Sara
Fielding is a lady, an author and possibly in over her head. Sara
is aka S.R. Fielding, known for writing adventure and the real-life stories of prostitutes
and gamblers. When she saves a stranger who is being savagely
beaten, Sara sets into motion her own adventure. When she learns
that the stranger is Derek Craven, the wealthy owner of an exclusive gambling house, Sara
sees an opportunity to learn even more about the world of gambling and asks permission to
frequent the house and meet with the gamblers there. Sara quickly
leans that the dangers of the gambling world are not just those of life threatening
elements, but dangerous to her heart as well. Sara begins to see
beneath Derek Craven’s rough exterior to the heart of the young boy he once was to
the sensual being of the man that he has become. But is Derek the
right man for her?
Derek Craven grew
up in poverty, fought his way out of it by any means possible and is now one of the
wealthiest men in London. Derek fights
privately for those who come from the world in which he did. He
gives the hopeless of society jobs in his gambling house and pretends not to care. Oh, but
he does! Derek’s gruffness and his heart meet their match in
Sara Fielding. Derek can not get Sara off of his mind or out of
his heart when he realizes she is all he ever dreamed of but never believed a woman like
her could be for him. Against his better judgment, Derek finds
passion and the promises of a great future in Sara’s arms, as well as a love that he
never thought his cold and cynical heart really needed. But is
Derek’s world the right place for an innocent and proper lady like Sara?
Lisa Kleypas is at
her writing best with Sara Fielding and Derek Craven in Dreaming Of You. It is positively fantastic and 100% perfect. As
a fan of Lisa Kleypas for years, I have to say this story is one of her best and Derek
Craven is her best hero. He is such a lost
soul that I wanted to hold him one moment and then yell at him for the times when he would
think he wasn’t good enough for Sara. So many powerful
emotions run rampant within Dreaming Of You, from fear, to elation, to
love and passion. The scenes between Derek and Sara are
energizing and heated, yet also touching and one can feel their love. This
historical tale isn’t your average high society story either. Neither
Sara nor Derek come from a lineage of ancestor’s that were Lord’s, Count’s
or Countesses, making this tale shine for its uniqueness and purity.
I am very pleased
that the publisher re-issued this tale, bringing this story back to the shelves for even
more readers to experience. There is love, desire, betrayal and revenge in Dreaming
Of You, all of which Ms. Kleypas writes with authority over her pen, it’s
fast-paced and never a dull moment. This is a one-sitting read, not
to be missed!
Reviewed
by Tracey West for The Road to Romance
December
8, 2003 |
