A mail-order bride from Cincinnati, Ariah Scott traveled all the way to Oregon to marry one man, only to lose her heart to another. What will become of her now? Ever since her father died at the hands of a vengeful relative, Ariah's life has been shadowed by dark secrets. And now her forbidden desire for Bartholomew Noon fills her with uncertainty -- and a secret longing that can never be fulfilled. And forbidden . . . From the moment Bartholomew saw Ariah standing alone at the Portland train station. The keeper of the Cape Meares Light was lost. Hopelessly in love with this angelic beauty who is fated to live beside him at the isolated lighthouse as the wife of another man, Bartholomew never dreams that destiny will someday bring them together. Is Ariah truly the woman he can cherish . . . forever?
Charlene Raddon began writing western historical romance novels in 1980. Her book Tender Touch was a Golden Heart Finalist. Forever Mine received a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award nomination. Her books have received other awards and won or placed in several contests. She loves hearing from readers. When not writing, Charlene loves to travel, do genealogy, needlepoint, crochet or dye Ukrainian style eggs. She also designs book covers for other authors at www.silversagebookcovers.com.
Another book I found in my mom's attic. I thought it was great. Started reading it one night and then stayed up until 7:30 in the morning to finish reading it. Not your typical predictable romance novel. Plot twists kept me wondering what was going to happen next and how it was going to work out. I'm already thinking about reading it again. :)
Bartholomew and Ariah are two imperfect people made perfect in each others arms. Forever Mine is a richly detailed story set on the Oregon Coast near the turn of the 19th century. Ariah (I love that name) is a mail-order bride with a fearsome secret. Bartholomew is a light-house keeper, desperately alone in a loveless marriage. Ariah is set to marry his nephew. This sets up a gripping story of two people trying to do the right thing for everyone but themselves. Charlene Raddon has created real people and you worry for them, root for them, feel sad for them and ultimately cheer for them. All of her characters are multi-dimensional with motivations and emotions true to who they are. For me the story started a little slow, but it soon drew me in and I couldn't wait to get to a very satisfying conclusion.
When I chose to read this title I knew it would be a story about forbidden love and I am a sucker for those types of stories. However, as I delved deeper I realized that there was more to this story than meets the eye. This is a beautiful story that will touch your heart. It will have you laughing and crying along with Bartholomew and Ariah as you follow them on their journey of pain, heartache, jealousy, guilt and love.
Initially, when I realized that the story was broaching the topic of adultery I was a bit skeptical about reading further. However, I was glad I was able to move past my skepticism and in doing so, I discovered that there was more to this story than I originally thought.
Bartholomew Noon was a lighthouse keeper who had been trapped in a loveless marriage for the past seven years. As a result he led a lonely existence. This would change when he met Ariah Scott. Ariah having lost her parents and on the run from her mother’s family signed up to become a mail order bride. It so happened that she was to become the bride of Bartholomew’s nephew, Pritchard. Sparks flew when Ariah and Bartholomew met for the first time.
At first I was not sure what to make of Bartholomew. Here we have a man that was broken and depressed from being trapped in a loveless marriage with a woman who is determined to make his life a living hell. I kept asking why would any well thinking person remain in such a situation? When the truth was revealed I could not help but feel his pain. Ariah was a very outspoken woman. Not the type of characteristic that was expected from women of that era. From the moment Ariah met Bartholomew she knew she found her soulmate. However, in light of the fact that he was married, she knew that he would be off limits. However, unforeseen circumstances placed them in a precarious position that will see them being tested to their limits. At first I didn’t like Ariah as I thought she was deliberately trying to tempt Bartholomew. I found it hard to believe that she was not aware of the torment her actions were causing. However, as I read further I came to realise that she was sweet and caring in nature.
I enjoyed reading about the secondary characters. Some were likeable, some not so much. Hester, Bartholomew’s wife was the worst of all. I thought that she must be crazy for that type of behavior. The reason for actions eventually became clear. Then there is Pritchard. He was immature and it was clear that he was not ready for marriage. His reason for wanting to get married was a sure recipe for a failed marriage. What I liked was that at the time when it counted most he proved that he had become a man.
The story started out slowly and took some time to build up, but once it did there was no holding back. It had me hooked and I could not wait to find out if true love would prevail. The romance was realistic and it did not come easily for these two. They had to fight for the right to be together. Forever Mine depicts how the guilt of our past actions can destroy our future. At times we may do things that we will regret, but we need to forgive ourselves and move on. Overall, I enjoyed this story and I am looking forward to more from this author.
This book was provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review. NO monetary compensation was provided for this review. The opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.
Looking for a romance to tug at your heartstrings. Forever Mine is the one! This novel was a pure joy to read. The writer did an excellent job of putting you into the scenes and minds of the characters. The journey of Bartholomew and Ariah though heartrenching in places, for a love the characters found could never be, left you fulfilled and satisfied at the end. If you love western romance that makes you feel the emotions of the characters then this is the one to get, the story won't disappoint!
I loved this book! No wonder every review I saw gave it a 5 star rating - it deserved all of them! This is a well written story with believable characters that pull at your heartstrings it's hard not to get emotionally involved in their lives.
I hope we don't have to wait long before he rest of Charlene Raddon's books are released in ebook format.
The story begins in 1891 as impetuous Ariah Scott arrives in Oregon as a mail order bride for one Pritchard Monteer. However, his uncle, Bartholomew Noon, keeper of the Cape Meares lighthouse, meets her at the station instead. Bartholomew and Ariah quickly fall in love, which wouldn’t be so bad except that Bartholomew is married, albeit to a harridan named Hester, who denies him her bed.
The story is well written with great descriptions of the environment on the Oregon coast and life among the lighthouse keepers. And one can tell the book is based on solid research, even down to the Chinese ring neck pheasants that Bartholomew raises.
Though she is in love with Bartholomew, Ariah marries Pritchard, but Pritchard isn’t quite up to being a husband. Instead, he finds his manhood in the bed of a poor, mistreated waif of a girl who lives “in town.” Noble Bartholomew remains in a loveless marriage while pining for another man’s wife with whom he shares a love of poetry and birds. And Ariah tries to find her place while fearing a Greek uncle bent on her demise.
It’s a story of mismatches and the mistakes of youth that affect one’s later life. All of the characters hide something from their past they would rather not face, something they don’t want to reveal. Raddon treats well the difficult subject of infidelity, and though the morality may be confusing at times, she brings and intriguing story to the page.
Charlene Radon has created an engaging story about Ariah Scott and Bartholomew Moon. Together this couple fights their attraction when life thrust them together. Ariah is a mail order bride. Bartholomew is a light house keeper and the uncle of Ariah's betrothed. Through intrigue and interesting circumstance, the story captivates the reader. I liked Radon's writing style and how she infused historical relevancy and facts into the characters dialogue, actions, reaction and the setting. *I was given a free copy for an honest review
FOREVER MINE is a romantic mail-order bride story set in 1891. Desperate to escape a murderous uncle, Ariah agrees to marry a lighthouse keeper on the Oregon coast she has never met. She travels to Portland where she is met by Bartholomew Noon, her intended's uncle. On the journey to the lighthouse the two fall in love. But Bartholomew is already married, and Ariah finds that her new, isolated home is not the safe haven she'd hoped for.
Very long book, but I enjoyed every word. It never seemed to drag and I loved the characters. My only complaint, and it is a trivial one, is I would have preferred the book to not have had the epilogue. Normally I love to read the update at the end, but for some reason I felt this one wasn't necessary and and seemed to take away from my overall feeling of contentment at the end.
"Forever Mine" is set in a remote, yet marvelous Oregon coast in the late nineteenth century. What could have been bleak and lonely is made romantic and beautiful in this tale of a love that came to two people who are both promised to another.
Ever since reading Lorraine Heath’s Texas Destiny, I’ve found myself in a limbo after a while trying to find similar books that would give me the same thrill. A forbidden love of loving another man’s wife / intended bride. So happy I’ve been recommended this book by a fellow mail order bride western romance enthusiast, I couldn’t put this book for the past 4 hours of non-stop reading. This book is one of the saddest yet the most satisfying one I’ve had yet (up there with Anita Mill’s Comanche Rose). The story is not an easy one to go through, it’s what you’d expect from a forbidden love story. You’d go through a maelstrom of emotions from sadness, anger, frustration to happiness at the end. The HEA has been so damn satisfying that all the angsts leading up to the end have been well worth it.
A few things bugged me about this story but primarily it was that both H/H were married at some point in the story: Bart starts off being married - to a totally awful woman called Hester (has to be a nasty character with a name like that!). A totally miserable loveless marriage, but marriage nevertheless.
Thereafter Ariah marries, of all people, Bart's nephew by marriage. By then both are already in love with one another.
4.5 stars. This book kept getting added to my recommended reads on Amazon. And I kept being turned off by the description. I like good arranged marriage stories (think Georgette Heyer's "A Civil Contract") because I enjoy the period of learning about one another. So books where one partner in the marriage fall in love with someone other than their spouse do not interest me. And that truly is what this book is about. And still I really enjoyed it.
(mild spoilers) First of all the setting is beautiful. The Oregon coast is an amazing place. Bartholomew is the head lighthouse keeper. He is married to Hester. She is rigid and horrible to him. Her nephew Pritchard, who idolizes Bartholomew, is the assistant keeper and has arranged to marry Ariah. There is a third keeper, Seamus. Pritchard asks Bartholomew to pick up Ariah in Portland. Ariah is young, colourful, well read, curious, open hearted, and open minded. The antithesis of Hester. Bartholomew falls fast and hard. His own personal sense of honour causes him to fight his feelings through their multi-day trip back to the lighthouse. Still by the end of the journey it is clear they are in love with each other. Not only do they know it but pretty much everyone else picks up on it, including Hester.
Most of the rest of the book is the 5 of them living out at the lighthouse. Bartholomew and Hester in their cold and nasty marriage, Hester hating Ariah and making her life hard, Pritchard and Ariah as uncomfortable newlyweds, and Seamus providing delightful and salty commentary. Goodness I loved Seamus.
Plotwise there is nothing incredibly special about this. But the writing is good, the characters well developed, and the scenery lovely. It is not a depressing book. I laughed heartily at a scene where Ariah asks Bartholomew about human mating and the marriage bed as she has no one else to talk to before her wedding night. All she knows is what her mother told her when she was 13 which was something vague about "seed planting". Ariah is very innocent and this is a PG scene. But there is sex in the book. It is from the mid 1990s and I think that shows in the sex scenes. There are no weeping channels or veiny cocks for which I was grateful. Still it is quite open about sex so if that bothers you then this might not be the book for you. My only real complaint was that it was unclear to me exactly what occurred between our couple the night she made him meatless moussaka. About the only time I needed more description of what was some sort of sexual encounter.
This was one of those books that I was glad I didn’t see the cover (eBook) until after I had started reading it as I absolutely would have judged the book by its cover. This was a fantastic read so ignore the picture and give it a shot!
At first I thought the premise was a little odd (in terms of age difference), but once I stepped back and thought of it in terms of historical context it made more sense. Ariah is a modern-thinking woman who is not content to just go along with what is expected for her while Bartholomew is not some infallible savior for her. They do a good job balancing each other out and it makes the relationship believable. Romance aside, Charlene is a fantastic writer with vivid imagery that had me wishing for a visit to the beach and to see the lighthouse, trees and animals in Oregon.
This book was nonstop action from beginning to end and a refreshing change from what has become the standard formula of instant-attraction-fight-reunion-lasting-love in many romance books. The characters had depth and the romance was just one aspect of the bigger plot. I loved the way things twisted and turned causing me to stay up way too late to finish the book because I HAD to find out what happened!
Warning: Contains repeated sexual content
Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review courtesy of the author.
Who should read it? Fans of historical fiction and romance who want something with a little more meat to it!
FOREVER MINE by Charelene is a wonderful Americana Historical Romance set on the Oregon Coast at an lighthouse during the 1891. "First published in 1995 by Kensington Books in paperback, and more recently released as an eBook by Tirgearr Publishing".
A tender, sweet love story with very unlikely main characters, Ariah Scott and Bartholomew Noon. Ariah is a mail order bride, but, for Bartholomew's nephew. Can destiny, dark secrets and desire bring them together or tear them apart?
An emotional and very complex tale, which pulls the reader into the story. It does start out a bit slow, but picks up quickly. I enjoyed this unique take on romance, family and love. Also, loved the setting of a lighthouse on the coast. Yes, I enjoy lighthouses, and loved this setting and its surrounds.
The sensual scenes where real, emotional and natural, very tastefully done. Well written, with a few unforeseen twists and turns. A unique storyline, with unique characters and situations. I enjoyed how the author brought it all together to reach a satisfying ending. An enjoyable and compelling read!
*Received for an honest review from the publicist and/or author*
Rating: 4
Heat rating: Mild
Reviewed by: AprilR, courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
Ariah Scott was on her way to her soon-to-be husband, Pritchard, but the man she met was not at all she expected. Instead, Bartholomew came into view and soon, they fell for each other. However, Bartholomew was already married to the cunning and Hester, so falling for Ariah was out of the question.
A love affair as hot as the fires of the underworld, each with their own hidden agendas in mind, Bart and Ariah must fight the odds to be together and declare themselves their deemed properties until the end.
Forever Mine is nothing like any other historical romance books I've read. I have always been bewitched by the beauty of yesteryears, so when I saw that the setting of this book is dated in the 1890s, I knew I had to read this. I love imagining the clothes and houses and surroundings of America of historic past, and this novel by Charlene Raddon is simply astounding.
The idea of mail-order brides had been an issue in the distant past, but one that had been accepted by the society. This plot was interesting enough and had me reading the love affair between Bart & Ariah. The twists, as always, were inevitable and quite shocking, but overall, I enjoyed reading this American historical romance. Thumbs up to Charlie Raddon for a job well done!
I received "Forever Mine" from the author and "Paranormal Romance & Authors that Rock" for an honest review. This is my first time reading Charlene Raddon and I'll be honest and say that I was worried at first because this books beginning was a little slow, but I'm glad I stuck with it and kept reading because it turned out to be a very good read. Bartholomew is a lighthouse keeper in Oregon and lives with his not so nice wife Hester and their nephew Pritchard. Pritchard has ordered a mail order bride, Ariah Scott and Bartholomew falls in love with her upon first meeting her. This book follows their journey of forbidden love until finally karma is able to put them together. This books characters were interesting and enjoyable. The storyline is filled with emotion, romance and a page turning plot. I am rating this book a 4.5 fangs, only because of the slow beginning.
Ariah flees to Oregon to marry a man she’s never met because her uncle is after her. He plans to take her to Greece to marry her off to the man her mother was promised to. Bartholomew is her intended’s uncle. He has been sent to pick her up. However it is love at first sight for both of them. Too bad Bartholomew is married. A four day trip is extended by ten days when a bridge is washed out. This is a sad story of four people unhappy by their situation. It is well written.
Wow! I have found a new author because a friend recommended this book to me. I loved it. Lots of twists and turns, love, hate, sadness, humor and a little suspense, everything that makes a story interesting. Already downloaded another book by this author. Sexual situations for those who want to know! JudyE
Yeah yeah I know this book is old and I’ve read it quite a bit but I’ve been in the WORST reading slump EVER!! This got me out of it so fast! Love this book!!