After a freak accident delivers Roderick Gideon Tremayne a head wound, he wakes up with no memory of who he is. Robinson Crusoe, as he now refers to himself, has but a few clues to his identity – a satchel of money, the well-tailored clothes on his back, and the ramblings of a crass, American-Irish woman with strawberry locks, claiming he propositioned her just before the accident. Obligation would have her bring Robinson home; at least until his true family is located. But obligation is the furthest thing from both of their minds when they get to her place.
Georgia may be governed by her conscience to take poor Robinson home; but conscience or no, there's no denying Robinson is a beautiful man. And she desires him. As for Robinson, accident or no, his attraction for Georgia has not let up, not one iota. Between the free-spirited, outspoken, wholly capable Georgia and the honorable, idealistic, and sexy Robinson, an intense and incredibly impractical passion is inevitable. But nothing lasts forever. And unfortunately that's a truth Georgia knows all too well. And one that Roderick will soon remember.
FOREVER AND A DAY, the first book of THE RUMOR SERIES by Delilah Marvelle, is utterly enchanting. And if by "enchanting" you take my meaning as that which inspires to imagine outside the box, highlights the unpredictable, and pays homage to the brazen, then you'd be right on the money. Anyone who has ever visited Ms. Marvelle's website will know her home page has it entirely right – "Historical Romance Just Got Twisted".
FOREVER AND A DAY lives, breathes, and eats tension, tension, tension. And there are so many contributing factors. Sure, a large portion of the conflict stems from the seemingly insurmountable class distinctions of the 1830's. But there's also the fact that Robinson, while he still acts the aristocratic gentleman, has no memory of the world's social differences, and therefore, is not hindered by them. That roughly translates into – come hell or high water, he's going to find a way to be with Georgia. Georgia's memory, on the other hand, is impeccable, and it'll take a whole lot of convincing for her to look beyond a momentary tryst. Speaking of which – how wonderful is it that she is so openly blasé about pretty much everything. Having been born and raised in squalor, nothing shocks her. Not thievery, not violence, and certainly not sex. That said, from the moment she sees Robinson, she knew he was different. He's a breath of fresh air in her otherwise dismal life. And he arouses her like no other, making the sexual tension palpable. But make no mistake – there's no heroine more worthy of being swept off her feet than Georgia. I love how she takes her destiny into her own hands, never gives up on those she loves, and in turn never lets those she cares about give up on her. Which returns us to the topic of tension – because the risk of Robinson's memory returning is a very plausible thing, and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that any form of happiness is tentative at best. How wonderful that Ms. Marvelle takes that tension and makes it last to the very last page.
Whether it's Georgia's sassy and abrasive manner of speaking, or Robinson's charmingly chivalrous exterior, or the way Georgia's laughable and effortless negation of Robinson's gallantry totally emasculates him, readers won't be able to resist falling in love.
FOREVER AND A DAY is an unexpected gift to treasure.
