Marianne Johnson in no way personifies the idea of a typical rich plantation owner's daughter except when attending the requisite social events. But instead of enjoying the pomp and gaiety of these occasions Marianne found herself fighting back the ever present yawn. She was much more at home tending her gardens and her people. Marianne had a special relationship, one of respect and care, with her father's slaves and the feeling was mutual. She was unhappy with the entire idea of slavery but felt helpless to do anything about it. Slavery was an intrinsic element of living in the south. Everyone had slaves but not everyone treated their slaves humanely. As part of moneyed plantation families the Johnson's had a long standing relationship with the Chambard's, watching their children grow into adults. Marianne originally considers the elder Chambard's son as her potential mate but as she gets to know the younger brother, Yves, she begins to develop strong feelings and it becomes obvious the feelings are indeed mutual. But the states are about to undergo some radical changes with the upcoming election of Abraham Lincoln for president and Yves has no intention of siding with the south. He too harbors great resentment for the slave situation and has secretly been doing his best to assist many on their way to freedom. Simone, the daughter of Josephine and Planor Di Blieux (from Always and Forever), has her sights set on still another Chambard son -- Gabriel. There is no denying the attraction between these two but southern society would never accept a marriage between a white woman and the son of a white man and a slave woman. Both these relationships seem doomed from the very beginning.

EVER MY LOVE is the continuation of the saga which began in Gretchen Craig's premier book. The offspring of the original characters are now adults and as such face some rather harsh race issues. Growing up on the plantation the mixture of races was commonplace. Being a freeman of color brought a whole spectrum of acceptance issues off the safety of the plantation. A person of mixed races also had to make a difficult decision on whether or not to face the future "passing" as white when possible. Once again, Craig has painted a vivid, albeit at times harsh, picture of the life of plantation owners and their slaves. This is actually a story of three very diverse couples looking for a future together during a time in history that placed seemingly insurmountable barriers and obstacles in their paths. The author doesn't pull any punches and reminds us of a time when humanity seemed to have lost its way.