Only in My Dreams

Rating:
Summary: Delicious!
Review: A guest review by Danielle Hill

Heroine: voluptuous
 
Lorelei, Baroness Winters, has made an art of making sure that others' hurtful words cannot penetrate the cheerfully flamboyant, careless shell she has constructed around herself. All her life she has dealt with cutting remarks about her large size to the point that she makes a joke of it before anyone else can. She had made herself indispensable to the members of the ton as confidant to women and boon companion to the men although she hears every spiteful word that they say about her behind her back.

But the time has come for her to marry, even if it isn't for love. She has settled on a lord who's much more interested in hunting and his horses so there is no chance of him breaking her heart. Enter the American Adrian Rutland, newly appointed Viscount Dane, who is in need of an English bride so that his family can gain the respectability that it lacks. He takes one look at the tall, voluptuous Baroness and knows that she is meant to be his Viscountess. He simply has to convince the vulnerable Lorelei of that fact.

Lorelei is literally swept off her feet by the brash, intelligent and undeniably attractive American, although deep down she doubts that he could ever be captivated by her. So she is shocked when he comes up to scratch with an offer for her. Lorelei is now faced with a dilemma. Should she marry for convenience, or for love--even with the risk of heartbreak that it entails?

What worked for me:

 This book was a pleasure to read from the first sentence. As a woman who has always been tall and curvy, I could totally identify with Lorelei. She's a wonderful character who has learned to make the most of herself and has had to deal with the loneliness and isolation inherent in her position. Byron makes her vulnerabilities heartbreakingly apparent to the reader despite her formidable strength of character. I love it that there is a man who is made for her in Adrian. He takes one look at her and he sees the most beautiful woman in the world and decides that he's going to have her. He never strays in his devotion, despite the fact that there are times when Lorelei's insecurities must be very frustrating. This book is a love story in the truest sense. The main characters' feelings are rich even at the beginning, and they only deepen as the book progresses.

Size-wise Adrian's first view of Lorelei inspires these thoughts: "She had to be over six feet tall, and her figure...She was a veritable hourglass of feminine curves, though on an ample scale, with full breasts and wide hips separated by a thicker-than-acceptable curve of waist...In his eyes, she was beauty and grace. A real woman, rather than merely female."

What didn't work for me:

Nothing was a problem for me in this novel. I found it beautiful in its simplicity. There are other elements, but the crux of the book never strays for the wonderful love story that Eve Bryon tells.

Overall:

Only in My Dreams is a wonderful book that almost brought tears to my eyes. The love story about two souls who were made for each other and find completion in each other is pure and touching.

Warning: The sensuality is subtle but stirring. There was nothing in this book that would offend except that Lorelei's contemporaries take her for granted and make rude comments about her weight and height. It made me angry on her behalf.

If you liked "Only in my Dreams" you might also enjoy "Somebody to Love", "Slightly Wicked", "Miss Carlyle's Curricle", "Into Temptation", "Suddenly You", "The Accidental Bride", "The Bride and the Beast", "The Fire-Flower", "The Last Days of a Rake", "Cat and the Countess", "The Courtship", or "Enchanting Pleasures".

Rating:
Summary: A GOOD BOOK
Review: I found this book to be a good read. A pre-arranged marriage is something I find difficult to comprehend. . .I did enjoy the book. If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties...


Rating:
Summary: Let's Hear it for the Big Girls!!!
Review: Merry, Baroness Winters, is an orphan who yearns for the one thing she has never had: a family of her own. Unfortunately, her cold reception at her come-out years ago was a harsh reality check, and she knows no one will ever marry her. She is content now to be the comic relief of the party, the one men come to for advice on other women, the socialite everyone calls Merry--for surely, Lorelei is a ludicrous name for such a large and "well-endowed" woman.

Adrian Rutland doesn't think so. Viscount Dane, new to the ton and to the shores of England, spots her in the crowd. He is immediately entralled with Lorelei, and doesn't understand society's opinion of her at all. She is intelligent, witty, independent, and Adrian finds her beautiful. Perplexingly, the more this immensely attractive man pursues her, the more Lorelei backs away.

Events lead to a marriage of convenience, but that alone will not surmount Lorelei's negative self-image or her deep fear of rejection. And just as Adrian begins to make some headway, circumstances will force him to abandon his new wife, shattering her vulnerable heart all over again...

I thought this romance was a great hommage to large ladies everywhere. I felt the pain and isolation Merry was hiding behind her self-deprecating persona, and I understood the strong instinct of self-preservation that made her reject Dane. I loved Adrian for his patience in trying to get her to see herself as he did, and for nurturing her confidence. I appreciated that Byron did not make Adrian perfect, either, but gave him a few foibles, which included a boyish desire to be seen as a swashbuckling manly hero by his lady even though he wears glasses and can be a little awkward. The scene where he decides to dramatically sweep her up in his arms is hilarious...and realistic.

You will have to look for this book in used book stores or online, but it's worth it if you're looking for a heroine whose dimensions are more like the average woman's.

Rating:
Summary: Let's Hear it for the Big Girls!!!
Review: Merry, Baroness Winters, is an orphan who yearns for the one thing she has never had: a family of her own. Unfortunately, her cold reception at her come-out years ago was a harsh reality check, and she knows no one will ever marry her. She is content now to be the comic relief of the party, the one men come to for advice on other women, the socialite everyone calls Merry--for surely, Lorelei is a ludicrous name for such a large and "well-endowed" woman.

Adrian Rutland doesn't think so. Viscount Dane, new to the ton and to the shores of England, spots her in the crowd. He is immediately entralled with Lorelei, and doesn't understand society's opinion of her at all. She is intelligent, witty, independent, and Adrian finds her beautiful. Perplexingly, the more this immensely attractive man pursues her, the more Lorelei backs away.

Events lead to a marriage of convenience, but that alone will not surmount Lorelei's negative self-image or her deep fear of rejection. And just as Adrian begins to make some headway, circumstances will force him to abandon his new wife, shattering her vulnerable heart all over again...

I thought this romance was a great hommage to large ladies everywhere. I felt the pain and isolation Merry was hiding behind her self-deprecating persona, and I understood the strong instinct of self-preservation that made her reject Dane. I loved Adrian for his patience in trying to get her to see herself as he did, and for nurturing her confidence. I appreciated that Byron did not make Adrian perfect, either, but gave him a few foibles, which included a boyish desire to be seen as a swashbuckling manly hero by his lady even though he wears glasses and can be a little awkward. The scene where he decides to dramatically sweep her up in his arms is hilarious...and realistic.

You will have to look for this book in used book stores or online, but it's worth it if you're looking for a heroine whose dimensions are more like the average woman's.

Rating:
Summary: This is one of those special romances
Review: Over a decade has passed since Baroness Loreli Wildwood scandalized society in 1802. By 1812, Loreli knows that she must have a respectable spouse if she is ever to bring back the honor her name and title deserves. Loreli also craves having a loving family of her own.

American Adrian Rutland arrives in London as an English nobleman, who feels like a lonely rustic colonialist when he appears among the sophisticated Ton. However, he finds himself feeling a lot better when he meets Loreli. Though the couple plan a marriage of convenience, sparks fly and ultimately they fall in love with each other. However war between their native lands is imminent and their new found love could be destroyed as a result of their divided loyalties.

ONLY IN MY DREAMS is a fun to read Regency romance that will thrill fans of the sub-genre and any reader who enjoys a marriage of convenience story line. Eve Byron shows her abundance of talent by freshening up the typical tale with insight from both sides on the pending Anglo-Atlantic War. The intrepid but scarred lead characters add much to the conflict, further turning this historical romance into must reading. Ms. Byron is quickly rising to the elite class of Regency authors.

Harriet Klausner