Customer Reviews

Topaz Man Presents: A Dream Come True

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

 

 

They saved the best for last

Dream Lover - by Jennefer Blake
This is a time travel that takes place in New Orleans. It had a spooky feel and the characters were fine but somehow it just didn't click with me. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Love for Sail - by Shirl Henke
I HATED this story. A beautiful virgin working and living in a brothel run by an amoral madam. The girl is totally at the madam's mercy yet we are suppose to believe she has been there five years without being forced into sexual slavery? Give me a break! The sea captain (love interest) is one of the brothel's best customers (big yuck!). I would give it 0 stars.

Old Love and Lilac Lace - by Becky Lee Weyrich
Not a terrible story but very bland with bland characters. I also had trouble understanding what happened at the end. I would give it 2 stars.

Journey of the Heart - by Anita Mills
I had almost given up on this book when I got to this story. I'm so glad I kept going. This story is wonderful. Ms. Mills manages to wrench an amazing amount of emotion out of this short story. Wonderful characters and plot and the ending will bring tears to your eyes. Definitely one of the best (if not best) short romances I have ever read.

Cheyenne Dream Catcher - by Georgina Gentry
This story also brought tears to my eyes, but they were tears of laughter. What a good and funny story! I loved the ending too. And the dialog during the sex scene was a scream (although I'm not sure the author meant it to be funny). I would give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I would definitely recommend this book for the last two stories. Note to publisher - Please stop putting embarrassing pictures on the cover of these books!!!!!

Giving an overall rating to an anthology is always VERY difficult. Some stories hit and some miss. Yet, I always enjoy anthologies, because you USUALLY come across an unfamiliar author . . . someone new and satisfying.

THE TOPAZ MAN PRESENTS: A DREAM COME TRUE was an anthology released in March of 1994, five stories by some of romance's "bigger stars" . . .

1). Jennifer Blake: "DREAM LOVER." - Rating: 9 (5 Stars).
Modern day real-estate agent, Erina Littlefield, lives a fantasy. Her mind fabricates the perfect hero, the perfect man, the perfect lover - she calls him Sinclair. Now she stands staring, in disbelief, at an old oil painting. Her desire had really lived . . . once . . . but in another age, in another time. Shockingly, her dream lover is St. Clair Nicholas Antoine Rouquette. Date of birth: August 3, 1815.

Jennifer Blake creates a beautiful love story in DREAM LOVER. This truly is a polished short story with just enough tender essence to bring the reader to a most satisfying conclusion.

2). Shirl Henke: "LOVE FOR SAIL." - Rating: 8 (4 Stars).
Samantha Goode and her twin brother live in San Francisco's Barbary Coast. They are poor and make their way by working in the kitchen of a brothel. The madam decides Samantha Goode should learn the house trade and offers her to Captain Kit Warfield and the frolic begins!

What can I say, Shirl Henke's story was just really dumb, yet it was fun. Yes, LOVE FOR SAIL is entertaining, but don't expect a lot, even the ending is noticeably corny. Yet I turned the pages, I read the words, I found I JUST had to finish this surprisingly enjoyable short story!

3). Becky Lee Weyrich: "OLD LOVE AND LILAC LACE." - Rating: 6 (3 Stars).
In rough, coastal water surrounding Georgia's Jekyll Island, Paxton Carmichael died pursuing his love, Lydia Bennington Aynsley. Generations later Lydia Winslow (the great-granddaughter) receives an invitation inviting her to the coastal isle - the Jekyll Island Club Hotel is celebrating a special anniversary. Upon arrival, Lydia struggles with feelings of deja vu. At first she resists the strange feelings but then indulges the haunting memories.

Becky Lee Weyrich wrote a touching tale in OLD LOVE AND LILAC LACE, but at every angle, at every turn, this reader wondered why they used the great-granddaughter! Why couldn't it be Paxton's genuine love - the real Lydia Bee? The author explains the great-grandmother was too weary and too old to return. Upon death, why couldn't Lydia Bee grow young again. Imaging Paxton loving another woman dampened the romance. Yes, the new Lydia was a descendant, but so what? In romance . . . true love MUST BE TRUE.

4). Anita Mills: "JOURNEY OF THE HEART." - Rating: 6 (3 Stars).
Anita Mills begins this regency tale in her usual poignant fashion. Georgina Esmond is the daughter of a duke, a man who despises her and wishes her out of his life. Max Durant is the boy who loves Georgina as a child, the man who loves Georgina as a woman, and the husband who helps Georgina find love and happiness. Although JOURNEY OF THE HEART starts with a bang, it falters. A pleasant story but it seemed to run out of room . . . it seemed too crammed for its short story outline.

5). Georgina Gentry: "CHEYENNE DREAM CATCHER." - Rating: 9 (5 Stars).
Now this was fun - a bit of a stretch, but fun. New Jersey native, Sharyl Nuemann, is enjoying the sights and sounds of Oklahoma, hoping to capture a little of the fantasy blazing from her favorite romance books. Not only does she capture the fantasy, but she actually lives the enchanting dream, finding love and romance with her very own elite Cheyenne warrior. Georgina Gentry does a great job with CHEYENNE DREAM CATCHER, turning this fanciful confrontation into an amusing read.

MaryGrace Meloche

If you love time travel stories then this book should be on your must have list. The Jennifer Blake story is my ALL TIME FAVORITE!!!