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

Decent story ... but.....

I may be a minority on this one but most of the book I kept thinking “overwritten” & “skip”.

Time travel story good, characters are decent, the story flowed well, just overwritten. Some scenes would get stuck going in a circle of feelings, atmosphere, and surroundings. Reader took some getting used to.

Loved it

The narrators made the story real.
Loved the plot and the ending.

The only thing I didn’t like was the long sex scenes, I just skipped the rest of the chapter.
I can’t wait to read the rest of her books.

Very enjoyable!

I am not overly into romance stories of this nature any longer but this one was very good. It had the same sappy love story but the twist of time travel made it fresh. It was well worth the read as long as you realize that this is not Chekhov. I'd buy it again in a minute.

Time Travel Romance

I can take or leave time travel book in general, this one caught my attention and held it to the end. I really loved seeing this modern woman adapt to her new situation and find love.

I had moments where I hated the lead guy, Gaston. He really takes the cake for macho jerks of that time period. Thankfully he grows and earns his lady love. Celine is too forgiving by far. I hated when she acted a doormat. In the end they book worked it out and became characters I liked. It was just a bit of a journey.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Motyka, who does a wonderful job with all the characters. I loved her pace and the emotion she puts into the read. I was delighted to see she will be reading the whole series! Really a great match!

The steam is quite yummy and of course perfection when it comes to bodice ripping!! I am always a sucker for these books even though I hate these kind of men in real life. That is the joy of reading.

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

Enjoyable story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. If they enjoy historical romance and time travel it's a good read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Forever His?

When he followed her and she had a panic attack, he saved her.

What does Julia Motyka bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Love all her character voices. She is a great storyteller.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. So much happens you really need to take breaks.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this book. Time travel and historic romance are my favorite romance books. I thought the story was very good and the narration was excellent. I loved the characters and the plot and her dilemma of trying to get back to the future. I didn't really think the last fourth of the book was believable at all, but think overall a good book to listen to.

Pretty interesting take on time travel

Enjoyed it! just a bit tad too many love scenes even when the guy is very much wounded hahaha. glad they tied up loose ends from the books start that I totally forgot.

NO HERO, ONLY AN ARROGANT BASTARD!!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The main male character Sir Gaston de Varennes treats Celine is humiliating & degrading. I understand he doesn't trust her, but for everybody to keep saying he is a honorable man doesn't show in the way he treats her.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Make the character Gaston more likable & for Celine to act like the modern woman she is & not like a woman from the 1300 (Stand Up For Yourself @ Least Once Without Backing Down)!!

What does Julia Motyka bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings the characters to life that's why I listen to audiobooks.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Since a book simular to this (Outlander) is bring made into a TV series & I plan on checking that out, eventhough I cared little for the book, I probably would.

Any additional comments?

The book is good. The storeline is really good. I just wish the main character was more likable because if I was Celine I wouldn't have given him the time of day no matter how HOT he is & personality/character shows a person's true worth & value.

Was up all night!

Drank a lot of caffeine today because I was up all night listening ( not smart when going a school field to the zoo the next day ) But I managed. This book was exciting and intriguing, I was never bored. I think Outlander fan's would love this series cause I sure do and can't wait for the next one. Credit Worthy all the way.

An enjoyable mystical magical Medieval story

Imagine looking through your window at the moon in a restored Medieval Castle in 1993 dressed only in your lace teddie then, at the stroke of midnight announcing another year, you're suddenly falling through time and space to the year 1300 and landing in a handsome, naked, sexy but drunk Knight's bed who's more than happy to see you...... that is until he actually sees you.

Celine battles as mistaken identity causes Gaston to dislike and mistrust her because he believes her to be his betrothed forced upon him by the King and worse still she's his enemy's niece and so he fears for his life. The trouble is he's very attracted to her but must not consummate the marriage but there's a strong attraction and sexual chemistry between them and the more he pushes obstacles in her way, the more he begrudgingly admires her even as she's turning his world, and Castle, upside down and behind his hard shell lies a sweet, loveable, thoughtful, caring man.

A well orchestrated emotional tale with a great plot, twists and turns, treachery, interesting characters, an evil villain, jousting, sacrifice, humor, passion, sex but everything hangs on the moving, climatic, race against time ending. There may be parts where I'm sure you'll think "oh come on" but bear in mind this is a magical fantasy so just go with the flow and enjoy this romantic love story.

Worth a credit? Yes and I'm looking forward to her next 2 books in this series.

Time travel enhances this love story

This book is written with rich and wonderful language, though there were a few places where it seemed that it might read in a book a little better than read out loud. But it's still beautiful. The narrator does a good job with all the voices, but with the stilted language necessary to render the medieval times, the hero Gaston comes across as a bit stiff at times -though I think it's just a difficult narration. It doesn't ruin the story, which is exciting and lovely and very interesting. I like stories that have lots of different angles to them, and this one fulfills that requirement. Surprise ending.