Title: I Will Always Love You
Author: Darlene Porter
Publisher: Authors’ Tranquility Press
ISBN: 978-1964362908
Pages: 428
Genre: Historical Romances / American Literature
Reviewed by: Christina Avina
Pacific Book Review
Throughout our history, humans have always found the prospect of the forbidden to be intriguing. The more a person is told they cannot have something, the more and more they have to have it. It is a human fact that has even seeped its ways into many belief systems, with the fall of man in Christianity being due to Adam and Eve disobeying God and eating from the tree of knowledge. The drive within everyone to have what they are told they cannot has always lingered within a person’s psyche, and can appear in the least likely of circumstances.
That was the driving force behind author Darlene Porter’s I Will Always Love You. A story of forbidden love, a young woman named Genevieve living in 1870s Chicago with two spinster sisters as her guardians has lived a life sheltered from the influence of man. Forbidden to see or interact with any man, a random injury led to a chance encounter with a visiting cowboy from Arizona, and his help turned into a forbidden relationship that would change their lives forever.
What a compelling and gripping historical romance novel! The author did such a brilliant job of capturing the heart and spark between Ginny and Jon, the two protagonists driving this story forward. What was so interesting was to see the author put this romance into historical context, showcasing the various cultural systems in place for women in this era and how romantic relationships were treated in that day and age. The need for modesty in some households and the strict nature of the life Ginny led, and the way Jon opened up her world and found a way of bringing her unique voice out was so inspiring to read.
The true heart of this narrative rested in the complex character development found here. Not only was the relationship, both the ups-and-downs of Ginny and Jon so engaging, but the emotional connection readers shared with others like Ginny’s aunts, especially aunt Beatrix, was palpable; as the older woman’s vicious nature and stern viewpoints on women and men were a major driving force for the narrative. With readers who enjoy historical romance and great American literature basking in the glow of this profound novel, the shocking developments in Ginny’s story in particular and how she and Jon bounce back from the setbacks in their relationship will tug at the heartstrings and bring readers closer and closer together as the story progresses.
