Customer Reviews

If Only In My Dreams

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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"!

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

In New York City, Dr. Swensen informs Clara McCallum that she has breast cancer; the shook up actress wants to go home, but knows she must remain in the City to film a movie while also beginning treatment. Her film role calls for her to be in love with a real American hero, Jed Landry of Westchester County who died in Normandy.

On the set, Clara rides an early twentieth century train, but when she gets off something is not right. Instead of being on a movie set, she is somehow in 1941 New York seeing the real Jed. Both are stunned by their love at first sight attraction, but by morning she returns to Manhattan to start the cancer treatment. As each think about the other, both wonder how to get back into each other's arms.

This is an excellent time travel romance because the likable lead pair seems real as they spend plenty of time separately in different eras resolving personal issues and trying to figure out a way to get back with their beloved. The story line is driven by Clara and Jed though more her than him. Fans will appreciate this superb tale as Jed struggles with IPods playing I'll Be Home for Christmas, just which era remains the question.

Harriet Klausner

I was very captivated by this book. though I do wish Mis Markham would have left God's name out of it that she carelessly used time and again. I do love time travel books, that is back to the past. It gets the character out of this whirlwind of a century. The second time she went back she actally enjoyed and appreciated it this time. But the ending was so disappointing! If Jed was leaving the family anyway to enlist six months later, Clara could have gone back to get him then, since she had to stay in her century to save her life. Think what a great second book that wouls have made, bringing Jed into her world. No heartbreak! After all, he knew he was never going to see his family again in his world if he believed Clara.

Though I am generally not swayed by the romance of time travel books this one is a real keeper. It has just the right mix of dark reality of life (cancer, war, etc.) and romance. It has a persuasive and excellent plot logic. I couldn't put it down and it stayed in my thoughts for months after I read it the first time -- I cannot say the same for the vast majority of books I've read. It is a must read and in my case a must RE-read! I just wish it were out on Kindle.

Several years ago I was reading romance books rather regularly, then I got tired of the repetitive plots and bundled them all off to the library except for a half-dozen select few. This one is a keeper: the story of actress Clara McCollum, who's about to start filming the plum role of the sweetheart of Jed Landry, a real-life World War II soldier who died in Normandy. But Clara has just received a medical blow: she has breast cancer. She is in mental turmoil when she steps onto the vintage train they are using in the movie--then the train jerks and she is thrown to the floor. When she rises and gets off the train, she is in 1941, and there waiting to help her is the real Jed Landry.

This is a well-written time-travel romance that I found enjoyable, and not just due of the time period. Markham works all aspects of the past and present plot into a coherent whole.

I have one tiny quibble with the story: part of the plot specifically hinges on the line in the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas": "...and presents on the tree." Both Clara in the present and Jed Landry in 1941 wonder why the line is not "...under the tree" and says it makes no sense. But Jed is old enough to remember when some gifts were part of the Christmas tree decorations; I have books written in the 1930s and 1940s where gifts are placed ON the Christmas tree as they had been during Victorian times. Early gifts were small and placed on the tree, along with cookies and candy. The fun part of Christmas morning was getting to "plunder" the tree. While re-usable decorations had mostly replaced this custom by 1940, traditionalists still put small gifts, cookies and candy on the tree up to the 1950s.

Clara McCallum is a 29 year old attress who just found out that she had brest cancer. At the same time she finds out that she has cancer she is making a movie set in the 1940's. It is a true story about 12 men in a small town who all died fighting in Normandy. The main character is a man named Jed.

While doing location shooting for the movie she and some of the other actors are on a train from NYC to the small town the 12 men came from when something interesting happened. While Clara is standing on the train it stoppes short and she hits her head. Shortly after she gets off the train she is confussed when she sees real snow on the ground instead of movie snow (and the weather was predicted to be in the 50's with rain) and the condo that she had seen on a hill outside of town disapeared as if by magic.

Clara takes a walk and during her walk she happens into a general store. The man behind the counter introduces himself as Jed. Clara is confused about this as well as the fact that the items in the store were all from the 1940's. At first she thinks that this is something to do with the head injury. After a while though she starts to realize that she is not going crazy-that she really is in December 1941. Because of the cancer she knows she has to go home, and figures out that the train had something to do with it.


She goes back to her time, but wants to go back because she there was a contection between the two. She wants to go back, but it takes her about a week before she can.

When Clara left she left behind a bag (that included an ipod) She had her liscence in the bag so Jed thought he knew how to find her. He went to the address listed on her liscence. Instead of meeting Clara he met a Japanese boy named Ishamu ( who still lives in the same place 60 years later and is Clara's landlord).

After the first visit Clara takes the train to go back to visit Jed. Jed was happy to see her, but Ishamu and the Ipod made him suspecious sge might be a spy. Clara spends a week with Jed and they begin an affair, and Clara explains about everything. Jed believes her because she tells him about Pearl Harbar before it happens. She also trys to tell him about the ipod, which is a very interesting proposition. Even though they fall in love Clara knows that they have to say goodbye and Jed tells her that he will try to find her.

During this time there are some other interesting things happening. A new guy moved into the apartment and he and Clara become friends. Shorlty afterward Christmas presents start to come, and an older woman starts coming around to try to talk to Clara, as well as a director who has an interesting connecting to the real Jed.

All in all a very interesting, powerful book.

I read all the time, but this has to be my favorite book. I am obsessed with the 1940's, so when I found out that part of this book was set in that time period, I had to read it. It was really easy to get attached to the characters. I'd definitely recommend it.

I am surprised to read all these raving reviews. The author spent too much time in explaining the time travel and too many pages on heroine's needing counseling to deal with the fact she time traveled. The ending is suspiciously similar to "A Knight In Shining Armor" by Jude Devereaux. For those of you who like time travel romance, check it out.