawn out, but loved the HEA. cute, easy fun read. clean too. believable characters, fun supporting characters.
the middle got a little drawn out, but loved the HEA. cute, easy fun read. clean too. believable characters, fun supporting characters.
September 23, 2014
Loved this story
Cute couples, twists, turns, realistic characters. I really enjoyed this story and am considering the next book in the series.
Cute couples, twists, turns, realistic characters. I really enjoyed this story and am considering the next book in the series.
September 27, 2014
Enjoyed the story, it was fun to read a good book. Loved the characters who were so everyday and yet funny, torn and considerate. Looking forward to book 2 of the friendship series.
November 16, 2014
Very good story. Nice romance. The characters were well developed and likable. This was not a Christian romance though.
January 2, 2015
I liked this one, it's a bit edgy if compared to traditional Christian books but that made it more believable. The struggle each character had felt real and their reasons were compelling.
December 12, 2014
A good read.
It started out a little on the slow side but then the pace picked up. It developed into an interesting and inspirational story line.
It started out a little on the slow side but then the pace picked up. It developed into an interesting and inspirational story line.
January 1, 2015
A great read
This book us a must read. Its a clean romance. You will enjoy it. Get yours today. I am glad I did.
This book us a must read. Its a clean romance. You will enjoy it. Get yours today. I am glad I did.
April 17, 2015
Love In Bloom
Another, winner in the romance department. I love reading a romance I can be proud of. It was so real and refreshing. I could read it all day.
Another, winner in the romance department. I love reading a romance I can be proud of. It was so real and refreshing. I could read it all day.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews