Dream a Little Dream

I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night, and I hold SEP fully responsible. I was about halfway through Dream a Little Dream when I went to bed, and do you think she'd let up a little so I could go to sleep? No. She even... (and I really hate to admit this) made me cry. I haven't met the woman, though I've heard stories HERE and HERE, and maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I didn't think she'd be the type to begrudge someone a few hours of sleep. Guess I was wrong.

(yes, I'm silly this morning--I only got about 5 hours of sleep! Weren't you paying attention?)

Anyway. The book. I was tearing up in the first 50 pages. What kind of sadist writes a little kid saying "Now, mommy? Are we going to die now?" God. And of course she had show more to go and make the characters compelling and interesting people that I really cared about.

Rachel is the widow of a charlatan televangelist. She and her 5-year-old son are homeless, living in their car. She's made her way back to their hometown in search of the money her husband had left hidden, and finds that people there have long memories and are not inclined to forgive what's left of a man who betrayed them all.

The only job she can find is helping angry recluse Gabe rebuild a drive-in movie theater. Gabe had lost his wife and son to a drunk driver two years before, and he wants nothing to do with a woman and child who remind him of what he's lost. Yet he can't bring himself to turn her away, particularly not when even his brother, the town's pastor, refuses to show her any compassion.

It's an intense story of a man who's given up, and a woman who refuses to.

There's just so much right with this story, I don't know where to begin. I normally don't like children in romances--they're almost never realistic with regard to their ages, and they tend to conveniently disappear for chapters at a time. That doesn't happen here. Rachel's son is a five-year-old boy for whom the only permanent thing in his life is his mother.

Likewise, Rachel's desperation and determination, and Gabe's despair and buried anger are very real.

And it doesn't stop there. The townspeople, most of them bitter and angry, yet professing themselves to be good Christians. Again, very real. And, surprisingly, they're not written as a criticism of religion--they're just human. Fallible, understandable.

There's even a secondary romance, between Pastor Ethan and his long-time friend and secretary Kristy, and they both have to grow and change for it to work.

I'm used to SEP's books being a little lighter--in the same way as Jennifer Crusie's: laughter over pain. Dream a Little Dream isn't like that. But it just proves what I've thought for a long time. Good writing is good writing, and almost always, if I like how an author writes one kind of book, I'll like how she writes another. show less

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨

First Impressions
Dream a Little Dream is the fourth installment in the "Chicago Stars" series and I absolutely had a blast show more with this one. My previous read had been such a hardship, so to jump into this one and be immediately entertained was the best feeling ever. I absolutely fell hard for this one and thi narrator really pulled me into the story right way. The first impressions into this story is that we have a small town setting, a character that is the pariah and some fabulous sexual tension due to the build up of our main characters being so opposite in personality from each other. There is also a side romance featuring the third brother Ethan so that was a plus because I was hoping we would see him get a HEA as well.

First Line
The last of Rachel Stone's luck ran out in front of the Pride of Carolina Drive-In.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Gabe Bonner
Widowed Gabe and tortured over the loss of his late wife and son in a car accident. A bit of a lone wolf, enjoys his suffering and doesn't feel he needs anyone but to be left alone.

The Heroine: Rachel Stone
Single mother, treated like a pariah due to the man she was married to. Determined to get a solid life for her son, no matter what it takes.

Summary
Rachel has come back to town with her five year old son. She was once married to a preacher who was a con man who is now dead. But she is to be blamed for his sins, sins that he kept from her most of their marriage. And now her son is a quiet boy who is still recovering from a bout of pneumonia and she has come back to find the hidden fortune her husband left here so she can get a life set up for herself and her son most especially. But they are living in her car and she needs to find a protector until she can locate what she needs. She then runs into Gabe Bonner, who is grumpy and doesn't want her or her son near, but he grudginly allows her to work for him and slowly sparks fly between them and something more builds. But Rachel doesn't plan on staying, but when she and her son find themselves finding a home in this little town, she is having to make a decision on the home they have built here and if her love for Gabe is worth fighting for...

What I Loved
This book....sigh...this one just delivered completely for me and gave me exactly what I needed. I was coming off a disappointed read and this book completely delivered all the way in what I needed. There is something about thi author's writing that is just catnip for me. I am not sure what it is, but I swear this is like romance drug to me that delivers such a high. The banter and chemistry that is mixed in together with the reads that this author writes packs quite a punch. I adored all the characters here. I loved the inner strength that we see from Rachel Stone. She has such courage to come to a place where she is so hated. But she still has some friends and this is where we see what makes a true Christian at heart. Phillips really handled the religious self righteousness just perfectly. I really enjoyed seeing that being implemented. I also couldn't get enough of her charming son. He is a bit quiet, but so devoted to his mother. You can see he has some growing to do and the author really showcases his growth and becoming such a bright child. Then we have our delectable grump of a hero. Now Gabe I had a blast with. He is a bit hard to like at the first of the story, but slowly, you fall in love with his character and how he is fighting for Rachel in the small monumental ways that matter the most. I love how even though he catches her in the worst of situations he believes in her more than anyone ever has. He is such a steady rock. The connection between Gabe and Rachel's son takes work and we see that "work" happen. This isn't a instant connection that we normally see in single parent small town books. We see that both Gabe and Edward have to work to build their relationship into what it needs to be and it takes faith and courage to do so.

Then we have the side romance between Kristy and Ethan and I had a blast with their sweet story. Its unrequited love a bit and so much pining from the heroine and seeing her fight for the love she has for Ethan and for Ethan to realize what has been under his nose all this time, was brilliant!

What I Struggled With
Some of the actions by Gabe in the beginning in how he treats Edward at times, but other than that I had zero issues with this story.

Narration
The narrator on this one is just right for this author. She really brings out the humor and tension just right and really brings out the personalities of characters just right.

Overall View
Dream a Little Dream is a charming, laugh your heart out, classic rom com that delivers heart and feels and has you never wanting to leave it is a priceless gem that I adored in every way!

Favorite Quote(s)
Who needs food? Your smile alone is enough to nourish me for weeks.”

Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Character Types: Billionaire, Widow/Widower, Single Parent, Tortured Hero
Themes: Small Town, Kids, Angst
Tropes: Grumpy Sunshine, Opposites Attract, Rags to Riches

Book Perspective
3rd POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A mix of both

Song This Book Inspires
Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars

Recommendation For Reading Order
You can read as standlones if needed

Steam/Spice Explanations

Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

Narrators:
Anna Fields show less

Damn, SEP. Decided at 10 p.m. to just read a chapter or two before going to sleep. FIVE HOURS (and many tears) LATER, I reached the last page. So good. Sad in a way I usually can't tolerate, but SEP is just so good that I couldn't help myself. Soooo worth it in the end.

Rachel's inability to keep herself from mouthing off made me fall in love completely, and the I particularly enjoyed Jane's reaction to her. The scenes with her and Gabe's brothers were great, even if it was difficult to see them be so hard on her. (Her getting them back was worth the payoff, though.) And I did love not just how Gabe stood up to them on her behalf, but also how they all stuck it out because of how much they care about each other. Plus the epilogue was show more one of my favorites ever.

It would have been a 5 for me if not for the sadder parts. But SEP does it once again. show less

Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
"Chicago Stars" series #4

Excellent! This one goes on my short list for books I would read again.

Rachel Stone reluctantly returns to the town she had to leave in shame after her televangelist husband swindled millions of dollars from his innocent parishioners. Once he realized he was going to be caught, he made a point to blame his "Delilah" of a wife, saying she was the one who urged him to provide for her extravagant lifestyle, even though he forced her to dress the part of a teased/trampy wife. So now here she is broke, with her her 5yo son in tow, returning to face all the scorn which should have been directed toward her now deceased husband.

Her car breaks down outside of Salvation on show more the property of a drive-in movie theater owned by Gabriel Bonner, one of the town's favorite sons. When she meets him, he is in deep despair after losing his wife and child in a car accident. He is incredibly surly and rude to both her and her son, Edward, and does whatever he can to get them off his property. Unfortunately, no one else in the town is willing to help her, including his brother who is the town pastor. Rachel is full of pride and dignity, but they have been living out of her car (which has now just been towed away) and she is fighting for her life and is desperate enough to now be willing to do anything just to provide food for her son.

They spar constantly, but she refuses to give up and talks him into hiring her to help fix up the drive-in before the summer season starts. She faces one uphill battle after another but never gives up. He cannot understand why she won't admit defeat and is determined to break her. It enrages him. It pains him. He is forced to face his own pain whenever he is around her or her son, who reminds him so much of who he lost. Their story is filled with real pain, sadness, regrets, shame, and desperation to hold onto a reason to go on.

For those who are new to this genre, this is a good example of one that is done right. It has a story and characters with depth, an interesting plot that that keeps you on your toes, additional stories of side characters which also draw your interest, heart-tugging angst (but not so much to be annoying or tiresome), and loads of good chemistry and sexual tension. The end resolution is also well done and doesn't feel rushed or contrived. Recommended. show less

Dream a Little Dream
4 Stars

After the loss of his wife and child, Gabe Bonner is only going through the motions of living. That is until Rachel Stone returns to Salvation, North Carolina desperate for a job to support her young son. Despite their rocky start, Rachel and Gabe find themselves inextricably drawn to one another, but can they overcome the traumas of the past to have a future together?

Series note: While books 1-3 can be read as standalones, book #4 is a direct continuation of #3 and as such the two should be read in order.

Rachel is a wonderful heroine. Her strength and resilience in the face of the townsfolk's scorn and shunning are admirable as is her determination to do anything necessary to ensure that her son has show more everything he needs and deserves.

While Gabe has all the making of an excellent tortured hero, there is one aspect of his character that proves very problematic, i.e., his biased attitude and harsh treatment of little Edward. Yes, it is understandable that the sweet little boy reminds Gabe of his dead son, but there are moments when his thoughts and behavior are simply unforgivable.

Another problematic issue is the overt Christian themes. While I have nothing against inspirational romance, the focus on God and religion is incongruent with the secular contemporary tone of the series thus far.

Despite the abovementioned problems, Dream a Little Dream is a lovely romance with engaging characters who come to life on the page. Make sure to have a box of Kleenex at the ready though because this is one SAD book. show less

I must have loved this book because I stayed up late two nights in a row reading it. Plus, I cried a lot. I can't give it five stars because some of the dialogue had me rolling my eyes and there were mistakes in it. (Do they not pay copyeditors enough these days? Is that the problem?) But it was definitely a satisfying book. Some parts had me laughing and crying at the same time. Much better than Cal and Jane's story, [b:Nobody's Baby But Mine|73080|Nobody's Baby But Mine (Chicago Stars, #3)|Susan Elizabeth Phillips|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298032580s/73080.jpg|776136]

Just as good the third time around. I love this book.

The best I've read so far by SEP. Many books deal with a widower who lost his wife and child tragically. This one shows the progression of the man coming out of his grief and falling in love with a new woman better than any other I've ever read. There was an actual progression shown here not just a change practically overnight as many books have. I loved the gutsy mouthy heroine who would do anything for her child and was not too proud to take help and charity as long as it benefited her son. Very well written.