In the days of pre-Civil War slavery––the unforgettable novel of a shocking portion of our American heritage. The time was not all magnolia blossoms and crinolines. It was more than romance and splendor. It was debauchery and slavery, gambling tables and dens of iniquity. It was murder and forgiveness. It was all the great contradiction of life in a golden era...

From the smoldering ashes of the war-torn south, she rose to challenge destiny in a world seething with desire and corruption... Beautiful Amy Scullins bore the name of the county hangman, her legal father. Yet by blood she was the daughter of dashing Clayton Deavors and rightful heir to the sweeping acres of The Columns, the Deavors' magnificent plantation that stood proudly over Natchez, Mississippi. But her shameful burden was her unscrupulous family, who sought to break her through the evils of seduction and blackmail. Though fear and lust loomed to challenge her will, Amy vowed to claim her true heritage. This was her one last chance to wrest a life of grandeur and passion from the lawless ruins of the old South. Her last chance to strip herself of the brand of... White Trash...

Stripped of her pride and damned by her passion, she was the last of a fallen dynasty. As heir to the richest plantation in the South, Cynthia Deavors enjoyed the privilege of royalty. But her roots were cursed by corruption. She couldn't control her twin brother's decadent lust for female slaves, or suppress her mother's shameless affair with a young adventurer. Nor could she deny the raging love that swept her from the pinnacle of wealth and power into the path of the one scheming woman who haunted the Deavors family ... Rafaella.

They lived in a world of secret guilts. Rafaella: at seventeen she had a beauty that could possess and destroy. No man was safe from her, not even her father. Wyman: He would do anything to gain Rafaella's favor. His pursuit of love would lead to disaster. Frannie: Rafaella's stepmother. Lawton: He knew the secret of Rafaella's past, a secret his lust would never let him reveal.

Chane––a giant of a man, born a slave but so powerful he drove fear like a stake into the heart of the men who opposed him. Chane––filled with a lust and passion that drove women mad. A novel of the old South, of plantations and sex, violence, and darkness from Norman Gant––in the tradition of The Plantation by George McNeill.

Chane was dead––the magnificent stud slave who had lived to breed was gone. His sons survived but under a hideous curse. And new life would come to the plantation only if the sons of Chane could find peace within themselves. For Brash, the mightiest of them all, there could be no peace until he had fought his way through humiliation, pain, and lustful women to achieve a terrible vengeance.

Compiled by the original author, this comprehensive guide to Gretchen Craig's Plantation Series, Always and Forever, Ever My Love, Evermore, and Elysium, includes all the information you and your book group need for a better understanding of the historical context of the novels and for rich, in-depth discussions. Sections include: A Historical Timeline of the Plantation Series era. Extensive author notes on Louisiana history and culture, providing a context for the events in the series. A descriptive list of characters appearing in each of the four novels. A Discussion Guide for each novel, including synopsis, author notes, and topics for discussion. A list of answers to questions Gretchen frequently receives about her writing. Places to visit in Louisiana that relate to the history and events portrayed in the novels. A bibliography of authoritative sources on Louisiana history and culture. A list of some of Gretchen's favorite historical novels and authors.