If you're looking for a rollicking romp through 17th century Restoration England then this is it! 16 year old Amber St Clare finds herself homeless and penniless on the streets of London, and to make matters much worse she's also pregnant. However, Amber is an enticing young girl, both in terms of her beauty and her personality and wit. She's particularly well versed in the use of feminine wiles and eventually becomes the mistress of Charles II.

Gosh, this story is a whirlwind of bawdiness, taking us into the Royal Courts, ( and its many bedrooms! ) The historical events of The Plague and The Great Fire of London add interest, but it's the characters that stand out, and not always for the right reasons.

Amber is definitely a flawed amoral individual, and she's not the only one. The circles that she moves in have more than their share of characters who take whatever they want at the expense of others.

It was difficult to find an affinity with many of the characters. Amber herself was likeable at times, and positively frustrating at others ( she never seemed to learn from her mistakes ) but it was a fun read, taking readers through the Royal Court, and the taverns and theatres of the day and overall it was really enjoyable.

I read this one because my mother told me this is where she got my name. After reading it, I say, "thanks for nameing me after a whore mom." To which she replied, she was not a whore, she ended up being the kings mistress... I say whatev!! Tomato, tomatoe! :)

Очаквах доста по-различен финал, по-категоричен и недвусмислен, но ако оставим настрана разочарованието ми от завършека, книгата е наистина завладяваща! Много описания на разкошни тоалети и бижута, бляскави карети и апартаменти! Препоръчвам на всички, които се интересуват от живота в Англия през XVII век.

Delightful book, with a fast-paced plot with plenty of twists and turns, culminating in a funny ending you'll not expect.

The prose isn't particular, but the plotting and the historical detailing do make up for that. And if some may feel the heroine isn't likable, that's true, yet in my case it worked because I knew she wasn't meant to be lovable, and once that's accepted, you can sit and enjoy the ride. Also, I may be the odd fish here, but I liked the hero less than her.

The plague chapters are the best part, and I lament the author didn't exploit them better to have either the hero or the heroine grow up a bit, instead of just going on as usual, each with their own ambitions to achieve. But overall, my major complaint is that there wasn't a second part; there was stillmuch plot left open-ended.

n  Bettie's Booksn

This book is interesting for what it is, basically a bodice ripping romance novel with a fictional leading lady dropped into a true historical fiction novel of Restoration England.

What I enjoyed most about this book was learning the history of England during the reign of Charles II. This was a period I had not read about before, so learning about Charles, his barren wife Catherine, and his many mistresses including Lady Castlemaine, Moll Davis, and Nell Gwyn was a interesting look at court and the morals of England during this time period.

Historically, I also learned great details of the Great Plague that swept England in 1665, and the Great Fire of London of 1666, and got a great feel for this historical time and society.

What I enjoyed the least was the story of the fictional Amber, a country girl who basically sleeps, schemes, marries, and murders her way from being a simple yet bored 16 year old girl to an obsessed woman scheming away at court with the rest of them at age 26. I never liked Amber in this story, and the whole story focuses on the fictional Amber and her attempt, successes, and failures of clawing her way to what she considers the top.

So this is good if you want to learn about Restoration England, though you have to wade through Amber's stupid adventures to get the historical story. And 972 pages is a whole lot of wading!

Definitivamente, con este libro la ficción histórica pasa a ser el género número uno de mi lista.
Ámbar es más cínica, más ambiciosa,más malévola, que Scarlet de lo que el viento se llevó.
Me encantan los libros donde la protagonista es mala, aunque no hay que olvidar que también tienen sentimientos.

"Never again, she had promised herself a dozen times will I be such a fool." Yeah right, like we all know that's never going to happen don't we?

Amber St. Clare never felt she belonged with the poor family who raised her, and when one day a troop of cavaliers ride into her village she's swept away by Lord Bruce Carlton. Well, actually it's more like the other way around - Amber won't say no and begs Bruce to take her to London and against his better judgment he agrees - although lust for the beauteous Amber might have something to do with it. Nah. Bruce makes it perfectly clear he'll never marry her and when his privateering ships are ready to sail she's on her own. Amber accepts Bruce's terms and they're off to London as Charles II is crowned and his bawdy court and courtiers are in full swing. As he warned, Bruce soon has to leave and it doesn't take long for a pregnant Amber to get herself royally swindled (what a fool) out of every farthing Bruce left her and thrown into Newgate prison for debt. Not one to be down and out for long, Amber soon hooks up with a notorious highway man and he breaks them out and the game is on......

Until of course Black Jack Mallard is caught and hanged and finding herself in another pickle she goes for the stage - but she still needs to find man to keep her in the style in which she wants to become accustomed to - and handsome Captain Rex Morgan will fit the bill quite nicely. That is, as soon as she can take him away from his current mistress. Of course, once Bruce is back Amber manages to screw things up nicely (what a fool) and fresh out of likely prospects (young men with money), Amber finds herself an older one to protect her from life's little problems. But then older men don't live forever and when their family doesn't like you well, then she's off on the hunt yet again....

Amber's story takes her through all walks of Restoration England, from prison to theatre to the decadent, conniving court of Charles II (loved Castlemaine and Buckingham's antics), from the plague (A.W.E.S.O.M.E.) to the Great Fire and from man to man and bed to bed. Amber is most definitely one of fiction's most flawed heroines and despite the many lessons life dishes out do you think she ever learns from them? Not on your life, nor does she ever figure out that Bruce is never ever going to marry her - sleep with her, yes. Don't worry though, as busy as Amber is in the bed chamber and despite the fact that when published in the 40's this was so scandalous it was banned in Boston, the sex is pretty tame and left to the reader's imagination (how refreshing). Watching Amber is like watching a train wreck - you can't take your eyes away for fear of missing what's going to happen next. As for the ending? Kathleen Winsor dishes up the most delectable bit of Just Desserts at the end - I can't recall ever seeing better . A grand and glorious romp through the court of Charles II, don't miss it.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Despite having some of the least likable characters I've ever encountered in a novel, Forever Amber was still a mostly entertaining read for me. I enjoyed the lively and vivid depiction of Restoration England, especially the chapters about the plague, and for the most part, the book's a page-turner, if only because I kept hoping that Amber would get her comeuppance. She does, sorta.

Read for Unapologetic Romance Readers 2017 challenge: classics category

Set in London, 1644, this was a very enjoyable romp through history, intertwined with a great love story. Definitely rivals Gone With the Wind as one of the greats.

I read this about 30 years ago and at the time I enjoyed it a lot. I suspect my tastes have changed somewhat since then . However I still remember lots of details, the plague especially so it must have had quite an effect on me

I wonder after reading this if Kathleen Winsor based Amber on Scarlette O'hara!!! Scarlett's face was the one I kept seeing throughout this novel... both women were their own worst enemies!!! They were both self centered, spoiled and conniving yet they had an unwavering determination in their fight to survive and to hold on to what they loved!!! Many times I just wanted to reach through the pages and STRANGLE Amber... found myself saying 'Don't Do It' many times!!! I am a huge fan of Gone with the Wind and now I have another novel to put right up there beside it!!! What a ride!!!