My Blog
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Every Breath You Take by Judith McNaught
Originally written: Thursday, March 23, 2006
Every Breath You Take is my most eagerly anticipated novel since Judith McNaught is my ultimate favorite author. I tried stalling reading it coz I dont want it to end immediately but then, it has been pulling me like an iron to a magnet.
I admit that the first few pages has been a slow start for me. I think the reason might be the sampler which I have read. However, a few chapters more and I was gripped by the story.
It was undeniably a Judith McNaught novel. It has evoked a lot of emtions in me - happiness, excitement, suspense, thrill, pain, hurt and euphoria when the hero and heroine has overcome their surmountable obstacles in the end.
The hero, Mitchell Wyatt was a typical JM hero -rich, witty, romantic, strong, HOT - but can be bullheaded too - just like his friends Matt and Zack. I think the thing I like most about him is his wit - even in the sampler it was already evident. The romantic things he has done when he was trying to seduce Kate - OMGoodness! It just melted my heart. LOL!
The heroine, Kate Donovan - a typical JM heroine too - smart, witty, beautiful and strong - but was not able to resist the charms of Mitch. I have a little to say about her at this moment since I need to reread it again to form some more opinions about this book.
What can I say? I LOVE THIS BOOK - not just because its from JM but because of the emotion it brought. It was a great love sotry again but then I think it was too short.
One thing that baffles me though is how easily he gave $10 million when he was informed it was his son who was kidnapped - a son he does not even know existed. He was angry with Kate all those time and yet he easily believed when he was informed? I don't know but I think it was the cynical in me who thought of this thing.
And I agree with Janis i think, and the others who thought the ending has ended abruptly. I would have wanted it to continue some more and know more about them. But then, that wish is nothing new because I always think about that to all JM books.
SIGH. I can't wait to reread it again. Sharie has yet to finish it though.
When will JM's next book come out? :D :D :
Posted by Sharon in Thinker mode at 3/23/2006 09:10:00 PM 7 comments
Every Breath You Take is my most eagerly anticipated novel since Judith McNaught is my ultimate favorite author. I tried stalling reading it coz I dont want it to end immediately but then, it has been pulling me like an iron to a magnet.
I admit that the first few pages has been a slow start for me. I think the reason might be the sampler which I have read. However, a few chapters more and I was gripped by the story.
It was undeniably a Judith McNaught novel. It has evoked a lot of emtions in me - happiness, excitement, suspense, thrill, pain, hurt and euphoria when the hero and heroine has overcome their surmountable obstacles in the end.
The hero, Mitchell Wyatt was a typical JM hero -rich, witty, romantic, strong, HOT - but can be bullheaded too - just like his friends Matt and Zack. I think the thing I like most about him is his wit - even in the sampler it was already evident. The romantic things he has done when he was trying to seduce Kate - OMGoodness! It just melted my heart. LOL!
The heroine, Kate Donovan - a typical JM heroine too - smart, witty, beautiful and strong - but was not able to resist the charms of Mitch. I have a little to say about her at this moment since I need to reread it again to form some more opinions about this book.
What can I say? I LOVE THIS BOOK - not just because its from JM but because of the emotion it brought. It was a great love sotry again but then I think it was too short.
One thing that baffles me though is how easily he gave $10 million when he was informed it was his son who was kidnapped - a son he does not even know existed. He was angry with Kate all those time and yet he easily believed when he was informed? I don't know but I think it was the cynical in me who thought of this thing.
And I agree with Janis i think, and the others who thought the ending has ended abruptly. I would have wanted it to continue some more and know more about them. But then, that wish is nothing new because I always think about that to all JM books.
SIGH. I can't wait to reread it again. Sharie has yet to finish it though.
When will JM's next book come out? :D :D :
Posted by Sharon in Thinker mode at 3/23/2006 09:10:00 PM 7 comments
Labels: Books, every breath you take, judith mcnaught
Judith McNaught: Romantic suspense
Some fans of Judith McNaught has expressed disappointments over Night Whispers and Someone to Watch Over Me because those fans said that the said books are not as as excellent as Paradise or Perfect. This was evident in some of the reviews of the two books online as well as her online discussion board.
In the first place, NW and STWOM could not be compared to the latter two books above because NW and STWOM are thriller/suspense with romance subplot while Paradise and Perfect are romance books with mystery subplot. That's the big difference.
Then, there were those who complained that JM has jumped ship too - meaning she went with the flow of writing romantic suspense novels along with other romance-novelist-turned-mystery-writer.
However, I beg to disagree. I still think that JM has tried to break out of the 'romantic suspense novels' mould. She didn't try to be just "one-of-them" but rather, tried to be different. In fact, I even think that she alone defined 'romantic suspense' with her two books.
For a start, her heroes (Noah and Michael) were not a cop. In most of the romantic suspense novels like that of Linda Howard and Julie Garwood, the main hero is always a cop and the heroine is always a damsel in distress in need of rescuing. But JM did not follow this pattern, which has somewhat become a stereotype romantic suspense and which I think is the easy way out for writers. Instead, she had her heroes cloaked with mystery that me, as a reader just want to know more about them. It helped kept me on edge, wondering if the hero was guilty or not. In STWOM, I was kept in suspense, wondering if Michael was the protagonist or the villain.
Her heroines were not helpless, foolish females. Rather, they were the typical JM heroines - strong, smart, witty and can stand up on their own, just like Sloan in NW who is a cop. I don't know about the other readers, but sometimes, some heroines are so helpless that they were already foolish in my opinion. JM heroines know how to fight for what they believe ...and love.
The wit and humor is still there. One of the complaints I have about Julie Garwood's contemporary novels is that the wit and humor is not evident anymore, unlike her historicals. But with JM, it's still there, at the proper place and time. It might not be the main characters themselves who were funny, but the secondary characters, like Courtney Maitland.
The heartwrenching scenes that is a trademark of JM. When Noah refused to help Sloan, when Michael listened to Leigh's weeping. These just gripped my heart and made the books awesome.
And last but definitely not the least - the fantastic romance aspect. JM's romance is still there in NW and STWOM if one would only look clearly. Of course, it's not as heavy as her other pure romance but it's still there.
"You make me feel like a high school boy in love for the very first time."
"I gave Logan my girl and look what he did to her."
Who were not swept off their feet by these lines? Sigh.
So, JM is still one-of-a-kind writer in my opinion coz even though she's still forced to go with the flow, she's still finding ways to break out of the mould. That's why she's my ultimate favorite author.
In the first place, NW and STWOM could not be compared to the latter two books above because NW and STWOM are thriller/suspense with romance subplot while Paradise and Perfect are romance books with mystery subplot. That's the big difference.
Then, there were those who complained that JM has jumped ship too - meaning she went with the flow of writing romantic suspense novels along with other romance-novelist-turned-mystery-writer.
However, I beg to disagree. I still think that JM has tried to break out of the 'romantic suspense novels' mould. She didn't try to be just "one-of-them" but rather, tried to be different. In fact, I even think that she alone defined 'romantic suspense' with her two books.
For a start, her heroes (Noah and Michael) were not a cop. In most of the romantic suspense novels like that of Linda Howard and Julie Garwood, the main hero is always a cop and the heroine is always a damsel in distress in need of rescuing. But JM did not follow this pattern, which has somewhat become a stereotype romantic suspense and which I think is the easy way out for writers. Instead, she had her heroes cloaked with mystery that me, as a reader just want to know more about them. It helped kept me on edge, wondering if the hero was guilty or not. In STWOM, I was kept in suspense, wondering if Michael was the protagonist or the villain.
Her heroines were not helpless, foolish females. Rather, they were the typical JM heroines - strong, smart, witty and can stand up on their own, just like Sloan in NW who is a cop. I don't know about the other readers, but sometimes, some heroines are so helpless that they were already foolish in my opinion. JM heroines know how to fight for what they believe ...and love.
The wit and humor is still there. One of the complaints I have about Julie Garwood's contemporary novels is that the wit and humor is not evident anymore, unlike her historicals. But with JM, it's still there, at the proper place and time. It might not be the main characters themselves who were funny, but the secondary characters, like Courtney Maitland.
The heartwrenching scenes that is a trademark of JM. When Noah refused to help Sloan, when Michael listened to Leigh's weeping. These just gripped my heart and made the books awesome.
And last but definitely not the least - the fantastic romance aspect. JM's romance is still there in NW and STWOM if one would only look clearly. Of course, it's not as heavy as her other pure romance but it's still there.
"You make me feel like a high school boy in love for the very first time."
"I gave Logan my girl and look what he did to her."
Who were not swept off their feet by these lines? Sigh.
So, JM is still one-of-a-kind writer in my opinion coz even though she's still forced to go with the flow, she's still finding ways to break out of the mould. That's why she's my ultimate favorite author.
Labels: judith mcnaught, night whispers, someone to watch over me
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus, even in writing style?
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
I just love to read and read and I read all types of books. Therefore I have read books of male and female authors alike.Some of the male authors I have read are: John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and the latest one which I like is Stuart Woods. From among the female authors, my absolute favorite is Judith McNaught.
So, a few months ago, while I was reading a Stuart Woods book, I noticed that there is really a great difference between a male and a female writer.
1.) Details. Female writers tend to be detail-oriented that the males. Example is, when a female writer describes a room her character went into, the readers get to know what was in the room, the color of the walls up to the design of the chairs or tables or furnitures. While male writers just narrate that their characters went into the room and sat in a red colored sofa. But that red sofa might be a maroon, a bright red or blood red.
2) Dialogues. Yup, I noticed that mostly, in a book by a male writer. There are a lot of spaces on the right side because most of the dialogues are one-liners. While female writers have characters who tend to speak longer and more sentences.
3) Sex Scenes. LOL!! I normally skip sex scenes but with a male writer, I don't need to skip because it's either written in only a few sentences or one paragraph. While female writers describe the scene further and how each character felt while doing it.
4)Indiscriminating Heroes. About who he sleep with - that is. Stuart Woods has a series called the 'Stone Barrington' series and that is the name of the main hero. And I have read quite a few and in each book, he slept with a different woman. It just makes me frown because even though he already suspected the woman in one of the book, he still kept on sleeping with her. Stupid man! While in a woman writer - that never happens. Take Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series for example. For several books, she was with Joe Morelli. (I know, I know, she slept with Ranger in one of the books which I haven't read yet, thank you. I knew about that because I read it somewhere. BUT I's like to think she has broken up with Joe when she did it). Somebody correct me if I'm wrong please.
These are the differences I have noticed so far. I will add more later if I can see/notice some more.
I just love to read and read and I read all types of books. Therefore I have read books of male and female authors alike.Some of the male authors I have read are: John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and the latest one which I like is Stuart Woods. From among the female authors, my absolute favorite is Judith McNaught.
So, a few months ago, while I was reading a Stuart Woods book, I noticed that there is really a great difference between a male and a female writer.
1.) Details. Female writers tend to be detail-oriented that the males. Example is, when a female writer describes a room her character went into, the readers get to know what was in the room, the color of the walls up to the design of the chairs or tables or furnitures. While male writers just narrate that their characters went into the room and sat in a red colored sofa. But that red sofa might be a maroon, a bright red or blood red.
2) Dialogues. Yup, I noticed that mostly, in a book by a male writer. There are a lot of spaces on the right side because most of the dialogues are one-liners. While female writers have characters who tend to speak longer and more sentences.
3) Sex Scenes. LOL!! I normally skip sex scenes but with a male writer, I don't need to skip because it's either written in only a few sentences or one paragraph. While female writers describe the scene further and how each character felt while doing it.
4)Indiscriminating Heroes. About who he sleep with - that is. Stuart Woods has a series called the 'Stone Barrington' series and that is the name of the main hero. And I have read quite a few and in each book, he slept with a different woman. It just makes me frown because even though he already suspected the woman in one of the book, he still kept on sleeping with her. Stupid man! While in a woman writer - that never happens. Take Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series for example. For several books, she was with Joe Morelli. (I know, I know, she slept with Ranger in one of the books which I haven't read yet, thank you. I knew about that because I read it somewhere. BUT I's like to think she has broken up with Joe when she did it). Somebody correct me if I'm wrong please.
These are the differences I have noticed so far. I will add more later if I can see/notice some more.
Labels: judith mcnaught, writing
Why I love Jason Fielding!
Originally written on Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Why I love Jason Fielding!
***Note: In order to know and understand what this is all about, you should read Once & Always by Judith McNaught first. If you have read that book, then you either agree with me, be swayed by this or completely disagree with me.***
I have known that some people has not been impressed nor do not like Jason that much. And I was just shocked. How could anyone NOT love the man! He was begging me to love him and I just fell for him hard. :D Ok, here are the reasons why I love him.
In the first chapter of the book, we were given a glimpse of him having an amoral, greedy and a materialistic wife who caused him so much grief. She was the cause of their son’s death. And so when in the succeeding chapters, he was portrayed as a man who do not trust women and has no high regard for them, I don’t blame him one bit. In fact, I understood him and took it as a reason for his behavior. Only did the people see him as a cold and heartless man then.
However, I don’t think he is really heartless at all. I think that it’s just a defense mechanism on his part to give the people the impression that he couldn’t care less what people think and say about him. I think he has given up on love then and there. Several incidents though, has made me realize and believe that despite his veneer of iciness, a warm and sensitive man rests inside him. One example is when at first, Jason told Charles he doesn't want Victoria (Tori) in his house. But Charles pleaded with him to let Victoria stay him because she is all alone in the world.
A cold, callous, hardhearted and uncaring man would not be easily swayed like that. But he went up and talked to Victoria himself and asked her to stay because he knew what it felt to be alone.
And also, one proof that he is not a coldhearted man is that he has forgiven Charles for giving him away as a child. If he is hardhearted, he woud not have given Charles the time of the day.
When Victoria was crying over her mother, he came to her to console her and cheer her up. When Victoria gave her a “crushing setdown” he felt it at all and even remarked it to Northrup – a servant.Jason was a very generous man. He agreed to take Victoria under his wing, bought her clothes and even gave her a dowry and protected her with his name. When they were married, he continued to shower her with gowns, jewels and furs. After they have settled their differences, he renamed his yacht the Victoria and even built another one for her and her friends. He built hospitals in honor of her father. Now if that is not generosity to the max, I don’t know what is it. He is every woman’s very ideal man there. He gives Tory whatever fancies him. Now tell me, can’t you fall in love with that man?He was a very romantic man.
He has declared such magnanimous statements to Tory, even though it was cloaked by their business arrangement. Even if I didn’t love him at the first part of the book, when I came to the part where he proposed to Victoria, my heart just melted.
* “If you marry me, you’ll have the freedom to do whatever you like with your life. You could build one hospital in America and another near Wakefield, and stay in England. I have six estates and a thousand tenants and servants. My servants alone could provide you with enough sick people to fill up your hospital. If not, I’ll pay them to get sick. You can cover the walls of Wakefield with your sketches, and if you run out of room, I’ll add on to the house.”
*“Nothing’s wrong with you. Andrew is a spineless fool. And I am a bigger fool than he is.”
* “I’ve tried a hundred times to let you go Victoria, but I can’t.”* “Tory. I like that – it suits you perfectly. I also like the way the sun shines on you hair when you drive off in the carriage with Caroline Collingwood. And I like the sound of your laughter. I like the way you’re eyes flash when you’re angry…”
* “Why? You’ve enjoyed watching the play. And I’ve enjoyed watching you.”
* He knocked on the door, feeling a little foolish for appearing on her doorstep on the night before the wedding. He had no reason for coming except to pleasure himself with the sight of her and, he hoped, to please her by telling her about the Indian pony he had arranged to have put on one of his ships from America. It was to be one of her wedding presents, but in truth he was absurdly eager to see her demonstrate her skill on it. He knew how beautiful she would look with her graceful body bent low over the horse’s neck, and her wondrous hair glinting in the sunlight…
* “To think I actually believe there are no such things as angels.”
* To Jason, who never before known the joy of being loved and admired for what he possessed or for what he appeared to be but for what he really was, the quite inner peace he felt was sheer bliss. At night, he could never hold her close enough or long enough. During the day, he took her on picnics and swam with her in the creek at Wakefield Park. When he was working, she was there on the perimeters of his mind, making him smile. He wanted to lay the world at her feet, but all Victoria seemed to want was him, and that knowledge filled him with profound tenderness.His wit just astounds me. All throughout the book, whether he was angry or happy, sober or drunk he can verbally spar with Tory in a witty manner. Some examples are:
* Tory: Are you seating me, or trying to eat my earJason: I may do that if the new cook provides us with a poor meal.
* After Tory rescued John Collingwood’s sailboat:
Tory: You’re impossible!
Jason: You’re right.
Tory: You really are impossible.
Jason: We already agreed on that.
* Jason: It’s the first time I’ve ever been nominated for the role of a hero. I was a little crush however, to be second choice after her dog.”
* “If you’re planning to call me out, I hope to hell you can shoot. It’s so damned humiliating for a man of my reputation to be shot by a tree.
* Tory: …stop smiling at me in that charming way – everyone is watching us!Jason: Am I being charming? …. What I see is a half dozen of your besotted admirers standing over there, looking as if they would all like to devise a way to slit my throat and dispose of my body.
* “We’ll be married in a church and if lightning strikes, I will bear the expense of a new roof.”
* Raising her face to his, she tried to speak out clearly and confidently, but shen she was promising to love him, Jason’s gaze suddenly lifted toward the domed ceiling of the church, and a sardonic smile tugged at his lips. Victoria realized he was watching for lightning to strike the roof, and her tension dissolved into a muffled giggle, which earned a deeply censorious frown from the archbishop.
* “Very brave. What would you do if I were a prowler – threaten to set my eyelashes on fire?”
* “I find it amazing that nearly everyone who knows me is half-afraid of me – except my tiny wife, my young sister-in-law, and you madam, who are three times my age and one-third my weight. I can only surmise that courage – or recklessness – is passed through the bloodline along with physical traits. However, go ahead. I give you leave to take me to task right here in my own salon.”
“Hush Victoria,” [Tory’s grandmother] said, directing her dagger gaze at Jason as she continued, “two of your servants are related to two of mine, and they tell me all Wakefield Park was in an uproar when you refused to bed your bride for a week after the ceremony.”
Victoria let out a mortified moan and Jason’s arm tightened supportively around her shoulders.“Well,” she snapped, “what have you to say to that, young man?”Jason quirked a thoughtful eyebrow at her. “I would say I apparently need to have a word with my servants.”
I also believe that he really fell in love with Victoria the first time he set his eyes on her – with a piglet on her arm. Maybe before that, his heart was really frozen but when he saw Victoria, it just to melt. And he was afraid the she’d turn out to be another Melissa and her stepmother so he tried to be cruel to her to shun her away. He was a very insecure man deep inside. He thought that nobody could really love him because of what he has gone through as a child. I just really fell for him because he seemed to be begging me (the reader) to love him.
There were some endearing and charming scenes that helped reinforced my love for him. One of that is when Victoria told him she doesn’t want to be married to him (on the first part after the Kirbys left) and said to Northrup that he has received a “crushing setdown.” That coming from a man who does not endeavor to get to know his servants names, it's absolutely a shock. He was also endearing when he became embarrassed when Victoria tried to defend him to the ton. He was like a little kid when he informed Tori that he has learned the name of his servants like Mrs. Craddock the cook; I can feel his love for Tori when he interrogated the terrified servants, thinking that Tori has really left him. It showed that he deeply care for her. And how charming he was when he arrived drunk after being shot by a tree, and asked Tori if she knows his room and when Tori replied in a negative, he was surprised. And their first meeting after the night and gallingly informed Tori that he knew she likes him. LOL!!! How could you not like him! He’s full of mischief and humor.
Then the best thing I really love about him is how he became a changed man – even his servants were surprised. And that is all because of Victoria. He tried to learn his servants names to please her; he despised mourning and black color but when he thought she died, he mourned and put up black cloth in the windows. And most of all - he cried at last. One woman has managed to thaw his heart and let the tears flow.Their story was really unforgettable, a classic. A person can change when he is in love, and you see that in both Victoria and Jason. They both see the goodness in each one – even if to the world, Jason is a heartless man. They have touched me so deeply, with the things they have done and overcome in their story. They need each other so much. Jason needed Tori to love him for who he is, and Tori alone saw Jason through and through. Victoria was a compassionate woman and she needed Jason to receive all the compassion she has to give. Victoria was a healer and she really healed Jason from a broken heart and abnormal childhood. And it was just the best story ever.One thing I can suggest is, next time, when you read the book, try approaching it from a different angle, and see a different tone of the story. Words are easily misunderstood and misinterpreted, and when that happens, the message it was trying to convey got lost. So take a different approach next time you read the book, and maybe you will also understand my obsession with the man. LOL!!!
Why I love Jason Fielding!
***Note: In order to know and understand what this is all about, you should read Once & Always by Judith McNaught first. If you have read that book, then you either agree with me, be swayed by this or completely disagree with me.***
I have known that some people has not been impressed nor do not like Jason that much. And I was just shocked. How could anyone NOT love the man! He was begging me to love him and I just fell for him hard. :D Ok, here are the reasons why I love him.
In the first chapter of the book, we were given a glimpse of him having an amoral, greedy and a materialistic wife who caused him so much grief. She was the cause of their son’s death. And so when in the succeeding chapters, he was portrayed as a man who do not trust women and has no high regard for them, I don’t blame him one bit. In fact, I understood him and took it as a reason for his behavior. Only did the people see him as a cold and heartless man then.
However, I don’t think he is really heartless at all. I think that it’s just a defense mechanism on his part to give the people the impression that he couldn’t care less what people think and say about him. I think he has given up on love then and there. Several incidents though, has made me realize and believe that despite his veneer of iciness, a warm and sensitive man rests inside him. One example is when at first, Jason told Charles he doesn't want Victoria (Tori) in his house. But Charles pleaded with him to let Victoria stay him because she is all alone in the world.
A cold, callous, hardhearted and uncaring man would not be easily swayed like that. But he went up and talked to Victoria himself and asked her to stay because he knew what it felt to be alone.
And also, one proof that he is not a coldhearted man is that he has forgiven Charles for giving him away as a child. If he is hardhearted, he woud not have given Charles the time of the day.
When Victoria was crying over her mother, he came to her to console her and cheer her up. When Victoria gave her a “crushing setdown” he felt it at all and even remarked it to Northrup – a servant.Jason was a very generous man. He agreed to take Victoria under his wing, bought her clothes and even gave her a dowry and protected her with his name. When they were married, he continued to shower her with gowns, jewels and furs. After they have settled their differences, he renamed his yacht the Victoria and even built another one for her and her friends. He built hospitals in honor of her father. Now if that is not generosity to the max, I don’t know what is it. He is every woman’s very ideal man there. He gives Tory whatever fancies him. Now tell me, can’t you fall in love with that man?He was a very romantic man.
He has declared such magnanimous statements to Tory, even though it was cloaked by their business arrangement. Even if I didn’t love him at the first part of the book, when I came to the part where he proposed to Victoria, my heart just melted.
* “If you marry me, you’ll have the freedom to do whatever you like with your life. You could build one hospital in America and another near Wakefield, and stay in England. I have six estates and a thousand tenants and servants. My servants alone could provide you with enough sick people to fill up your hospital. If not, I’ll pay them to get sick. You can cover the walls of Wakefield with your sketches, and if you run out of room, I’ll add on to the house.”
*“Nothing’s wrong with you. Andrew is a spineless fool. And I am a bigger fool than he is.”
* “I’ve tried a hundred times to let you go Victoria, but I can’t.”* “Tory. I like that – it suits you perfectly. I also like the way the sun shines on you hair when you drive off in the carriage with Caroline Collingwood. And I like the sound of your laughter. I like the way you’re eyes flash when you’re angry…”
* “Why? You’ve enjoyed watching the play. And I’ve enjoyed watching you.”
* He knocked on the door, feeling a little foolish for appearing on her doorstep on the night before the wedding. He had no reason for coming except to pleasure himself with the sight of her and, he hoped, to please her by telling her about the Indian pony he had arranged to have put on one of his ships from America. It was to be one of her wedding presents, but in truth he was absurdly eager to see her demonstrate her skill on it. He knew how beautiful she would look with her graceful body bent low over the horse’s neck, and her wondrous hair glinting in the sunlight…
* “To think I actually believe there are no such things as angels.”
* To Jason, who never before known the joy of being loved and admired for what he possessed or for what he appeared to be but for what he really was, the quite inner peace he felt was sheer bliss. At night, he could never hold her close enough or long enough. During the day, he took her on picnics and swam with her in the creek at Wakefield Park. When he was working, she was there on the perimeters of his mind, making him smile. He wanted to lay the world at her feet, but all Victoria seemed to want was him, and that knowledge filled him with profound tenderness.His wit just astounds me. All throughout the book, whether he was angry or happy, sober or drunk he can verbally spar with Tory in a witty manner. Some examples are:
* Tory: Are you seating me, or trying to eat my earJason: I may do that if the new cook provides us with a poor meal.
* After Tory rescued John Collingwood’s sailboat:
Tory: You’re impossible!
Jason: You’re right.
Tory: You really are impossible.
Jason: We already agreed on that.
* Jason: It’s the first time I’ve ever been nominated for the role of a hero. I was a little crush however, to be second choice after her dog.”
* “If you’re planning to call me out, I hope to hell you can shoot. It’s so damned humiliating for a man of my reputation to be shot by a tree.
* Tory: …stop smiling at me in that charming way – everyone is watching us!Jason: Am I being charming? …. What I see is a half dozen of your besotted admirers standing over there, looking as if they would all like to devise a way to slit my throat and dispose of my body.
* “We’ll be married in a church and if lightning strikes, I will bear the expense of a new roof.”
* Raising her face to his, she tried to speak out clearly and confidently, but shen she was promising to love him, Jason’s gaze suddenly lifted toward the domed ceiling of the church, and a sardonic smile tugged at his lips. Victoria realized he was watching for lightning to strike the roof, and her tension dissolved into a muffled giggle, which earned a deeply censorious frown from the archbishop.
* “Very brave. What would you do if I were a prowler – threaten to set my eyelashes on fire?”
* “I find it amazing that nearly everyone who knows me is half-afraid of me – except my tiny wife, my young sister-in-law, and you madam, who are three times my age and one-third my weight. I can only surmise that courage – or recklessness – is passed through the bloodline along with physical traits. However, go ahead. I give you leave to take me to task right here in my own salon.”
“Hush Victoria,” [Tory’s grandmother] said, directing her dagger gaze at Jason as she continued, “two of your servants are related to two of mine, and they tell me all Wakefield Park was in an uproar when you refused to bed your bride for a week after the ceremony.”
Victoria let out a mortified moan and Jason’s arm tightened supportively around her shoulders.“Well,” she snapped, “what have you to say to that, young man?”Jason quirked a thoughtful eyebrow at her. “I would say I apparently need to have a word with my servants.”
I also believe that he really fell in love with Victoria the first time he set his eyes on her – with a piglet on her arm. Maybe before that, his heart was really frozen but when he saw Victoria, it just to melt. And he was afraid the she’d turn out to be another Melissa and her stepmother so he tried to be cruel to her to shun her away. He was a very insecure man deep inside. He thought that nobody could really love him because of what he has gone through as a child. I just really fell for him because he seemed to be begging me (the reader) to love him.
There were some endearing and charming scenes that helped reinforced my love for him. One of that is when Victoria told him she doesn’t want to be married to him (on the first part after the Kirbys left) and said to Northrup that he has received a “crushing setdown.” That coming from a man who does not endeavor to get to know his servants names, it's absolutely a shock. He was also endearing when he became embarrassed when Victoria tried to defend him to the ton. He was like a little kid when he informed Tori that he has learned the name of his servants like Mrs. Craddock the cook; I can feel his love for Tori when he interrogated the terrified servants, thinking that Tori has really left him. It showed that he deeply care for her. And how charming he was when he arrived drunk after being shot by a tree, and asked Tori if she knows his room and when Tori replied in a negative, he was surprised. And their first meeting after the night and gallingly informed Tori that he knew she likes him. LOL!!! How could you not like him! He’s full of mischief and humor.
Then the best thing I really love about him is how he became a changed man – even his servants were surprised. And that is all because of Victoria. He tried to learn his servants names to please her; he despised mourning and black color but when he thought she died, he mourned and put up black cloth in the windows. And most of all - he cried at last. One woman has managed to thaw his heart and let the tears flow.Their story was really unforgettable, a classic. A person can change when he is in love, and you see that in both Victoria and Jason. They both see the goodness in each one – even if to the world, Jason is a heartless man. They have touched me so deeply, with the things they have done and overcome in their story. They need each other so much. Jason needed Tori to love him for who he is, and Tori alone saw Jason through and through. Victoria was a compassionate woman and she needed Jason to receive all the compassion she has to give. Victoria was a healer and she really healed Jason from a broken heart and abnormal childhood. And it was just the best story ever.One thing I can suggest is, next time, when you read the book, try approaching it from a different angle, and see a different tone of the story. Words are easily misunderstood and misinterpreted, and when that happens, the message it was trying to convey got lost. So take a different approach next time you read the book, and maybe you will also understand my obsession with the man. LOL!!!
Labels: jason fielding, judith mcnaught, once and always, victoria seaton