Once Upon A Dream

Two of my favorite authors! I thoroughly enjoyed these novellas of unexpected love. I liked both heroes and heroines, who are more mature than you find in most books, and fell in love with both heroes' children. The setting for both stories is a house party. I can easily recommend this book. Since these are novellas I won't give away too much as I don't like to spoil the story. In Mary Balogh's "Another Dream" Michael, Earl of Staunton and widower, and Eleanor meet while stranded at an inn due to a storm. Michael's daughter, Georgette (10), leaves her brother resting and has tea with Eleanor, who does not dismiss her constant questions but discusses them with her. She takes an immediate liking to Eleanor and decides she has found their new Mama. But Eleanor is gone the next morning. The children are disappointed until they reach the house party and find Eleanor there. A lot happens at the house party and you should read this to find out. In Grace Burrowes' "Duke of My Dreams" Elias, Duke of Sedgemere, agrees to attend the Veramoor house party, children welcome, at the request of his oldest, dearest friend Gerard, Duke of Hardcastle*. Miss Anne Faraday, a wealthy, single commoner is attending as her mother was friends with the Duchess of Veramoor. They have met in London but run into each other at The Duke's Arms inn when Anna is having trouble getting fresh horses for her coach. Elias's home is nearby and he arranges for her to use his horses for the rest of her trip. While waiting, they enjoy a meal and a kiss. Elias assumes she is going to her country home and is surprised to meet her at the house party. She's already met his 3 charming sons whom he considers hellions. One of the boys has brought his pet duck with him. The rest you should read as it's wonderful and fun. * If you have not read the anthology, "Dancing In the Duke's Arms", I recommend it. Hardcastle finds his HEA in that book.

Two stories both about dreams come true. Both by authors who entertain and delight the reader, each character has his and her own personality, quirks and attractions. Very enjoyable reads.

Fair warning to our faithful readers: the following is a giddy fan-girl review. Two of my favorite authors: Mary Balogh and Grace Burrowes. One of my favorite settings: country house parties. My favorite duke – the Duke of All Dukes: Wulfric Bedwyn, Duke of Bewcastle. No way was I not going to like these two stories. I’m giving this book five stars, based upon how very much I enjoyed reading it. Some of my HR friends, whose opinions I respect, have been more critical, with one calling these two novellas “just reader-friendly, predictable, comfort romance reads.” Just?? After some of the stinkers that I have read lately, that sounds like exactly what I want. Mary Balogh’s story takes us back Bedwyn World, a place that I came to love when reading her Slightly and Simply series. Our heroine, Miss Eleanor Thompson, played a secondary role in Slightly Dangerous, when her sister Christine married the top-lofty Duke of Bewcastle. She appeared again in Simply Perfect, when Claudia Martin married the Marquess of Attingsborough, and Eleanor took over Claudia’s role as headmistress of a girls’ school in Bath. (Although Eleanor is pushing forty, she was destined to marry well, as all of the teachers at Miss Martin’s school went on to marry aristocrats.) On her way to a summer house party at Bewcastle’s estate, she stops at an inn to wait out a sudden storm, and while enjoying a quiet cup of tea she is accosted by an overly precocious ten-year-old girl. Georgette Benning is traveling with her young brother and their father. Although it is slightly improper, Eleanor enjoys a lovely dinner with Mr. Benning, and the next morning the travelers go on their separate ways. Eleanor is quite surprised, therefore, when the Benning family arrives the next day to join Bewcastle’s house party. It turns out that “Mr. Benning” is in fact the Michael Benning, Earl of Staunton, and Christine has invited him with the expectation that he is on the verge of proposing marriage to another guest, a proper young miss with a dragon of a mother. The children have other ideas, however, and their antics help bring Eleanor and Michael together. Interestingly, Wulfric also plays matchmaker and there is a lovely scene where he counsels Eleanor after she confesses her unhappiness with running a school: “Sometimes our dreams lead us in the wrong direction and it would be foolish to continue pursuing them out of sheer stubbornness or the fear of disappointing others. There are other dreams waiting to be dreamed — the right dreams, the ones that will lead to contentment.” If you haven’t visited Bedwyn World before, this novella probably will not appeal to you. Characters from almost all of the previous books are mentioned, along with the many children they have brought into the world. The plot is not particularly inventive. Indeed, it is very reminiscent of Ms. Balogh’s 1991 story The Best Christmas Ever (recently republished in Christmas Gifts). Young Georgette is a bit too eloquent for a ten-year-old and there is a jarring scene where Michael asks Eleanor whether she is a virgin when it’s clear that even if she is she won’t be for long. But for me, the romance was lovely, and visiting with Wulfric and Christine and rolling down that infamous hill with the rest of the Bedwyns was a joy. Purely by accident, Grace Burrowes’s story bears some resemblance to Mary Balogh’s. Both feature slightly older and quite independent heroines who fall in love with widowed fathers and in both stories, the children play pivotal roles in bringing the couple together. The respective fathers’ attitude toward their children is quite different, however. Michael Benning is devoted to his, and his prospective fiancee’s desire to send them away to school is his first clue that she may not be the one for him. I had the impression, however, that Ms. Burrowes’ hero, Elias, Duke of Sedgemere, did not dote on his three little boys in the same way. He loved them, of course, but did not quite know what to do with them and frequently found himself apologizing for their behavior when they were just being typical little boys. At first, Anne Faraday does not seem like the woman to bring this family together. She is the commoner daughter of an immensely wealthy banker, dedicated to taking care of her father. Although she moves among the ton, the ladies really do not like her and the men simply want to marry her money. Elias likes her, however, and when they are thrown together during the house party, he finds himself falling in love with her. She works magic with his little boys and teaches Elias how to let loose and enjoy their company. When they are caught in a compromising situation, however, she adamantly refuses to marry him, for she has a secret that she believes prohibits her from ever marrying. Elias figures out what it is, but this reader did not, and I can’t think of any other historical romance heroine with this particular secret. At times, it was hard to know whether Anne was falling in love or just in lust. I enjoy a little hotness in my historical romances, but I do think that the author got a bit carried away, what with Elias and Anne getting it on at every available moment and in places where they could easily be caught. I also found that the presence of the Duke of Hardcastle was superfluous to requirements. He is Elias’s best friend and determined to dodge the matchmaking mamas. Other than that, he doesn’t do much. There really wasn’t much time for Burrowes to write those long, heart-felt conversations between gentlemen that she is so good at. If, however, you have read her May I Have This Duke in the anthology Dancing in the Duke’s Arms, you already know that he is going to meet his match when Elias and Anne throw their own house party. Giving a rating to an anthology can be tricky unless the reader’s opinion of each story is exactly the same. In this case, I give the Balogh story five-plus stars and the Burrowes a four. If, like me, you consider these ladies to be two of the very best historical romance authors publishing today, I am confident that you will enjoy Once Upon a Dream.

I really thought these were good novellas. I like the one by Mary Balogh best. I liked that Eleanor who we met in an earlier book was getting her chance at love. She met Michael Benning Earl of Staunton and his two children at an inn. The children decided right away they wanted for their new mama. Eleanor and Michael did have dinner together but each left the next day thinking they would never see each other again.They ended up at the same house party. Eleanor was visiting her sister Christine who had married Wulfric the Duke of Bewcastle. The two children are still determined that Eleanor would marry their father.Two of the other house guests were a mother and daughter. The mother was determined her daughter would marry Michael. The right couple would get their HEA. This was a nice love story about people no longer in the first blush of youth. I liked also returning characters from other books. The second story is shorter two couples are in love . She loves him but keeps saying she can't leave her father. Everything works out well for them too.

These are sweet comfort reads but there's nothing new in either story. Well, perhaps with the exception of the reason the heroine of Burrowes' story has for not being able to marry her duke. That was one that doesn't come up much (if at all). Other than that, these two novellas, especially the Balogh story, are just reader-friendly, predictable, comfort romance reads. They make you feel the way a nicely-prepared bowl of mac and cheese does. They're comfortable, cozy and reassuring in their familiarity. I was looking forward to the Balogh story because I knew the house party backdrop for that romance was to be the home of Wulfric and Christine Bedwyn, the Duke and Duchess of Bewcastle, of Balogh's Slightly series. (Oh, Wulfric! Sigh. Be still my beating heart.) But even touching base with old friends did nothing for me. Not only that, but what's with Wulfric? He's been married to Christine a few years now, has adorable children and an adoring wife, all his siblings are happily married with children, but the darned man still hasn't learned how to smile? What's up with that anyway? But I digress. Back to the two stories. They're pleasant and if you are new to historical romance you'll probably like them a lot. All the characters are agreeable and likeable and family-oriented. And both romances have the romantic pairing of a commoner woman and a duke. In Balogh's she's the director of a school for girls in Bath (and Christine's sister, BTW) and in Burrowes's she's the daughter of a very rich and successful banker. So will love break down the social divide? Bet you can guess. Along the way we meet up with cutesy kids, lots of family interactions, and a duck named Josephine. Lord love a duck. Oh, lordy. That's just ducky. So if you're in the mood for something sweet (but with some sex added in, especially in Burrowes's story), bland, and comforting and not too badly written, this could work for you.

ONCE UPON A DREAM consists of two separate and unconnected stories. ANOTHER DREAM by Mary Balogh is the story of Eleanor Thompson an independent woman of almost forty. On the way to visit her sister, the Duchess of Bewcastle, she is forced to seek shelter at an inn because of the weather. There she meets Michael Benning, Earl of Staunton and his two precocious children. These two mature adults find sweet platonic companionship with one another but never expect to meet again. When they do, at Eleanor's sister's home, they discover that Michael's children already have plans for Eleanor to be their new mother. This story was reserved and sweet. It is book 6.5 in the Bedwyn series and, for me, the best part was seeing all my favorite characters from that series again. The relationship between Eleanor and Michael was not complicated and they are rather reserved characters, but I enjoyed their romance because it wrapped up some lose ends from the series and I like that these more mature characters also get their happy ending. The children in this story are simply adorable as well. Rating: 4 stars. DUKE OF MY DREAMS by Grace Burrowes is the story of a banker's daughter Anne Faraday who ends up at a house party with Elias, Duke of Sedgemere. Sedgemere has been attracted to the prickly Anne but she has gently rebuffed him. She knows that she is not the match for the stoic duke. During the house party, however, with a duke determined to woo, three irrepressible children and one duck, Elias and Anne find that there is more to them than the duke and the banker's daughter. I really enjoyed this story especially as it kept a mystery why Anne was so determined to refuse Elias's completely proper proposals. Their relationship was sweet and gentle, but Anne is strong and loving. I love how she cracks the shell of Elias. The story is connected to "May I Have This Duke" in DANCING IN THE DUKE'S ARMS. Rating: 4 Stars

A lovely read by the two reigning queens of the gentle love story. If you want a lot of violence, hot sex scenes, last minute rescues, then this book is not for you, But if you want two gentle, well-told, satisfying stories of two lovely people finding each other and a nice "happy ever after", then these two stories will fill the bill. In this day and age when many folks feel that every minute of our day has to be filled with excitement, violence, stress, these two quiet stories are in a totally different ball park and to my mind, a lovely escape. So if you want excitement, there are many books out there for you. But if you want a quiet, sweet love story, this is it.

Two great authors take the idea of finding love at a Summer House Party and create wonderfully, delightful stories. Both authors create a delightful space for non-standard heroines to find love. Mary' Balogh's Eleanor is stranded at a roadside inn by a heavy thunderstorm. While there she meets the daughter of the Earl of Stauhton. She is attracted to him and his children. When they both show up at the same house party (hosted by her sister) how could they do anything but fall in love. This most exciting part of this story is the fact that both Eleanor and Michael are older (40), He is a widower who had been looking around during the season for a young bride but finds love with a mature woman. Grace Burrowes heroine Anne is the daughter of a banker. Not titled, she is all but shunned by the women of the ton and chased after by grasping men of the ton who are looking for a rich wife. She meets the Duke of Sedgemere in Hyde Park one day and there is an attraction. They meet again at a roadside inn where she is having trouble getting horses for her carriage. After sharing lunch with the Duke and his friend the Duke of Hardcastle they share a kiss and separate - only to find themselves both guests at the same house party. Anne meets the Duke's 3 sons and there is an immediate connection. Their time together only deepens the love between the 2 adults and Anne and the children. Two stories, two house parties, two fathers with children, 2 indepedent women - two distinctly different stories that complement each other beautifully.