Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - Dreaming of You

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Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

9 reviews

kyriannaj's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Honestly this was disappointing. I didn't love Derek. He pushed Sara into sexual situations she seemed to be unsure of, as if he could just change her mind. I didn't love his personality in the beginning. It felt like Sara didn't really have any big changes throughout the book and was just waiting for Derek. The relationship between the two should've been developed more, and there was plenty of content that could've been sacrificed to do that. The plot twist during the last 30 pages felt forced as a way to wrap up the story with a bow, and it just didn't need that.

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merlinandrose's review

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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alisoun's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am SCREAMING this is such a good book. Multiple times I had to put it down to hyperventilate.

Derek and Sara are the fucking GOAT. I was so glad to read a histrom that's between two NOT blue blooded people.

Sara is the sweetest and most gorgeous character, and Derek was incredible too. He was thankfully a lot less sads than I was expecting, what with him having been in love with Lily and his traumatic back story.

Sadly my library copy doesn't allow me to copy and paste quotes but trust when I say there are multiple good ones.

Here's a short favourite:
"I want to hold you like this until your skin melts into mine..."
Ummmm did alt-J get inspo from this book to write every other freckle???

Also Derek is much more about the consent, especially compared to Alex in the first book.

Reread Feb 2024

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cepbreed's review

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

I am struggling to describe this book because I disliked it so much and because it took me practically a million years to finish and I remember only the barest details from the first half. The characters are so annoying it physically pained me to read their dialogue. Tell me why Sara is giving the same exact vibes as the girls in high school fight videos that are like "baaaabe this isn't you! Stoppp it! Just look at me baaaabe." She makes me nauseous in the very same way. As for Derek, Lisa Kleypas tried to write him as some alpha-male badass and ended up with the most grating personality possible. He is so toxic they make a terrible couple! Literally, how did she end up with that when she tried so hard to make Sara some girlboss independent woman? It's just downright hypocritical. There's a bit about how she gets mad that he calls her his possession, which just never gets addressed again? So if we aren't reforming this misogynist why are we mentioning this and getting the protagonist mad about these transgressions? Jesus. I sincerely hope this is my worst book of 2023 because I don't know if I'll live if I read anything worse. I am seriously falling out of my histrom phase and this was probably the last nail in the coffin.

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allingoodtime's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Okay, I finally read this book and can now say I know what the fuss is over Derek Craven.

I am well aware that this is a story that was published in the 90’s and it may not be for everyone. In fact, I saw that quite a few people who used to love this book ended up really disliking the story after re-reading it years later. I get that. And I’ll warn you, while there’s not cheating because Derek and Sara are not together as a couple at the time, one of the main characters has sex with someone else and one attempts to have sex with someone else. I know for a lot of people that is a hard line they draw, so if that’s you I’d suggest skipping this book. For everyone else, keep in mind the era in which it was written and enjoy!

Derek is not perfect, but that’s what makes him so great. He has a lot of flaws. A lot. He’s definitely an alpha male. The thing is, Sara is his perfect counter. She is so truly kindhearted and wants to help everyone. She doesn’t think anyone is less than her no matter their lot in life. Most importantly, Sara doesn’t take crap from Derek. She is swayed by him more because of their off the charts chemistry, and the same can be same about Derek. He cannot seem to say no to Sara unless he feels it’s something that will actually cause her harm, like himself. He cannot allow himself to give into his attraction to her for fear he will only hurt her in the end.

There is an air of mystery and danger thrown into this story. Derek has many enemies, but it seems a jilted lover is the most dangerous of all. Because of the image and power of certain people, things aren’t handled properly when it comes to Derek’s obsessive ex and it leads to many touchy situations.

Here’s the thing about Derek Craven, he has such a super mushy interior. That was somewhat evident in his dealings with Lily in the first book. Yet even Lily, his best friend, couldn’t get past that final wall he had up. Sara took a sledge hammer to that wall without even trying. These two are just meant to be. He is so gentle and sweet with her. And honestly, Sara’s glasses! **swoon** If you haven’t read this story yet, I’ll let you discover what I mean by that for yourself.

Needless to say, I’m glad I finally got around to this book and this author. I’m looking forward to reading more from her. Of course, I’ll say it again, going in with the knowledge some of her books were written over 20 years ago. I’m very interested to read some of her more recent work knowing it must be even better.

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carbs666's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I fully understand the hype about Derek Craven after reading this book. Derek Craven is a quintessential historical romance hero - he was born in a drainpipe and built himself up from nothing! He's sexy! He's heartless - or is he? I also really enjoyed Sara. She was determined to get her way while still holding onto her sweetness and principles. I do think that Kleypas somewhat unfairly makes Sara endure a significant amount of trauma in this book, but this plot is The Whole Banana. Very unfortunate that Derek ultimately goes from being a casino owner to a landlord, a much less honorable profession. If you like a classic histrom with a hard hearted hero, you'll love this one!

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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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alliemikennareads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was pleasantly surprised by Dreaming of You! It took me a few chapters to settle in since I haven’t read this type of romance before. After the first chapter I was very worried I would hate it. But by about 1/3 of the way in, I was completely hooked and had a hard time putting it down. I was cheering on Sara the whole time - she’s a great heroine. Derek Craven is rough around the edges but it works in this book. You have to suspend some disbelief to enjoy this, but if you can do that and don’t mind the darker themes, it’s a good historical romance.

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risseandshine's review

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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