≡ [PDF] Once and Always Judith McNaught 9781416530732 Books

Once and Always Judith McNaught 9781416530732 Books

Download As PDF : Once and Always Judith McNaught 9781416530732 Books

Once and Always Judith McNaught 9781416530732 Books

SPOILERS. This is my favorite of her works. Jason is damaged and complicated and terrified of loving anyone (though he really wants to) after a lifetime of rejection, abuse, a loveless mercenary first wife, and crippling loss. He is self made in a world of jaded, lazy, self-serving wealthy men who imagine themselves masters of the universe because of a lucky birth into titled families. He is already an outsider the minute he comes to London. Illegitemacy is never forgiven. It is only tolerated for him because of a cover story his father/uncle concocted to make society accept him. Victoria is a sheltered country girl, but brave enough to be herself in the twisted and bound up world of the British aristocracy. Both of them want a child to love in this world of absent emotion where they are alone. Tory is exactly what he needs. The contrast of these two characters is wonderful and when Jason falls, he falls hard.

I do need to comment on some of the bad reviews. AGAIN, SPOILERS. It is clear that well done historical romances may not be for some of you. This book was written decades ago. JM dis not shy away from the realities of the day that are often whitewashed in romances now. Men kept mistresses because marriages between wealthy people were often loveless business arrangements for the financial and political betterment of the entire family, not just the two being married. Entire families were bankrolled for a lifetime by one good marriage. (Which, if you have read it, explains Pride and Prejudice.) Because marriages were transactions amongst the aristocracy and because they weren't legal until consummated, sex was also a transaction. Imagine being 18 and married off to a 40 or 50 year old of the day and then being expected to produce children. Imagine being a man rejected by his wife after an heir is produced. The families of women sought protection for them in the form of wealthy husbands because they could not be property owners or start careers. Men needed heirs. Marriages were a cattle call on both sides.

In this book, sexually uninformed Victoria unwittingly leads an older Jason to believe that she is not a virgin (the unforgivable for young women of the day), and that he should keep a mistress like everyone else. She drinks too much on their wedding day because she is scared, but if she isn't a virgin and prior kisses have been passionate, what is Jason to think after his own experiences with his last wife but that Victoria has faked everything to get her hands on his money? That she sold herself? Why, then, should Jason be blamed for treating the marriage like the transaction she seems to want by assuming she had already had sex and then keeping his mistress? If you view the events of the wedding night and immediately after in these contexts, you begin to see how socials mores of the time taint things. Jason is not intentionally cruel. Bitter and disappointed, but not cruel. His actions are in line with most ither marriages of the time.

Some are looking at the book through the filter of modern romance or fluffier historical romances where this is little to no mention of outside sexual experiences. If you are doing so, you are bound to be disappointed. Men and women at the time did things that we don't understand now. I am sure we would be just as baffling.

When Victoria finally finds her voice and tells her husband what she really wants, it is a thing of real beauty. Jason's response is so poignant, that you finally get to see the man underneath the thick emotional armor. The way they love each other openly in front of society is enviable and satisfying.


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Once and Always Judith McNaught 9781416530732 Books Reviews

I loved be everything about this story! I bought the book when it came out in the 80's and have read many times over the years and it never gets old. The story is timeless. It has a handsome, sexy, successful alpha male and a beautiful likable females character, lots of humor and lots of hot steamy sex between them but described in a very artful way! To this day and after reading hundreds of romance novels over 30 years, Judith McNaught is still my favorite author and I miss reading her stories. I often wonder why she stopped writing. Where is she?
Once and Always is one of those books you can enjoy reading multiple times. I've read it 5/6 times actually and it never has gotten boring.

Victoria and Jason are two of the better leading characters I've read about over the years. Uncle Charles is an interesting secondary character as is Captain Farrell. Both of them help move the story along in a way that doesn't take away from the main narrative. The only thing that really didn't need to be there was the conflict of having Andrew, Victoria's first beau, show up at the end. That was a bit of overkill in my opinion. He had already been established as a jerk, we didn't need to be reminded of it.

I won't spoil the specifics of the plot, but it has the boy meets girl/boy marries girl/boy really screws up and girl leaves him/girl realizes she loves him & goes back to him.

If you want to read about Victoria and Jason's rocky road to their happily ever after, buy the book.
My go to author. I have yet to find any author in the genre to match her intensity, skill, and ability to move me. McNaught makes me believe in their love and their journey. I absolutely love Jason and Tory. Their slow and steady affection and eventual love is so satisfying. The men in McNaught's books tend to be emotionally crippled and have a hardness that can pass for immensely unkind but man, when they are leveled by the power of their feelings it is so moving and heartfelt.
The author's writing is good and she does have great plot. But I am starting to see a pattern with several stories, both involving way too much idiotic drama (soap operas could take a lesson from the crazy drama) and sexual assault/rape. I read this book once when I was much younger and thought it was great. Now that I've read it again I just couldn't enjoy it as much. How can a woman get past being raped and being happy with her rapist like it's some spilt milk to be sponged off and everything is just peachy? Obviously the author has no idea of the mental and emotional trauma that live in a person's psyche for many years to come. Character development is great until the abuse (physical, verbal, and emotional) starts flying and then poof, everything's alright because he kisses her again and they live happily ever after.
SPOILERS. This is my favorite of her works. Jason is damaged and complicated and terrified of loving anyone (though he really wants to) after a lifetime of rejection, abuse, a loveless mercenary first wife, and crippling loss. He is self made in a world of jaded, lazy, self-serving wealthy men who imagine themselves masters of the universe because of a lucky birth into titled families. He is already an outsider the minute he comes to London. Illegitemacy is never forgiven. It is only tolerated for him because of a cover story his father/uncle concocted to make society accept him. Victoria is a sheltered country girl, but brave enough to be herself in the twisted and bound up world of the British aristocracy. Both of them want a child to love in this world of absent emotion where they are alone. Tory is exactly what he needs. The contrast of these two characters is wonderful and when Jason falls, he falls hard.

I do need to comment on some of the bad reviews. AGAIN, SPOILERS. It is clear that well done historical romances may not be for some of you. This book was written decades ago. JM dis not shy away from the realities of the day that are often whitewashed in romances now. Men kept mistresses because marriages between wealthy people were often loveless business arrangements for the financial and political betterment of the entire family, not just the two being married. Entire families were bankrolled for a lifetime by one good marriage. (Which, if you have read it, explains Pride and Prejudice.) Because marriages were transactions amongst the aristocracy and because they weren't legal until consummated, sex was also a transaction. Imagine being 18 and married off to a 40 or 50 year old of the day and then being expected to produce children. Imagine being a man rejected by his wife after an heir is produced. The families of women sought protection for them in the form of wealthy husbands because they could not be property owners or start careers. Men needed heirs. Marriages were a cattle call on both sides.

In this book, sexually uninformed Victoria unwittingly leads an older Jason to believe that she is not a virgin (the unforgivable for young women of the day), and that he should keep a mistress like everyone else. She drinks too much on their wedding day because she is scared, but if she isn't a virgin and prior kisses have been passionate, what is Jason to think after his own experiences with his last wife but that Victoria has faked everything to get her hands on his money? That she sold herself? Why, then, should Jason be blamed for treating the marriage like the transaction she seems to want by assuming she had already had sex and then keeping his mistress? If you view the events of the wedding night and immediately after in these contexts, you begin to see how socials mores of the time taint things. Jason is not intentionally cruel. Bitter and disappointed, but not cruel. His actions are in line with most ither marriages of the time.

Some are looking at the book through the filter of modern romance or fluffier historical romances where this is little to no mention of outside sexual experiences. If you are doing so, you are bound to be disappointed. Men and women at the time did things that we don't understand now. I am sure we would be just as baffling.

When Victoria finally finds her voice and tells her husband what she really wants, it is a thing of real beauty. Jason's response is so poignant, that you finally get to see the man underneath the thick emotional armor. The way they love each other openly in front of society is enviable and satisfying.