Always to Remember

By Lorraine Heath

Branded a traitor and imprisoned for refusing to fight for the Confederacy, Clayton Holland returns home to Cedar Grove, only to be spurned by the townspeople, except for vengeful Meg Warner, who finds her hatred and grief transformed by love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Nov 9, 2010
• ISBN: 9780062046598

Lorraine Heath

Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. When she read a romance novel, she not only became hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She’s been writing about them ever since. Her novels have been recognized with numerous industry awards and have appeared on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.

Reviews for Always to Remember

[jan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was slow and heavy, but a pleasant read. Clay's character gets into you that after reading a few chapters, you'd want to read on to find out how he gets the happy ending he deserves.

[bookfreak13 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A tale of courage, quiet strength and belief in one s own convictions. Very moved.....

[n.w.moors-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I usually read Ms. Heath's Regency romances, so I forget that she also writes American Western historicals. Always to Remember has an interesting premise: Clay is a conscientious objector during the Civil War who doesn't want to kill others. Now back in his hometown, he's shunned by all, including Meg Warner, the widow of his best friend who was killed at Gettysburg. She decides to punish him by having him sculpt a memorial to the town's war dead. I really liked this story. The idea of someone objecting to fighting and being branded a coward is unique in Texas historicals (I think), and Ms. Heath does a nice job of explaining the nuances of that decision. The romance was almost secondary, but that was fine. My only caveat is that this is the third Western historical in a row that I've read where the principals didn't seem to have to work much. Meg hangs out with Clay (who is sculpting); meanwhile, Clay's siblings are starving. Who's doing the laundry, fixing meals, doing chores, etc? Otherwise, this is a great book.

[Ivana Dijanić Kos · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am shocked how good this book is.

[deleine-4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked on HR for a very long time - this is my top book

[samnreader · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

22% - I call it.

I'm too heroine centric and she's not going to be my jam. The hero is compelling enough, but it really seems like all the growth for her will be because he's such a better person than her...and I can't say
anything about the quote/paragraph breaks because I'm too irritated (chalk me up as someone who'd rather read a book w/o quotation marks than this)

I think I threw up my hands when the heroine picked a white piece of marble, saying it's "pure and white like the glorious Cause," and I'll just frankly never like her (not to mention it mixes two wars, doesn't it, help me American History friends? But whatever). Hero's a moral, righteous dude, which means despite him being pretty A stand up guy I don't really care how he gets fucked and married (see: all previous references to Superman).

I know...I KNOW I'm in the minority here. But, there's some important lesson here for me, and that is the bottom line is Heath's writing might not be for me overall ( I swear I've read two chapter of like 3 of her other books) First of all, it,to my ear, lacked authenticity. Not only does Meg's dead husband tell Clay about her moans during sex, but also described how important she is and how much he loved her. And the only reason I can tell for all the Meg-worship was her eyes. There were two paragraphs about her cornflower eyes. And how remarkable women's eyes were compared to men's...and where's that damn trash can.

Am I being harsh? I think so. Those quotation marks did it to me. I can't skip a semi-colon in my job or everything breaks, but Heath can reinvent the right way to do dialogue (or the e-copy is TERRIBLE) either way, I'm out. And partially because the hero's pure heart just isn't gonna get me there. (I mean, he's quoting jesus in the prologue like some kinda martyr....so basically he's the type of hero I'd wave to, pat on the back, and say "ok pal."

[dukedukegoose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really, rather remarkable. Not at all what I was expecting. Just utterly heartbreaking in places.

[mom2lnb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After finishing Always to Remember, I was left with a sense of almost sheer perfection. This unique book is far more than a mere romance. It is a morality tale of a man making a stand for what he believes, and facing the scorn of an entire town because of it. This story asks and in my opinion, answers quite well the difficult question, “What truly constitutes courage?” It is about love and hate. It is about true friendship. It is about loyalty to one's convictions. It is about redemption and forgiveness of wrongs both perceived and real. Most of all, it is about people finding a way to come together in harmony in spite of their differences. Always to Remember is a story that really delves into the complexities of the human heart and mind with a depth that I don't often see in a romance novel, yet it never feels dark. As I read the book, it evoked so many different emotions and reactions: tears and sadness for all that Clay had suffered and the level of hatred that some human beings are capable of; joy and laughter for the humor that can be found even in the most difficult times; sighs of appreciation for the swoon-worthy romance. This book truly had it all, and I can't think of a single thing I disliked or would have changed.I thought the characters in the story were incredibly well-rendered. I'm not sure that I have ever read such a kind, gentle beta hero as Clay was. He had suffered tremendously for being a conscientious objector to the Civil War, a genuinely tortured hero in both body and mind. He exhibited a depth of courage that made an entire town rethink what courage really means. His loyalty to both his beliefs and those he loves is a rare gem. If it wasn't for the fact that I know selfless people like Clay actually exist, I would almost be tempted to say that he was too good to be true. I found his virginal status to be both intoxicating and endearing just like Meg did. I also loved his artist side. The descriptions of Clay carving the monument brought it to life in a way that made it seem like a character itself. Meg was a bitter angry woman after her husband and three brothers were killed in the war, and she hated Clay as much as everyone else in town. It was sometimes difficult to read her direct biting words to him that were born out of her hatred, but even though I didn't agree with those sentiments, I never felt like I didn't understand her. I think this was all part of the beauty of the message that the book was trying to convey. Underneath it all, Meg was definitely a kind, caring and compassionate person, and as Clay, slowly and unbeknownst to her, chipped away at the rock surrounding her heart, she was able to show that side to him. The amount of growth that Meg went through from the beginning of the story to the end was phenomenal and believably written. In my opinion, Clay and Meg were two characters who complimented each other perfectly.Always to Remember also had a great cast of secondary characters. Meg's grandmother-in-law, Mama Warner and Dr. Martin, the kind country physician, were about the only two people who didn't hate Clay, and they were always full of wisdom to impart to those who would listen. Clay's younger brother, Lucian, hated him every bit as much as the other townspeople, but when realization hits him, he too, grows and changes in ways he never would have guessed. Clay's ten-year-old twin brothers, Josh and Joe, are an endearing combination of vivacious wit and wisdom beyond their years. They had me laughing out loud at some of things they said, and on the occasions when they seriously spoke their minds, it never felt out of place or too mature, just that they had been well-brought up to understand and appreciate the finer points of life. Even though Meg's husband and Clay's best friend, Kirk, had been dead for months, his spirit played a pivotal role in the story through his letters and words he had spoken to both of them in the months and years before his death. I really liked that he was a strong part of the story and that Meg had truly loved him. Meg's brother and father, as well as most of the townspeople, hate Clay with a passion and throughout the story do some very despicable things to him, yet even they were important, in that they allowed Clay an opportunity to show his mettle and the power of forgiveness. All in all, this was a wonderful group of characters who really brought to life the warmth and closeness of the typical frontier community.Always to Remember was my first read by Lorraine Heath, and I don't think I could have chosen a better book with which to begin. I really enjoy Civil War stories but don't often find them, so it is always a pleasure to read one when I do. I thought that Ms. Heath found a great balance, and I appreciated that she never politicized the subject matter in any way. Those who chose to fight were given equal status with those who chose not to, and neither side was ever demonized for the sake of making a point. In my opinion, this was simply an amazing story that has left me thinking about it long after turning the last page, which is something I love in any novel. I had this book on my to-be-read list for quite a while, and I'm now asking myself why I waited so long to read it. I borrowed this from the library, but will certainly be getting my own copy of this wonderful book for my keeper shelf. I can't wait to check out Lorraine Heath's backlist to see what other gems she may have written.