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A review by laurenjodi
Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
4.0
Dream a Little Dream
4 Stars
After the loss of his wife and child, Gabe Bonner is only going through the motions of living. That is until Rachel Stone returns to Salvation, North Carolina desperate for a job to support her young son. Despite their rocky start, Rachel and Gabe find themselves inextricably drawn to one another, but can they overcome the traumas of the past to have a future together?
Series note: While books 1-3 can be read as standalones, book #4 is a direct continuation of #3 and as such the two should be read in order.
Rachel is a wonderful heroine. Her strength and resilience in the face of the townsfolk's scorn and shunning are admirable as is her determination to do anything necessary to ensure that her son has everything he needs and deserves.
While Gabe has all the making of an excellent tortured hero, there is one aspect of his character that proves very problematic, i.e., his biased attitude and harsh treatment of little Edward. Yes, it is understandable that the sweet little boy reminds Gabe of his dead son, but there are moments when his thoughts and behavior are simply unforgivable.
Another problematic issue is the overt Christian themes. While I have nothing against inspirational romance, the focus on God and religion is incongruent with the secular contemporary tone of the series thus far.
Despite the abovementioned problems, Dream a Little Dream is a lovely romance with engaging characters who come to life on the page. Make sure to have a box of Kleenex at the ready though because this is one SAD book.
4 Stars
After the loss of his wife and child, Gabe Bonner is only going through the motions of living. That is until Rachel Stone returns to Salvation, North Carolina desperate for a job to support her young son. Despite their rocky start, Rachel and Gabe find themselves inextricably drawn to one another, but can they overcome the traumas of the past to have a future together?
Series note: While books 1-3 can be read as standalones, book #4 is a direct continuation of #3 and as such the two should be read in order.
Rachel is a wonderful heroine. Her strength and resilience in the face of the townsfolk's scorn and shunning are admirable as is her determination to do anything necessary to ensure that her son has everything he needs and deserves.
While Gabe has all the making of an excellent tortured hero, there is one aspect of his character that proves very problematic, i.e., his biased attitude and harsh treatment of little Edward. Yes, it is understandable that the sweet little boy reminds Gabe of his dead son, but there are moments when his thoughts and behavior are simply unforgivable.
Another problematic issue is the overt Christian themes. While I have nothing against inspirational romance, the focus on God and religion is incongruent with the secular contemporary tone of the series thus far.
Despite the abovementioned problems, Dream a Little Dream is a lovely romance with engaging characters who come to life on the page. Make sure to have a box of Kleenex at the ready though because this is one SAD book.