Customer Reviews

Dream of Me/Believe in Me

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ive only read the first installment of this trilogy thus far, but I have to say that I enjoyed it immensely. Wolf was soooo sexy, and I liked the fact that although Cymbra was delicate, she wasnt helpless. The lovescenes were steamy and frequent, but what really stood out was when I was able to just sit back and enjoy watching them get to know one another.The food-fighting scene was one that I will never forget..one of the funniest Ive read in a long while. I would highly recommend reading this..I look forward to diving into Believe in Me next...

DREAM OF ME. The Vikings and the Saxons are at war as they have been for centuries. Viking leader Wolf Hakonson believes that the "Ice Princess" Lady Cymbra is the cause of the latest conflict. Leading his men on a raid of her castle, Wolf captures Cymbra, but quickly she melts his heart with her passion as love sets in between the duo.

BELIEVE IN ME. As a follow-up to the beginnings of peace started by the marriage of his sister Cymbra to the Viking, Lord Hawk weds Norsewoman Lady Krysta. He knows he must do whatever it takes to make this marriage of state work if he is to build on his sibling's success and further the cause of peace. However, the Saxon and the Viking never anticipated love to enter their relationship.

Readers gain two full historical novels for the price of one book as Bantam showcases the debut of Josie Litton's strong new sub-genre voice. Both books contain strong characters and resplendent details distinguishing the era when the Vikings and Saxons constantly fought one another. The story lines are well written, never slowing down with only one problem. If readers are as selfish and hedonistic as this reviewer, they would have wanted a triplet rather than wait a whole month for book three.

Harriet Klausner

I thoroughly enjoyed DREAM OF ME. I listened to it on tape and played it everywhere I went on my walkman. Wolf kidnaps the beautiful Cymbra for the sake of peace among the Saxon and Norse clans. He had originally requested she accept him but when his letter was rejected he took her by force. One writer said that they were too perfect and nothing to write home about. I beg to differ. Sometimes some stories are so incredibly full of strife that they get so exasperating. This story reminds me of the many written by Julie Garwood... my favorite all time historical writer. As for BELIEVE IN ME... I did enjoy the characters although I wasn't thrilled about Krysta's beliefs that she was not a normal human being. I have a hard time reading about what in my mind is fantasy. Thorgold and Raven's presence would have been fine if they weren't magical. I'm not into magic... that's fake. Nevertheless, Hawks sister Daria does things in the first book but all is discovered in the second. I have just started reading Come Back to Me and have no doubt it will be another winner.. provided there aren't any wizards.

WOW! I bought this/these books becase I thought I was getting a bargin ** Two Books for the price of one **.

Well I sure was surprised -- These stories are great! LOVE those Vikings !!!! I still havn't figured out which I loved the best...

Anyway, 1st book DREAM OF ME was the most beautiful book I've ever read (and yes I do read alot). The story just moved along with lots of funny, touching, loving, friendly stuff that we all enjoy and are the reasons for us reading. If you love male charaters that express and say the way they feel you need to read this. Wolf is great telling Cymbra how he feels about her all the time not just when they are making love; the show of affection is awsome. I even read some to my hubby for a little advice -- he laughed and asked if i could make some photo copies for him to practice. Don't ya just love a husband who wants to please.

Believe in Me was great also. Hawk held my heart in his hands the whole book.

I am currently reading the thrid book in the series Dream of Me and looking at those reviews I know I won't be disappointed.

Anyone who reads Romance should not miss these beautiful stories.
Congrats Ms. Litton on you first novels
Sorry it took me a while to find you.
I'm hooked! Can't wait to read all you've got out......

Normally, I'm not a big fan of romances set in medieval times. But "Dream of Me" completely exceeded my expectation that I had to go out and buy "Return to Me" so I can read the entire trilogy over the Christmas holidays. What is so great about this book is that the author never succumbed to the pitfalls that plagued so many of the romances of this kind. Both the hero and heroine are extremely intelligent and noble people deserving of each other's love, and even though they come from warring clans, they were always willing to talk to each other about their concerns and differneces. They were willing to work on their relationship even though they only came together for political reaons, and when every time something happens that screams "silly misunderstanding", the author always manages to sidestep that and come up with original and satisfying ways of resolving the issue.

As a sequel to "Dream of Me", "Believe in Me" pales somewhat in comparison. The hero failed to distinguish himself from Hawk, and the heroine often seem too preoccupied with her secrets. Her worries are sympathetic during the first part of the book, but towards the end her preoccupation started to get grating. It was this book that lowered my rating from 5 stars to 3 stars.

I tried. I really tried to get into this book because the reviews were all positive. But the problem for me was that this had all happened before in a hundred other books. There was nothing original happening. I couldn't get pass the first half of the first book. Yeah, yeah, yeah... Viking is the biggest, tallest and most handsome (yawn). Viking kidnaps Saxon. Viking takes Saxon back to Norway. Viking has brother (or father, or friend) who is sidekick. Saxon is good, kind, beautiful and boring. The author seemed to take parts from other books to come up with the storyline but then had nothing to give the story to make it her own. She didnt add any personality or uniqueness to either the hero or heroine's character. Nothing to make them seem like real people. No in depth descriptions to show her writing flair. I don't mind so much if the language is not totally accurate, if the writer can make me believe. But alas... Nothing. The phrasing was horrible. Using words any amateur would know was not in keeping with the times. This book did absolutely nothing for me and yet I still tried to get through it. Even after the Saxon (forgot her name) punched the Viking in the face. Oh yeah, really? Like that really happened? Give me a break. You couldn't even get a sense of her personality or his either. I like to envision the surroundings. I like for the writer to make me feel the wind, see the forest, sense the atomosphere. Put me there. Make me care. None of that was present in this book. Very Shallow and one-dimensional. If you want a Viking book with a real story, a real viking that you get into then read Dawnfire by Lynn Erickson. If you want a viking book with a real heroine with a unique personality then read Fires of Winter or Hearts Aflame by Johanna Lindsay and if you want a true viking love story, brilliantly written then read Tara's Song by Barbara Ferry Johnson. If you want to read Historical Romances by a gifted writers then read anything by Marsha Canham, Jo Beverly. Kathleen Woodiwiss or Monica Mcarty. This writer Josie Litton needs to go back to the drawing board.

of course im referring to Wolf in Dream of Me. he's just the sort of guy that you'd want to cuddle up to. actually, he reminds me so much of the heroes in julie garwood's historical romances--gruff, dangerous to his enemies, but such a lily-liver when it comes to his wife. and Cymbra is simply adorable. they are perfect for each other.

Dream of Me is such a beautifully written story. There's enough passion, romance, and humor to make it a keeper in your shelf.

Believe in Me is somehow eclipsed by the former story. there were times when i was left wondering where the tender humor has gone. the hero is somehow more subdued and not as compelling as Wolf. i felt too that this follow-up story was written in haste. BUT, all-in-all, it still aint bad. the tumultuous emotional quandary that the heroine feels driven to overcome was wonderfully depicted by Ms. Litton.

Dream of Me/Believe in Me, two stories in one book it's fabulous.
Dream of Me is the story of Wolf and Cymbra. Wolf abducts Cymbra after she has rejected his suit of marriage and peace between their people in an insulting way. Wolf wanted to abduct her and make her his shamed slave but in the voyage home he gets to know her and he believes her when she says she wasn't informed of he's suit of marriage. So he decides to marry her. They marry and you see how their love develops and you don't feel like you want to hit someone on the head. Hawk Cymbra's brother is enraged at his sisster's abduction and swears to get her back. The problem is she's happy and she doesn't want to go back. Hawk isn't sure if she's telling the truth or if she's forced. What will he do? How will wolf react? This Book is Highly Recommended.
Believe in Me is the story of Hawk Cymbra's brother and marriages for peace continues. Hawk is to marry lady Krysta. Lady Krysta sends her attendants before her and Hawk finds himself strangely attracted to her maid. The maid is Lady Krysta in disguise wishing to find out about her fiancé's true colors. What will Hawk say about this deception? Another great romance. I recommend that you also buy the last book in the trilogy together Come Back to Me. Since only then will you find out who is the one responsible for the problems between the Vikings and Saxons. Example who rejected the letter Wolf sent to Hawk asking for Cymbra's hand.

I have read the trilogy. Dream of me is fabulous and is the only romance book that I have actually re-read over and over. I loved the story between Wolf and Cymbra. It is by far the most real development of true love between two characters that I have read. I felt part of something very special. Cymbra was a true heroine, embracing her dubious, scary fate with courage and dignity to find true happiness. But only after learning about each other and growing together by fighting external and internal battles, did they bond. It seemed very true to me, and even had a Romeo and Juliet quality at the end until they were reunited with a baby born to boot. Now the second book and the third book's love stories paled in comparison and followed a formula. The men were not the strong, reserved Viking type waiting to finally experience tenderness in life after so much ugliness. They were polished Englishmen types. That was okay for Hawk, but Dragon is a Viking and should not be so soft. At least he was not that soft in Book I. The heroines, Kyrsta and Rycca were cut out of a mold as well. Both were disowned by their families, meeting their fiances, who they were magnetically attracted to and had great sex with before marriage. Sex made the men want to marry the women even more, yet both heroines initially ran from marriage for contrived reasons. In Book 2, Krysta kept saying she would ruin Hawk because of her mother's relationship with her father, very Freudian of her. In book 3 Rycca initially ran from Dragon after sex because she thought he would get in trouble for taking her virginity. Then when she realized he was actually her betrothed, she ran cos she was embarrassed by her actions. Forced into marriage by duty, they begin a strained, sexless marriage, but they rekindle their relationship during their voyage back home to Norway. She asks Dragon to be physical with her again and he agrees. All seems on the right track. But then later that night after their second wedding celebration, she surprizingly and furiously rebels against Dragon's sexual advances, in a nutshell, because she's afraid of losing control by having too many orgasms that his artful sex instruction will undoubtedly give her. COME ON!! I couldn't believe it, and promplty stopped reading the book. I can only take so much ridiculous whinning from any given herione, before I want the hero to throw her out and find a real woman to love. I did glance through the rest of the book to see how the conspiracy plot against the Saxon/norse alliance resolved. And I read the Cymbra/Wolf scenes to see how they were doing. The only heroine in this trilogy that had a good reason to run from her husband's embrace was Cymbra, who had kidnapped by Wolf. Interestingly enough she embraced her forced marriage, let herself feel her budding sexual attraction and floated into love while gently taming her warrior/lover. That's a woman. And Wolf earned her love. Dream of Me is must read. The sequels are a read if you want to keep in touch with the story without the magic.

This book and the ones that follow it are wonderful, romantic stories with much love. Having read hundreds of romance novels, Josie Littons book are among the best and most satisfying. Our of the 6 books she has written so far, I like Dream of Me the best -- but read all of them. Wolf, Dragon and Hawk are the kind of heroes I love to read about.