Another Eden

by Patricia Gaffney

Trapped in a loveless marriage at the turn of the twentieth century, a British noblewoman finds renewed passion with a young architect Lady Sara Longford’s once-storybook marriage is falling apart. Her husband, Ben Cochrane, a New York entrepreneur, married Sara in the hopes that a high-society English wife would improve his odds of entering New York’s uppermost social strata, but so far those ambitions have remained unfulfilled, and the relationship has soured. But things change when Sara meets up-and-coming draftsman Alex McKie, hired to build Cochrane’s garish summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. When Cochrane sends Sara away to Newport to oversee the construction, Sara finds herself increasingly drawn to the charming Alex. As their relationship develops, Sara must chose between the safe life she knows and the forbidden love that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Ebooks, Victorian

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

Patricia Gaffney was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, and also studied literature at Royal Holloway College of the University of London, at George Washington University, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.

Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.

In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.

Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.

More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.

Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.

Reviews

[Chels]

Echoing another reviewer here: I'm very troubled by how many people are taking issue with a "spineless" heroine, who is a bonafide victim of abuse.

Sara is married to a man with Vanderbilt-level wealth who threatens to keep her from her son every time she steps out of line. Her husband is a loud, rude, bigoted misogynist, and Sara has resigned herself to not making waves in order to give her son a good life. Then she meets Alex, the architect building their new McMansion, and suddenly she's having a much harder time taking the path of least resistance.

Alex, on the other hand, is an affable rake who is used to casual affairs with married women, but there's something that draws him to Sara and keeps him wanting more. He's smitten from the jump, and he has to walk the fine line of kowtowing to her horrible husband while pursuing her in private.

The book is very emotional and unique -- Gaffney is one of the greats. Unfortunately, like many older Gaffney books, there's one plot point that mars it. In this case, it's the clunky storyline of a mean-spirited and duplicitous immigrant, Tascha. I've read the Wyckerley trilogy, I know Gaffney can do better than that.

[Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's blowing my mind a little that some people didn't like the heroine "playing the victim" and "not standing up for herself enough"...guys, she is a victim. I know this is fiction, but I feel like if you hate a fictional woman for not getting out of her abusive marriage faster you should maybe examine your biases regarding actual abuse victims.

[gottalottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty disturbed by reviewers calling the heroine weak because she’s stuck in an abusive marriage with a man who has as much money as Rockefeller and threatens to take her son away constantly… literal victim-blaming

the romance in this is great, plenty of angst which is obvious from the premise, Gaffney is such a skilled writer

unfortunately, she decided to make a conniving side character Jewish and Romani - didn’t love that!
you could see the outcome of that subplot from a mile away but the heroine couldn’t

[willaful · Rating 3 out of 5]

The GoodReads rating system fails me on books like this, because it's certainly well written, but I can't really say I liked it. It's a dark, depressing, uncomfortable read that just barely pulls off the obligatory happy ending.

[BRNTerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

PUB. INFO: Leisure, 1992
Reissued: Dorchester, 2000
GENRE: Historical Romance
SETTING: New York, late 1800′s
MY GRADE: B-

MY THOUGHTS: Sadly, this story was a predictable letdown. The English heroine, who I assume is in her late 20′s, is pretty passive and spineless, not at all the type of lead character I like to read about. She’s in a dysfunctional, abusive marriage and has no plans to leave it. Though it is the late 1800′s, people did get divorced and I can see no reason for Sara to have stayed married to Ben. He was wealthy and somewhere along the way she could have saved up enough money to leave with their seven year old son, Michael.

I have no complaints about the architect hero, Alex. He’s around 30. They meet because her husband, Ben, hires him to build them a vacation home/mansion in Rhode Island. Alex had an abusive childhood but has made something of himself and has become successful. I didn’t like Sara’s son Michael’s attachment to Alex and thought it very odd that Sara would allow him to correspond with Alex via letter. I don’t think that would have happened in real life.

Tasha was a scheming character and I don’t really see why she was put in the story.

The predictable part of the story: for married Sara and Alex to have their happily-ever-after, something bad (or good?) would have to happen to Ben. So, surprise, surprise, something did happen, which we all knew would.

Overall, I was really unhappy with this story.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The girl: Sara Cochrane, daughter of an impoverished duke (long dead) and raised by her alcoholic mother until she was sold off to a brute of a Chicago businessman: "Ben was incredibly wealthy by the time he was twenty-five. He started out in the Chicago stockyards, prodding cattle along a chute to their deaths. Sometime you must ask him to tell you about the skull-smashing device he invented to speed things along."

*shudders*

The guy: Alex McKie, a young up and coming architect who has been given the task of building a 'cottage' for the Cochranes in Newport - not an easy task when your client is demanding, bull-headed and without any sense of taste - the more garish to display his wealth, the better.

Sara is sent to Newport with her young son to oversee the operations, and surprise (not), she and Alex find themselves soul-mates and the attraction is hard to resist. I did like how the relationship between the two was slow to develop, more as friends first and then into something stronger. It does take a long time for the big love scene, and IIRC there's only the one, but it is on the steamier side of things - those who prefer less detail might not care for this or want to skim through that part of it.

Extra points for Sara's son and how he was portrayed, cute and well-behaved without overkill on the kid cuteness meter.

Kindle copy borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

[Natalija · Rating 3 out of 5]

In short, it's a forbidden love story between a married woman and a draftsman her husband hired to build their summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. I loved how refreshing it felt due to the time period and setting, but there were certain things about the book that I just couldn't overlook to give it a higher rating. First off, there is an aspect of cheating. Secondly, I didn't like Sara. She liked to play the victim, let others use her and didn't stand up for herself when she should have. Also, her indecisiveness and lame excuses constantly got on my nerves. All in all, I don't regret reading it but Ms. Gaffney has written much better novels.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and highly emotional, with complicated, well-drawn characters and a boatload of angst. Classic Gaffney, in other words. She's quite simply one of the best historical romance authors out there.

[H is for Hydraulics · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writing and the starcrossed lovers stuff but what's up with the conniving immigrant stereotype

[T from Istria 💛💚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5.
I did not like this, the story was slow, did not like the heroine at all, AT ALL, her decisions and actions, the hero was not much better.
The writing was gods though.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most frustrating romance novel ever. That's really really saying something.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one! I haven't read a ton of older romance novels, so the difference in prose from the usual literature I read was a welcome surprise. It was well-written, despite some odd formatting here and there.

I thought the angst and tension between the two leads were really well done. The barriers between them felt real and insurmountable. Sara was a wonderfully real and flawed character. I can see how some people might get frustrated that she was so resistant to her feelings or exploring her relationship with Alex, but I found it realistic. Sara was a victim of abuse, not knowing how to help yourself and being fearful and uncertain about change comes with the territory. And being a mom myself, I related to her hesitations and motivations, especially when it came to her son.

I enjoyed Alex as the male lead. He honestly wasn't present for too much of the novel, we spend a lot of time with Sara and her ruminations, but when Alex appeared it made the excitement and relief that Sara felt a lot more deserved.

All in all, really liked this one.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nouveau riche Ben Cochrane married his British wife, Sara, eight years ago as an attempt to slip into high society in New York in the late 1890s. When his plan did not work, mostly because of Ben's brash egomania, he blames it on Sara. They have a seven-year-old child that Ben seems indifferent to, but he uses Michael to keep Sara by his side.

One of Ben's new plots to enter society is to build himself a monument to his power and influence in Newport. He hires an up-and-coming architect named Alex McKie to create the monstrosity. It is interesting to watch Alex change from a womanizing hotshot to someone who cares for Sara and Michael.

I thought the 'solution' to Alex and Sara's problem was too pat and convenient. I also questioned Sara's agreement to allow Michael to become so close to Alex; it just didn't ring true. Otherwise, this is a fine novel.

[smokeandmirrors · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loooove a forbidden love plot !! Now I frankly do not think this is a good representation of the 1890s, but that's not what we're here for is it, we are here for the star crossed affair that develops between the architect and the rich guy's wife and go oh ho they are torturing themselves by trying to stay apart! Oh ho they are torturing themselves MORE by giving in "just this once"! The ending did come off as very convenient but I was actually kind of down with Sara's counterintuitive reaction of walling herself up twice as hard, except that it mostly happened via timeskip so the resolution to that felt even more convenient..... Add another three chapters or so for that drama, I'd read it!!!!

[GorgeousN · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was dreading the infidelity that had to happen in this story, when I realised the heroine is a married woman. And I kept anticipating something to happen to her husband... it finally did, in the last quarter of the book.

Gaffney writes well and you see this shine through here - but the characters seemed so contrived for once. You have the large burly and uncouth husband, the graceful and delicate (ever sad) heroine, the tall handsome and kind hero and for kicks, a treacherous villain disguised as a friend.

Can't put my finger on anything, not one that will read again. This was uncomfortable, I got through it just wanting to see how it all panned out. Once was enough.

[BumbleDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

If words were music, Patricia is a freakin maestro!

Her writing and prose are unbelievable. The dialogue just flows so effortlessly, she doesn’t spoon feed you every feeling or thought, instead she leads you on a beautiful journey of words.

I didn’t think the heroine was a passive victim, she was a mother first and foremost, she had to do what she had to do to keep her child safe even if it ment sacrificing her own happiness. Alex was a great gentle hero, his angst and yearning for Sara was CHEFS KISS! I just wish the ending wasn’t THAT predictable. But nevertheless I loved it

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's two tormented souls finding each other. It drags some and that's a bit of a problem.

[Gigi Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't help it, jaded men who fall for heroine... well it's just the reason I read. Lol

[Maria Dahman]

I am not the audience for this book. I do like the author in other genres.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Deeply gut wrenching until the rather melodramatic turn in the last 1/3 of the book which cheapened the whole affair

[Preeti · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the one hand, it's written by a skillful writer. On the other, the story repulsed me many times. Heroine is stuck in a horrible marriage for most of the book and she is bullied, manipulated, coerced and degraded. Not a book I would ever revisit since it wasn't escapist enough fiction for me.

[Jennifer]

Well written Kindle freebie but too much of an uncomfortable buzzkill for me to continue. Kind doormat lady in abusive marriage attracted to Forsyth Saga style architect. And it also took an age to reach the obviously telegraphed denouement - I wound up skipping most of it after the 40% mark.

[scarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had some beautiful writing and I was brought to tears a few times (I am always crying when I read Gaffney). But there is a Jewish & Romani villain that is really NOT GOOD, Gaffney! Outside of that glaring issue, I really enjoyed this book.

[Oyceter · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://oyceter.livejournal.com/114413...

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, I found this book slow and borderline boring. I wanted to like Sara and found Alex charming, but it's hard to really enjoy their romance knowing she is married to an abusive man.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each book that I have read, written by Patricia Gaffney, has been different. And each has engaging characters and an intriguing story line. Good book (s).

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

10/1992