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Ever Yours
Could a letter change her life?
Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for more than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself—gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing—is everything her distasteful fiancé is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim.
Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for more than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself—gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing—is everything her distasteful fiancé is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim.
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 25, 2010
Pleasant romance novel but has some weaknesses.
I enjoyed reading this, but I agree with another reviewer, Maria Ottati Alonso, who gave it 3 stars. Some of the weaknesses Maria described are:
1. Ivy planned to marry someone she didn't love, because she gave her "word," which was not a believable reason, given her personality.
2. Ivy's father Gerald had arranged her marriage to Neville, most likely because he worried he would never find anyone to marry her. However, if she told Gerald that she loved Auburn, I'm sure Gerald would have preferred Auburn. Gerald wanted to develop a political connection with Auburn, who was wealthy.
3. Auburn knew a secret about Neville and should have told Ivy. Instead, he caused problems for Ivy by withholding the secret.
STORY BRIEEF:
Auburn has a burned face and blinded eye from a carriage accident five years earlier. He has lived in seclusion in Wales for five years. His friend Lord Stanhope is secretly matchmaking by having Ivy deliver a package to Auburn. Auburn and Ivy fall in love, but Ivy is engaged to Neville. Auburn learns that Neville has been lying to Ivy and her father. Therefore, Auburn travels to London to try to stop the wedding.
DATA:
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: 1854, London/Wales. Copyright: 2003. Genre: historical romance.
I enjoyed reading this, but I agree with another reviewer, Maria Ottati Alonso, who gave it 3 stars. Some of the weaknesses Maria described are:
1. Ivy planned to marry someone she didn't love, because she gave her "word," which was not a believable reason, given her personality.
2. Ivy's father Gerald had arranged her marriage to Neville, most likely because he worried he would never find anyone to marry her. However, if she told Gerald that she loved Auburn, I'm sure Gerald would have preferred Auburn. Gerald wanted to develop a political connection with Auburn, who was wealthy.
3. Auburn knew a secret about Neville and should have told Ivy. Instead, he caused problems for Ivy by withholding the secret.
STORY BRIEEF:
Auburn has a burned face and blinded eye from a carriage accident five years earlier. He has lived in seclusion in Wales for five years. His friend Lord Stanhope is secretly matchmaking by having Ivy deliver a package to Auburn. Auburn and Ivy fall in love, but Ivy is engaged to Neville. Auburn learns that Neville has been lying to Ivy and her father. Therefore, Auburn travels to London to try to stop the wedding.
DATA:
Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: two. Setting: 1854, London/Wales. Copyright: 2003. Genre: historical romance.
November 30, 2012
Just started chapter 7. Can't hardly put it down. It's like Jane Eyre meets Withering Hights with some Jude Devereax mixed in. Superb story.
The primes is of a woman in her mid 20s who has yet to marry. She, in comparison to her younger sister is plane, though still quite beautiful in her own way. She also has a mind of her own which to the demise of her parents, has kept her from a proper union. Set in London around the 1800s. Ivy, betrothed to a man her Father has chosen, sets out on a journey (with her brother as chaperon) to deliver a portrait and letter to an Earl she's never met, let alone heard of.
There is much more to the story, but I won't delve too deeply or it'll give away too much. Needless to say, I am enjoying every word.
The primes is of a woman in her mid 20s who has yet to marry. She, in comparison to her younger sister is plane, though still quite beautiful in her own way. She also has a mind of her own which to the demise of her parents, has kept her from a proper union. Set in London around the 1800s. Ivy, betrothed to a man her Father has chosen, sets out on a journey (with her brother as chaperon) to deliver a portrait and letter to an Earl she's never met, let alone heard of.
There is much more to the story, but I won't delve too deeply or it'll give away too much. Needless to say, I am enjoying every word.
January 27, 2022
Enjoyable read! The first half was considerably better than the second, though I did enjoy the ending. It's nice, not incredible but I liked it!
February 22, 2014
Funny thing about this... it was on my to-read list, because it's supposedly about people falling in love thru letters. ((It's not.)) Then my friend Missy read it, and I said, "I want to read that one!" and she said, "You did - you're the one who recommended it to me!" But it wasn't on my GoodRead list. So... I read it again.
And y'know, there was something *familiar* about it... LoL!!
A madcap, funny, lovely story that has NOTHING to do with letters. ((SIGH!)) Equal parts 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Whodunnit'. And there are some BIG twists in this one, which always makes it fun. In fact, on the last page is a HUGE twist... I shouldn't have told you that, I should NOT have told you that...
Anyhow, I loved it. Glad I read it again. I should remember to read it again in the future. ROFL!!
And y'know, there was something *familiar* about it... LoL!!
A madcap, funny, lovely story that has NOTHING to do with letters. ((SIGH!)) Equal parts 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Whodunnit'. And there are some BIG twists in this one, which always makes it fun. In fact, on the last page is a HUGE twist... I shouldn't have told you that, I should NOT have told you that...
Anyhow, I loved it. Glad I read it again. I should remember to read it again in the future. ROFL!!
September 3, 2015
“Ever Yours” was pretty good, I enjoyed it.
July 5, 2019
Oh I do love a beauty and the beast type books. This one was a great twist in the storyline. Auburn and Ivy are quite the pair.
July 24, 2017
Had promising story and main characters, but book's writing and plot were disappointing - amateurish and simple
This is the first book I have read by Gabriella Anderson and it was by no means horrible - in fact, it held such promise that I think I will try some more of her books before I give up on her. I don't know how else to say this without sounding so harsh, but although the plot seemed very promising and the main characters had a lot of potential to be strong and appealing characters, the writing and the story ended up being far more amateurish than I expected. (There were also smaller annoyances that I've detailed below).
Everything happened too simply and neatly, as if Anderson was given a recipe or instruction book and she just added in some more descriptions and slightly expanded on it, without really creating anything original, interesting or engaging. The book didn't have much depth and I had never suspected that would be the case since we are given a tortured hero who has experienced such difficulties, but I felt that in the end the story really just skims the surface. Ever Yours had such promise - and was therefore all the more disappointing - but it seemed like a rough first draft, not a final version; it contains none of the complexity or depth that Lisa Kleypas' and Mary Balogh's books have (two of my favorite HR writers). Mainly for this reason, I wouldn't recommend reading this book; there are much better historical romances out there.
SUMMARY (from back cover):
~ Could a letter change her life? ~
"Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for mroe than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself - gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing - is everything her distasteful fiance is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim ..."
PRAISE: (*includes spoilers*)
~ I liked that Ivy takes the initiative and is the one to proposition Auburn when they first make love.
~ As I said before, the hero and heroine had *great* potential - both very strong, opinionated, admirable characters; Anderson's writing and her story's lack of depth fail them, however.
~ While I first thought Auburn's mother was going to be an annoying -w-itch, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn't one-dimensional and although her relationship with her son and treatment of Auburn after his accident is shameful, she is a more complicated character than we are initially led to believe and turns out to be a better person than I first expected.
~ Christopher, Ivy's brother, is endearing and definitely adds to the book.
CRITICISM: (*includes spoilers*)
~ Auburn and Ivy don't know each other that well before they have sex; though page-wise it occurs a decent portion into the book, I didn't feel that their relationship had deepened to that level yet.
~ Ivy propositions Auburn after her betrothal becomes official and I found this dishonest on her part; she's technically cheating. I know we don't want her to end up marrying Wynbrooke anyway, but she's the one who agreed to so she should hold to the promise that entails.
~ Ivy is supposed to be a strong, individual, and opinionated woman ... so why is she bowing to her father's demands and marrying Wynbrooke? She says at one point that at least he's a good man, but at that point in the book from what we've seen he isn't (!) - he's been repeatedly rude to Auburn and has made horrible comments about the "monster earl" behind his back (while he's enjoying the man's generosity and hospitality).
~ We never hear from Ivy how she sees Auburn (physically). I know she isn't bothered by his scars and that's wonderful, but at some points the things she says seem almost idiotic and oblivious, as if she doesn't actually realize he has any disfigurement or handicap. She reacts differently than most other people and that is commendable and laudable, but I would have liked to know whether it was that she looks at his scars and sees them and just doesn't shy away from them or whether when she looks at Auburn she really does not see any scars/ignores them.
~ Lord Stanhope seems like he was a good and intelligent man, yet he was supposed to be in love with Ivy's mother (which is why he leaves Ivy a bequest). Lady Dunleigh, however ... does not seem good and intelligent (rather "flighty," "vapid," and "superficial" come to mind).
BOTTOM LINE and SIMILAR BOOKS:
Skip it and if you want to read good historical romances where the hero or heroine has scars or a handicap, I would suggest one of these four instead (I've ranked them in order, with the first book featuring the issue most prominently, the last one doing so the least): (1) Simply Love (Simply Quartet, Book 2) by Mary Balogh; (2) and (3) equally, Scandalous (Banning Sisters Trilogy, Book 1) by Karen Robards and A Notorious Love (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 2) by Sabrina Jeffries; (4) Taming Rafe (Bancroft Brothers, Book 2) by Suzanne Enoch.
This is the first book I have read by Gabriella Anderson and it was by no means horrible - in fact, it held such promise that I think I will try some more of her books before I give up on her. I don't know how else to say this without sounding so harsh, but although the plot seemed very promising and the main characters had a lot of potential to be strong and appealing characters, the writing and the story ended up being far more amateurish than I expected. (There were also smaller annoyances that I've detailed below).
Everything happened too simply and neatly, as if Anderson was given a recipe or instruction book and she just added in some more descriptions and slightly expanded on it, without really creating anything original, interesting or engaging. The book didn't have much depth and I had never suspected that would be the case since we are given a tortured hero who has experienced such difficulties, but I felt that in the end the story really just skims the surface. Ever Yours had such promise - and was therefore all the more disappointing - but it seemed like a rough first draft, not a final version; it contains none of the complexity or depth that Lisa Kleypas' and Mary Balogh's books have (two of my favorite HR writers). Mainly for this reason, I wouldn't recommend reading this book; there are much better historical romances out there.
SUMMARY (from back cover):
~ Could a letter change her life? ~
"Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for mroe than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself - gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing - is everything her distasteful fiance is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim ..."
PRAISE: (*includes spoilers*)
~ I liked that Ivy takes the initiative and is the one to proposition Auburn when they first make love.
~ As I said before, the hero and heroine had *great* potential - both very strong, opinionated, admirable characters; Anderson's writing and her story's lack of depth fail them, however.
~ While I first thought Auburn's mother was going to be an annoying -w-itch, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she wasn't one-dimensional and although her relationship with her son and treatment of Auburn after his accident is shameful, she is a more complicated character than we are initially led to believe and turns out to be a better person than I first expected.
~ Christopher, Ivy's brother, is endearing and definitely adds to the book.
CRITICISM: (*includes spoilers*)
~ Auburn and Ivy don't know each other that well before they have sex; though page-wise it occurs a decent portion into the book, I didn't feel that their relationship had deepened to that level yet.
~ Ivy propositions Auburn after her betrothal becomes official and I found this dishonest on her part; she's technically cheating. I know we don't want her to end up marrying Wynbrooke anyway, but she's the one who agreed to so she should hold to the promise that entails.
~ Ivy is supposed to be a strong, individual, and opinionated woman ... so why is she bowing to her father's demands and marrying Wynbrooke? She says at one point that at least he's a good man, but at that point in the book from what we've seen he isn't (!) - he's been repeatedly rude to Auburn and has made horrible comments about the "monster earl" behind his back (while he's enjoying the man's generosity and hospitality).
~ We never hear from Ivy how she sees Auburn (physically). I know she isn't bothered by his scars and that's wonderful, but at some points the things she says seem almost idiotic and oblivious, as if she doesn't actually realize he has any disfigurement or handicap. She reacts differently than most other people and that is commendable and laudable, but I would have liked to know whether it was that she looks at his scars and sees them and just doesn't shy away from them or whether when she looks at Auburn she really does not see any scars/ignores them.
~ Lord Stanhope seems like he was a good and intelligent man, yet he was supposed to be in love with Ivy's mother (which is why he leaves Ivy a bequest). Lady Dunleigh, however ... does not seem good and intelligent (rather "flighty," "vapid," and "superficial" come to mind).
BOTTOM LINE and SIMILAR BOOKS:
Skip it and if you want to read good historical romances where the hero or heroine has scars or a handicap, I would suggest one of these four instead (I've ranked them in order, with the first book featuring the issue most prominently, the last one doing so the least): (1) Simply Love (Simply Quartet, Book 2) by Mary Balogh; (2) and (3) equally, Scandalous (Banning Sisters Trilogy, Book 1) by Karen Robards and A Notorious Love (Swanlea Spinsters, Book 2) by Sabrina Jeffries; (4) Taming Rafe (Bancroft Brothers, Book 2) by Suzanne Enoch.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2018
Linda história. Um cúpido diferente.
June 29, 2014
Ivy St. Claire is facing a life she is not looking forward to. Her parents are forcing her to marry a man whom she does not love. He's got a good blood line and will provide a possible avenue for her father to get into a higher position in Parliament - the only reason why her father is making her marry this man. She has no hope for her future until she receives a missive informing her that she has inherited a small home and money from Lord Stanhope, a man with whom she has no connection or any kind of personal relationship. In order for Ivy to receive her inheritance she must deliver a portrait to the residence of the reclusive Earl of Tamberlake. This is no big deal until she finds out that the Earl is known to the ton as "The Monster Earl".
Auburn Seaton, The Earl of Tamberlake, was badly injured in a carriage accident and since that time he has removed himself from the public. He is badly scarred and is dealing with a leg injury as well. After his mother pushed him away and his own fiance dumping him because she couldn't bear to look at him, he has pretty much lost faith in people because he couldn't trust the very people he loved most. He has a few people that live with him and take care of his needs and a few pets that keep him entertained but he is very reclusive. But despite his scars and his grumpy personality Ivy St. Claire sees beyond that and finds a very gentle and loving soul. But in order for him to ever find happiness he is going to have to overcome those internal scars and discover a way that the two of them can be together.
Auburn Seaton, The Earl of Tamberlake, was badly injured in a carriage accident and since that time he has removed himself from the public. He is badly scarred and is dealing with a leg injury as well. After his mother pushed him away and his own fiance dumping him because she couldn't bear to look at him, he has pretty much lost faith in people because he couldn't trust the very people he loved most. He has a few people that live with him and take care of his needs and a few pets that keep him entertained but he is very reclusive. But despite his scars and his grumpy personality Ivy St. Claire sees beyond that and finds a very gentle and loving soul. But in order for him to ever find happiness he is going to have to overcome those internal scars and discover a way that the two of them can be together.
Read
August 13, 2015Ivy St. Clair is stunned to receive an inheritance from a man she doesn't know - her mom's old flame. To inherit, she has to travel to Wales to give a portrait to Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. Anxious to escape the impending betrothal to a man she doesn't love, Ivy and her brother and a chaperone go to Wales. Seaton was badly burned and lost an eye in a carriage accident several years earlier and has become a recluse. Ivy doesn't see the disfigurement though and they fall in love and have one night together before she returns to London. Her fiance meanwhile, has arrived in Wales and Seaton determines he's gay and only marrying her for her money. He determines to break the engagement and marry her himself. The partner tries to murder them and they expose the plot and work things out eventually.
Some interesting themes.
Some interesting themes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2022
The premise: Lady Ivy St. Clair is sent to the home of the “Monster Earl” on an unusual errand. During her forced stay at his home, the disfigured Earl of Tamberlake learns that he’s not as monstrous and unlovable as he had thought.
Miscellaneous notes: I loved Auburn despite his obvious flaws. I wasn’t thrilled with the notion of a proper English woman having relations with a man as a “one-night-stand”. But then again, I’m on the prudish side.
Miscellaneous notes: I loved Auburn despite his obvious flaws. I wasn’t thrilled with the notion of a proper English woman having relations with a man as a “one-night-stand”. But then again, I’m on the prudish side.
historical
January 11, 2019Could a letter change her life?
Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for more than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself—gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing—is everything her distasteful fiancé is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim.
Ivy St. Clair doesn't think so, but she's certain that the missive from eccentric Lord Stanhope, who has named her as one of his heirs, will at least provide adventure. And adventure is the one thing sure to be missing from her life when she marries Neville Foxworthy as her family expects her to do.
To inherit from Stanhope, she must deliver a portrait to reclusive Auburn Seaton, Earl of Tamberlake. No one has seen the man, badly injured in a carriage accident, for more than five years. But Seaton's scars are far less interesting than his melancholy, and Seaton himself—gentle, kind, and dangerously appealing—is everything her distasteful fiancé is not. Before long Ivy realizes that the unlikely friendship they find together has deepened into the kind of love she will risk name and fortune to claim.
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