Ecstasy’s Promise is a historical romance where two lovers come together during the final days of the US Civil War. It’s a decent first book for author Constance O’Banyon.
Rating:
Published: 1982
Illustrator: Ray Kursar
Imprint or Line: Zebra Historical Romance
Published by: Kensington
Genres: Historical Romance, Civil War Romance
Pages: 574
Format: Paperback
Buy on: Amazon, AbeBooks
Reviewed by: Blue Falcon
The Book
Ecstasy’s Promise was the first book written by author Evelyn Gee. Constance O’Banyon was her most popular pseudonym. Another name she used was Tory Houston. Gee also collaborated with author Emma Merritt to write romances as Micah Leigh.
Evelyn Gee passed away in 2022. As a result, many of the original editions of her books are now valued as collector’s items. Since this was Constance O’Banyon’s first novel, the 1982 Zebra romance with Ray Kursar‘s cover art is hard-to-find and rapidly increasing in price.
Fortunately, the e-book version of Ecstasy’s Promise is available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
The Plot
Ecstasy’s Promise begins in the Deep South around 1864, nearing the end of the American Civil War. General Sherman’s March to the Sea is advancing South. The military campaign of total destruction is making its way to Savannah, Georgia, where the book’s heroine, Victoria Lee Faraday, lives.
One day, three Union soldiers suddenly appear at Victoria’s home and accost her. The men kill one of her house slaves, then try to rape Victoria. She kills one of them. Bodine, who is Victoria’s friend, confidant, and protector (and who we later discover is her uncle), kills another. The third soldier gets away.
Fearing for her life, Victoria burns her plantation down and flees with Bodine to live with her grandmother in Texas. There, she meets the hero of the book, Edward Hanover.
Victoria and Edward are immediately attracted to each other. But, as is usually the case in romance novels, the path to happiness doesn’t run smoothly.
The Issues the Couple Must Overcome
Both Victoria and Edward have suitors attempting to win their love: two men for Victoria and two women for Edward.
Although now living in Texas, Edward fought for the North as a Union Soldier in the Civil War. Victoria is a dyed-in-the-wool Southern belle. This source of conflict, however, quickly becomes a non-subject.
The protagonists must overcome their ridiculous pride and egos. They both spend much of the book hurting each other through various forms of emotional cruelty.
One example: When Victoria discovers she is pregnant, she and Edward are initially happy. However, when their doctor tells them she may die in childbirth—as her mother did giving birth to Victoria—they disagree on what to do. Victoria wants to carry the baby to term. Edward wants her to have an abortion to save her life.
However, Edward doesn’t tell Victoria that he fears for her life. He just demands she have an abortion.
This is one of several instances throughout the book where they could have saved each other a lot of pain had they actually TALKED TO EACH OTHER.
That would also have made this 574-page brick of a book about 200 pages shorter. However, they don’t express their feelings to one another. As a result, Victoria leaves Edward and returns to Georgia to have her baby. She safely gives birth to a son.
Eventually, Edward finds out where Victoria has fled to. He heads to Georgia to take their child away from her.
However, Edward finds that he can’t hurt her any more than he already has. The couple makes up, and they have their happily ever after.
The Upside
For her first book, Ms. O’Banyon did a fine job. Ecstasy’s Promise shows the promise of talent that is better displayed in her later romance novels.
The Downside
However, Ecstasy’s Promise is not spectacular by any means. That’s because writing is a bit shallow, staying on the surface, basically all plot.
The book doesn’t develop emotional depth until the end.
Sex
Ecstasy’s Promise includes a few very mild sex scenes. And, unfortunately, they are hardly descriptive and only a little warm as far as hotness goes.
Steam Factor
Ecstasy’s Promise fails to live up to the promise of its title. The temperature is barely lukewarm.
Violence
There are a few scenes of violence. This includes the shooting that was mentioned earlier. Bodine also breaks the other soldier’s neck during the same incident. In addition, Edward and one of his romantic rivals for Victoria’s hand have a fistfight.
None of these scenes are described in overly graphic detail.
Bottom Line on Ecstasy’s Promise
Ecstasy’s Promise by Constance O’Banyon is a decent first novel in her 4-decade-long career as a romance author.
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| Overall: | 3.7 |
Synopsis
At seventeen, Beautiful Victoria Farraday’s life should have been filled with love, laughter and joy. But it was December, 1864, when Sherman’s troops were carving a path of destruction through the South and Farraday Plantation, Victoria’s home, was directly in their path. Alone, frightened, she burned down the plantation, rather than let the Yankees have it, and fled to her grandmothers home in Texas.
Amidst the wild flowers and never-ending sky, Victoria met the handsome, wealthy ranch owner, Edward Hanover. Passion burst into a raging blaze as his fingers brushed across her silky skin. But it quickly turned to hatred and rage when she learned that he had fought for the Union. No matter how she tried to fight it, the facts tore at her heart: the man who took her to the heights of ecstasy was a Yankee–the enemy–and the only man she would ever love!
Ecstasy’s Promise by Constance O’Banyon