Sweet Everlasting: 5

I really loved reading this book, I was up until 7 AM because I couldn't put it down. This was a truly sweet tale of two flawed, complicated people who met, enjoyed each other's company, and fell in love. Carrie has events in her past that still haunt her presently yet she manages to to be content with her gardens and the wildlings from the forrest she has nursed back to health. Tyler can be a bit short sited and a little selfish but you can't help but love him because of his good intentions and his gentleness and understanding where Carrie is concerned. The story is well written; I was especially impressed with how Tyler sees the world through medical eyes as he considers the things around him. I highly recomend this wonderful tale of a love the forms between two great characters.

Never before was a book so aptly named as this one. The reason I say this is because this was the sweetest story I have ever read. It is a heart-wrenching story and so beautifully written it makes the heart ache.This is the story of Dr. Tyler Wilkes and Carrie Wiggins. Tyler is the wealthy son of an old, aristocratic Philadelphia family. He gives up a life of wealth and privilege to become a doctor agaisnt his mother's wishes. He moves to the small town of Wayne's Crossing to take over the practice from the town's previous doctor who is gravely ill.Carrie is a poor girl who lives in a cabin with her abusive stepfather high up on High Dreamer mountain above the small town of Wayne's Crossing. Upon meeting Carrie, Tyler is not immediately attracted to her in a romantic sense but in a professional sense. Carrie, you see, is mute and Tyler wants very much to help her bur Carrie continually refuses it. Tyler begins to think there's more to the pretty, shy Carrie than meets the eye. Slowly and little by little Tyler gets to know Carrie even though she cannot speak. Once he gets to know her, Tyler is amazed that despite her handicap and the hardships she has suffered Carrie is high spirited, kind, strong and able to take pleasure in the little things in life. Eventually, they become lovers and in spite of his attraction and growing affection for her, Tyler cannot turn his back on what has been ingrained in him since birth: he must marry according to his social status. In short, marrying Carrie would be beneath him. Carrie wears her heart on her sleeve and it's no secret to Tyler that she loves him without condition or any strings attached. Carrie has learned early on not to expect too much from life but deep inside she can't quench the budding hope that Tyler will learn to love her as much as she loves him. This is a beautiful, emotional love story full of twists and turns and breathtaking romance. Ms. Gaffney makes the characters come alive in such a way that you feel as if you personally know them. I am almost tempted to say this is my favorite Gaffney romance. However, having read most of her backlist I can't pick just one because all of her books are so radically different from one another. I guess they're all my favorites, each and every one. If you love romance, do yourself a favor and pick up this book or any book by this brilliant author. :)

Another beautiful love story by Gaffney - one of her very best and most poignant, I believe. Carrie is impoverished and lonely, a lovely mute whose silence harbors a dark secret. Tyler is the new town doctor, sensitive and kind, lively and intelligent. Carrie responds to Tyler's kindness with shy, yet unabashed adoration, but Tyler fights his growing attraction for this young innocent. Of course she doesn't belong to his social class, but the scruples Tyler struggles with are more complicated than mere social convention; Carrie is fragile, innocent, damaged, and mute, and it would be morally reprehensible of him, he believes, to succumb to the passionate feelings she sparks within him and take advantage of her seemingly uncomplicated trust. What Tyler isn't aware of, however, is that Carrie's heart is strong enough for the both of them. A very tender and memorable story.

I expected to enjoy this book very much and I was not disappointed. One of the things I love best about Patricia Gaffney's writing is its depth and richness. She builds whole worlds, places you can see and hear and feel as you read, and she populates those places with complex, flawed, engaging human beings, people who make mistakes but learn from them, people who grow.The twists in her writing come not from what happens but how and why it happens, bringing freshness to the unfolding of events. I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen--I was wrong as often as I was right, but even when I was right I was surprised by how events unfolded.This is a wonderful book and I'm so glad it's been reissued. If you want a book you can sink into, I highly recommend this one (or anything by Patricia Gaffney).

I couldn't put this book down. I've never stayed up all night reading a book. I felt such sympathy for the characters of this book that I just wanted to reach out and touch them. For anyone who has ever felt their love of another was forbidden due to what was acceptable, you'll love this book. I love the timeframe of the book, the story line, the characters, and the love scenes were so SWEET EVERLASTING. This is the first Patricia Gaffney book that I have read, but it definitely won't be the last.