Monday, April 8, 2019

Monday Book Review: Hope's Dream, by Peggy Jaeger

Hope's Dream, by Peggy Jaeger
part of the Deerbourne Inn series, by various authors
Published November 2018 by The Wild Rose Press

About the Book:
Hope Kildaire gave up her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner when a car accident killed her father and left her mother an invalid. Working two jobs and caring for her mother leaves the twenty-seven-year-old with no time for fun or relationships. When a law firm representing her paternal grandparents sends her several letters, Hope ignores them. She despises the family who disowned her father and wants nothing to do with them.

Lawyer Tyler Coleman's job is simply to obtain Hope's signature on a legal document. Getting it is harder than planned, though, when an unexpected attraction blossoms between them. If Ty is honest with Hope about why he's in Willow Springs, he'll fulfill his assignment but may risk hurting her.

The opportunity to have everything she's ever desired is at Hope's fingertips. Will her dream come true at the expense of Tyler's love?
My Take:

Peggy Jaeger has a true knack for creating sweet characters who are beautiful inside and out. They make you care from the very first moment you meet them. Hope Kildaire is no different, a beauty with a heart of gold. Sweet, selfless, giving and kind, but in no way a pushover - Hope has enough backbone and grit that she stands on her own two feet from the very start.

But the lawyer who comes to town and meets Hope under false pretenses? Not very heroic behavior, keeping secrets. I wasn't too sure about Tyler at first, or his motives. Of the pair, it's obvious he's the more flawed character, despite how it might stack up on paper. He's a lawyer on the partner fast-track at his firm, constantly working too many hours and devoid of close relationships in his life. It starts to make sense that he's intrigued by and infatuated with Hope. Even though she works multiple jobs and gave up her dreams to care for her injured mother, she's obviously the happier of the two.

The setting is the fictional Deerbourne Inn in the ficitional Vermont town of Willow Springs. It's part of a series by this publisher, all by different authors but set in this town with this Inn as central to the action in some form. In this case, Tyler is from out-of-town and staying at the Inn. The town itself is a bit like Stowe or Woodstock, Vermont, with a walking town of gift shops and restaurants, and a small town vibe where residents all know and look out for one another. This author does a wonderful job of setting the atmosphere of the town and surrounding area.

The nature of a novella compresses timelines, but the author doesn't rush the burgeoning relationship. This was a great read for a cold, dark afternoon, and a great escape read for the holiday season... but I just reread it again to write this review and realize it's a great read anytime. Totally recommend this book, this series and this author!

Grab a copy on AMAZON




1 comment:

  1. OMG I am so happy you liked the book!!!! Thankyou for your kind words. getting all the feels and emotions into a novella-length story and not shortchanging the emotional growth is so difficult to do.I struggled daily while writing this with that balance, so to know it came thru is just wonderful.
    #blessyou for you lovely review.

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