Review of From This Night, Forever More

[Alice Heritage]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "From This Night, Forever More" by Marjorie J Walsh.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Important note: This book is sexually explicit from the outset and throughout. The characters are sex-positive, and earthy language is used. This review reflects that, so both it and the book are strictly for those with no objections to adult themes and language.

I am writing this during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, just the right time for a literary escape to Hawaii. Kala, the heroine of From This Night, Forever More by Marjorie J Walsh, is a young woman in provincial England in the late 1970s. The men she meets in pubs are starting to get touchy-feely, but she wants to lose her virginity to an experienced man from out of town. After this has been arranged, she begins a long affair with her married boss, Mervyn, who also puts her through university. Upon graduation Kala reaches a crossroads. The sex with Mervyn, who will never leave his wife, has become mechanical. When the prospect of pursuing a humdrum career while stuck in a suburban house bought by Mervyn becomes unbearable, Kala resolves to make a new life in her mother's native Hawaii.

Despite various encounters with men, Kala has never knowingly had an orgasm before reaching Hawaii. This soon changes when she meets beach boy Keoki, so that alongside discovering the Hawaii of the 1980s, Kala is also getting to know her own body. The islands have many more men and adventures in store.

Partly because it is about Hawaii as a place as well as about Kala's love life, this is not your usual erotic novel. Sex is the overriding theme, but plots and relationships also develop. Above all, a special feature makes this book stand out. It includes advice and facts about sex, drawn from manuals and research. Therefore, one of its most shining qualities is the knowledge it imparts. I appreciated learning terms like "transudation" and "neural entrainment" as well as theories about the etymology of "come", including the possible reasons behind the alternative "cum" spelling.

The information passages are interspersed with the action. Although I was surprised when the first of these interrupted the coitus, this was not jarring. On the contrary, the brief switches were an asset, providing an alternative perspective on the sex scene at hand and delivering a lesson perhaps better than a long factual passage would have. The story sometimes read as if written by Kala looking back on her youth. It was often in the style of a journal, with paragraphs headed by days of the week, for example. This contributed to a drawback of this rather long book in that the level of detail was sometimes excessive. Food and drinks were described regularly, and while it was fun to learn about Hawaiian treats like coconut cream pie and spam musubi, we perhaps did not need to know about every cheeseburger and glass of iced tea.

Thus the manuscript could benefit from a round of editing to condense some scenes and eliminate repetition. Additionally, I found more than ten errors, mostly in punctuation and spelling. I deducted a star for this and occasional long-windedness and loss of pace or tension. These minor issues were, however, outweighed by major strengths, so that my rating for this book is three out of four stars. I highly recommend it to erotica readers who would welcome further sex education. Primarily a tale of a sexual awakening, it is secondarily an informative travelogue about Hawaii.

As already mentioned, this is for a mature audience and not for the easily shocked. Experimental and bold, the sex comes in many flavours besides vanilla. The focus on female sensuality and pleasure is commendable. Walsh did her homework to incorporate research material. While many scenes are the stuff of fantasy, this is nevertheless about real bodies and what turns a real woman on. Above all, the sex scenes are well written, and I applaud the author for mastering this difficult art. One of the many facts she shares is that the Hawaiian word for "orgasm" literally means "fun" or "joy", and From This Night, Forever More offers up plenty of both.

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From This Night, Forever More
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[Pelumi Aikore]

I'm a sucker for romance novels, from reading your review alone I can tell this book is an exciting one that will keep me gullied to my phone. Will definitely check it out, thanks for the lovely review.

[Mary Ndirangu 1]

I would love to know the author's perspective on female sensuality, so I'll add the book to my bookshelf. This was a very informative review.

[Damis Seres Rodriguez]

Well, I'm not sure if this book would be the right one for me, but I do appreciate the review! You did an excellent job.

[Amber Subbiah]

I love the way you're style of writing it keeps me interested and wanting to read more and more good story about woman who are trying to find them selfs even with all the things thats happening in the story.

[Peace10]

This book is filled with sex scenes. I'll pass on this. Great review! I love your writing style.

[Azubike Richard]

From your review, I can tell the book has many sexual related events. So I will pass this book. Thank you for your review

[Kyrian007]

I am a big fan of books like this and your review has exposed the fun of the book. I look forward to reading this interesting book From This Night, Forever More by Marjorie J Walsh. Thanks for the review.

[Ndagire Hassifah1]

I think this book is not right for me. I would recommend it to those interested in such books. Great review.

[Paully_]

I love reading romance books, mostly because of the happily ever after. I don't like too much sexual content, so I'll pass on this one. Great review.