Forever His

Stolen Brides Series, Volume 1

By: Shelly Thacker

Narrated by: Julia Motyka

Length: 15 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

On New Year's Eve, she tumbles 700 years back in time - and into the bed of a darkly handsome knight.

Sir Gaston de Varennes wanted a docile bride who would fit into his plans for vengeance and justice, but a trick of time finds him married to a thoroughly modern American lady who turns his castle, his life, and his heart upside down. Will her desperate secret tear them apart after only a few bittersweet weeks of stolen passion - or will they conquer mistrust, treachery, and time itself to discover a love that spans the centuries?

Winner of the National Readers Choice Award: Best Historical Romance of the Year

The Stolen Brides Series: One falls through time and finds herself married to a dark stranger...one may never reach her royal wedding if she can't resist her rugged protector...one is abducted by a mysterious swordsman and swept away to a secret island paradise. Three regal brides are about to discover that falling in love with a warrior is the most dangerous adventure of all.

©1993 Shelly Thacker Meinhardt (P)2013 Shelly Thacker Meinhardt

A Wonderful Time Travel Romance

Where does Forever His rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Time Travel Romances are one of my favourite genres. This one was tops. I enjoyed every moment of this impressively well-written time travel romance. It was well-thought out and the writing was polished and the story line was well-researched and edited. It was really thrilling.

What did you like best about this story?

The fact that it was a believable, well-organized, researched and presented book. I like the historical parts and the insight into what life was like "700 years" ago. That's what I like most about time travel books and the romantic interaction between the lovers....Awwww. It was exciting (hot actually) and touching and very tender.
Impressively well-written and I like your writing style and prose. The characters were so well developed and I fell in love with both the heroine and hero of the story very early on. I just cannot stress how well put together this book is. I loved this story. I could hardly bear to wait till morning to continue listening. This story really, really gripped me. Thanks for a great time.

What about Julia Motyka’s performance did you like?

I have been listening to Julia read another author's books and I have become a great fan of her voice and her rendition of the narrator parts and actual voice changes as she portrays the various characters in the book. She did it well again in Shelly's series. Irresistible performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes. Celine's meeting and connection with Fiara and then Brynna was really something and then the final surprising ending and Celine's empathy for her beloved friends.

Any additional comments?

This full length, well written book combined elements of a historical romance and a contemporary one--the time travel element was particularly, intriguing. The humor and funny parts were hilarious. The many great characters, were essential to the plot and one got attached to not just the two main characters Gaston and Celine, but many others also.
I couldn't listen to this book fast enough and at the same time I didn't want it to end. As mentioned before, the heroine and hero were brilliantly portrayed and I fell in love with both of them. After I listened to this book, I'm about to continue to the next book His Forbidden Touch as I so want to know experience the emotive, forbidden love of the secondary characters, portrayed. I'm going to be watching for and looking forward to more sequels.

Loved this book..again..

Any additional comments?

I first read this book in 2011 and it was wonderful. When I found it on Audible I bought it and read along with the narration. Gaston and Celine were both wonderful characters. Tourelle was just a murdering creep. However, this book was a little wordy and definitely did NOT have enough dialogue for me. I still really enjoyed, though.

And, as always, the narrator can kill a book. Ms. Motyka did the French accents ok but she read it without much emotion. Her voice was soothing but when you read a book I think you need more emotion than sounding like you're feeling passionate for the person you're talking to, especially if you're supposed to be angry or disgusted, or hurt or..And no matter what Gaston said Ms. Motyka finally got some emotion in her voice and made him sound angery, even when was supposed to me whispering, murmuring, simply stated, whatever, she made him sound like an angry jerk and she really didn't make the men sound like men at all. I wouldn't listen to her again.

Cheesy

This was so cheesy dialogue. I kept hoping it would get better as it went along but ummmm no.

Time Travel Romance

My favorite kind of romance - time travel, and Shelly Thacker wrote it perfectly. Celine and Sir Gaston make a great couple and compliment each other very well. The story was well-written with characters that keep you listening. The villain is perfect, and of course, the book has the best slippery relative to make sure the characters have an interesting story. I enjoyed the voice of the narrator while listening to the book.

Lily S. Thomas - Author of the Ice Age Alphas series

Amazing Time Travel

Totally enjoyed this book from start to finish, narrator told the story superbly.
Great Book.

Delightful!!

Wonderful time-travel with unexpected twists and turns! Throughly enjoyed the time spent listening to this story, and will look forward to more from Ms. Thacker.

Wonderful!

Loved it!!! The narrator brought the characters to life! Couldn't wait each day to drive home to listen to the story.

Loved it and you’ll love it too!

If you love time travel, the hunky, stubborn, funny He-man type and, when, the beautiful, kind, sassy, heroine teaches the He-man a thing or two well, this is the romance book for you. I don’t usefully listen to romance books that are more then 8 hours long cause, most tend to repeat and lag on. But, Forever His”was the best 15 hours I’ve ever spent, I got so rapped up in the story I couldn’t stop listening. I loved it and you will too!

With a rewrite the story has possibilities

I really tried to like and finish this, but about a third of the way through, I had to stop. The story premise is good, but even if it took place in the story's current year (1993), the dialogue was cheesy and contrived. The female protagonist may not have been a 'rocket-scientist' like her Nobel winning family (one of many examples of hyperbole), but she's made out to be stupid at many times, yet exceeding clever at others. There needed to be more character building and planning by the author to make it at least a bit authentic. I won't finish this, but I can guess the outcome and I'd put down money that I'm right. With more planning, research, appropriate dialogue and a few twists, a re-write to this could be an excellent story. I gave it an extra star for the potential.

Ugh! This was painful!

Any additional comments?

Ok, so I'm writing a review of a book I only listened to a 1/4 of the way through. Really, I'm proud of myself for sticking it out that long. To be honest I really have know idea if the story would've been good had I had the willpower to hang in there. Alas, (sigh), I am but a mere human!

To start, the narrator was... awful! I've listened to so many audiobooks that I know as well as anyone that a narrator can make or break an audiobook. And this one just... I don't know, she was way over dramatic and her male voice was horrible. Seriously, if I ever publish a novel and have it made into an audiobook I'm going to personally pick out the narrator for it. It's sooooo important "do your hear me authors of the world"!!!!

Lastly, from the small amount I did manage to listen to the story sounded cliche' and the characters were trite. I wouldn't waste .99 on it. And I love time travel books, but this one belongs in file 29 (trash)!