Friday, January 9, 2015

Forever Mine by Monica Burns




For Fans of OUTLANDER and A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR.... “Forever Mine is the best time-travel romance I've ever read, rivaling Jude Deveraux for intensity and chemistry between the hero and heroine.” — Lucy Monroe, USAToday bestselling author

When a bomb explosion thrusts Victoria Ashton backward in time to 1897, she’s forced to impersonate the Countess of Guildford. Despite Victoria’s attempts to convince the earl she’s not his wife, her counterpart’s infidelity, lies, and ill-tempered personality makes the task almost impossible. Worse, Victoria finds herself falling in love with a man who loathes her. Only when the earl learns to trust her does she realize her future lies in the past. But love always comes at a price, and she must make a painful sacrifice in order for them to be together. 

Nicholas Thornhill, Earl of Guildford has been searching for his missing wife for three weeks. Rumors of him being guilty of murder make him unwilling to believe his wife’s latest in a multitude of lies. But the changes in Victoria continuously surprise him. Despite his best intentions, he finds the contempt he once felt for his wife turning into something deeper and stronger. But when danger threatens to separate them forever, he must forge a bond with her that crosses the boundaries of time. 

“With Forever Mine, Monica Burns delivers another gorgeous and deeply emotional story with a smart, strong-willed heroine and a tortured and oh-so-sexy hero.” 
— Vanessa Kelly. Bestselling author of historical romance 

Published & Release Date: Maroli SP Imprints, December 2, 2014

Time and setting: Present day/1897 Victorian England

Genre: Historical Romance/Victorian/Time Travel

Heat Level: 3

Reviewer rating: 5 Gold Crowns

Vikki’s Musings

This is not your typical historical romance where boy meets girl falls in love and lives “Happily Ever After”. This book is so much more than that. I had purchased this book in mid-December, along with quite a few others at the same time on the recommendation of a friend with no particular hurry to read it. When I marked it as a TBR, one of my friends on Goodreads asked me a question that piqued my curiosity, so I decided to go ahead and start it. I am so glad I did! This is a marvelous read. It captured my attention from the first page and kept it until the fantastic end.

Victoria Ashton enters Barrows Art and Antiquities in London and is immediately caught under the spell of a landscape depicting a cottage on Brentwood Park. While debating on purchasing it, Nick Barrows approaches. While discussing the merits of the painting an explosion occurs that sends Victoria back in time to 1897. Nick Barrows goes to the hospital with Victoria and refuses to leave her side.

Victoria wakes up at Goodman cottage in October 1897 and is soon confronted by Nicholas Thornhill, the Earl of Guildford, who keeps calling her the countess and demanding to know where she has been for the last three weeks. This begins her adventure in a different time and place than she could have ever imagined. Will she find a love that transcends time, or will she return to the present lost and confused forever searching for this astonishing man who is part of her life in 1897?

This is a story primarily set in Victorian England, 1897 with a brief glimpse of what is happening to Victoria in present day London and Nick Barrows’ growing fascination with her. The love that blooms between her and the earl from the ashes of his relationship with the self-centered Vickie is a love that will endure forever. I found this book beyond moving to the point I had to wipe tears from my eyes often. I recommend having a box of tissues close by as you read this wonderful, compelling love story.

Not only are the main characters enthralling, I fell in love with the earl’s intellectually challenged brother, Edmund. Victoria’s complete reversal from Vickie’s cruel demeanor toward Edmund goes a long way in earning Nicholas’s devotion and nurtures the amazing love that grows between them.


This book has it all, a riveting storyline, a passionate love affair, loads of suspense with a bit of mystery thrown in, which kept me turning the pages long into the night. The love scenes between Nicholas and Victoria sizzle, burning up the pages on my Kindle. This is a story that will linger long in my memory, and I am sure it is one that I will read again. At the end of the book are letters Nicholas writes to Victoria. I will not explain further, but they are so poignant, tears streamed from my eyes as I read them. They are the perfect ending to this incredible love story. You do not want to miss this wonderful tale of a love that goes beyond time and space. Happy reading! 

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