Customer Reviews

What Dreams May Come (Berkley Sensation)

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

 

 

KNIGHTLY DREAMS: Taryn Edwards' car has broken down by the side of the road and she is waiting for a tow truck. This has not been Taryn's day. She has just found out that her boyfriend Rob has been cheating on her. Taryn spies a shopping mall across the street from where her car has broken down. She decides to shop while waiting for the tow truck. She spots a small bookstore and goes in to see what she can find to read. Esther, the elderly sales woman, suggests Taryn take a certain romance novel Knightly Dreams home to read and the real magic begins!

KNIGHTLY DREAMS is by Sherrilyn Kenyon. All of Ms. Kenyon's characters fly right off the pages into your mind and caress the soul with unending appeal there are no exceptions. The Earl of Ravensmoor and Taryn are true soulmates without a time frame to guide them. They are there for our pleasure. Their love scenes are a carnal connoisseur's delight and one we all would love to partake in. The dialogue and thought sequences are flawlessly integrated and intensify Ms. Kenyon's special qualities and style of expression. This reader will never tire of Ms. Kenyon's snappy one-liners or her sharp wit! Knightly Dreams is an excellent example of a tale of love and one's quest in searching out how to write their own piece of history.

SHATTERED DREAMS: Miranda and Caleb have been friends and more for years. They went their separate ways when she was sixteen and he was seventeen. Neither has ever forgotten the other. Each has keep track of the other as they have gone on in their pursuits. They have a special bond that links them together. It is this bond that transports Caleb telepathically into Miranda's truck that is ready to go over the side of a mountain. This was no accident; someone is trying to kill Miranda. Who would want to harm Miranda and why?

SHATTERED DREAMS is by Rebecca York. This powerfully moving love story is orchestrated with the poised force of Ms. York's well-publicized pen. It will keep you glued to the book and turning page after page! This story has a heart stopping effect that will have you holding your breath. It picks up the pace at just the right time. Ms. York has worked magic to bring Caleb and Miranda to the forefront of your mind. What a fantastic story to have centered in this anthology. This story is so believable; your palms might begin to perspire!

THE ROAD OF ADVENTURE: Jake Forbes is a dead police officer. He has not realized this yet. Jake thinks he is dreaming but it is real, he is dead! Jake did not live his life to it's full potential while on earth. Jake arrives at the Atrium, a place not quite Heaven, and meets Shauna who has also departed from this world. Will Jake make good on his second time around? Can he and Shauna fulfill their true destinies? Well, only this story can tell you that and this reader is not letting the cat out of the bag.

THE ROAD OF ADVENTURE is by Robin D. Owens. Ms. Owens has set her own standards and rules for her stories. This is quite evident and infused in this tale. This story sings of a brilliant imagination and amazing freshness.

Ms. Owens creates a storyline and dialogue with a language, which she can only invoke. What a beautiful soul Shauna is to behold, but she too, is lacking something. While Jake can be a jerk at times, in his heart lurks a determined and loving man. Can they both learn together? Ms. Owens definitely has an affinity for animals, which this reviewer loved! This story is a true testament to Ms. Owens' literary talents, magnificent!

WHAT DREAMS MAY COME is a dream come true anthology to read and review! All three stories threaded together to create wonderful memories for this reader. The characters and storylines are vivid and memorable. They could not have found three better authors to pair-up to make this outstanding anthology! This is a first 5 hearts review for an anthology this reviewer has ever given. It is a flawless book! Do not hesitate to buy this at your local bookstore and/or online store. A wonderfully remarkable paranormal compilation called... WHAT DREAMS MAY CAME.

Reviewed by © Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2005
Courtesy of Love Romances www.loveromances.com

"Knightly Dreams" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. After catching her boyfriend Rob Carpenter in a position with his secretary that would make them the centerfold lovers of the Karma Sutra, Taryn Edwards swears off love. That is until Esther the bookstore owner introduces her to an old fashioned knight in shining armor, Sparhawk the Brave. That is literature so how come he is by her side and she is in love.

"Shattered Dreams" by Rebecca York. Near Monterrey, California Miranda Grove feels alone while her once teenage lover Caleb Marcuso sculptures her in stone to replace the flesh and blood he still desires even though several years have passed since their families separated them. Yet they share a psychic connection perhaps because their love never stopped flowing, but will that prove enough to bring them together before as she knows only he can save her from an evil trying to kill her?

"Road of Adventure" by Robin D. Owens. Jake thought Boris the cat is the ugliest creature he ever saw. When the feline talked to Jake he almost soiled his underwear. Boris is back from the beyond to fix an error he inadvertently caused during one of his lives. Jake and Shauna were supposed to be lovers forever, but somehow failed in spite of their destiny. The ghostly cat plans to give them a second chance together in love on the "Road of Adventure".

These are three fabulous fantasy romances that enable the audience to escape into a world where the reading is fun, fine, and fantastic.

Harriet Klausner

"Road of Adventure" by Robin D. Owens, is not one of her Celta tales, but it does have a charming irrepressible Cat - BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRISSSSSS. Boris is a ghost cat, more specifically an angel cat, even though Jake thinks he is the ugliest creature he's ever laid eyes upon. Borrrrrrriiiissssssssss belongs to Shauna, a gentle soul, loves growing things and animals, why she thinks Boris is beautiful! Boris cannot get his real angel wings - mine mine mine mine mine mine mine - until he brings Jake and Shauna together. Boris very desperately wants his wings and his golden halo, but sniffs at Jake as the possible mate for Shauna. HIS Shauna is much too good for the macho cop. They were destined to find their fates together, but something happened, and each took a wrong turn and died. Now with their guide Borrrisssssssssss, they are sent back, Jack to do it again and hopefully get it right. It's a delightful tale with Boris stealing the show, but isn't that natural??? Worthy buying for Owens tale alone.

Rebecca York has been a long time fav of mine with her consistent work for Harlequin and now her werewolf series. Again, she comes through with a delightful tale called "Shattered Dreams". Miranda often thinks of her teenage love Caleb. Once he sculpted her in stone. Despite time and separation, Caleb still wants Miranda. Their bond that defies all calls him to save the women he once loved before from an evil wanting to claim her life.

Sherrilyn Kenyon gives us a charming tale, though the weakest of the three, about "Knightly Dreams". As with all Kenyon tales read for the charm of the story not for the historical accuracy. When she catches her boyfriend with his secretary doing the Wild Thang, Tayrn is ready to put males on the endangered species list. Then a bookstore owner shows her a real knight in shining armour. It really stretches the imagination a tad. He is in a book, and suddenly he is there and she adores him. Face it, if that's all it took, J.D. Robb's Roarke would be giving me a massage right now!

Once upon a time, Miranda was in love, but somehow, things did not work out; now when someone is trying to kill her, her hope of salvation is as dangerous and the peril in which she finds herself. She must risk her heart and life both to trust the man who left her with "Shattered Dreams by Rebecca York, a tale that will stretch your imagination.

Robin D Owens will tickle any cat lover's fancy, as an ill tempered, talking, angel cat, Boris, assists two lovers in getting a second shot at life and love in "Road of Adventure".

Taryn has given up on her dreams of love, she certainly is not having any "Knightly Dreams, until straight from the pages of a book, a handsome man in chain mail steps into her life. He has one week to make her love him, or be doomed to live out the dreams of a twit, trapped inside a book for eternity. This is Sherrilyn Kennyon's best work ever, one that will strike a chord with anyone who has latent dreams of being a writer.

**** Three bestselling authors come together to give readers a gift. Be sure and add this book to your must buy list. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

****½ "Knightly Dreams" by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
In a nutshell, a medieval romance novel hero begs a local witch to give him a way out of marrying the insipid heroine. Very clever & inventive. I loved the concept, and the interactions between the characters, especially the clashes between their world-views. It would have been 5 stars except for the dull sex scenes. I got the impression that all 3 authors in this anthology were told to write lots of sex scenes. *sigh*

****½ "Shattered Dreams" by Rebecca York.
High school sweethearts are reunited when the hero's psychic abilities put him in the heroine's head when she's in a car crash. There are a lot of twists for a novella-length story, with the psychic angle and the suspense of trying to figure out who's got it in for the heroine, not to mention the romance and the hero needing to come to terms with his own feelings about his psychic abilities, & the sex scenes don't overpower the story.

**** "Road of Adventure" by Robin D. Owens.
Another smart-aleck cat in this take-off of Heaven Can Wait. Not her best, but still a fun read. The hero, heroine, and cat all die at the beginning (not a usual start for a romance!), and since they hadn't accomplished what they were supposed to, they were offered a do-over. Along with the cat, who was very concerned about getting his crown and wings and Road of Adventure, and the romance, there was a definite theme of taking risks, particularly as it applies to falling in love.



I loved all these stories, and heartily recommend What Dreams May Come.

This was a wonderful book of what happens when you allow your dreams to take reign, and follow them. Three very good authors, two that are automatic buys for me, Sherrilyn Kenyon and Robin D. Owens, and Rebecca York who is another author I enjoy very much.

Kind of a devation from the usual for all three authors, but wonderful tales woven with the fabric of words. The first is a woman's own Cover Modle come to life, and now she has to rewrite the story ending to keep him. But first she has to learn to put aside her secure life as an accountant and find the dreamer in herself. In the second story a young woman is injured in a car carsh. Her old boyfriend "sees" the crash in a vision. He used to be connected to her, but after their break up, he had buried his gift. Now he has to use it to go into her mind in her coma to bring her back. But he is fighting someone in his family who is trying to keep her in that coma. The third story is of risk and love. Three beings die on the same day. A cop, a landscaper, and a cat. The cat was supposed to make sure the cop and the landscaper met in life, but he didn't want to give up her love. Now the two humans have a choice, they can go back to the day of their death and try again, to finish learning their life lessons. They agree, and meet and fall in love. The hard part our hero is learning that he is not just charming and sexy, but that he can be real and be loveable at the same time.

I like all of these authors' works. I would even say that Kenyon and Owens are on my "must buy" list when their new books come out. However, I was disappointed to spend this much money on this little content. Minimal plots, and in Owens' case, rehashing of previous ideas (from her "Heart" series -- Fam cats)led to, at best, an OK read, and at worst, just plain confusing or boring reading. I suggest borrowing the book from a friend or library and save your money for the authors' next novels. I will admit that I may be a harsher critic than most; I'm a fast reader and I've read so many books (romance, horror, fantasy, science fiction, nonfiction, etc.)over the years that my tolerance toward an average to below-average read has flagged recently.

but I've also spent it in better ways.

I got an advanced reader's copy of this, so I hope it's the same as the full publication.

The first story, "Knightly Dreams" by Sherrilyn Kenyon is quite a strange fantasy. Taryn has just an awful day - awful! - and decides to indulge in brain candy in the form of a fabio romance. Much to her surprise, the hero of the story she's reading ends up coming to life, off the pages. The ensuing story encapsulates quite a strange idea, but almost pulls it off to believable.

"Shattered Dreams" by Rebecca York was, to me, not interesting enough to finish. I tried, honest I did. But the plot and the characters didn't hold me. Miranda, the heroine, is the target of assassins, and our hero the artist is her one hope. There's back story and plot and maybe... just too much to try to put into a short story.

The final story, "Road of Adventure" was the neatest premise to me. Jake and Shauna start out dead. That's right, dead. They're being given a chance to fix their lives. Their spirit guide, a mangy cat, is the only thing in the story that kinda annoyed me. I'm a total dog person.

(*)>

If you have read the reviews for this book you know you either love it or hate it. I didn't hate it but it is definitely not one of the better anthologys. The premise of dreams should tell you most of these are somewhat surreal. Now fantasy I love, but all three tales are alittle over the top.

Sherrily Kenyon's reminded me somewhat of Fantasy Lover until I think she lost her way and had to improvise the end. I was disappointed, most of her stories are stand alone good.

Rebecca York's tale of lovers parted by evil was better and I liked the physic connection.

Robin Owens tale was good too. Not great as we expect from her but interesting. I just found the fact that they remembered their previous death and visit to (?) heaven, was alittle to easy for them.

This book is not worth what it costs. Wait until you can borrow it or buy a used copy. This is just my opinion.

I find this book reminds me of early romance novels where to heroines find their "knight in shinning armor". The conflict is more about creating a relationship while outside influences are coming between the couples. It is a nice easy read for those days when you just want to just have a quiet evening of relaxation.