Everlasting by Angie Frazier

Publication Date: June 1, 2010

ARC Source: Traveling ARC Tours

Summary from Goodreads:

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.
The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.

My Two Cents:
 
Personally I didn't care so much for Camille even though she was the main character. She battled with listening to her heart and her head. Oscar I enjoyed very much. He knew what he wanted from the beginning...her. The seedy loan shark that they hooked up with along the way kept me in tears with laughter the whole way. I love characters such as him that hand it to you straight no chaser :) My biggest problem with this book is that it moved a bit slowed at times. The ending was a bit predictable as well. However this was a well written novel. It was very obvious that the author did a lot of research before tackling this time period.

I really love historical fiction so I was really excited to read this one. From reading this summary, I gathered it would be a sappy romance. This turned out to be a forbidden love story, turned adventure/mystery. There was definitely some romance but it was so much more to this than that. Frazier gives such great imagery as we follow Oscar and Camille all over Australia in the search for this ancient stone putting all the pieces together.

With characters that jump off the page at you whether you love them or hate them, this novel will keep you wanting more. I'm looking forward to Everlasting 2 to see what happens next.

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