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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Suspense With A Breath of Fresh Air !, October 18, 2002
This review is from: Only in My Dreams (Paperback)
"Only In My Dreams" kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put the book down. I was consumed with curiosity throughout the novel. Bravo to Rhonda Empson for a unique approach to life in the 12th Century. I felt as if I was in the midst of the action and was riveted until the very last page. I recommend it to all readers with a sense of compassion.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3 Stars of Romantic Fun!, August 9, 2004
This review is from: Only in My Dreams (Paperback)
My favorite genre in romance is time travel. I've just about read every one of them out there. This book was very dichotomous for me. On one hand, I loved the characters Lea and Beyar -- they both had such great qualities in their personalities, and I enjoyed seeing how they would get together. The general storyline was solid -- a girl is thrown back to the 12th century and must adapt to the cultural mores and to Lord Beyar. I liked it enough to read the entire book, because I was curious to see how it would end. Overall, it had the makings of a 5-star book!
The other side to this dichotomous book is where it earns the low amount of stars. There were spelling and grammatical errors galore! While reading this story, I grew frustrated that the author did not take more care in editing her work, or have a strong editor to review her work. Some of the spelling errors were just awful! Grammatically, if one is an award-winning author, one should be versed enough to know how commas are used, when words should be capitalized, and know that it is "just her and me" and not "just she and I." The FIRST PAGE of the story had two spelling errors, which tipped me off that I might be starting a potential disappointment. Granted, this might be Empson's first major novel, but that is why more care should have been placed on this potentional masterpiece.
Another flaw to the book -- minus the grammar and spelling -- was the lack of curiosity from Lord Beyar about Lea's past. If he were developing such strong feelings for her throughout the book, one would think he would want to know why she spoke differently, why she used slang and did not know any of the standard social customs of the 12th century. As a landowning lord of the 12th century, these men were very protective of their lands and their servants, so it came as quite a surprise that he never seemed to question where she came from (other than the pond where he found her). Furthermore, when Lord Richard disappeared at the end of the story, Beyar just blindly accepted that Lea was from 800 years in the future (no questioning whether she was sane or not) and that Richard was safe. Don't worry, there is a sequel to this book, so I'm not giving anything away.
The interaction between Beyar and Lea at the beginning of the book was just downright tacky. Lea sounded like she was using all of her one-liner insults on Beyar, as if she were a comedian on Comedy Central. After a while the barbs became boring, due to the constant "machine gun fire" of put-downs coming from Lea. Beyar did not really do anything to merit such insults. Instead of Lea being insulting and sarcastic to her rescuer, she should have been more confused, unsure of where she was, and a little scared that she was in a new place with a man who has a big horse and a sharp sword.
There were some great moments in this story! That is why it is so hard to give this book less stars than I would like. However, as a versed reader in time travel romances, I cannot help but be frustrated that Empson did not take more care in her book to ensure that it was a top-quality product before releasing it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
[AuthorZone] Book Review, July 18, 2003
This review is from: Only in My Dreams (Paperback)
It is 1141 when Lord Bayard is surprised to find a drowning woman in a pond. Lea, who entered the pool in the twentieth century is just as surprised to realize Bayard is a knight, horse, sword, medieval dress and all. Thus begin the misguided adventures for modern Lea and medieval Bayard. She meets Richard of the lovely smile, Sara who causes her much jealousy, Logan who claims to be Bayard's father. Captured by the lecherous Logan; Lea is held in a dark, dreary old farmhouse, guarded by thugs and determines to escape. Fearing that Bayard is dead Lea manages to kill Logan, escape the hovel where she has been held and make her way back to the pond where she entered this world. Returning to modern times and her former job as a secretary holds little appeal, however, without Bayard Lea figures life in this world is as bleak. A raging whirlpool is the conduit between the two worlds. Richard and Bayard leap into the water in an effort to rescue Lea. One of them returns to modern times, while the other two remain in an earlier day. I like this type of `from here to there and back again tale'. In Only In My Dreams Writer Empson has produced an estimable tale filled with dynamic characters, sure fire attention grabbing dialogue, setting and intrigue. The notion that we might be able to move from time to time, space to space is an intriguing one. Some writers are able to pull it off more convincingly than others. Writer Empson's Only In My Dreams is a dandy read. Only In My Dreams is a pleasantly puzzling account at times filled with Lea and her modernistic slang, profanity and reasoning resonating off of Bayard and his medieval methodology, palaver and thinking. The premise might have proven difficult to carry off. Writer Empson pulls it all together with aplomb. Logan is a dastardly fellow, Lea a likeable gal who learns to make the most of situations and Bayard a hero of the old type. All together the book is a fun, entertaining romp to be enjoyed on a lazy afternoon. Reviewed by: molly martin
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