Review: Once and Always by Judith McNaught.

Once and Always, one of Judith McNaught's most masterful and moving love stories, powerfully brings to life the fiery passion of a free-spirited American beauty and a troubled English lord.

Suddenly orphaned and alone, Victoria Seaton sails the vast ocean, eager to reclaim her heritage at Wakefield, the sumptuous English estate of a distant cousin, the notorious Lord Jason Fielding. Bewildered by his arrogance yet drawn to his panther-like grace, she senses the painful memories that smolder in his eyes. When he gathers her at last into his arms, arousing a sweet, insistent hunger, they wed and are embraced by fierce, consuming joy — free from the past's cruel grasp. Then, in a moment of anguish, Victoria discovers the treachery at the heart of their love . . . a love she had dreamed would triumph not just once, but always.

This book was glorious to read. I think I really enjoy the British settings and the whole Upper class rules of the Ton in London and how the servants are so curious and how they pass on information to each other so quickly. The servants are very loyal to the families they work for and from generation passed down to generation servant families dedicate themselves to serving one family. I don’t agree with all the rules of the ton, but back in the day that’s how it was done and probably done that way today as well.

The main character Victoria Seaton is a sweet, young, naïve girl from America. Her parents loved her and her sister Dorothy and raised them in a little warm home. Her parents got into an accident and died leaving her and her sister with no one to care for them. Before their mother died, she told the doctor of relative’s names he could write to and see if they would be willing to care for them.

Victoria’s first love was Andrew Bainbridge who she grew up with back in America. He was older than she was but he loved her since she was very young and was waiting for the day he could wed her and make her his wife. He told her he was going to marry her and she thanked him and said that is lovely that she would be able to marry her dear friend. She was 14 at the time I believe when he told her. Things did not happen that way at all.

Dorothy was taken to her great grandmother and Victoria was taken to her uncle’s house and both of their relatives were wealthy. They were separated because their great grandmother did not want to take Victoria; she reminded her too much of her granddaughter Katherine (Victoria’s mother). Katherine was a beautiful woman who married an Irish physician and moved to America without her grandmother’s knowledge; yet her heart was with another man.

How tragic that must have been to marry someone and yet your love and heart is with another. I just can’t fathom that and would not wish that upon anyone. True Love does exist in my book!

Victoria, upon arriving to her Uncle Charles mansion, did not know that her uncle already took the liberty of announcing her engagement to her cousin Jason Fielding. Victoria and Jason are very much the opposite pair and their story just kept me reading and reading some more.

The thing I enjoyed about this book was that, Victoria was so naïve about everything even the birds and the bees. She was so fun loving and down right just cared about everyone including the servants. She taught her husband Jason Fielding how to be loved and how to love in return without giving diamonds or rubies which is what he thought love was based upon jewelry and gifts for women. A sailor friend of Jason’s told Victoria that if she would understand what Jason went thru in his childhood and life, she would be able to Love ONCE and ALWAYS, as he did with his wife.

I love that saying and it’s so true! There will come a time where we all find love or will fall in love many times, but there should be that one time when you fall in love just once and it will be for always! I guess I’m a hopeless romantic but most of us who read romance novels are. I’m a happily ever after type of person which is why I love Romance Novels because for the most part it will be a happy ending hooray! The world is so full of mishaps and chaos that if I’m reading a book and spending hours reading, it better be a happy ending

There were plenty of times where Victoria misunderstood Jason’s adult gestures but it wasn’t her fault she was not taught any of that adult intimacy stuff. She was beautiful and very kind and gentle to everyone she came in contact with. Jason knew he loved her the moment he laid eyes on her. Their marriage was arranged and although it was not predicated on love at first, I already knew that Jason loved his little young wife. He taught her how to make love and in time their love was REAL and LASTING! He missed her something terrible when she would leave and vice versa, but they were made for each other. Everyone who knew the real Jason, knew that Victoria was exactly what he needed, a caring and loving young woman. She didn’t care for his jewels or who his parents were she truly cared about Jason her handsome husband, he came to realize this and finally said the words he has never said before to any woman ‘I LOVE YOU”. Aww now that’s what I’m talking about. Due to his terrible childhood upbringing, he never cried! At one point in the book, everyone thought Victoria drowned in the lake, and Jason loving his wife finally cried!

A great story that had me wanting to read some more. Check it out and I’ll definitely be reading more of Judith McNaughts books. Another great author and book to add to the list. Thank you for good reading!

"Nesian Nine in Las Vegas"

Nesian Nine all the way from Hawaii-Nei performed for their first time in Las Vegas on Friday, Spetember 10, 2010 at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was Las Vegas' Hoolaulea and many artists from Hawaii came out to celebrate. Names like Princess Ilona, Alo Key, FIJI and Nesian Nine to name a few. The concert was pool side and was very beautiful with cabanas all lining the pool, warm air in the background, polys everywhere enjoying the music and a whole lot of drunk fools too haha!

Nesian Nine is a Samoan group of talented singers with their island reggae flare and R&B tunes which brings music to my ears! I love their style and when I hear them sing with sweet harmonies, I just cant help but get up and sway to the music and dance, dance, dance! I must admit, it was a standing all night long event and my feet were killing but when they say my jam, "Lets Get It On" I must have jumped up and got my 2nd wind and was swaying to the music waving my hands in the air and if I had more room I would have did my infamous SHIMMY and DROP and DO THE EAGLE RENDITION..thats how good these guys are when they sing.

They showcased some little dance steps while singing and teh bass player AMAKO was off the chains. This brutha was swaying his hips with his bass guitar like nobodys business, talk about doing the AMI in a full circle while playing an instrument, man this brutha got the moves..Big Ups to ya AMAKO, and he's a cool cat, hecka funny..I wouldn't mind kickin it with him all day and just laughing my As* off! Hilarious and musical good combo and being Samoan is a PLUS! haha..Gotta love these guys..The crowd received them very well and look forward to hearing them sing and perform in Hawaii when I make my way up there sooner than later I hope!

Nesian Nine, if you haven't heard their music, do it now and you won't be sorry! Guarantee to enjoy their sweet harmonies and feed off their energy when they perform. Malo lava!!

"The Rail" Concert JBOOG with FIJI

The Rail in Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah Event Center is a nice and spaciouis venue where Polynesias Singing Artists performed on Thursday, September 9, 2010. The main performers for the night were JBOOG- Hip Hop/Reggae artist strait outta LONG BEACH and FIJI-Island Style Reggae singer right outta the isles of the Pacific- Laie, Hawaii. These two performers did a great job sharing the stage and highlighting each other while singing their songs and hooks together. JBOOG has a #1 hit song in Jamaica right now called "Nice to know ya" and I must say that the song is bomb.com! It has a nice reggae rhythm to it and you can get your groove on at the same time. I saw his video on FaceBook last night and I enjoyed it. Although, I think I could have held his hand and did my rendition of the Polynesian Cat Walk, full on shimmy and connect it to the drop and do the eagle while slowly coming up pole girl dancer style and then a littele ori opu with the tummy, but I would definitely wear a girdle on that day ha!then a quick ami and a push of the hip out with the foot and toe pointed yea, did I give this little rendtion some thought..umm hell to the NO, its na-tu-ral babee haha!! But great artist..

FIJI is the OG! He will definitely give you a show to remember. Right now he's going thru some medical setbacks and is in a wheelchair but does that stop him from singing his heart out? Hell to the mutha effing NO..haha! The boy can sing and reach some astronomical notes that I can't even hit on a good day at choir practice, you know what I'm saying...I'm like he's like "Hot on Wheels" he's so good at what he does! Big ups to FIJI! He's a natural born entertainer and although his lyrics can have some sexy slurs to it, its all good it aint like ya'll aint heard them thangs anyways and thought about it once or twice or maybe even more haha! Just keepin it real! He's a musical legend for the Polynesian people and still hittin it with his fine and distinct falseto notes that are unreachable by many male singers. Keep the music alive and continue to pursue the vision of Polynesians makin it and crossin over to the big leagues, well thats my vision.

I enjoyed myself at the concert and appreciated all the entertainment that night. Other artists were Spawn Breezie, The band Hot Rain, and JR from Naughty Roots or something like that. Thanks for a great night artists of tomorrow and the future!

"One Season of Sunshine"

This book was a joy to read. I was browsing in Target and saw that they were having a big sale on all Romance Novels and since I'm a new convert to the books, I decided to take a peek. Well that peek turned into me purchasing 10 books not on the same day but within the time limit to take advantage of the sale indeed. The cover of the book caught my eye and I must admit that the covers of books are pretty much what sway me to it and then I turn it around and take a read of the brief explanation. If it captures my attention then its gonna be a definite purchase. So that is my explanation of how I bought "One Season of Sunshine" by Julia London. I must admit that this is the first book of hers that I've read and I wasn't disappointed.

Characters:

Susanna Price- wife and mother of 2 children

Asher Price- husband of Susanna

Riley Price- 13 year old daughter of the Prices

Levi Price- 5 year old son of the Prices

Jane Aaron- nanny for the Price kids

Jane Aaron a 2nd grade teacher and graduate student working on her masters. Jane was brought up in a home with 2 brothers, loving parents who owned a local restaurant in Houston, called The Garden. The family would have their dinner in one of the rooms of the restaurant every night before they opened up for business. What a nice family tradition, to have dinner together the old fashioned way. I always say a family that prays and EATS together, stays together haha~ Jane had black hair and could not cook a meal if her life depended on it, but her brothers were very good cooks like their parents. Jane wasn't athletic, but her brothers were tall, slender, blonde hair and blue eyes. Jane loved her family to death and wouldn't trade them for the world, but something was missing and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. As time passes on, Jane begins to feel uneasy not knowing who her real birth mother was and the question always lingered in her mind, why did my birth mother give me away? Why didn't she love me? Jane was adopted and it didn't bother her until recently. She felt an emptiness that wouldn't stop bothering her until she was able to answer those questions of who she was, what natiionality was she, is her mother still alive? So many questions needed to be answered.

Jane was born September 1980 in Cedar Springs, and that's all she knew. Summer came around and Jane made up her mind, she was going to move to Cedar Springs and get some answers however she could. Her family was not happy about her move and Jane reassured them she would be back before the start of the new school year. She also had a steady boyfriend for 3 years who loved her and wanted to marry her, but when he proposed on that day, Jane didn't say no and she didn't say yes. Time is what she needed to straighten things out in her life right now. He (Johnathan) adored her and loved her more than anythng, but at this point and time in Janes life, she wasn't ready to committ, not just yet. She wanted to know who she was, etc. So she broke his heart and was still friends with Johnathan. I was king of mad at Jane at this point, I mean come on 3 years in a relationship, the guy loves you and proposes and you just let him go , whoa that is alot to take in for a guy. poor Johnathan. Jane told him she was just being honest and the truth hurts almost all the time.

Before Jane sets out to leave from Cedar Springs her mom tells her, Jane God has put is in our care and you're right where you're suppose to be. You might go and not find what you're looking for or get disappointed, whatever it is, remember we are here and we are your family, we love you Jane and you are my daughter! Jane shed some tears and told her that she is her mother and loves her very much, this is just something she has to do for herself. She said her good byes and left for her journey to Cedar Springs.

Jane got a job as a live in nanny for Asher Prices kids. Their mother Sussana Price passed away in a car accident about 2 years ago and frankly Asher Price was desperate for a nanny. He was partner in an advertising firm which needed his attention and required that he would travel for weeks at a time out of state. His home was lavished with fine paintings and art work and photos of his late wife hanging everywhere. Jane was hired and settled into the guest house which was beautiful and right by the pool. As time progresses she sees how much the kids love their father and are often anxiously awaiting for their father to return from his trips. Asher Price absolutely loved his kids and there was nothing more that he loved to come home to then the sound of his kids sweet voices when they would greet him from a trip.

I admired Asher Price for raising his 2 kids the best way he knew how. Cedar Springs was a small town and everyone knew everyone in town. He adored his kids and they were his first priority in life and then his work which had taken him away from his kids so many times. His family was a sweet one and his wifes death came as a tragic shock to all of his family and his wifes. He had to adjust his life and make sure the kids were taken care of, that he could work for the things they needed in life. But it wasn't all about money, in this book, we see that money comes and goes, but the genuine time needed to be with family is priceless. He watched his little 13 year old Riley bloom into a beautiful young woman. His 5 year old son Levi loved to blurt out things and watch movies and play board games with his dad, what a pleasant family pass time. Their little Price family had gone thru many ups and downs and his children did not fully understand the extent of their mothers accident and lifestyle.

Jane the nanny was able to connect with Riley and Levi and she grew to love them as her own. It's funny how Jane is adopted and her mother she was raised by was able to love her, nurture her even though she was not her birth mother. And here Jane comes and begins to love these 2 kids who are not hers, as her very own. Very interesting indeed~As Jane becomes closer to the kids and their father, she realizes that there is more to their little happy family than what Asher portrays. Susanna his late wife was stunningly beautiful and always looked prestige and glamorous, yet there bits and pieces that Jane couldn't put together about Susanna's life with her family. Pictures of Asher looked as if he were so lonely in his marriage to Susanna. Jane didn't have all the answers and quite friankly she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. As her mother told her before she left Houston, some things are better left alone..hmm.

As the story progresses, Jane and Asher have this attration and they both sense the feeling. Both of them are in the laundry room and Asher is frustrated that Levi wet in his bed and he's complaining to Jane and then he just reaches out and plants a big one on her..the forbidden kiss~

Do things work out between them? Does Jane get to find out who her birth mother is? Does she find out what kind of family and lifestyle the Prices lived, was it a happily ever after family or a family of deep secrets? You can find out when you read the book and find the answers.

This book when I read it, was one of those you just can't put it down and had to find out what happened next. I found myself in between the lights on my way to work, reading and I could see the cars next to me looking over, but I didn't care, those fricken stoplights take forever ugh~ I really enjoyed reading this book. But, I did feel like the author kind of described Susanna a little too much in the book for me even thought she was a main character. In this book, my heart went out to ASHER PRICE-SUPER DAD~He just loved his kids to pieces and at the same time was in love with Jane Aaron. He needed to find a place for all of them to fit perfectly in his life. FIND OUT IF THERE WAS A PERFECT FIT~

Big ups to Julia London for a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to reading your other novels.. Another fine author to add the list of great writers. THANK YOU~