If Only In My Dreams [Mass Market Paperback]

Wendy Markham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2006

Imagine Clara McCallum's astonishment when she steps off an old-fashioned locomotive from a movie set and finds herself whisked back in time to 1941, and into the arms of Jed Landry, a man whom Clara has read about and studied, a man who is very much alive in 1941 but whom she knows will die a hero at Normandy three years later-or is it 62 years ago?

Clara's convinced it's some sort of hallucination, but before long she finds herself swept away by the handsome soldier, and wondering if maybe her plunge into the past could change the course of the future-and turn out to be the best Christmas present ever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Markham's latest winning romance, rising actress Clara McCallum has just landed the part of her dreams, starring in a WWII film as a woman in love with a doomed soldier named Jed Landry. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old thespian has also just been diagnosed with breast cancer, sending her into a spiral of regret and melancholy. While filming, she finds herself magically transported back in time to 1941, scant days before Pearl Harbor, where she meets the real-life Landry on whom her character's love interest is based. Naturally, she feels an instantaneous connection to him. Fleeing back to modern New York, McCallum realizes the depths of her feelings for Landry and must reconcile her need for modern cancer treatments against her need for Landry—and to save him from his fated death at Normandy. The fantastic setup is balanced with convincing period details and strong characters, and the story's conclusion is unexpectedly real and refreshing. Though it's a Christmas novel, Markham happily refrains from over-using the holiday's bells and whistles, making this a subtle, effective and enjoyable entry into the growing field of time-travel romance. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Markham, who has conquered the genres of chick lit and suspense (as Wendy Corsi Staub), now turns in a unique blend of romance, history, and fantasy. Clara McCallum finally gets her big break as an actress when she's cast as the romantic lead in a World War II-era epic, but the good news is accompanied by a frightening diagnosis of breast cancer. Though her doctor tells her it's treatable, Clara can't bring herself to tell those close to her and instead opts to go forth with filming. Her decision has unforeseen consequences when she boards a train for the set and ends up in New York in 1941 and meets the real-life Jed Landry, the soldier her character falls in love with in the movie. When Clara finds herself falling for Jed in the past, she's torn between saving his life and returning to the future to undergo treatments to save her own. Thoroughly original and unpredictable, Markham's latest is a delight. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Signet (December 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 045122003X
• ISBN-13: 978-0451220035
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keeper, December 30, 2006

By 

Janet (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Only In My Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

I would give this book 10 stars! It is one of, if not THE, best book I have read in a long time and I read up to 3, sometimes 4 books a week. A very heartwrenching, heartwarming, touching romance. I read it in one sitting, couldn't put it down. I cried at the end, something I rarely, if ever do with a book or movie. Thank goodness it was 2 a.m. when I finished it and was tired or I would have kept crying. I did fall asleep with tears in my eyes.

The story of Clara and Jed is a classic romance with a paranormal twist. DON'T MISS THIS EXCEPTIONAL BOOK!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If only in my dreams review, March 16, 2009

By 

Mehr (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Only In My Dreams (Signet Eclipse) (Paperback)

I just finished this book in one sitting. It is a wonderful, touching romance. The characters are lovable and this is a refreshing, beautifully written time travel romance. This is one of my favourite books and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A "must read"!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars, December 5, 2006

By 

AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: If Only In My Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

Actress Clara McCallum gets devastating news just as she's on top of the world and making her break as a star. Determined to carry on as well as she can despite the disease she has, Clara continues work on her movie about a hero of WWII; then, in a second's time, the movie set becomes reality, and she's in the world she's only supposed to be acting in. There, she meets Jed Landry, and like her character was supposed to, begins to fall in love with him. Even when she returns to her own time, both hearts and minds are filled with each other. Since Clara has figured out how to initiate the step between times, she does so, again and again, all the while knowing that the War that is responsible for her knowing about Jed is coming and will inevitably end their chances.

**** Despite the gloomy subjects of war and cancer, Clara's story is a heart-warming, uplifting tale. Though the mechanism of HOW Clara's leaps through time is never satisfactorily explained, it is possibly one of the most logically worked out time-travel romances to date. Grab a box of tissues and enjoy this feel good novel. ****

Amanda Killgore