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Dreams #1
Man of My Dreams
Mia Murphy may be married to the man of her dreams. But the man in her dreams is the one that got away—her high school crush.
Mia has the life everyone envies. A white picket fence, two adorable daughters, and a hottie husband who stole her heart in college with the strum of his Gibson and his sexy baritone. But when forever becomes monotonous for this perfect couple, their faith in each other is tested. For Declan, long trips away from home because of his demanding job cause him to find comfort on the road. For Mia, the recurring dreams of her old flame and the shock of her husband's infidelity send her running into Noah's arms at their ten year high school reunion.
Will Mia abandon the alluring pull of the past for her picture perfect future or will the man of her dreams be replaced by the man in her dreams?
MAN OF MY DREAMS is a full-length, contemporary romance. This is book one in the Dream Series and can be read as a standalone.
Mia has the life everyone envies. A white picket fence, two adorable daughters, and a hottie husband who stole her heart in college with the strum of his Gibson and his sexy baritone. But when forever becomes monotonous for this perfect couple, their faith in each other is tested. For Declan, long trips away from home because of his demanding job cause him to find comfort on the road. For Mia, the recurring dreams of her old flame and the shock of her husband's infidelity send her running into Noah's arms at their ten year high school reunion.
Will Mia abandon the alluring pull of the past for her picture perfect future or will the man of her dreams be replaced by the man in her dreams?
MAN OF MY DREAMS is a full-length, contemporary romance. This is book one in the Dream Series and can be read as a standalone.
332 pages
First published September 15, 2013
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October 1, 2013
4 STARS!!!!!
This is the story of beautiful wife and stay at home mom, Mia Murphy.
She is married to gorgeous Declan, her college sweetheart, and has two beautiful little girls, Cara & Charlie.
Life seems perfect.
But as in most marriages, the romance fizzles.
Work and the kids get in the way.
Lack of communication and misunderstandings, plus a bit of betrayal threatens to destroy their union.
Oh Declan!!! Why did you risk the beautiful family you had for a cheap one night stand?!!!!
Well, Mia is not all that innocent either.
She's secretly still been fantasizing about her High School crush, Noah Matheson.
This guy was the popular gorgeous jock in school.
Mia crushed on him throughout her four years in HS.
They had brief encounters but never hooked up.
I remember having the same silly all consuming crushes in high school.
In a whoosh of hopefulness my crush-sick mind envisions a first kiss, a long distance relationship, and a happily ever after. - Mia
One of my gripes about this book, were the flashbacks.
They were not in sequential order.
She'd go back to sophomore year of college, senior year of HS, first year of marriage, back to freshman year of HS.
At times it was hard to keep up.
I loved the first meet cute between Declan and Mia.
"I decided I was tired of not knowing you anymore. There was this voice in my head telling me I have to get to know you." -Declan
The moment Declan is introduced, I am sold.
This man has me swooning.
Gorgeous dark hair and striking blue eyes, and the boy can sing!!!!
Had to make David Gandy my Declan!!
Oh and ladies, what makes him perfect is, he's a VIRGIN!!!!!
Holding out for the right girl!!!!!!
When do we ever get this in a book???! Hmmm...this is the first time for me.
When they finally do have sex, it's perfect!!!
"Mia, I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You have no idea how hard it's been to control myself, but after waiting so long--I wanted to make sure I waited for the right reasons. Last week solidified everything I thought I was feeling for you. I know you're going to be a part of my future and I'm ready to make love to you because I love you. I'm in love with you, Mia and I know we're young, but I'm pretty sure I want you to be my first and my last." - Declan
So Mia and Declan are separated for a bit but always in the background is Grace, Mia's BFF, who is trying to get the two back together. I loved this character,
She's what all best friends should be like.
Mia goes to her 10 Year HS reunion and runs into Noah.
The two flirt and things start to get interesting between them.
Mia is actually considering a life without Declan.
But Declan is also trying to win Mia back.
She's been so hurt by his infidelity and some of the things he's said, that she second guesses the words that come out of his mouth.
She fears he blames her for getting married so young and making him a father at 22 as well.
That he may one day question his happiness with her again.
"I don't want to hold you back or be a ball and chain, Dec. I don't want to be together for the kids. I want you here because you love me and need me...only me." - Mia
Mia pushes Declan away and tries to start something up with Noah.
He's told her he's always had feelings for her and genuinely seems to want to be with her.
My love and my marriage to Declan is not a sham. Our love has always been the center of my universe, the power that could conquer all. But after so much distance and doubt, dancing with Noah feels pretty damn right too. - Mia
The thing is, although Noah is hot and it may be thrilling for Mia, but I didn't feel anything for him.
He was sort of lackluster for me.
The guy should have went for her all those years ago if he truly wanted her.
Declan knew he was crazy about her and pursued her!!!
But what he did and a couple of things he said about getting married too young and not wanting the baby when she was first pregnant, had me not liking Declan all that much!!!
This is why I was leaning towards a 3.5 star rating.
Then at about the 80% mark the story did a 180 for me.
Finally we get Declan's POVs, of when they first meet in the college library and their first time together!!
I fell right back in love with him!!
Before all the groping and touching, I saw it in her eyes. Goo-goo eyes don't fucking lie. She had goo-goo eyes for me. The eyes that force the mouth to go blabbing to all your girlfriends about dates like ours, boys like me. - Declan
We get his POV during his business trip and the infamous hotel room incident with the slutty masseuse.
I'm so pissed off because he and Mia felt the same way and neither knew it!!!
They both wanted to connect and be with each other physically but there was just no communication going on between them!!!
I'm not the center of her universe anymore, and that's fine--she should dote on our kids, but I do miss it just being the two of us. I wonder if she does, too, or is she too preoccupied with book club and Mommy and Me to give a shit? - Declan
Towards the last 20% I started to really enjoy this book.
I fell right back in love with Declan and was rooting for these two to get things right and leave us with the HEA they deserved!!
Loved the epilogue and really ended up enjoying this book!! ☺️☺️☺️
This is the story of beautiful wife and stay at home mom, Mia Murphy.
She is married to gorgeous Declan, her college sweetheart, and has two beautiful little girls, Cara & Charlie.
Life seems perfect.
But as in most marriages, the romance fizzles.
Work and the kids get in the way.
Lack of communication and misunderstandings, plus a bit of betrayal threatens to destroy their union.
Oh Declan!!! Why did you risk the beautiful family you had for a cheap one night stand?!!!!
Well, Mia is not all that innocent either.
She's secretly still been fantasizing about her High School crush, Noah Matheson.
This guy was the popular gorgeous jock in school.
Mia crushed on him throughout her four years in HS.
They had brief encounters but never hooked up.
I remember having the same silly all consuming crushes in high school.
In a whoosh of hopefulness my crush-sick mind envisions a first kiss, a long distance relationship, and a happily ever after. - Mia
One of my gripes about this book, were the flashbacks.
They were not in sequential order.
She'd go back to sophomore year of college, senior year of HS, first year of marriage, back to freshman year of HS.
At times it was hard to keep up.
I loved the first meet cute between Declan and Mia.
"I decided I was tired of not knowing you anymore. There was this voice in my head telling me I have to get to know you." -Declan
The moment Declan is introduced, I am sold.
This man has me swooning.
Gorgeous dark hair and striking blue eyes, and the boy can sing!!!!
Had to make David Gandy my Declan!!
Oh and ladies, what makes him perfect is, he's a VIRGIN!!!!!
Holding out for the right girl!!!!!!
When do we ever get this in a book???! Hmmm...this is the first time for me.
When they finally do have sex, it's perfect!!!
"Mia, I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. You have no idea how hard it's been to control myself, but after waiting so long--I wanted to make sure I waited for the right reasons. Last week solidified everything I thought I was feeling for you. I know you're going to be a part of my future and I'm ready to make love to you because I love you. I'm in love with you, Mia and I know we're young, but I'm pretty sure I want you to be my first and my last." - Declan
So Mia and Declan are separated for a bit but always in the background is Grace, Mia's BFF, who is trying to get the two back together. I loved this character,
She's what all best friends should be like.
Mia goes to her 10 Year HS reunion and runs into Noah.
The two flirt and things start to get interesting between them.
Mia is actually considering a life without Declan.
But Declan is also trying to win Mia back.
She's been so hurt by his infidelity and some of the things he's said, that she second guesses the words that come out of his mouth.
She fears he blames her for getting married so young and making him a father at 22 as well.
That he may one day question his happiness with her again.
"I don't want to hold you back or be a ball and chain, Dec. I don't want to be together for the kids. I want you here because you love me and need me...only me." - Mia
Mia pushes Declan away and tries to start something up with Noah.
He's told her he's always had feelings for her and genuinely seems to want to be with her.
My love and my marriage to Declan is not a sham. Our love has always been the center of my universe, the power that could conquer all. But after so much distance and doubt, dancing with Noah feels pretty damn right too. - Mia
The thing is, although Noah is hot and it may be thrilling for Mia, but I didn't feel anything for him.
He was sort of lackluster for me.
The guy should have went for her all those years ago if he truly wanted her.
Declan knew he was crazy about her and pursued her!!!
But what he did and a couple of things he said about getting married too young and not wanting the baby when she was first pregnant, had me not liking Declan all that much!!!
This is why I was leaning towards a 3.5 star rating.
Then at about the 80% mark the story did a 180 for me.
Finally we get Declan's POVs, of when they first meet in the college library and their first time together!!
I fell right back in love with him!!
Before all the groping and touching, I saw it in her eyes. Goo-goo eyes don't fucking lie. She had goo-goo eyes for me. The eyes that force the mouth to go blabbing to all your girlfriends about dates like ours, boys like me. - Declan
We get his POV during his business trip and the infamous hotel room incident with the slutty masseuse.
I'm so pissed off because he and Mia felt the same way and neither knew it!!!
They both wanted to connect and be with each other physically but there was just no communication going on between them!!!
I'm not the center of her universe anymore, and that's fine--she should dote on our kids, but I do miss it just being the two of us. I wonder if she does, too, or is she too preoccupied with book club and Mommy and Me to give a shit? - Declan
Towards the last 20% I started to really enjoy this book.
I fell right back in love with Declan and was rooting for these two to get things right and leave us with the HEA they deserved!!
Loved the epilogue and really ended up enjoying this book!! ☺️☺️☺️
May 9, 2014
I didn't mind the love triangle but I didn't like the heroine one bit. I'm sorry but she was too flighty for me and I couldn't really connect with her logic. I mean, really? I get that her husband
Plus, the going back and forth between past and present and the POV switches gave me a headache. It was too much for my puny brain. Safe to say, I didn't enjoy this one.
Plus, the going back and forth between past and present and the POV switches gave me a headache. It was too much for my puny brain. Safe to say, I didn't enjoy this one.
October 31, 2018
The heroine is an idiot. Spoilers below
Oh my goodness the heroine annoyed me the last 25%. I understood her pain and it nearly destroyed me when she found out at the company party. I was so upset. And then when I read about it from Declan point of view, it disgusted me but he did take off right after the kiss. One kiss is all. What she did with Noah was far worse. I didn't like her at all by the end of the story. I would have been relieved that he only kissed the woman but not her. She now gives herself permission to mess around with Noah and while they didn't have full on sex, she 'placated ' him with other things so he had some fulfillment. So oral maybe or hand but either way she really cheated. I mean he did too but he didn't even get that far. He fought for her and I loved when he sang to her while she was on a date with Noah! I forgave him but I can't forgive her. She was annoying. I hate hate hate cheating so I can only give it 2 stars. But normally I would only given it one. But the H was truly sorry. And he fought harder than the h did.And he sang to her. I loved that scene.
Oh my goodness the heroine annoyed me the last 25%. I understood her pain and it nearly destroyed me when she found out at the company party. I was so upset. And then when I read about it from Declan point of view, it disgusted me but he did take off right after the kiss. One kiss is all. What she did with Noah was far worse. I didn't like her at all by the end of the story. I would have been relieved that he only kissed the woman but not her. She now gives herself permission to mess around with Noah and while they didn't have full on sex, she 'placated ' him with other things so he had some fulfillment. So oral maybe or hand but either way she really cheated. I mean he did too but he didn't even get that far. He fought for her and I loved when he sang to her while she was on a date with Noah! I forgave him but I can't forgive her. She was annoying. I hate hate hate cheating so I can only give it 2 stars. But normally I would only given it one. But the H was truly sorry. And he fought harder than the h did.And he sang to her. I loved that scene.
August 6, 2014
2.5 stars
I'm not going to do a run through on this because its pretty much all summarized in the actual book summary. I just felt the need to put my thoughts about it here because I'm kind of pissed off. So here's how I feel about what happens:
I actually liked the majority of this book because I liked Mia. But I can't get on board with how it ended. I would read something else by this author, this just didn't work for me.
I'm not going to do a run through on this because its pretty much all summarized in the actual book summary. I just felt the need to put my thoughts about it here because I'm kind of pissed off. So here's how I feel about what happens:
I actually liked the majority of this book because I liked Mia. But I can't get on board with how it ended. I would read something else by this author, this just didn't work for me.
September 28, 2013
Jointly reviewed for : http://totallybookedblog.com/
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He has her past…….who will have her future?
Gitte: So, as far as love triangles go I thought the one in Man of My Dreams was both believable and sympathetically told from all sides! Without spoiling anything, I think readers who hate cheating are safe to read this story as the crux of the problem is a real grey area on both sides and minimal in the bigger picture. I truly loved this story and I think it’s one that has aspects many of us can relate to don’t you agree Jenny? The high school crush we’ll never forget as well as the ‘stuck in a rut’ routine you can so easily fall into once married. The grass isn’t always greener, how often do we get told that, we know it to be true, however who can control their dreams right?! At one stage or another who hasn’t second guessed their life choices when their trust and faith has been breached? Wondering what would have happened if we’d said or acted differently. Made another choice. Where would we be now as a consequence?
I thought the writing was beautiful and the characters had real depth. The way in which we were taken easily from the present into the past gave me, the reader, a strong connection and insight. I believed in Mia and Declan, I felt their love and whatever they went through emotionally, I was right there with them. Man of My Dreams was a beautiful and a very real and honest story packed full of emotion. It made me smile, laugh, swoon and yeah it also made me really cross at times mostly with Mia (hahaha we have the text messages to prove it don’t we Jenny!). I fell in love and if we’re talking teams, I’m definitely team Declan!
Seriously, how much did we love Declan, Jenny?!
Jenny: Completely agree G. I truly do believe readers who have a bit of an aversion to love triangles and/or cheating will actually still enjoy this story because as you said, there are so many aspects that many will relate to. The love triangle/cheating felt more like a ‘side note’ rather than the main focus and in my eyes, Man of My Dreams was more a story about a marriage and a journey of Declan and Mia as a couple more than anything else and in my opinion, the triangle/cheating merely served as a vehicle for delivering the message in this story. Arrggh it’s so hard to explain myself without giving anything away but I do know that I feel this way because of how beautifully and flawlessly Faith Andrews handled this story and because I understood a lot about their relationship and I “got” it.
‘Life gets in the way of love sometimes.’ – Mia
As for being Team Declan? Well, we were Team Dec from our first meeting and we never faltered….not one teeny tiny step. Our feelings for the beautiful and soulful man never deviated…Not once!
“I’m gonna kiss you in front of all these people babe.”- Declan
I loved Man of My Dreams and I still have that giddy book rush after finishing it. I loved experiencing that exciting anxious feeling when my work day was coming to a close and I was able to rush home and get stuck into this book. I knew I was on a winner at that point.
Like you G, I laughed, cried, swooned (oh boy did I swoooon!) and yes….we had some pretty expletive messages back and forth about Mia. lol Hmmm we’ll keep those private I think.
Gitte: Mia loves her husband. They met in college, fell in love, married and had kids at a very young age meaning they grew up fast without really experiencing life on their own first. Mia had a high school crush which she’s never forgotten….Noah…the man who surfaces in almost every dream she has. It’s the one who got away so all Mia has are her dreams based on sweet and innocent high school memories. I actually liked Noah, he was inoffensive and seemed to honestly care about Mia. Despite the circumstances I thought he was a real descent and honourable man.
I think most readers will have an understanding of Mia’s situation and her reaction when her marriage to Declan is rocked off balance. She’s a stay at home Mum, she’s fallen into a routine of ‘an ordinary life’ and also…one word…KIDS!!! The romance and time with your hubby, even the nookie factor will always suffer!! Won’t it? When faced with even the smallest betrayal does true love or lust win? What would we risk for a chance with the boy we ‘loved’ in high school but never truly had?
“It’s not even the cheating that stings the most – it’s that he gave up on us.” ~ Mia
I really did empathise with Mia. Sure, I wanted to slap some sense into her a time or two after she did something that wasn’t warranted in my opinion. I suppose you could say I disliked her as much as I liked her. However, I felt she went through real personal growth and a journey of self-discovery.
“I’ve been able to live without Noah for a long time now, but the idea of living without Declan is unfathomable.” ~ Mia
Actually, I was surprised at how strong my feeling were in this story in regards to my compassion with Declan rather than Mia, so kudos to the Author for my emotions going in the opposite direction of what I would’ve expected! I put that down to brilliant writing!
How did you feel about Mia, Jenny?
Jenny: Me too G. I’m so surprised that I didn’t go the other way and that my compassion wasn’t completely with Mia. Although I understood Mia I have to say there were moments when I was gritting my teeth over her. I wanted to shake her a time or two but overall I could relate to why she did what she did. It must be awful to have that constant niggling feeling thinking about a high school crush, the one that got away and wondering if the choices you made, if the life you lead was the right one. To have the object of your conflict make a starring role in some of your *cough cough* dreams…well, that would kind of put you off kilter that’s for sure. Especially if you feel you are not receiving the attention you desire and feel some kind of disconnection from your husband.
‘The word “torn” comes to mind, but torn doesn’t even begin to cover it. My heart feels like it’s being ripped apart and tugged in two different directions.’ – Mia
Life is full of what ifs and in Man Of My Dreams Mia takes the reader on an emotional ride as she gets to revisit her high school sweetheart and experience the time with him she so craved back in high school after her perceived “perfect” marriage hits a crossroads.
Noah was a lovely character and I could absolutely understand Mia’s feelings towards him but for me there was only one man in this triangle and that was Declan. My heart was unequivocally his and because of this I found myself questioning a few of Mia’s decisions and although she sometimes frustrated me I loved how we saw her mature and grow through this whole experience.
Gitte: As for Declan….the man is perfection in my eyes, so gorgeous, romantic, protective and loving.
“As if his incredible looks weren’t enough, the man has a heart of gold. Compassionate, attentive, and loving, he stole my heart on our very first date.” ~ Mia
He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. He stumbled, yes, but I kind of understood how it came to be. After all, if nothing else this Author has written an extremely realistic account of what can happen in a marriage.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!” – Declan
I felt this ‘issue’ was very true to life in respect to how it was dealt with. From the second he realised what ‘could have happened’, Declan did not put a foot wrong in my opinion. If anything, despite being younger than Mia, he showed incredible maturity, resolution and restraint. I fell completely in love with this man who was utterly and wholeheartedly in love with his family.
I nearly fell off my chair in excitement when we got to hear Declan’s voice. We got an insight into some very poignant moments in his relationship with Mia and it strengthened his case and my love for him even more.
When you stop and you’re forced to look at and examine your life. When something rocks it, do you not question everything? How far would you go to fight for what you want? In what manner do you question an honest reaction to the obstacles and tests thrown at you in a relationship?
So many question were asked off us and I have to say I absolutely loved this flawless and emotional story!
“Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?” ~ Declan
How did you feel, Jenny?
Jenny: For Declan, Mia and his daughters were his reason for breathing and he wasn’t going to give it all up without a fight, even if he was somewhat responsible for his predicament.
‘I wanted him to fight for me. Here he is fighting the only way he’s even known how.’ – Mia
There were times when I felt I really wanted to get inside Declan’s head. My desire to understand things from Declan’s perspective overwhelmed me and I have to say that when I clicked over the page and saw “Declan” as a chapter heading I will admit I cried. To have my wishes granted at such a pivotal moment and to hear from the man himself took this book to a whole new level for me. Declan’s POV only served to intensify my feelings and understanding of this man and his actions. Yes, he tripped up, but I didn’t feel any animosity towards him over it and felt that in light of where he was at emotionally, the actions he took and what he was feeling at that time, I couldn’t denigrate him for it.
‘I know life changes a person, but is it a fucking crime to miss the woman I fell in love with?’ – Declan
Marriage is about love, respect, communication and feeling connected. It’s about never taking each other for granted. Easy words to say, not always easy to put into practice when real life and every day demands take hold and sometimes it takes something to remind us of what we have and how important that is to our existence and this is the message in Man Of My Dreams. Declan had the wakeup call he needed and Mia…. did she get hers? You’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out.
‘……and I know it all too well – allowing words and emotions to flood your consciousness and pump through your veins, makes you feel goddamn invincible.’ – Declan
I loved this boo G. I loved Mia and Declan. I loved the flashbacks, the music and the pop culture references and most of all I loved it because it felt like such a real account of what can evenutate in a marriage.
‘Our love has always been the center love my universe, the power that could conquer all.’ – Mia
The past/present flow was so flawlessly written that I couldn’t help but ‘live’ every triumph and every heartache right along with Mia and Declan. Man of My Dreams was swoon worthy, warm, funny, heart-breaking, sexy and a real winner for me. Although the ending did feel a little rushed this didn’t impact on my feelings about the book as a whole. My heart fluttered and it faltered and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
ARC supplied by Author in exchange for an honest review.
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He has her past…….who will have her future?
Gitte: So, as far as love triangles go I thought the one in Man of My Dreams was both believable and sympathetically told from all sides! Without spoiling anything, I think readers who hate cheating are safe to read this story as the crux of the problem is a real grey area on both sides and minimal in the bigger picture. I truly loved this story and I think it’s one that has aspects many of us can relate to don’t you agree Jenny? The high school crush we’ll never forget as well as the ‘stuck in a rut’ routine you can so easily fall into once married. The grass isn’t always greener, how often do we get told that, we know it to be true, however who can control their dreams right?! At one stage or another who hasn’t second guessed their life choices when their trust and faith has been breached? Wondering what would have happened if we’d said or acted differently. Made another choice. Where would we be now as a consequence?
I thought the writing was beautiful and the characters had real depth. The way in which we were taken easily from the present into the past gave me, the reader, a strong connection and insight. I believed in Mia and Declan, I felt their love and whatever they went through emotionally, I was right there with them. Man of My Dreams was a beautiful and a very real and honest story packed full of emotion. It made me smile, laugh, swoon and yeah it also made me really cross at times mostly with Mia (hahaha we have the text messages to prove it don’t we Jenny!). I fell in love and if we’re talking teams, I’m definitely team Declan!
Seriously, how much did we love Declan, Jenny?!
Jenny: Completely agree G. I truly do believe readers who have a bit of an aversion to love triangles and/or cheating will actually still enjoy this story because as you said, there are so many aspects that many will relate to. The love triangle/cheating felt more like a ‘side note’ rather than the main focus and in my eyes, Man of My Dreams was more a story about a marriage and a journey of Declan and Mia as a couple more than anything else and in my opinion, the triangle/cheating merely served as a vehicle for delivering the message in this story. Arrggh it’s so hard to explain myself without giving anything away but I do know that I feel this way because of how beautifully and flawlessly Faith Andrews handled this story and because I understood a lot about their relationship and I “got” it.
‘Life gets in the way of love sometimes.’ – Mia
As for being Team Declan? Well, we were Team Dec from our first meeting and we never faltered….not one teeny tiny step. Our feelings for the beautiful and soulful man never deviated…Not once!
“I’m gonna kiss you in front of all these people babe.”- Declan
I loved Man of My Dreams and I still have that giddy book rush after finishing it. I loved experiencing that exciting anxious feeling when my work day was coming to a close and I was able to rush home and get stuck into this book. I knew I was on a winner at that point.
Like you G, I laughed, cried, swooned (oh boy did I swoooon!) and yes….we had some pretty expletive messages back and forth about Mia. lol Hmmm we’ll keep those private I think.
Gitte: Mia loves her husband. They met in college, fell in love, married and had kids at a very young age meaning they grew up fast without really experiencing life on their own first. Mia had a high school crush which she’s never forgotten….Noah…the man who surfaces in almost every dream she has. It’s the one who got away so all Mia has are her dreams based on sweet and innocent high school memories. I actually liked Noah, he was inoffensive and seemed to honestly care about Mia. Despite the circumstances I thought he was a real descent and honourable man.
I think most readers will have an understanding of Mia’s situation and her reaction when her marriage to Declan is rocked off balance. She’s a stay at home Mum, she’s fallen into a routine of ‘an ordinary life’ and also…one word…KIDS!!! The romance and time with your hubby, even the nookie factor will always suffer!! Won’t it? When faced with even the smallest betrayal does true love or lust win? What would we risk for a chance with the boy we ‘loved’ in high school but never truly had?
“It’s not even the cheating that stings the most – it’s that he gave up on us.” ~ Mia
I really did empathise with Mia. Sure, I wanted to slap some sense into her a time or two after she did something that wasn’t warranted in my opinion. I suppose you could say I disliked her as much as I liked her. However, I felt she went through real personal growth and a journey of self-discovery.
“I’ve been able to live without Noah for a long time now, but the idea of living without Declan is unfathomable.” ~ Mia
Actually, I was surprised at how strong my feeling were in this story in regards to my compassion with Declan rather than Mia, so kudos to the Author for my emotions going in the opposite direction of what I would’ve expected! I put that down to brilliant writing!
How did you feel about Mia, Jenny?
Jenny: Me too G. I’m so surprised that I didn’t go the other way and that my compassion wasn’t completely with Mia. Although I understood Mia I have to say there were moments when I was gritting my teeth over her. I wanted to shake her a time or two but overall I could relate to why she did what she did. It must be awful to have that constant niggling feeling thinking about a high school crush, the one that got away and wondering if the choices you made, if the life you lead was the right one. To have the object of your conflict make a starring role in some of your *cough cough* dreams…well, that would kind of put you off kilter that’s for sure. Especially if you feel you are not receiving the attention you desire and feel some kind of disconnection from your husband.
‘The word “torn” comes to mind, but torn doesn’t even begin to cover it. My heart feels like it’s being ripped apart and tugged in two different directions.’ – Mia
Life is full of what ifs and in Man Of My Dreams Mia takes the reader on an emotional ride as she gets to revisit her high school sweetheart and experience the time with him she so craved back in high school after her perceived “perfect” marriage hits a crossroads.
Noah was a lovely character and I could absolutely understand Mia’s feelings towards him but for me there was only one man in this triangle and that was Declan. My heart was unequivocally his and because of this I found myself questioning a few of Mia’s decisions and although she sometimes frustrated me I loved how we saw her mature and grow through this whole experience.
Gitte: As for Declan….the man is perfection in my eyes, so gorgeous, romantic, protective and loving.
“As if his incredible looks weren’t enough, the man has a heart of gold. Compassionate, attentive, and loving, he stole my heart on our very first date.” ~ Mia
He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. He stumbled, yes, but I kind of understood how it came to be. After all, if nothing else this Author has written an extremely realistic account of what can happen in a marriage.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!” – Declan
I felt this ‘issue’ was very true to life in respect to how it was dealt with. From the second he realised what ‘could have happened’, Declan did not put a foot wrong in my opinion. If anything, despite being younger than Mia, he showed incredible maturity, resolution and restraint. I fell completely in love with this man who was utterly and wholeheartedly in love with his family.
I nearly fell off my chair in excitement when we got to hear Declan’s voice. We got an insight into some very poignant moments in his relationship with Mia and it strengthened his case and my love for him even more.
When you stop and you’re forced to look at and examine your life. When something rocks it, do you not question everything? How far would you go to fight for what you want? In what manner do you question an honest reaction to the obstacles and tests thrown at you in a relationship?
So many question were asked off us and I have to say I absolutely loved this flawless and emotional story!
“Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?” ~ Declan
How did you feel, Jenny?
Jenny: For Declan, Mia and his daughters were his reason for breathing and he wasn’t going to give it all up without a fight, even if he was somewhat responsible for his predicament.
‘I wanted him to fight for me. Here he is fighting the only way he’s even known how.’ – Mia
There were times when I felt I really wanted to get inside Declan’s head. My desire to understand things from Declan’s perspective overwhelmed me and I have to say that when I clicked over the page and saw “Declan” as a chapter heading I will admit I cried. To have my wishes granted at such a pivotal moment and to hear from the man himself took this book to a whole new level for me. Declan’s POV only served to intensify my feelings and understanding of this man and his actions. Yes, he tripped up, but I didn’t feel any animosity towards him over it and felt that in light of where he was at emotionally, the actions he took and what he was feeling at that time, I couldn’t denigrate him for it.
‘I know life changes a person, but is it a fucking crime to miss the woman I fell in love with?’ – Declan
Marriage is about love, respect, communication and feeling connected. It’s about never taking each other for granted. Easy words to say, not always easy to put into practice when real life and every day demands take hold and sometimes it takes something to remind us of what we have and how important that is to our existence and this is the message in Man Of My Dreams. Declan had the wakeup call he needed and Mia…. did she get hers? You’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out.
‘……and I know it all too well – allowing words and emotions to flood your consciousness and pump through your veins, makes you feel goddamn invincible.’ – Declan
I loved this boo G. I loved Mia and Declan. I loved the flashbacks, the music and the pop culture references and most of all I loved it because it felt like such a real account of what can evenutate in a marriage.
‘Our love has always been the center love my universe, the power that could conquer all.’ – Mia
The past/present flow was so flawlessly written that I couldn’t help but ‘live’ every triumph and every heartache right along with Mia and Declan. Man of My Dreams was swoon worthy, warm, funny, heart-breaking, sexy and a real winner for me. Although the ending did feel a little rushed this didn’t impact on my feelings about the book as a whole. My heart fluttered and it faltered and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
ARC supplied by Author in exchange for an honest review.
June 18, 2022
This book was not so simple as it seems.
I love when a writer messes with my brain, and I want to believe she did it purposely.
This will be more a psychological analysis than a review. Or maybe both.
I liked the challenge of trying to understand the real meaning beneath the surface and I would have liked to give it more stars but two things I didn’t like.
The first was the too rushed ending.
The second was the time jumps.
I would have preferred if it hadn’t so many flashbacks and in different periods of time. It was confusing.
For the rest, the book is a tricky issue.
I think the author was trying to make the heroine look guilty of something so the hero would be justified in his actions.
Actually most reviews blames the heroine as if she was the cheater and the guilty one, and save the hero because he didn’t go through all the sexual act. There’s much spoiler here but the story is not the focus so I’m not feeling I’m revealing too much.
There’s a prologue where we understand that the heroine had this big crush on one of her schoolmates when she was a teenager but nothing happened.
Then times has gone by.
The first scene is about the heroine dreaming of making love with her high school crush, and waking up all hot and bothered.
The teenage crush was never her boyfriend and was just that, a teenage crush.
Anybody with a minimum of knowledge in psychology know that when you dream of a person that person seldom is the one you are thinking about. That person is a symbol. It can stand for another person, or a situation or more situations.
So, for those who thinks the heroine was somehow guilty of unconscious desires for her ex crush, no, it’s not like that.
And actually she’s very much in love with her husband, the true love of her life.
She wonders why she dreams of her school crush, maybe she’s a lil unsatisfied of her marriage situation.
She’s a full time mom of two lil daughters and her husband is often away for his job.
So maybe she feels neglected.
But she’s doesn’t want another man and this is very clear.
So nope, the heroine is not the one who cheats first.
They met very young and he was a virgin and two years younger than her.
Still another way to make excuses for his behavior. He never played the field and so on.
He proposes first while she has some doubts.
Then the first child arrives and he’s a real jerk, almost asking her to have a termination.
I hated him for this behavior.
He was a scared weak boy and a very selfish man, who was already regretting marrying so young. He’s a passive aggressive, and it’s easy to see how he always blames her for his faults.
So, no, no excuses for him.
Then four years later he comes back from one of his journey and some days later the heroine finds out he lied about it.
He stayed away one more day and of course he cheated on her. He doesn’t deny.
The heroine is shattered.
They separate.
He’s remorseful.
He explains that nothing happened- that he was tempted but eventually couldn’t do it.
The heroine can’t forgive him.
Of course she cant.
They’ve been married for four years not forty.
And it’s not as if they have so many issues. They are still - at least it seems - in love, they have two beautiful daughters and yes, they may be tired at the end of the day but is it a reason sufficient to cheat on your wife?
He says he felt disconnected from her.
He, the man with a good job qnd opportunities to travel while his wife spent her days at home with their children.
The heroine goes to a celebration with all her ex schoolmates and there she meets her ex crush, still hot and now rich and charming, who is apparently very attracted to her.
She kisses him, because she feels betrayed, she has self esteem issues and she wants to feel desired by a man, since her husband is attracted to other random women.
I understand her hurt. The moment she found out her husband lied to her and cheated on her was painful and very angsty. My pressure rose.
And no, she was not pining for her ex because years before, when she was only dating her husband, she met om and he told her he was interested but she refused because she loved the hero. So, when she was tempted and had the chance to finally date her school crush she refused without even thinking twice.
She chose the hero. Even if they weren’t engaged yet. She was able to choose between an old crush who maybe was only that and the man who made her heart beat.
She was the mature and the adult one.
She was the steady and strong one.
She made sacrifices because she was a teacher and chose to stay home and be there for her children and her husband.
When he basically cheated on her he told her he felt disconnected and they married too young and everything happened too fast.
When actually it was him to propose in a hurry.
And when she got pregnant he was angry and blamed her because she had to provide for contraception.
WTF??? I’m aware that teenagers choose together their contraception so a man of 22 wasn’t able to talk with his wife about such an important matter? And then blamed her because she didn’t???
Typical passive aggressive.
Then the first time he was alone and had a chance he accepted an invitation of a slutty masseuse in a hotel to go to her room and he went because his wife didn’t answer the telephone???
Maybe she was washing his daughters ass???
I know many blame the heroine because after the separation she dated om and made out with him but I didn’t.
She didn’t have sex with him - and she could- even if she was separated from her husband.
For some time I hoped she would divorce her husband and marry om, he was perfectly for her.
He really was sweet and strong and patient.
The zero left her to go abroad for one month because he didn’t want to force her hand, even when her father had a nasty heart attack he didn’t change his plan.
If he loved the heroine and truly wanted a reconciliation he should have changed his plans. At once.
But he’s always coming first.
Then eventually he naked the grand gesture and everything is forgiven.
The author in her prologue wants us to believe they will be happy forever running in the sunset.
I don’t know.
It’s him I have doubts about.
There’s a difference between his behavior and hers. His betrayal is in my opinion still worse than many other jerks heroes who cheated in a drunken stupor.
- he was sober.
- their marriage was really good.
- the sex was great.
- he chose to go to ow room the day after he met her, so it wasn’t an impulse.
- he was not only attracted to ow but strongly aroused and only with a great effort he could stop his actions. He kissed her and was aroused and wanted to have sex with ow, sober and all.
- I may say that it’s normal to be attracted to a beautiful body. Attracted doesn’t mean aroused. It means you like what you see. And it’s natural to be flattered when a beautiful man/ woman shows you they are interested in you sexually.
But there’s a limit that it’s not to be crossed: a committed person is not able to feel arousal for another that is not his partner because he/she are in love with their partner and that prevents them to feel sexual arousal for other person ( when they are not inebriated!) He felt immediate sexual interest for a stranger. Not a good sign. And blamed his wife for feeling disconnected, the ass.
- the heroine didn’t feel such interest in om until she was betrayed. She was flattered and a lil emotional because he was her first crush but she never allowed herself to feel aroused by him until her husband broke his vows. Then she felt free to go further with om.
I think the author was very smart and managed to make many readers angry because the heroine cheated with om when the truth is she never cheated not even emotionally.
It’s natural to feel some tender feelings for an ex crush but it was her husband she was completely committed to.
So imo the hero cheated on her more than many who were drunk and didn’t really know what they did.
He was unfaithful and I don’t think he would be faithful to her in future.
When the first real issue will arise he will cheat - again- because he’s a selfish and immature jerk.
And he will blame her again.
Anyway I enjoyed this mess because it made me think a lot, and my poor Goodreads friends have to suffer through this too long review of mine!
I love when a writer messes with my brain, and I want to believe she did it purposely.
This will be more a psychological analysis than a review. Or maybe both.
I liked the challenge of trying to understand the real meaning beneath the surface and I would have liked to give it more stars but two things I didn’t like.
The first was the too rushed ending.
The second was the time jumps.
I would have preferred if it hadn’t so many flashbacks and in different periods of time. It was confusing.
For the rest, the book is a tricky issue.
I think the author was trying to make the heroine look guilty of something so the hero would be justified in his actions.
Actually most reviews blames the heroine as if she was the cheater and the guilty one, and save the hero because he didn’t go through all the sexual act. There’s much spoiler here but the story is not the focus so I’m not feeling I’m revealing too much.
There’s a prologue where we understand that the heroine had this big crush on one of her schoolmates when she was a teenager but nothing happened.
Then times has gone by.
The first scene is about the heroine dreaming of making love with her high school crush, and waking up all hot and bothered.
The teenage crush was never her boyfriend and was just that, a teenage crush.
Anybody with a minimum of knowledge in psychology know that when you dream of a person that person seldom is the one you are thinking about. That person is a symbol. It can stand for another person, or a situation or more situations.
So, for those who thinks the heroine was somehow guilty of unconscious desires for her ex crush, no, it’s not like that.
And actually she’s very much in love with her husband, the true love of her life.
She wonders why she dreams of her school crush, maybe she’s a lil unsatisfied of her marriage situation.
She’s a full time mom of two lil daughters and her husband is often away for his job.
So maybe she feels neglected.
But she’s doesn’t want another man and this is very clear.
So nope, the heroine is not the one who cheats first.
They met very young and he was a virgin and two years younger than her.
Still another way to make excuses for his behavior. He never played the field and so on.
He proposes first while she has some doubts.
Then the first child arrives and he’s a real jerk, almost asking her to have a termination.
I hated him for this behavior.
He was a scared weak boy and a very selfish man, who was already regretting marrying so young. He’s a passive aggressive, and it’s easy to see how he always blames her for his faults.
So, no, no excuses for him.
Then four years later he comes back from one of his journey and some days later the heroine finds out he lied about it.
He stayed away one more day and of course he cheated on her. He doesn’t deny.
The heroine is shattered.
They separate.
He’s remorseful.
He explains that nothing happened- that he was tempted but eventually couldn’t do it.
The heroine can’t forgive him.
Of course she cant.
They’ve been married for four years not forty.
And it’s not as if they have so many issues. They are still - at least it seems - in love, they have two beautiful daughters and yes, they may be tired at the end of the day but is it a reason sufficient to cheat on your wife?
He says he felt disconnected from her.
He, the man with a good job qnd opportunities to travel while his wife spent her days at home with their children.
The heroine goes to a celebration with all her ex schoolmates and there she meets her ex crush, still hot and now rich and charming, who is apparently very attracted to her.
She kisses him, because she feels betrayed, she has self esteem issues and she wants to feel desired by a man, since her husband is attracted to other random women.
I understand her hurt. The moment she found out her husband lied to her and cheated on her was painful and very angsty. My pressure rose.
And no, she was not pining for her ex because years before, when she was only dating her husband, she met om and he told her he was interested but she refused because she loved the hero. So, when she was tempted and had the chance to finally date her school crush she refused without even thinking twice.
She chose the hero. Even if they weren’t engaged yet. She was able to choose between an old crush who maybe was only that and the man who made her heart beat.
She was the mature and the adult one.
She was the steady and strong one.
She made sacrifices because she was a teacher and chose to stay home and be there for her children and her husband.
When he basically cheated on her he told her he felt disconnected and they married too young and everything happened too fast.
When actually it was him to propose in a hurry.
And when she got pregnant he was angry and blamed her because she had to provide for contraception.
WTF??? I’m aware that teenagers choose together their contraception so a man of 22 wasn’t able to talk with his wife about such an important matter? And then blamed her because she didn’t???
Typical passive aggressive.
Then the first time he was alone and had a chance he accepted an invitation of a slutty masseuse in a hotel to go to her room and he went because his wife didn’t answer the telephone???
Maybe she was washing his daughters ass???
I know many blame the heroine because after the separation she dated om and made out with him but I didn’t.
She didn’t have sex with him - and she could- even if she was separated from her husband.
For some time I hoped she would divorce her husband and marry om, he was perfectly for her.
He really was sweet and strong and patient.
The zero left her to go abroad for one month because he didn’t want to force her hand, even when her father had a nasty heart attack he didn’t change his plan.
If he loved the heroine and truly wanted a reconciliation he should have changed his plans. At once.
But he’s always coming first.
Then eventually he naked the grand gesture and everything is forgiven.
The author in her prologue wants us to believe they will be happy forever running in the sunset.
I don’t know.
It’s him I have doubts about.
There’s a difference between his behavior and hers. His betrayal is in my opinion still worse than many other jerks heroes who cheated in a drunken stupor.
- he was sober.
- their marriage was really good.
- the sex was great.
- he chose to go to ow room the day after he met her, so it wasn’t an impulse.
- he was not only attracted to ow but strongly aroused and only with a great effort he could stop his actions. He kissed her and was aroused and wanted to have sex with ow, sober and all.
- I may say that it’s normal to be attracted to a beautiful body. Attracted doesn’t mean aroused. It means you like what you see. And it’s natural to be flattered when a beautiful man/ woman shows you they are interested in you sexually.
But there’s a limit that it’s not to be crossed: a committed person is not able to feel arousal for another that is not his partner because he/she are in love with their partner and that prevents them to feel sexual arousal for other person ( when they are not inebriated!) He felt immediate sexual interest for a stranger. Not a good sign. And blamed his wife for feeling disconnected, the ass.
- the heroine didn’t feel such interest in om until she was betrayed. She was flattered and a lil emotional because he was her first crush but she never allowed herself to feel aroused by him until her husband broke his vows. Then she felt free to go further with om.
I think the author was very smart and managed to make many readers angry because the heroine cheated with om when the truth is she never cheated not even emotionally.
It’s natural to feel some tender feelings for an ex crush but it was her husband she was completely committed to.
So imo the hero cheated on her more than many who were drunk and didn’t really know what they did.
He was unfaithful and I don’t think he would be faithful to her in future.
When the first real issue will arise he will cheat - again- because he’s a selfish and immature jerk.
And he will blame her again.
Anyway I enjoyed this mess because it made me think a lot, and my poor Goodreads friends have to suffer through this too long review of mine!
July 8, 2020
*Review in Portuguese and English.*
A história é bem interessante e é contada intercalando o momento atual e flashbacks.
A heroína é apaixonada por um colega de escola e sonha um dia conquistá-lo, mas todas oportunidades vão passando ao longo do ensino médio e a formatura chega e ele não se aproxima dela e acaba convidando outra garota para o baile de formatura. Cada um vai para uma Faculdade diferente e acabam perdendo contato.
Nossa heroína acaba conhecendo um outro cara, eles se apaixonam e casam rapidamente e em seguida ela fica grávida. Como são muito jovens, os problemas do dia a dia e os filhos acabam distanciando os dois. O marido a trai com outra mulher em uma viagem de negócios. Ela acaba descobrindo e os dois se separam.
Durante todos estes anos ela nunca deixou de pensar e sonhar com a paixão adolescente dela e com a proximidade da festa de 10 anos de formatura essa possibilidade pode vir a se realizar.
Insegura e muito decepcionada com o comportamento do marido ela se joga de cabeça nesta oportunidade e acaba descobrindo que o cara também era apaixonado por ela, mas muito tímido para se aproximar. Os dois se reconectam e ela passa a se encontrar com ele. O marido parece nem se importar com a separação e só aparece para pegar os filhos no final de semana. As crianças nem sentem muito a falta dele porque ele estava sempre em viagem de negócios ou trabalhando até tarde.
Confesso que tive momentos em que torci para ela ficar com a antiga paixão, mas daí o marido parece acordar e resolve lutar pela única mulher que é importante na vida dele e que é o amor da vida dele.
Foi bem legal a cena onde os dois se confrontam e brigam pela heroína.
Mas fiquei com a sensação de que quando os problemas surgirem novamente o marido vai acabar procurando consolo em outras mulheres... acho que quando existe traição no casamento ela fica lá no fundo da mente para sempre.
Mas a heroína é maravilhosa e acho que a história é bem realista.
Recomendo!
-----------------------------------------------
The story is very interesting and is told in the present moment and flashbacks.
The heroine has a crush on a classmate and dream of one day dating him, but all are opportunities passing over high school and graduation comes and he does not approach her and ends up inviting another girl to the prom. Each one goes to a different School and they lose contact.
Our heroine ends up knowing this other guy, they fall in love and marry quickly and then she gets pregnant. As they are very young, the problems of everyday life and the kids end up distancing the two. Her husband cheats on her with another woman on a business trip. She ends up finding out and the two break up.
During all these years she never stopped thinking and dreaming of her adolescent passion, and with the proximity of 10 years of graduation party that possibility could be realized.
Insecure and very disappointed in the behavior of the husband she throws herself headlong into this opportunity and discovers that the man was also in love with her, but too shy to approach. The two reconnect and she goes out with him. The husband seems not to care about the separation and only appears to take the kids for the weekend. The kids don't feel really miss him because he was always in business trip or working late.
I confess that I had moments where I was hoping she stays with the old flame, but then the husband seems wakes up and decides to fight for the only woman who's important in his life and that is the love of his life.
It was pretty cool the scene where the two confront and fight for heroin.
But I got the feeling that when problems arise again the husband will end up seeking solace in other women ... I guess when there is betrayal in marriage this is deep in the mind forever.
But heroin is wonderful and I think the story is realistic.
Recommend!
A história é bem interessante e é contada intercalando o momento atual e flashbacks.
A heroína é apaixonada por um colega de escola e sonha um dia conquistá-lo, mas todas oportunidades vão passando ao longo do ensino médio e a formatura chega e ele não se aproxima dela e acaba convidando outra garota para o baile de formatura. Cada um vai para uma Faculdade diferente e acabam perdendo contato.
Nossa heroína acaba conhecendo um outro cara, eles se apaixonam e casam rapidamente e em seguida ela fica grávida. Como são muito jovens, os problemas do dia a dia e os filhos acabam distanciando os dois. O marido a trai com outra mulher em uma viagem de negócios. Ela acaba descobrindo e os dois se separam.
Durante todos estes anos ela nunca deixou de pensar e sonhar com a paixão adolescente dela e com a proximidade da festa de 10 anos de formatura essa possibilidade pode vir a se realizar.
Insegura e muito decepcionada com o comportamento do marido ela se joga de cabeça nesta oportunidade e acaba descobrindo que o cara também era apaixonado por ela, mas muito tímido para se aproximar. Os dois se reconectam e ela passa a se encontrar com ele. O marido parece nem se importar com a separação e só aparece para pegar os filhos no final de semana. As crianças nem sentem muito a falta dele porque ele estava sempre em viagem de negócios ou trabalhando até tarde.
Confesso que tive momentos em que torci para ela ficar com a antiga paixão, mas daí o marido parece acordar e resolve lutar pela única mulher que é importante na vida dele e que é o amor da vida dele.
Foi bem legal a cena onde os dois se confrontam e brigam pela heroína.
Mas fiquei com a sensação de que quando os problemas surgirem novamente o marido vai acabar procurando consolo em outras mulheres... acho que quando existe traição no casamento ela fica lá no fundo da mente para sempre.
Mas a heroína é maravilhosa e acho que a história é bem realista.
Recomendo!
-----------------------------------------------
The story is very interesting and is told in the present moment and flashbacks.
The heroine has a crush on a classmate and dream of one day dating him, but all are opportunities passing over high school and graduation comes and he does not approach her and ends up inviting another girl to the prom. Each one goes to a different School and they lose contact.
Our heroine ends up knowing this other guy, they fall in love and marry quickly and then she gets pregnant. As they are very young, the problems of everyday life and the kids end up distancing the two. Her husband cheats on her with another woman on a business trip. She ends up finding out and the two break up.
During all these years she never stopped thinking and dreaming of her adolescent passion, and with the proximity of 10 years of graduation party that possibility could be realized.
Insecure and very disappointed in the behavior of the husband she throws herself headlong into this opportunity and discovers that the man was also in love with her, but too shy to approach. The two reconnect and she goes out with him. The husband seems not to care about the separation and only appears to take the kids for the weekend. The kids don't feel really miss him because he was always in business trip or working late.
I confess that I had moments where I was hoping she stays with the old flame, but then the husband seems wakes up and decides to fight for the only woman who's important in his life and that is the love of his life.
It was pretty cool the scene where the two confront and fight for heroin.
But I got the feeling that when problems arise again the husband will end up seeking solace in other women ... I guess when there is betrayal in marriage this is deep in the mind forever.
But heroin is wonderful and I think the story is realistic.
Recommend!
November 23, 2013
Story Rating ~ 4 Stars
Hero Rating ~ Declan ~ 4 Stars
Hero Rating ~ Noah ~ 4 Stars
Heroine Rating ~ Mia ~ 3.5 Stars
Romance Rating ~ 4 Stars
Heat Level ~ 2.5 Stars
Ending ~ 4.5 Stars
Overall Rating ~ 4 Stars
This is Faith Andrews debut novel, and I have to say she did a good job and I enjoyed it. The story and all the characters were written well. When I first started reading and found that the chapters jumped back and forth in time, it bothered me for a bit. I found myself more interested with the part of the story that was in the present time. I was wondering why this book was written like this, and thought it would have been better if the story was just told from beginning to end, instead of skipping around. Nonetheless, the jumping was not too confusing, as the dates were marked at the beginning of each chapter. By the end of the book I realized that the different timelines added more to the overall story, and then I understood why it was written this way.
I became very invested in the story and the 3 main characters. I really enjoyed reading how Mia and Declan ended up with each other. Then after they got married I was angry with Declan. I really felt for Mia, because of the way he acted when a certain issue came up just two months into their marriage. Then later on in the marriage, when we first find out that he cheated, I was so ready for her to dump him and move on. As a matter of fact, Mia did start dating Noah, who was the first guy she met and wanted throughout all of her high school years. Noah was everything that Mia needed to help her get over the hurt caused by Declan. When we are finally told Declan’s side of the story, I became a total fan of his. Does Mia end up with Noah, or does she take her husband back? I’m not telling, so you will have to read and find out for yourselves.
The ending was everything I hoped it would be, and gave us a look into the future, which left me very happy with the conclusion.
Overall , I think Faith Andrews did an excellent job with her first book and I have a feeling that her next book will be even better.
Hero Rating ~ Declan ~ 4 Stars
Hero Rating ~ Noah ~ 4 Stars
Heroine Rating ~ Mia ~ 3.5 Stars
Romance Rating ~ 4 Stars
Heat Level ~ 2.5 Stars
Ending ~ 4.5 Stars
Overall Rating ~ 4 Stars
This is Faith Andrews debut novel, and I have to say she did a good job and I enjoyed it. The story and all the characters were written well. When I first started reading and found that the chapters jumped back and forth in time, it bothered me for a bit. I found myself more interested with the part of the story that was in the present time. I was wondering why this book was written like this, and thought it would have been better if the story was just told from beginning to end, instead of skipping around. Nonetheless, the jumping was not too confusing, as the dates were marked at the beginning of each chapter. By the end of the book I realized that the different timelines added more to the overall story, and then I understood why it was written this way.
I became very invested in the story and the 3 main characters. I really enjoyed reading how Mia and Declan ended up with each other. Then after they got married I was angry with Declan. I really felt for Mia, because of the way he acted when a certain issue came up just two months into their marriage. Then later on in the marriage, when we first find out that he cheated, I was so ready for her to dump him and move on. As a matter of fact, Mia did start dating Noah, who was the first guy she met and wanted throughout all of her high school years. Noah was everything that Mia needed to help her get over the hurt caused by Declan. When we are finally told Declan’s side of the story, I became a total fan of his. Does Mia end up with Noah, or does she take her husband back? I’m not telling, so you will have to read and find out for yourselves.
The ending was everything I hoped it would be, and gave us a look into the future, which left me very happy with the conclusion.
Overall , I think Faith Andrews did an excellent job with her first book and I have a feeling that her next book will be even better.
July 27, 2013
Okay, don't judge me. I'm a guy. Yet I was carried away by the romance, the passion, the sexual vibe of this book. I know, right?
Mia, our protagonist, is confused. Happy, yet not. Something we can all identify with. She's married to her high school sweetheart, happy, yet playing "what if" about her high school crush. Fate puts the proper playing pieces on the board as Mia discovers something that disrupts her idyllic life. Noah or Declan.
I was riveted, racing to the conclusion.Who does Mia choose?
Extremely well-written, sensitive and very moving, Ms. Andrews book is recommended.
Mia, our protagonist, is confused. Happy, yet not. Something we can all identify with. She's married to her high school sweetheart, happy, yet playing "what if" about her high school crush. Fate puts the proper playing pieces on the board as Mia discovers something that disrupts her idyllic life. Noah or Declan.
I was riveted, racing to the conclusion.Who does Mia choose?
Extremely well-written, sensitive and very moving, Ms. Andrews book is recommended.
October 11, 2013
Let me state up front that I really enjoyed this book. I started it, found myself glued to it, and raced to the end. It totally kept my attention. It’s very well-written, the characters are interesting, and, for the most part, I didn’t want to strangle any of them. But…
That being said, I again thought this was a very well-written book, and will be on the lookout for future works from this author.
Congrats on a job well done.
That being said, I again thought this was a very well-written book, and will be on the lookout for future works from this author.
Congrats on a job well done.
Shelved as 'freebie'
March 4, 2015FREEBIE!!!!! - > http://amzn.to/17Qqwnn
September 29, 2013
Jointly reviewed on: http://totallybookedblog.com/2013/09/...
Gitte: So, as far as love triangles go I thought the one in Man of My Dreams was both believable and sympathetically told from all sides! Without spoiling anything, I think readers who hate cheating are safe to read this story as the crux of the problem is a real grey area on both sides and minimal in the bigger picture. I truly loved this story and I think it’s one that has aspects many of us can relate to don’t you agree Jenny? The high school crush we’ll never forget as well as the ‘stuck in a rut’ routine you can so easily fall into once married. The grass isn’t always greener, how often do we get told that, we know it to be true, however who can control their dreams right?! At one stage or another who hasn’t second guessed their life choices when their trust and faith has been breached? Wondering what would have happened if we’d said or acted differently. Made another choice. Where would we be now as a consequence?
I thought the writing was beautiful and the characters had real depth. The way in which we were taken easily from the present into the past gave me, the reader, a strong connection and insight. I believed in Mia and Declan, I felt their love and whatever they went through emotionally, I was right there with them. Man of My Dreams was a beautiful and a very real and honest story packed full of emotion. It made me smile, laugh, swoon and yeah it also made me really cross at times mostly with Mia (hahaha we have the text messages to prove it don’t we Jenny!). I fell in love and if we’re talking teams, I’m definitely team Declan! Seriously, how much did we love Declan, Jenny?!
Jenny: Completely agree G. I truly do believe readers who have a bit of an aversion to love triangles and/or cheating will actually still enjoy this story because as you said, there are so many aspects that many will relate to. The love triangle/cheating felt more like a ‘side note’ rather than the main focus and in my eyes, Man of My Dreams was more a story about a marriage and a journey of Declan and Mia as a couple more than anything else and in my opinion, the triangle/cheating merely served as a vehicle for delivering the message in this story. Arrggh it’s so hard to explain myself without giving anything away but I do know that I feel this way because of how beautifully and flawlessly Faith Andrews handled this story and because I understood a lot about their relationship and I “got” it.
‘Life gets in the way of love sometimes.’ – Mia
As for being Team Declan? Well, we were Team Dec from our first meeting and we never faltered….not one teeny tiny step. Our feelings for the beautiful and soulful man never deviated…Not once!
“I’m gonna kiss you in front of all these people babe.”- Declan
I loved Man of My Dreams and I still have that giddy book rush after finishing it. I loved experiencing that exciting anxious feeling when my work day was coming to a close and I was able to rush home and get stuck into this book. I knew I was on a winner at that point.
Like you G, I laughed, cried, swooned (oh boy did I swoooon!) and yes….we had some pretty expletive messages back and forth about Mia. lol Hmmm we’ll keep those private I think.
Gitte: Mia loves her husband. They met in college, fell in love, married and had kids at a very young age meaning they grew up fast without really experiencing life on their own first. Mia had a high school crush which she’s never forgotten….Noah…the man who surfaces in almost every dream she has. It’s the one who got away so all Mia has are her dreams based on sweet and innocent high school memories. I actually liked Noah, he was inoffensive and seemed to honestly care about Mia. Despite the circumstances I thought he was a real descent and honourable man.
I think most readers will have an understanding of Mia’s situation and her reaction when her marriage to Declan is rocked off balance. She’s a stay at home Mum, she’s fallen into a routine of ‘an ordinary life’ and also…one word…KIDS!!! The romance and time with your hubby, even the nookie factor will always suffer!! Won’t it? When faced with even the smallest betrayal does true love or lust win? What would we risk for a chance with the boy we ‘loved’ in high school but never truly had?
“It’s not even the cheating that stings the most – it’s that he gave up on us.” ~ Mia
I really did empathise with Mia. Sure, I wanted to slap some sense into her a time or two after she did something that wasn’t warranted in my opinion. I suppose you could say I disliked her as much as I liked her. However, I felt she went through real personal growth and a journey of self-discovery.
“I’ve been able to live without Noah for a long time now, but the idea of living without Declan is unfathomable.” ~ Mia
Actually, I was surprised at how strong my feeling were in this story in regards to my compassion with Declan rather than Mia, so kudos to the Author for my emotions going in the opposite direction of what I would’ve expected! I put that down to brilliant writing!
How did you feel about Mia, Jenny?
Jenny: Me too G. I’m so surprised that I didn’t go the other way and that my compassion wasn’t completely with Mia. Although I understood Mia I have to say there were moments when I was gritting my teeth over her. I wanted to shake her a time or two but overall I could relate to why she did what she did. It must be awful to have that constant niggling feeling thinking about a high school crush, the one that got away and wondering if the choices you made, if the life you lead was the right one. To have the object of your conflict make a starring role in some of your *cough cough* dreams…well, that would kind of put you off kilter that’s for sure. Especially if you feel you are not receiving the attention you desire and feel some kind of disconnection from your husband.
‘The word “torn” comes to mind, but torn doesn’t even begin to cover it. My heart feels like it’s being ripped apart and tugged in two different directions.’ – Mia
Life is full of what ifs and in Man Of My Dreams Mia takes the reader on an emotional ride as she gets to revisit her high school sweetheart and experience the time with him she so craved back in high school after her perceived “perfect” marriage hits a crossroads.
Noah was a lovely character and I could absolutely understand Mia’s feelings towards him but for me there was only one man in this triangle and that was Declan. My heart was unequivocally his and because of this I found myself questioning a few of Mia’s decisions and although she sometimes frustrated me I loved how we saw her mature and grow through this whole experience.
Gitte: As for Declan….the man is perfection in my eyes, so gorgeous, romantic, protective and loving.
“As if his incredible looks weren’t enough, the man has a heart of gold. Compassionate, attentive, and loving, he stole my heart on our very first date.” ~ Mia
He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. He stumbled, yes, but I kind of understood how it came to be. After all, if nothing else this Author has written an extremely realistic account of what can happen in a marriage.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!” – Declan
I felt this ‘issue’ was very true to life in respect to how it was dealt with. From the second he realised what ‘could have happened’, Declan did not put a foot wrong in my opinion. If anything, despite being younger than Mia, he showed incredible maturity, resolution and restraint. I fell completely in love with this man who was utterly and wholeheartedly in love with his family.
I nearly fell off my chair in excitement when we got to hear Declan’s voice. We got an insight into some very poignant moments in his relationship with Mia and it strengthened his case and my love for him even more.
When you stop and you’re forced to look at and examine your life. When something rocks it, do you not question everything? How far would you go to fight for what you want? In what manner do you question an honest reaction to the obstacles and tests thrown at you in a relationship?
So many question were asked off us and I have to say I absolutely loved this flawless and emotional story!
“Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?” ~ Declan
How did you feel, Jenny?
Jenny: For Declan, Mia and his daughters were his reason for breathing and he wasn’t going to give it all up without a fight, even if he was somewhat responsible for his predicament.
‘I wanted him to fight for me. Here he is fighting the only way he’s even known how.’ – Mia
There were times when I felt I really wanted to get inside Declan’s head. My desire to understand things from Declan’s perspective overwhelmed me and I have to say that when I clicked over the page and saw “Declan” as a chapter heading I will admit I cried. To have my wishes granted at such a pivotal moment and to hear from the man himself took this book to a whole new level for me. Declan’s POV only served to intensify my feelings and understanding of this man and his actions. Yes, he tripped up, but I didn’t feel any animosity towards him over it and felt that in light of where he was at emotionally, the actions he took and what he was feeling at that time, I couldn’t denigrate him for it.
‘I know life changes a person, but is it a fucking crime to miss the woman I fell in love with?’ – Declan
Marriage is about love, respect, communication and feeling connected. It’s about never taking each other for granted. Easy words to say, not always easy to put into practice when real life and every day demands take hold and sometimes it takes something to remind us of what we have and how important that is to our existence and this is the message in Man Of My Dreams. Declan had the wakeup call he needed and Mia…. did she get hers? You’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out.
‘……and I know it all too well – allowing words and emotions to flood your consciousness and pump through your veins, makes you feel goddamn invincible.’ – Declan
I loved this too G. I loved Mia and Declan. I loved the flashbacks, the music and the pop culture references and most of all I loved it because it felt like such a real account of what can evenutate in a marriage.
‘Our love has always been the center love my universe, the power that could conquer all.’ – Mia
The past/present flow was so flawlessly written that I couldn’t help but ‘live’ every triumph and every heartache right along with Mia and Declan. Man of My Dreams was swoon worthy, warm, funny, heart-breaking, sexy and a real winner for me. Although the ending did feel a little rushed this didn’t impact on my feelings about the book as a whole. My heart fluttered and it faltered and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
ARC supplied by Author in exchange for an honest review.
Gitte: So, as far as love triangles go I thought the one in Man of My Dreams was both believable and sympathetically told from all sides! Without spoiling anything, I think readers who hate cheating are safe to read this story as the crux of the problem is a real grey area on both sides and minimal in the bigger picture. I truly loved this story and I think it’s one that has aspects many of us can relate to don’t you agree Jenny? The high school crush we’ll never forget as well as the ‘stuck in a rut’ routine you can so easily fall into once married. The grass isn’t always greener, how often do we get told that, we know it to be true, however who can control their dreams right?! At one stage or another who hasn’t second guessed their life choices when their trust and faith has been breached? Wondering what would have happened if we’d said or acted differently. Made another choice. Where would we be now as a consequence?
I thought the writing was beautiful and the characters had real depth. The way in which we were taken easily from the present into the past gave me, the reader, a strong connection and insight. I believed in Mia and Declan, I felt their love and whatever they went through emotionally, I was right there with them. Man of My Dreams was a beautiful and a very real and honest story packed full of emotion. It made me smile, laugh, swoon and yeah it also made me really cross at times mostly with Mia (hahaha we have the text messages to prove it don’t we Jenny!). I fell in love and if we’re talking teams, I’m definitely team Declan! Seriously, how much did we love Declan, Jenny?!
Jenny: Completely agree G. I truly do believe readers who have a bit of an aversion to love triangles and/or cheating will actually still enjoy this story because as you said, there are so many aspects that many will relate to. The love triangle/cheating felt more like a ‘side note’ rather than the main focus and in my eyes, Man of My Dreams was more a story about a marriage and a journey of Declan and Mia as a couple more than anything else and in my opinion, the triangle/cheating merely served as a vehicle for delivering the message in this story. Arrggh it’s so hard to explain myself without giving anything away but I do know that I feel this way because of how beautifully and flawlessly Faith Andrews handled this story and because I understood a lot about their relationship and I “got” it.
‘Life gets in the way of love sometimes.’ – Mia
As for being Team Declan? Well, we were Team Dec from our first meeting and we never faltered….not one teeny tiny step. Our feelings for the beautiful and soulful man never deviated…Not once!
“I’m gonna kiss you in front of all these people babe.”- Declan
I loved Man of My Dreams and I still have that giddy book rush after finishing it. I loved experiencing that exciting anxious feeling when my work day was coming to a close and I was able to rush home and get stuck into this book. I knew I was on a winner at that point.
Like you G, I laughed, cried, swooned (oh boy did I swoooon!) and yes….we had some pretty expletive messages back and forth about Mia. lol Hmmm we’ll keep those private I think.
Gitte: Mia loves her husband. They met in college, fell in love, married and had kids at a very young age meaning they grew up fast without really experiencing life on their own first. Mia had a high school crush which she’s never forgotten….Noah…the man who surfaces in almost every dream she has. It’s the one who got away so all Mia has are her dreams based on sweet and innocent high school memories. I actually liked Noah, he was inoffensive and seemed to honestly care about Mia. Despite the circumstances I thought he was a real descent and honourable man.
I think most readers will have an understanding of Mia’s situation and her reaction when her marriage to Declan is rocked off balance. She’s a stay at home Mum, she’s fallen into a routine of ‘an ordinary life’ and also…one word…KIDS!!! The romance and time with your hubby, even the nookie factor will always suffer!! Won’t it? When faced with even the smallest betrayal does true love or lust win? What would we risk for a chance with the boy we ‘loved’ in high school but never truly had?
“It’s not even the cheating that stings the most – it’s that he gave up on us.” ~ Mia
I really did empathise with Mia. Sure, I wanted to slap some sense into her a time or two after she did something that wasn’t warranted in my opinion. I suppose you could say I disliked her as much as I liked her. However, I felt she went through real personal growth and a journey of self-discovery.
“I’ve been able to live without Noah for a long time now, but the idea of living without Declan is unfathomable.” ~ Mia
Actually, I was surprised at how strong my feeling were in this story in regards to my compassion with Declan rather than Mia, so kudos to the Author for my emotions going in the opposite direction of what I would’ve expected! I put that down to brilliant writing!
How did you feel about Mia, Jenny?
Jenny: Me too G. I’m so surprised that I didn’t go the other way and that my compassion wasn’t completely with Mia. Although I understood Mia I have to say there were moments when I was gritting my teeth over her. I wanted to shake her a time or two but overall I could relate to why she did what she did. It must be awful to have that constant niggling feeling thinking about a high school crush, the one that got away and wondering if the choices you made, if the life you lead was the right one. To have the object of your conflict make a starring role in some of your *cough cough* dreams…well, that would kind of put you off kilter that’s for sure. Especially if you feel you are not receiving the attention you desire and feel some kind of disconnection from your husband.
‘The word “torn” comes to mind, but torn doesn’t even begin to cover it. My heart feels like it’s being ripped apart and tugged in two different directions.’ – Mia
Life is full of what ifs and in Man Of My Dreams Mia takes the reader on an emotional ride as she gets to revisit her high school sweetheart and experience the time with him she so craved back in high school after her perceived “perfect” marriage hits a crossroads.
Noah was a lovely character and I could absolutely understand Mia’s feelings towards him but for me there was only one man in this triangle and that was Declan. My heart was unequivocally his and because of this I found myself questioning a few of Mia’s decisions and although she sometimes frustrated me I loved how we saw her mature and grow through this whole experience.
Gitte: As for Declan….the man is perfection in my eyes, so gorgeous, romantic, protective and loving.
“As if his incredible looks weren’t enough, the man has a heart of gold. Compassionate, attentive, and loving, he stole my heart on our very first date.” ~ Mia
He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. He stumbled, yes, but I kind of understood how it came to be. After all, if nothing else this Author has written an extremely realistic account of what can happen in a marriage.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!” – Declan
I felt this ‘issue’ was very true to life in respect to how it was dealt with. From the second he realised what ‘could have happened’, Declan did not put a foot wrong in my opinion. If anything, despite being younger than Mia, he showed incredible maturity, resolution and restraint. I fell completely in love with this man who was utterly and wholeheartedly in love with his family.
I nearly fell off my chair in excitement when we got to hear Declan’s voice. We got an insight into some very poignant moments in his relationship with Mia and it strengthened his case and my love for him even more.
When you stop and you’re forced to look at and examine your life. When something rocks it, do you not question everything? How far would you go to fight for what you want? In what manner do you question an honest reaction to the obstacles and tests thrown at you in a relationship?
So many question were asked off us and I have to say I absolutely loved this flawless and emotional story!
“Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?” ~ Declan
How did you feel, Jenny?
Jenny: For Declan, Mia and his daughters were his reason for breathing and he wasn’t going to give it all up without a fight, even if he was somewhat responsible for his predicament.
‘I wanted him to fight for me. Here he is fighting the only way he’s even known how.’ – Mia
There were times when I felt I really wanted to get inside Declan’s head. My desire to understand things from Declan’s perspective overwhelmed me and I have to say that when I clicked over the page and saw “Declan” as a chapter heading I will admit I cried. To have my wishes granted at such a pivotal moment and to hear from the man himself took this book to a whole new level for me. Declan’s POV only served to intensify my feelings and understanding of this man and his actions. Yes, he tripped up, but I didn’t feel any animosity towards him over it and felt that in light of where he was at emotionally, the actions he took and what he was feeling at that time, I couldn’t denigrate him for it.
‘I know life changes a person, but is it a fucking crime to miss the woman I fell in love with?’ – Declan
Marriage is about love, respect, communication and feeling connected. It’s about never taking each other for granted. Easy words to say, not always easy to put into practice when real life and every day demands take hold and sometimes it takes something to remind us of what we have and how important that is to our existence and this is the message in Man Of My Dreams. Declan had the wakeup call he needed and Mia…. did she get hers? You’ll have to read this wonderful book to find out.
‘……and I know it all too well – allowing words and emotions to flood your consciousness and pump through your veins, makes you feel goddamn invincible.’ – Declan
I loved this too G. I loved Mia and Declan. I loved the flashbacks, the music and the pop culture references and most of all I loved it because it felt like such a real account of what can evenutate in a marriage.
‘Our love has always been the center love my universe, the power that could conquer all.’ – Mia
The past/present flow was so flawlessly written that I couldn’t help but ‘live’ every triumph and every heartache right along with Mia and Declan. Man of My Dreams was swoon worthy, warm, funny, heart-breaking, sexy and a real winner for me. Although the ending did feel a little rushed this didn’t impact on my feelings about the book as a whole. My heart fluttered and it faltered and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
ARC supplied by Author in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2015
*ARC Given to Blog for Honest Review*
3.5 ‘If you love something let it go…’ Kisses
The paths we take in life shape our future. If you think about it, one choice, one action can forever affect the rest of your existence. I’m not trying to get too deep here but this book has really made me think about all this stuff. This isn’t your regular love triangle book. This is a different kind of contemporary romance…at least for me it was…let’s see if I can make sense of my thoughts.
Mia Page…or Mia Murphy…she is 28 years old, married to the ‘man of her dreams’ and living the dream life with two adorable girls. Life is great, right? I really liked Mia…but I feel bad for her. Do not get me wrong, she has had a great life…a very fulfilling life…but I don’t feel like she ever got a chance to really live. It’s basically always been her and Declan…her and Declan in college (except for her first year), her and Declan getting married, her and Declan having kids…there is absolutely nothing wrong with that…but it does bring up the question of ‘what if’?
Declan Murphy…oh Dec, I have a love/hate relationship with him. The things I loved about Declan…he can sing and play guitar (sorry…that’s just hot!), he’s incredibly romantic and sweet and he’s an incredible father. Deep down, I know Declan is a good guy. I know he loves Mia, I know he loves his family and I know he regrets the mistake he made more than anything in the world. And that does count for something. But there were a few strikes against Declan before we even got to the cheating aspect. He did and said some pretty dumb things! I think part of it was the fact that he met his ‘forever girl’ before he had a chance to experience anything else. It’s the same thing as Mia…possibly worse in my opinion. That’s a good thing and a bad thing, because she is all he ever wanted and needed and then some…but how do you really know that when you’ve never had anything to compare it to?
Noah Matheson…I might get grief for this but up until the end, I was 100% Team Noah. I’m sorry this guy did nothing be amazing things from beginning to end. Should he have gone after Mia in high school, prolly…but his reasons and logic for not are valid and smart…and believe me, the man is trying to make up for some lost time as fast as he can. He is nothing but a gentleman to Mia…he’s kind, respectful, sweet…he made me swoon all over the place. I don’t feel like he got a fair shot in all of this and that sucks, because now there will always be that ‘what if’ factor for him. Dec may be the ‘man of her dreams’ but Noah is the man in her dreams…poor Noah… :-(
Another person I need to address is Grace. She is another one that I had a love/hate relationship with…and I don’t think that has ever happened to me with a bestie in a book. Oh wow…there were so many moments between the two of them that reminded me of my H.S. best friend’s. I really did love their banter and their closeness. But…there were a few instances where she did some very ‘un-best friend like’ things. Did she have Mia’s best interests at heart…sure, but guess what? Mia has a mother…she doesn’t need another one. She needs a best friend to be there, support her and give advice but in the end…lets her do her own thing. I struggled with that because there were two specific instances where Grace did do something that made Mia (and me!) mad…it was never really addressed. You knew Mia was mad but we never saw her and Grace talk it out.
So like I said, I was team Noah until the end…the ending is what won me over. I'm internally fighting with myself because what I'm about to say 'could' technically be a spoiler...but if I read it, I wouldn't consider it one. To err on the side of caution...if you don't want to risk it, stop reading now. :-) So, Declan finally did what he needed to do in my eyes to ‘redeem’ himself and make up for being an almost complete ass hat. Noah still gets the shitty end of the stick unfortunately, which does sting a little bit since I did love him…but Mia being happy is more important in my eyes. I don’t think I can stress this enough, the fact that I was team Noah shocked me…I am always the proponent for the original couple - ALWAYS …especially if there is a family involved – unless there are extenuating circumstances and the guy is a complete douche canoe of course. And Declan isn’t…at least not completely…he makes some pretty bad decisions and pisses me off, but clearly not beyond repair.
This book spans a lot of time – we go from the early ‘90’s to present day, each chapter jumps back and forth, past/semi present (2006/2007) when all the drama starts happening with Mia and Declan. I didn’t mind it, because I liked getting Mia’s past but sometimes it was hard to remember and keep things straight. And also, let it be said for the record that I loved all the 90’s references. From the music to the movies to the TV shows – OMG…classic. Totally took me back in time because…that’s what I grew up with! I may not have been in high school the entire time, but I remember every reference…totally took me back. Faith has a very unique writing style…I liked her tone and it flowed very well. The dialogue was awesome, I loved her descriptions and it was very easy to read. I guess if I had one slight complaint it was a little slow for me. I was completely wrapped up in their emotions and what was happening but it was a different pace.
Am I happy with the ending…yes, but it was a little bittersweet. I need a book for my Noah though, and yes…he is mine, I have claimed him. He deserves an HEA…a fabulous one. *hint hint* :-) All in all, Man of My Dreams was a honest, genuine story about a couple that felt real to me…beautifully written and packed with honest, raw emotion. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Andrews comes up with next.
3.5 ‘If you love something let it go…’ Kisses
The paths we take in life shape our future. If you think about it, one choice, one action can forever affect the rest of your existence. I’m not trying to get too deep here but this book has really made me think about all this stuff. This isn’t your regular love triangle book. This is a different kind of contemporary romance…at least for me it was…let’s see if I can make sense of my thoughts.
Mia Page…or Mia Murphy…she is 28 years old, married to the ‘man of her dreams’ and living the dream life with two adorable girls. Life is great, right? I really liked Mia…but I feel bad for her. Do not get me wrong, she has had a great life…a very fulfilling life…but I don’t feel like she ever got a chance to really live. It’s basically always been her and Declan…her and Declan in college (except for her first year), her and Declan getting married, her and Declan having kids…there is absolutely nothing wrong with that…but it does bring up the question of ‘what if’?
‘This is not my life. And it’s not that I object. I’m happy. I’m in love. I have a great life. Okay, fine, I’m semi-happy, with my semi-eventful life. I know I shouldn’t be so ungrateful; there are people out there who would give a right arm for my life, but it’s just so…ordinary.’
Declan Murphy…oh Dec, I have a love/hate relationship with him. The things I loved about Declan…he can sing and play guitar (sorry…that’s just hot!), he’s incredibly romantic and sweet and he’s an incredible father. Deep down, I know Declan is a good guy. I know he loves Mia, I know he loves his family and I know he regrets the mistake he made more than anything in the world. And that does count for something. But there were a few strikes against Declan before we even got to the cheating aspect. He did and said some pretty dumb things! I think part of it was the fact that he met his ‘forever girl’ before he had a chance to experience anything else. It’s the same thing as Mia…possibly worse in my opinion. That’s a good thing and a bad thing, because she is all he ever wanted and needed and then some…but how do you really know that when you’ve never had anything to compare it to?
‘Declan becomes the center of attention again and continues, “That night I told her how much I wanted her. But now that she’s fulfilled every want I’ve ever had, it’s time for me to tell her just how much I need her.”’
Noah Matheson…I might get grief for this but up until the end, I was 100% Team Noah. I’m sorry this guy did nothing be amazing things from beginning to end. Should he have gone after Mia in high school, prolly…but his reasons and logic for not are valid and smart…and believe me, the man is trying to make up for some lost time as fast as he can. He is nothing but a gentleman to Mia…he’s kind, respectful, sweet…he made me swoon all over the place. I don’t feel like he got a fair shot in all of this and that sucks, because now there will always be that ‘what if’ factor for him. Dec may be the ‘man of her dreams’ but Noah is the man in her dreams…poor Noah… :-(
‘Noah raises an eyebrow, channeling me to foxus on those smoldering green eyes. His lips curl into a satisfied smile. He speaks in a growl of a whisper. “Mia, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I don’t want this night to end because tomorrow you go back to belonging to someone else.”’
Another person I need to address is Grace. She is another one that I had a love/hate relationship with…and I don’t think that has ever happened to me with a bestie in a book. Oh wow…there were so many moments between the two of them that reminded me of my H.S. best friend’s. I really did love their banter and their closeness. But…there were a few instances where she did some very ‘un-best friend like’ things. Did she have Mia’s best interests at heart…sure, but guess what? Mia has a mother…she doesn’t need another one. She needs a best friend to be there, support her and give advice but in the end…lets her do her own thing. I struggled with that because there were two specific instances where Grace did do something that made Mia (and me!) mad…it was never really addressed. You knew Mia was mad but we never saw her and Grace talk it out.
‘My head is spinning and it’s not just from the hangover. Grace makes valid points, and my heart is clearly torn between right, wrong and just following what it wants to do. There are so many scenarios to consider it’s not even funny. And in all of them someone gets hurt.’
So like I said, I was team Noah until the end…the ending is what won me over. I'm internally fighting with myself because what I'm about to say 'could' technically be a spoiler...but if I read it, I wouldn't consider it one. To err on the side of caution...if you don't want to risk it, stop reading now. :-) So, Declan finally did what he needed to do in my eyes to ‘redeem’ himself and make up for being an almost complete ass hat. Noah still gets the shitty end of the stick unfortunately, which does sting a little bit since I did love him…but Mia being happy is more important in my eyes. I don’t think I can stress this enough, the fact that I was team Noah shocked me…I am always the proponent for the original couple - ALWAYS …especially if there is a family involved – unless there are extenuating circumstances and the guy is a complete douche canoe of course. And Declan isn’t…at least not completely…he makes some pretty bad decisions and pisses me off, but clearly not beyond repair.
‘I wanted him to fight for me. Here he is fighting the only way he’s ever known how. They weren’t kidding when they said be careful what you wish for. I just wish I knew what the hell I’m going to do now. The word “torn” comes to mind, but torn doesn’t even beging to cover it. My heart feels like it’s being ripped apart and tugged in two different directions.’
This book spans a lot of time – we go from the early ‘90’s to present day, each chapter jumps back and forth, past/semi present (2006/2007) when all the drama starts happening with Mia and Declan. I didn’t mind it, because I liked getting Mia’s past but sometimes it was hard to remember and keep things straight. And also, let it be said for the record that I loved all the 90’s references. From the music to the movies to the TV shows – OMG…classic. Totally took me back in time because…that’s what I grew up with! I may not have been in high school the entire time, but I remember every reference…totally took me back. Faith has a very unique writing style…I liked her tone and it flowed very well. The dialogue was awesome, I loved her descriptions and it was very easy to read. I guess if I had one slight complaint it was a little slow for me. I was completely wrapped up in their emotions and what was happening but it was a different pace.
‘Life gets in the way of love sometimes.’
Am I happy with the ending…yes, but it was a little bittersweet. I need a book for my Noah though, and yes…he is mine, I have claimed him. He deserves an HEA…a fabulous one. *hint hint* :-) All in all, Man of My Dreams was a honest, genuine story about a couple that felt real to me…beautifully written and packed with honest, raw emotion. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Andrews comes up with next.
September 18, 2013
Received an ARC for an honest review!
5 Star Review by Heather
OMG I loved this book. This is one of those books that will have your stomach in knots and have you screaming and cursing at your kindle. I am a big fan of love triangles normally, but I didn't want a love triangle in this book.
"Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?"
Mia believes she has the perfect life. Everything is going well until she finds out that he husband Declan, lied and cheated. She doesn't know what to do. She loves him and wants to be with him, but he has made her question everything about their relationship. She wants him to want her and not just want to get back together for their kids. Can she find a way to forgive him? Will she lose everything by being stubborn?
"I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!"
Declan is an accountant that has to travel for work a lot. He has noticed that his relationship feels strained. He loves Mia, he just feels like she doesn't have enough time for her since they have kids. One mistake and he is losing the only woman he loves and his two beautiful daughters. He fights to win Mia's heart back, but it just might be too late. Can he prove to Mia that she is the one and only for him? Will they be able to have their happily ever after?
"Chivalry is not dead and this is starting to feel more and more like a date."
Noah is Mia's high school crush. He didn't know Mia liked him on high school. He was more into getting good grades and playing ball. Ever since running into Mia two years out of high school he can't get her out of his mind. So when they run into each other at their ten year reunion he can't help but take notice of her. He wants her and he can tell she wants him. Will he finally be able to win her heart and keep it this time?
This book is really really good. I love all the emotions this book pulls out of the reader. I felt like I was actually living in the book. Well done Faith Andrews!!
5 Star Review by Heather
OMG I loved this book. This is one of those books that will have your stomach in knots and have you screaming and cursing at your kindle. I am a big fan of love triangles normally, but I didn't want a love triangle in this book.
"Can we go home now? Start the rest of our forever?"
Mia believes she has the perfect life. Everything is going well until she finds out that he husband Declan, lied and cheated. She doesn't know what to do. She loves him and wants to be with him, but he has made her question everything about their relationship. She wants him to want her and not just want to get back together for their kids. Can she find a way to forgive him? Will she lose everything by being stubborn?
"I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!"
Declan is an accountant that has to travel for work a lot. He has noticed that his relationship feels strained. He loves Mia, he just feels like she doesn't have enough time for her since they have kids. One mistake and he is losing the only woman he loves and his two beautiful daughters. He fights to win Mia's heart back, but it just might be too late. Can he prove to Mia that she is the one and only for him? Will they be able to have their happily ever after?
"Chivalry is not dead and this is starting to feel more and more like a date."
Noah is Mia's high school crush. He didn't know Mia liked him on high school. He was more into getting good grades and playing ball. Ever since running into Mia two years out of high school he can't get her out of his mind. So when they run into each other at their ten year reunion he can't help but take notice of her. He wants her and he can tell she wants him. Will he finally be able to win her heart and keep it this time?
This book is really really good. I love all the emotions this book pulls out of the reader. I felt like I was actually living in the book. Well done Faith Andrews!!
August 5, 2013
Unrequited love and lust. This book is chalk full of both of these emotions. Declan and Mia, a young married couple with two small children, are struggling to survive the day to day life of marriage. Mia questions whether they are meant to spend the rest of their lives together after she finds out that Declan has cheated on her.
Everyone remembers their first love/crush, and Mia's is Noah. She runs into him at a high school reunion and sparks fly. Should she act on her feelings or are they just a continuation of a young girl's infatuation? Should she risk her relationship and marriage to Declan to go after a once forgotten dream of being with Noah?
Author Faith Andrews has provided the reader a well-written and emotional book. I felt my heart strings pulled in every direction imaginable. I wasn't sure which man I wanted Mia to choose!
This book was quite an emotional roller coaster and I loved taking the journey with Mia as she matured both as a wife and mother. This sweet story will make your heart melt! I can't wait to read more from Faith Andrews! - Kelly
Everyone remembers their first love/crush, and Mia's is Noah. She runs into him at a high school reunion and sparks fly. Should she act on her feelings or are they just a continuation of a young girl's infatuation? Should she risk her relationship and marriage to Declan to go after a once forgotten dream of being with Noah?
Author Faith Andrews has provided the reader a well-written and emotional book. I felt my heart strings pulled in every direction imaginable. I wasn't sure which man I wanted Mia to choose!
This book was quite an emotional roller coaster and I loved taking the journey with Mia as she matured both as a wife and mother. This sweet story will make your heart melt! I can't wait to read more from Faith Andrews! - Kelly
July 2, 2013
Man Of My Dreams, wow!!! I think this read, I KNOW this read will be a hit. Faith does an amazing job of allowing you to feel just what Mia is feeling, the hurt, the love, the happiness, the confusion. She is a very talented writer and does a great job of being very descriptive. As a mother I would understand and sympathize with all of her choices and feelings. And she takes you back in time, and does a wonderful job of putting you right where you need to be. Man Of My Dreams had me laughing out loud. I definitely cried (sitting on a park bench on a busy street in NYC LOL). I enjoyed reading and learning about Mia’s character, and was always so curious as to how she was going to handle each obstacle as it came. And then we have Declan and Noah. They both draw you in. TEAM DECLAN OR TEAM NOAH?? They both have “it”! But who will she pick??? I know who!!!! Not telling. Gotta read to find out!!! LOVED IT!! HOLLA!!
September 21, 2013
I hate cheating,love triangles and and povs jumping from present to past.....But I liked this book.
I was very happy with the ending because it happened what I expected and wanted.
June 18, 2013
I absolutely loved this book! I am lucky enough to have gotten a sneak peak of it and I loved it from beginning to end! It is so creatively written and you are in for an emotional ride full of passion, confusion, lust, dispair, heartbreak, and utter joy! Mia is such a likable character you will fall in love with her story!! Faith Andrews has out done herself!!! Can't wait for this book to be released for everyone to enjoy!!!!! Will you be Team Declan or Team Noah?!?!?!
August 23, 2013
Wow! Talk about a fresh, realistic storyline! This is the missing piece of the book world puzzle. So many books are just renditions of the same storyline, with new characters or a new setting. Not this one!
I love so much about this book. I loved that I loved ALL the characters. I loved that I didn't want to kill any of them. I loved that their motives were always understandable. I love that they weren't perfect and were REAL - relatable. I loved that the heroine maintains her dignity and class. I loved that they were confused, unsure.
I could relate to this book. The heroine had kids for goodness sakes. She had to feed them and take them to the potty. REAL things like that I find are missing in so many books are in this one. And I appreciated it. These things made me feel for the heroine - I "get" her.
This book has hot sex, but the book isn't built around it. This book is dramatic, but not in an emotionally exhausting way. This book is frustrating, but you don't want to throw your kindle.
I highly recommend reading this book. It is the author's debut novel and I can honestly say that I really look forward to what she does next.
I love so much about this book. I loved that I loved ALL the characters. I loved that I didn't want to kill any of them. I loved that their motives were always understandable. I love that they weren't perfect and were REAL - relatable. I loved that the heroine maintains her dignity and class. I loved that they were confused, unsure.
I could relate to this book. The heroine had kids for goodness sakes. She had to feed them and take them to the potty. REAL things like that I find are missing in so many books are in this one. And I appreciated it. These things made me feel for the heroine - I "get" her.
This book has hot sex, but the book isn't built around it. This book is dramatic, but not in an emotionally exhausting way. This book is frustrating, but you don't want to throw your kindle.
I highly recommend reading this book. It is the author's debut novel and I can honestly say that I really look forward to what she does next.
January 25, 2016
Stayed up until 2 last night to finish this book. Couldn't put it down!!!
Full review to come when I can pull my thoughts together, but for now...
90s nostalgia. Love triangle. Steamy, sweet, and infuriating. Funny! Full emotional investment in these characters, kids. Highly recommend. :)
Full review to come when I can pull my thoughts together, but for now...
90s nostalgia. Love triangle. Steamy, sweet, and infuriating. Funny! Full emotional investment in these characters, kids. Highly recommend. :)
Shelved as 'avoid'
August 18, 2023self note
Spoiler
Has everything I hate in a romance- cheating, annoying time jumps/flashbacks, love triangle, mommy h.
Also in book 2, H cheats on h.
Spoiler
Has everything I hate in a romance- cheating, annoying time jumps/flashbacks, love triangle, mommy h.
Also in book 2, H cheats on h.
December 15, 2013
Man of My Dreams
by Faith Andrews
Review by Jen (BestSellers & BestStellars)
Man of My Dreams was such a great story. It is a love triangle between Mia, the love of her life and father of her children, Declan, and the man of her dreams, her high school crush, Noah. You get to see the attraction and connection that Mia and Declan have, but also get to see how Mia reacted towards Noah. It was intense and it will have you frustrated and yelling as you read. It was definitely an enjoyable story!
Mia thinks she has a great life with her wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. Mia and Declan’s relationship is great, until Mia discovers that Declan has been unfaithful. She is torn about what decision to make and is completely devastated. She is still in love with him and wants to keep their family together, but Declan’s actions have made Mia unsure about their relationship and their future. She wants them to work their relationship out for each other and not only because of their daughters.
Declan’s career as an accountant requires him to travel constantly. He realizes that his relationship with Mia is changing; there is a distance between them that wasn’t there before. Mia is the love of his life, but ever since they had children, their alone time is limited. One horrible decision leads to Mia kicking Declan out of their house, and this forces Declan to lose his only love and his two beautiful daughters. Declan is on a mission to win Mia back, but he might just be too late.
Noah Matheson is Mia's high school crush. Noah was blind to Mia’s feelings for him. He was focused on his academic career and playing baseball. Two years later, Noah runs into Mia and he can’t forget about her. Ten years later, at their high school reunion, Noah can’t stop himself from noticing Mia. He knows she wants him, and he realizes that he wants her too.
Will Mia be able to forgive Declan, or will she lose everything by being stubborn? Can Declan prove to Mia that she’s the only one for him and they belong together? Now that Noah has a second chance, will he be able to win Mia’s heart? Check out this amazing story to find out!
I liked Mia. She was such a likable character and it was easy to love her. I really felt everything she was going through. With everything that happened, she was still such a strong person, not giving up because she knew she needed to stay strong for her children. I really loved her reaction to Noah. She had this immediate attraction to him and it was so intense.
“My heart stops and leaps up into my throat. It’s the same reaction every time I see him, whether he’s in his dirty baseball uniform, a pair of jeans, or this time, khaki shorts, a white t-shirt, and canvas flip flops. Damn it, even his feet are sexy.”
Then there’s Declan. Even though he made a huge mistake, I can’t help but love him. He was so sweet and he was such a great father. After Mia kicked him out, he really tried hard to get her back, and my heart broke for him because you could really see how much he loved her and how much he regretted what he did to their family.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!”
And of course, there’s Noah. I enjoyed his character too. He was completely clueless about how Mia felt about him, which made me kind of just want to slap him to help him clear his head. He was so sweet though and I can easily see why Mia had such a huge crush on him.
“Mia, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I don’t want this night to end because tomorrow you go back to belonging to someone else.”
I loved Mia’s best friend, Grace. She was such an amazing friend to Mia. She was there through everything and I was so happy that Mia had such a wonderful friend that she could count on. Grace was always looking out for Mia. I definitely think that everyone should have a friend like Grace.
“Either you’re too good to be true or you are the prince Mia’s been waiting for to carry her off into the sunset.” She smiles and then turns serious, pointing a finger in Declan’s face, “you better always be this good to her dude, or I’ll kill ya.”
Cara and Charlie (Mia and Declan’s daughters) were hilarious. They were so adorable and I loved all of the scenes with them. There was one part that had me laughing so hard. Declan and Mia were having a conversation and Cara overheard Declan say “ass” and her reaction was hysterical because she realized that “butt” and “ass” meant the same thing, so she decided to use it while talking to her sister.
“Charlie, get your ass off that chair, it’s mine.”
I really enjoyed this book. The connection between Mia and Declan was amazing. I’m usually not a big fan of love-triangles, but I found myself extremely interested to see what was going to happen, and I loved every minute of it and I think it worked well in the story. I really enjoyed the few chapters that were in Declan’s point of view, and I really think it helps the reader understand certain things. It was beautifully written and Faith Andrews took me on an emotional ride full of passion, confusion, lust, heartbreak, and joy.
Faith Andrews provided BestSellers & BestStellars with an ARC of Man of My Dreams to review. The quality of writing was great. The story was very well-written and very enjoyable to read. This was such a wonderful romance between two characters that had such an immediate, intense attraction to each other, but also shows you how things aren’t always perfect and it takes a lot to get things back. The story kept me interested and I found myself anxiously waiting to get to the next page. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down!
4.5 Diamonds for this sweet story!!
Review by Jen (BestSellers & BestStellars)
Man of My Dreams was such a great story. It is a love triangle between Mia, the love of her life and father of her children, Declan, and the man of her dreams, her high school crush, Noah. You get to see the attraction and connection that Mia and Declan have, but also get to see how Mia reacted towards Noah. It was intense and it will have you frustrated and yelling as you read. It was definitely an enjoyable story!
Mia thinks she has a great life with her wonderful husband and two beautiful daughters. Mia and Declan’s relationship is great, until Mia discovers that Declan has been unfaithful. She is torn about what decision to make and is completely devastated. She is still in love with him and wants to keep their family together, but Declan’s actions have made Mia unsure about their relationship and their future. She wants them to work their relationship out for each other and not only because of their daughters.
Declan’s career as an accountant requires him to travel constantly. He realizes that his relationship with Mia is changing; there is a distance between them that wasn’t there before. Mia is the love of his life, but ever since they had children, their alone time is limited. One horrible decision leads to Mia kicking Declan out of their house, and this forces Declan to lose his only love and his two beautiful daughters. Declan is on a mission to win Mia back, but he might just be too late.
Noah Matheson is Mia's high school crush. Noah was blind to Mia’s feelings for him. He was focused on his academic career and playing baseball. Two years later, Noah runs into Mia and he can’t forget about her. Ten years later, at their high school reunion, Noah can’t stop himself from noticing Mia. He knows she wants him, and he realizes that he wants her too.
Will Mia be able to forgive Declan, or will she lose everything by being stubborn? Can Declan prove to Mia that she’s the only one for him and they belong together? Now that Noah has a second chance, will he be able to win Mia’s heart? Check out this amazing story to find out!
I liked Mia. She was such a likable character and it was easy to love her. I really felt everything she was going through. With everything that happened, she was still such a strong person, not giving up because she knew she needed to stay strong for her children. I really loved her reaction to Noah. She had this immediate attraction to him and it was so intense.
“My heart stops and leaps up into my throat. It’s the same reaction every time I see him, whether he’s in his dirty baseball uniform, a pair of jeans, or this time, khaki shorts, a white t-shirt, and canvas flip flops. Damn it, even his feet are sexy.”
Then there’s Declan. Even though he made a huge mistake, I can’t help but love him. He was so sweet and he was such a great father. After Mia kicked him out, he really tried hard to get her back, and my heart broke for him because you could really see how much he loved her and how much he regretted what he did to their family.
“I miss you, Mia. Please let me come home. I will never stop fighting for us. I love you!”
And of course, there’s Noah. I enjoyed his character too. He was completely clueless about how Mia felt about him, which made me kind of just want to slap him to help him clear his head. He was so sweet though and I can easily see why Mia had such a huge crush on him.
“Mia, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I don’t want this night to end because tomorrow you go back to belonging to someone else.”
I loved Mia’s best friend, Grace. She was such an amazing friend to Mia. She was there through everything and I was so happy that Mia had such a wonderful friend that she could count on. Grace was always looking out for Mia. I definitely think that everyone should have a friend like Grace.
“Either you’re too good to be true or you are the prince Mia’s been waiting for to carry her off into the sunset.” She smiles and then turns serious, pointing a finger in Declan’s face, “you better always be this good to her dude, or I’ll kill ya.”
Cara and Charlie (Mia and Declan’s daughters) were hilarious. They were so adorable and I loved all of the scenes with them. There was one part that had me laughing so hard. Declan and Mia were having a conversation and Cara overheard Declan say “ass” and her reaction was hysterical because she realized that “butt” and “ass” meant the same thing, so she decided to use it while talking to her sister.
“Charlie, get your ass off that chair, it’s mine.”
I really enjoyed this book. The connection between Mia and Declan was amazing. I’m usually not a big fan of love-triangles, but I found myself extremely interested to see what was going to happen, and I loved every minute of it and I think it worked well in the story. I really enjoyed the few chapters that were in Declan’s point of view, and I really think it helps the reader understand certain things. It was beautifully written and Faith Andrews took me on an emotional ride full of passion, confusion, lust, heartbreak, and joy.
Faith Andrews provided BestSellers & BestStellars with an ARC of Man of My Dreams to review. The quality of writing was great. The story was very well-written and very enjoyable to read. This was such a wonderful romance between two characters that had such an immediate, intense attraction to each other, but also shows you how things aren’t always perfect and it takes a lot to get things back. The story kept me interested and I found myself anxiously waiting to get to the next page. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down!
4.5 Diamonds for this sweet story!!
September 23, 2013
4.5 stars
Man of My Dreams is Faith Andrews' debut novel and she did an amazing job! It is a story of love, faith, betrayal and second chances.
Mia had the perfect life, or so it seems. She married Declan, her college sweetheart who was the man of her dreams. They fell in love, got married young and now have two beautiful girls. Declan is an amazing father and a good husband. But he also travels a lot for work and it seems like him and Mia don't spend enough time with each other. Mia loves her husband and her life with him but lately another man has been appearing in her dreams, her high school crush Noah, the one who got away. When Mia finds out that Declan betrayed her, their marriage starts to crumble. Mia starts to re evaluate her life and her marriage. She thinks back to their life together to see if there were signs that maybe things happened to quickly for them, maybe this life is not what either of them wanted. She starts to question everything that they have. Mia needs space from her marriage and her husband, but Declan plans on fighting for the woman he loves and his family. But the question is how hard will he have to fight and will Mia let him?
There is always that one guy in high school that you had a crush on. The one that you were too scared to talk to, the one that would cause butterflies in your stomach every time you saw him. The one who you still thought about years later and always wondered what if. For Mia that person was Noah. She had a huge crush on him all though high school and regrets never telling him how she felt. Recently he has made several appearances in her dreams and she cannot figure out why. With her high school reunion coming up she wonders if he will be there and what it will be like to see him again. When she sees Noah after all these years the attraction that she had in high school is still there. When she tells Noah of her feelings for him in high school he makes it clear that he wants her and wishes he had known and paid more attention in high school. Mia has the chance to finally be with Noah. With her marriage on the rocks and the feelings of "what if" still lingering in her mind, will she take the risk and be with him?
I am going to be honest here and say that I had a love/hate relationship with Mia. She completely frustrated me at times and some of the decisions that she made had me wanting to jump in and shake her. I loved her in the beginning, she drove me nuts throughout the middle and by the end it was like she finally got it and then I grew to love her. I can't really go into more detail without giving anything away. But I will say that even though Mia managed to bring out all these emotions in me it never took away from how amazing the book was. If anything it is one of the reasons that this book was so good. Any book that can bring out that much emotion, and frustration with a character is a sign of a great book and excellent writing, which this book has.
Now lets move on to Declan. I absolutely loved him. I am 100% team Declan all the way. I think I have a soft spot for him and at times I honestly felt bad for him. He messed up but in my eyes it was totally forgivable. I never doubted the love he had for his wife and children. He was an amazing father, a loving husband and was willing to fight for his family. And the way he fights for her will melt your heart and make you smile.
But the question still remains, how hard will he have to fight? Will Mia give up her marriage for a chance with her high school crush or fight for the man she married and the father of her children?
Man of My Dreams was a fantastic read filled with lots of emotions. There was drama, angst, and moments where you had knots in your stomach. There were a few moments where I honestly did not know which way the story would end. It had everything that you look for in a story. The story was mostly told in Mia's POV with a few chapters from Declan. I loved going back in the past to see the key moments in Declan and Mia's relationship that lead them to where they were today. We also get to travel back in time and see how her crush on Noah started. Faith Andrews did a wonderful job with this story. A must read!
Man of My Dreams is Faith Andrews' debut novel and she did an amazing job! It is a story of love, faith, betrayal and second chances.
Mia had the perfect life, or so it seems. She married Declan, her college sweetheart who was the man of her dreams. They fell in love, got married young and now have two beautiful girls. Declan is an amazing father and a good husband. But he also travels a lot for work and it seems like him and Mia don't spend enough time with each other. Mia loves her husband and her life with him but lately another man has been appearing in her dreams, her high school crush Noah, the one who got away. When Mia finds out that Declan betrayed her, their marriage starts to crumble. Mia starts to re evaluate her life and her marriage. She thinks back to their life together to see if there were signs that maybe things happened to quickly for them, maybe this life is not what either of them wanted. She starts to question everything that they have. Mia needs space from her marriage and her husband, but Declan plans on fighting for the woman he loves and his family. But the question is how hard will he have to fight and will Mia let him?
There is always that one guy in high school that you had a crush on. The one that you were too scared to talk to, the one that would cause butterflies in your stomach every time you saw him. The one who you still thought about years later and always wondered what if. For Mia that person was Noah. She had a huge crush on him all though high school and regrets never telling him how she felt. Recently he has made several appearances in her dreams and she cannot figure out why. With her high school reunion coming up she wonders if he will be there and what it will be like to see him again. When she sees Noah after all these years the attraction that she had in high school is still there. When she tells Noah of her feelings for him in high school he makes it clear that he wants her and wishes he had known and paid more attention in high school. Mia has the chance to finally be with Noah. With her marriage on the rocks and the feelings of "what if" still lingering in her mind, will she take the risk and be with him?
I am going to be honest here and say that I had a love/hate relationship with Mia. She completely frustrated me at times and some of the decisions that she made had me wanting to jump in and shake her. I loved her in the beginning, she drove me nuts throughout the middle and by the end it was like she finally got it and then I grew to love her. I can't really go into more detail without giving anything away. But I will say that even though Mia managed to bring out all these emotions in me it never took away from how amazing the book was. If anything it is one of the reasons that this book was so good. Any book that can bring out that much emotion, and frustration with a character is a sign of a great book and excellent writing, which this book has.
Now lets move on to Declan. I absolutely loved him. I am 100% team Declan all the way. I think I have a soft spot for him and at times I honestly felt bad for him. He messed up but in my eyes it was totally forgivable. I never doubted the love he had for his wife and children. He was an amazing father, a loving husband and was willing to fight for his family. And the way he fights for her will melt your heart and make you smile.
But the question still remains, how hard will he have to fight? Will Mia give up her marriage for a chance with her high school crush or fight for the man she married and the father of her children?
Man of My Dreams was a fantastic read filled with lots of emotions. There was drama, angst, and moments where you had knots in your stomach. There were a few moments where I honestly did not know which way the story would end. It had everything that you look for in a story. The story was mostly told in Mia's POV with a few chapters from Declan. I loved going back in the past to see the key moments in Declan and Mia's relationship that lead them to where they were today. We also get to travel back in time and see how her crush on Noah started. Faith Andrews did a wonderful job with this story. A must read!
December 26, 2013
5++++ stars.
Mia and Declan Murphy have been in love since pretty much the moment they met, and they had their happily ever after, leading to 2 beautiful kids and a house in the suburbs. Very rarely do books go into what happens after that moment in time of finding the one, and tell a story about actually "keeping" the one. Mia is your typical housewife, loves her family but can't help getting bored and lonely because of Declan's constant business traveling. Her high school crush, a hot football player named Noah, keeps appearing in her dreams but she is still devoted to her husband, even though he's a little distant lately. Imagine her devastation when she finds out she's not the only one feeling bored and unappreciated, and while Mia only strays in her dreams, Declan has a real life flirtation with infidelity.
I loved Mia, it was so great to really like a heroine and not want to smack her as I often do in most books. Even though Declan comes clean and says he didn't follow through with temptation, Mia is strong enough, and smart enough, to realize this is a deeper problem between them that goes beyond a one time almost indiscretion. Its hard to separate from someone you love, and when there are kids involved its heart wrenching. But, Mia realizes, for her and Declan its necessary. His mistake makes her second guess everything about their relationship, how they married so young, how inexperienced Declan was before he met Mia, all things that were not an issue because they were in love are now creating more doubt with each passing day they are apart.
Mia meets up with Noah at their high school reunion, and they start dating. Mia feels alive and appreciated again while Declan's heart breaks. He never stops fighting for her, and from parts from his point of view you see how he got himself into a situation where he lost his family. I felt myself wanting to scream at Mia to go back to Declan where she belonged, but at the same time although I loved Declan too I was still mad at him for what he allowed to happen. In a marriage its easy to see things from only your side, and not realize how you're coming across to the other person, and how they are just as starved for affection and reassurance as you are. Faith Andrews paints a complete picture of a real marriage and two people who love each other so much, but are afraid they're not enough for each other.
I also loved how Mia was about my age, and another child of the '90s. My childhood and teenage years were spent loving the same songs and TV shows she writes about (who doesn't remember the slow sad music that played on Full House when one of the girls learned an important lesson) which made Mia all the more real to me. I felt so close to them both and I so wanted Declan to fight for the woman he loved so they would get back together and be stronger than they ever were before. Only great books make you actually pray for fictional characters' futures. And this book became one of my all time favorites.
Mia and Declan Murphy have been in love since pretty much the moment they met, and they had their happily ever after, leading to 2 beautiful kids and a house in the suburbs. Very rarely do books go into what happens after that moment in time of finding the one, and tell a story about actually "keeping" the one. Mia is your typical housewife, loves her family but can't help getting bored and lonely because of Declan's constant business traveling. Her high school crush, a hot football player named Noah, keeps appearing in her dreams but she is still devoted to her husband, even though he's a little distant lately. Imagine her devastation when she finds out she's not the only one feeling bored and unappreciated, and while Mia only strays in her dreams, Declan has a real life flirtation with infidelity.
I loved Mia, it was so great to really like a heroine and not want to smack her as I often do in most books. Even though Declan comes clean and says he didn't follow through with temptation, Mia is strong enough, and smart enough, to realize this is a deeper problem between them that goes beyond a one time almost indiscretion. Its hard to separate from someone you love, and when there are kids involved its heart wrenching. But, Mia realizes, for her and Declan its necessary. His mistake makes her second guess everything about their relationship, how they married so young, how inexperienced Declan was before he met Mia, all things that were not an issue because they were in love are now creating more doubt with each passing day they are apart.
Mia meets up with Noah at their high school reunion, and they start dating. Mia feels alive and appreciated again while Declan's heart breaks. He never stops fighting for her, and from parts from his point of view you see how he got himself into a situation where he lost his family. I felt myself wanting to scream at Mia to go back to Declan where she belonged, but at the same time although I loved Declan too I was still mad at him for what he allowed to happen. In a marriage its easy to see things from only your side, and not realize how you're coming across to the other person, and how they are just as starved for affection and reassurance as you are. Faith Andrews paints a complete picture of a real marriage and two people who love each other so much, but are afraid they're not enough for each other.
I also loved how Mia was about my age, and another child of the '90s. My childhood and teenage years were spent loving the same songs and TV shows she writes about (who doesn't remember the slow sad music that played on Full House when one of the girls learned an important lesson) which made Mia all the more real to me. I felt so close to them both and I so wanted Declan to fight for the woman he loved so they would get back together and be stronger than they ever were before. Only great books make you actually pray for fictional characters' futures. And this book became one of my all time favorites.
August 25, 2013
5 ‘I can’t put this book down, nope, not even to eat’ STARS
You know those books where you feel everything the characters do? This is that book.
Everything Mia goes through, the reader does to. The realness of this book is perfection. I think that is what I loved most about it. It wasn’t a millionaire whisking away a damsel in distress. This book was about a real relationship with real daily interruptions that cause strains on the everyday couple. You can relate to this couple, easily.
I couldn’t put this book down. It was a different kind of love story and that is what I absolutely loved the most about it. It will be a book I read over and over again, and I don’t do that often with books. I was positively sad when it ended because I wanted MORE!
Faith does an impeccable job on portraying the emotion behind every scene in this book. Mia and Declan, a couple who married and started a family younger than they anticipated go through a rough time when Mia finds out that Declan has been unfaithful. Enter Noah, a drool worthy man who was the “one that got away” from Mia’s past. Declan doesn’t give up though and every time he tries to talk to Mia, you feel your heart tugging and pools of tears forming in your eyes. The passion and love behind them as a couple is absolutely no secret, and Mia knows this. The way she handles every turn in this book is like asking yourself “What would I do?” in this situation. You feel as though you are in her shoes trying to decide…forgive or move on. Team Noah or Team Declan. Throughout Mia’s journey on figuring out which life she will choose we get a glimpse into her past. We get to see how she and Declan fell in love, got married, and their reaction to having kids. We get it all, the past and the present! My lips are sealed on the rest, and that is because you need to read it to experience every part of this book. Every laugh out loud moment, every tear that you shed, every time you want to smack a character (I’m not pointing any fingers GRACE & DECLAN), and every time you want to hug Mia for her bravery and her shattered heart. I know which team I am but who will Mia choose? Declan or Noah? You must read to find out!
You know those books where you feel everything the characters do? This is that book.
Everything Mia goes through, the reader does to. The realness of this book is perfection. I think that is what I loved most about it. It wasn’t a millionaire whisking away a damsel in distress. This book was about a real relationship with real daily interruptions that cause strains on the everyday couple. You can relate to this couple, easily.
I couldn’t put this book down. It was a different kind of love story and that is what I absolutely loved the most about it. It will be a book I read over and over again, and I don’t do that often with books. I was positively sad when it ended because I wanted MORE!
Faith does an impeccable job on portraying the emotion behind every scene in this book. Mia and Declan, a couple who married and started a family younger than they anticipated go through a rough time when Mia finds out that Declan has been unfaithful. Enter Noah, a drool worthy man who was the “one that got away” from Mia’s past. Declan doesn’t give up though and every time he tries to talk to Mia, you feel your heart tugging and pools of tears forming in your eyes. The passion and love behind them as a couple is absolutely no secret, and Mia knows this. The way she handles every turn in this book is like asking yourself “What would I do?” in this situation. You feel as though you are in her shoes trying to decide…forgive or move on. Team Noah or Team Declan. Throughout Mia’s journey on figuring out which life she will choose we get a glimpse into her past. We get to see how she and Declan fell in love, got married, and their reaction to having kids. We get it all, the past and the present! My lips are sealed on the rest, and that is because you need to read it to experience every part of this book. Every laugh out loud moment, every tear that you shed, every time you want to smack a character (I’m not pointing any fingers GRACE & DECLAN), and every time you want to hug Mia for her bravery and her shattered heart. I know which team I am but who will Mia choose? Declan or Noah? You must read to find out!
May 16, 2023
I’m not necessarily even mad abt the cheating it’s more the way this book is written.
I’m sorry but it’s all over place. And it’s far too short imo to even make the opinion if they’re marriage can even survive.
It’s choppy. awkward. A lot of This !!!! Going on.
Also why gave the scene where Declan cheated from his pov be at the end? Right before the audience is supposed to feel sympathy for him and find his forgiving?
And we the reader of course know he lied to wife bc he didn’t tell her the whole truth. It wasn’t just a kiss the woman gave him a massage naked while he was very much enjoying it with a hard on dripping pre-cum … then they kissed. while he wanted to touch her naked Breasts .. that’s what he should have told his wife.
But he didn’t so a lie is still a lie. even if he didn’t tell her the entire truth.
As for her cheating it was all over the place like I said the way it was written.. one minute yes she wants to the next her husband sings her a song and they love each other..??
I’m sorry but it’s all over place. And it’s far too short imo to even make the opinion if they’re marriage can even survive.
It’s choppy. awkward. A lot of This !!!! Going on.
Also why gave the scene where Declan cheated from his pov be at the end? Right before the audience is supposed to feel sympathy for him and find his forgiving?
And we the reader of course know he lied to wife bc he didn’t tell her the whole truth. It wasn’t just a kiss the woman gave him a massage naked while he was very much enjoying it with a hard on dripping pre-cum … then they kissed. while he wanted to touch her naked Breasts .. that’s what he should have told his wife.
But he didn’t so a lie is still a lie. even if he didn’t tell her the entire truth.
As for her cheating it was all over the place like I said the way it was written.. one minute yes she wants to the next her husband sings her a song and they love each other..??
September 30, 2021
I inhaled this book. The main character is the exact same age as me, and all the pop culture references had me cracking up! I say and do so many of the same things that I felt like I was reading about an old friend :)
August 6, 2014
Talk about immature adults. JFC! And predictability. And pot meeting the kettle. GOD. This was stupid. This book is terrible. Frustrating and dumb. Those are the only true emotions to get out of this entire reading experience bc it's clusterfuck of inability.
Fuck you Mia Page! Or Mia Murphy, whoever the hell...You deserve to be alone, you selfish c-nt! And I don't see what Declan or Noah saw in you, since you are only ever worried about your self, you A-hole! Do everyone a favor and go and DIAF. Ugh! This bitch never took one once of responsibility for her questionable actions. NO ONCE. All with the flimsy defense of it being all her husband's fault. What a fucking basic ass infantile bitch!
This book was annoying, especially bc of Mia, the protagonist. Declan was a fool, but with some perspective, his letting curiosity get the better of him in a moment of vulnerability, leading to his swapping spit with someone other than his wife, is not surprising for a 25yo married father of two in this day and age, especially when said man is not getting his needs met emotionally nor physically at home. He was stupid and deserved Mia's anger, for sure, but for that length of time, and for that sort of disregard? NO! It seemed very unnecessary, and short sighted for ppl who are truly supposed to love each other.
Not only that, but while I would think the priority would be talking, having real f-cking conversations about what's happening in their marriage, Mia thinks pursuing a relationship with someone she's been pining over--emotionally cheating on her husband with in thought--for a decade (oh and having inappropriate dreams about pre-Declan's fuckup) would be a good idea? TO me, her falling in love with someone else (and fooling around physically) while married was worse than Declan's singular lapse in judgement and illicit interaction! She was a complete a-hole about it too and had the gall to blame Declan on giving up on them as a family, when this bitch was the selfish hypocrite to go and carry on an affair when she was to be working things out with her husband! SHE GAVE UP ON THEIR FAMILY! Made all those bullshit excuses just so she could go and try out Noah as if that would be acceptable. At the moment she takes up with Noah, she's already gotten back together with her husband, then sends some stupid Vmessage to him while he's in Hong Kong for work, which his having to be there in the first place was also her fault, as she refused to talk to him when he tried.
Mia has some nerve talking about she doesn't trust that Declan really wants her for her when SHE is the one who is not sure about wanting him. He wasn't chasing after any dream relationships here. I don't understand why Dec stood by and took that shit, to be honest. He's really beat himself up over what he did while she's gotten back ten fold of having all her cake and eating it too.
There was no emotional connection made (past/present) for Declan with anyone aside from his wife, and he never contemplated breaking up his marriage, not once. In the bigger picture of things, I think she's committed a grater offense, no matter if her husband started it. She's dating around town in his face where everyone, their friends and family, can see it, where it is exponentially more hurtful to endure, as opposed to his KISSING in another state, where no one was the wiser. Though he lied, it made sense from his perspective, as it was to spare her the pain something that didn't mean anything to him would cause her. No making excuses, but at least his actions are understandable.
This is a f-cking marriage! Where is the conflict resolution? Counseling wasn't even ever considered. The cure? Get even. REVENGE! It's such a juvenile way of dealing with things and it shows her lack of understanding about what it takes to make a marriage work. Mia doesn't talk, and if Declan does, she doesn't listen at all. Refuses to, even.
Another betrayal was the act that she brought a third party into her marriage problems. Noah is an old friend that she doesn't keep in contact with, and they weren't current friends, but she has pine over and yearn for through the years. What place does he have to be a confidant about what is going on in her marriage and the conflict that she has with her husband? NOT ONE! This the woman who said "I don’t want to confide in Declan about Noah. That’s crossing a line. That’s what I have Grace for.... Oh! But it's ok to confide in the person you're committing adultery with about your husband. Ok, bitch I see your logic. Oh, wait...you have not! She disgusts me. I mean what was that whole fuckery the night of her reunion? She was practically throwing herself at Noah, giving him permission to pursue her, and not giving a single fuck that she was having inappropriate conversations for basically the whole night. But instead decides to blame it all on her husband, which is immature. At least own your fucking decisions and actions! There are so many inconsistencies regarding her character. I just can't.
I obviously feel actual sex (of any kind) and emotional infidelity is worse than flirting and courting disaster with kissing in various states of undress. It's all wrong, but I also believe there are varying degrees of comparatives for just how bad of an offense was committed. And while I wouldn't be so keen breaking up my marriage bc my husband cheated on me by only KISSING some random, I definitely would if he were to have behaved like Mia. F-ck her! I mean, she stoops so low as to blame her cheating on her husband (bc that's what's she was doing that night with Noah) as if she's not an effing adult responsible for her whole actions. She's the worst, GOD, I hated her! And I also dislike ppl who are like her. Men and women. And Declan, god, how much of a pussy can you be to be willing to keep paying your hard earned money so that she can live on your dime while dating another man? JFC, The RAGE!
One thing that didn't make sense was why did Declan never caught the plane home anyway, since he didn't end up spending much time with the masseuse? He'd gone to see her during his lunch break, but that would mean he could have gone right home after anyway. He wasn't in her company for long. Additionally, I have no clue why this book is called man of my dreams and ends the way it does when her relationship with Noah takes precident over her relationship with Declan. It makes no sense. More than 80% of the book is Mia going on and on about her woulda/coulda/shoulda and longing over and crushing on Noah. IT's about her spending time withh him. Noah and Mia's interaction has more page time than Declan and Mia. Sorry Ms. Andrews, you don't even make a case for why Declan is the man of her dreams literally nor figuratively. And so I don't get the ending. I wished it was over in deed an Dec went out to be a young man and experience life. while she gets what she's wanted forever. That would have been more realistic.
My other problem with this book is the lack of exploration regarding their other problems with their marriage. For example: having the children so early in their marriage. If the first baby wasn't received with celebratory acceptance, and acknowledgement that it was too soon and too much to bear so early in their marriage, how in the world did a 2nd surprise pregnancy happen? You'd think Mia would be more responsible? I don't know, actually use some sort of birth control after how things went upon learning about Cara? Furthermore, I call bull-f*cking-sh*t on Declan's accounting salary. That early in his career? I personally know brilliant accountants who've landed the most coveted of position given to best of the fresh out of college students at various accounting and consulting firms (PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, E&Y, BAH, TBCG) and no f-cking way can they afford all that Declan is shouldering alone (mortgage, at least one luxury car car note, bills, food, gas, and etc) since Mia has decided to be a stay at home mom. If he were an engineer, tech genius, finance professional (think trader, investment banker, or hedge fun manager) or some other money making professional besides an accountant, I may have believed it, but no. Not happening. He doesn't even have his CPA, MBA, or Macc/MAcy, which I know is how they usually get ahead in the salary department at a faster rate in these times. But Declan's problems with the marriage and why he slipped was never discussed. Mia's lack of interest as a wife and a person in her relationship wasn't ever addressed either. How is that even possible in a book about infidelity?
Overall, this book was just very superficial. It had no heart, and was just generally not good. The only emotions was annoyance and anger and I was left wholly unsatisfied. And the characters all sound like fucking children and not grown ups in their late 20s. Obnoxious! I just couldn't.
Whatever, I'm done. Read this if you want to take a trip down drama land with one-denominational characters with a sub-par book. It reads like a soap opera. There are also some grammatical and transitional/continual problems too, though, just not so an overwhelming amount, which is better than I can say for most self-published works I've read. It drags in places, but you can finish in a couple hours. Overall, it's not a good book on the subject matter that it covers. It's very insubstantial and lacks substance. Nothing about it is thought provoking, nor does it make readers ask difficult questions, as the characters don't seem to be truly bent out of shape regarding their receptive conflicts. A part of that is because there is way more telling than showing. In fact that is another major flaw. We never understand what's so great about any of the main three other than being told so, as their actions point out how not great they really are.
This reminded me of Twilight Fanfiction for some reason. Judging by the Twi references in the book and Epi, and a few other choice Twi lines throughout the text, I see where the inspiration could have come from. In fact, Mia is a Bella in more ways than not and this is a Twi ripoff. Twilight is ALL over this book: the love triangle, the fear of young marriage, the men fighting, the conflict of abandonment and distance... the fucking dialogue...etc Another thing is that this story was so typical of the Twi FF writers that wrote the cheating trope in E/B TFF. 90% of the time it seem to be a recreation of the authors' own experiences with infidelity as the victim, and they needed to project how they dealt, or wished they'd dealt with the situation in a revengeful manner into their writing to the point of it being obvious. So obvious in fact that the female tends to get away with doing things the male hero would NEVER be able to be forgiven for. And for all the Edward cheating fics in Twi Fandom, it's canon that Bella was the unfaithful one and yet, she's almost never portrayed that way, or done so to an extreme, like dear Mia here.
The bottom line is that Mia's decisions in Man of My Dreams to do all of the things she did to try to justify her relationship with Noah were weak reasons for any marriage, much less hers and using Declan as a scapegoat. AND NEVER, not once, did she acknowledged her fuck ups. To me, that signifies that the character didn't have an arc, and therefore there was no growth shown, which makes it bad writing. If Declan had called home ahead of kissing that masseuse to say he needed space from his marriage and needed time to be free...God, I don't even want to know what would have been said about him in the book from other characters, nor the readers. It would be the biggest pile of BS from most women who read it.
Again, I'm done. I just wished I could get my time back.
Fuck you Mia Page! Or Mia Murphy, whoever the hell...You deserve to be alone, you selfish c-nt! And I don't see what Declan or Noah saw in you, since you are only ever worried about your self, you A-hole! Do everyone a favor and go and DIAF. Ugh! This bitch never took one once of responsibility for her questionable actions. NO ONCE. All with the flimsy defense of it being all her husband's fault. What a fucking basic ass infantile bitch!
This book was annoying, especially bc of Mia, the protagonist. Declan was a fool, but with some perspective, his letting curiosity get the better of him in a moment of vulnerability, leading to his swapping spit with someone other than his wife, is not surprising for a 25yo married father of two in this day and age, especially when said man is not getting his needs met emotionally nor physically at home. He was stupid and deserved Mia's anger, for sure, but for that length of time, and for that sort of disregard? NO! It seemed very unnecessary, and short sighted for ppl who are truly supposed to love each other.
Not only that, but while I would think the priority would be talking, having real f-cking conversations about what's happening in their marriage, Mia thinks pursuing a relationship with someone she's been pining over--emotionally cheating on her husband with in thought--for a decade (oh and having inappropriate dreams about pre-Declan's fuckup) would be a good idea? TO me, her falling in love with someone else (and fooling around physically) while married was worse than Declan's singular lapse in judgement and illicit interaction! She was a complete a-hole about it too and had the gall to blame Declan on giving up on them as a family, when this bitch was the selfish hypocrite to go and carry on an affair when she was to be working things out with her husband! SHE GAVE UP ON THEIR FAMILY! Made all those bullshit excuses just so she could go and try out Noah as if that would be acceptable. At the moment she takes up with Noah, she's already gotten back together with her husband, then sends some stupid Vmessage to him while he's in Hong Kong for work, which his having to be there in the first place was also her fault, as she refused to talk to him when he tried.
Mia has some nerve talking about she doesn't trust that Declan really wants her for her when SHE is the one who is not sure about wanting him. He wasn't chasing after any dream relationships here. I don't understand why Dec stood by and took that shit, to be honest. He's really beat himself up over what he did while she's gotten back ten fold of having all her cake and eating it too.
There was no emotional connection made (past/present) for Declan with anyone aside from his wife, and he never contemplated breaking up his marriage, not once. In the bigger picture of things, I think she's committed a grater offense, no matter if her husband started it. She's dating around town in his face where everyone, their friends and family, can see it, where it is exponentially more hurtful to endure, as opposed to his KISSING in another state, where no one was the wiser. Though he lied, it made sense from his perspective, as it was to spare her the pain something that didn't mean anything to him would cause her. No making excuses, but at least his actions are understandable.
This is a f-cking marriage! Where is the conflict resolution? Counseling wasn't even ever considered. The cure? Get even. REVENGE! It's such a juvenile way of dealing with things and it shows her lack of understanding about what it takes to make a marriage work. Mia doesn't talk, and if Declan does, she doesn't listen at all. Refuses to, even.
Another betrayal was the act that she brought a third party into her marriage problems. Noah is an old friend that she doesn't keep in contact with, and they weren't current friends, but she has pine over and yearn for through the years. What place does he have to be a confidant about what is going on in her marriage and the conflict that she has with her husband? NOT ONE! This the woman who said "I don’t want to confide in Declan about Noah. That’s crossing a line. That’s what I have Grace for.... Oh! But it's ok to confide in the person you're committing adultery with about your husband. Ok, bitch I see your logic. Oh, wait...you have not! She disgusts me. I mean what was that whole fuckery the night of her reunion? She was practically throwing herself at Noah, giving him permission to pursue her, and not giving a single fuck that she was having inappropriate conversations for basically the whole night. But instead decides to blame it all on her husband, which is immature. At least own your fucking decisions and actions! There are so many inconsistencies regarding her character. I just can't.
I obviously feel actual sex (of any kind) and emotional infidelity is worse than flirting and courting disaster with kissing in various states of undress. It's all wrong, but I also believe there are varying degrees of comparatives for just how bad of an offense was committed. And while I wouldn't be so keen breaking up my marriage bc my husband cheated on me by only KISSING some random, I definitely would if he were to have behaved like Mia. F-ck her! I mean, she stoops so low as to blame her cheating on her husband (bc that's what's she was doing that night with Noah) as if she's not an effing adult responsible for her whole actions. She's the worst, GOD, I hated her! And I also dislike ppl who are like her. Men and women. And Declan, god, how much of a pussy can you be to be willing to keep paying your hard earned money so that she can live on your dime while dating another man? JFC, The RAGE!
One thing that didn't make sense was why did Declan never caught the plane home anyway, since he didn't end up spending much time with the masseuse? He'd gone to see her during his lunch break, but that would mean he could have gone right home after anyway. He wasn't in her company for long. Additionally, I have no clue why this book is called man of my dreams and ends the way it does when her relationship with Noah takes precident over her relationship with Declan. It makes no sense. More than 80% of the book is Mia going on and on about her woulda/coulda/shoulda and longing over and crushing on Noah. IT's about her spending time withh him. Noah and Mia's interaction has more page time than Declan and Mia. Sorry Ms. Andrews, you don't even make a case for why Declan is the man of her dreams literally nor figuratively. And so I don't get the ending. I wished it was over in deed an Dec went out to be a young man and experience life. while she gets what she's wanted forever. That would have been more realistic.
My other problem with this book is the lack of exploration regarding their other problems with their marriage. For example: having the children so early in their marriage. If the first baby wasn't received with celebratory acceptance, and acknowledgement that it was too soon and too much to bear so early in their marriage, how in the world did a 2nd surprise pregnancy happen? You'd think Mia would be more responsible? I don't know, actually use some sort of birth control after how things went upon learning about Cara? Furthermore, I call bull-f*cking-sh*t on Declan's accounting salary. That early in his career? I personally know brilliant accountants who've landed the most coveted of position given to best of the fresh out of college students at various accounting and consulting firms (PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, E&Y, BAH, TBCG) and no f-cking way can they afford all that Declan is shouldering alone (mortgage, at least one luxury car car note, bills, food, gas, and etc) since Mia has decided to be a stay at home mom. If he were an engineer, tech genius, finance professional (think trader, investment banker, or hedge fun manager) or some other money making professional besides an accountant, I may have believed it, but no. Not happening. He doesn't even have his CPA, MBA, or Macc/MAcy, which I know is how they usually get ahead in the salary department at a faster rate in these times. But Declan's problems with the marriage and why he slipped was never discussed. Mia's lack of interest as a wife and a person in her relationship wasn't ever addressed either. How is that even possible in a book about infidelity?
Overall, this book was just very superficial. It had no heart, and was just generally not good. The only emotions was annoyance and anger and I was left wholly unsatisfied. And the characters all sound like fucking children and not grown ups in their late 20s. Obnoxious! I just couldn't.
Whatever, I'm done. Read this if you want to take a trip down drama land with one-denominational characters with a sub-par book. It reads like a soap opera. There are also some grammatical and transitional/continual problems too, though, just not so an overwhelming amount, which is better than I can say for most self-published works I've read. It drags in places, but you can finish in a couple hours. Overall, it's not a good book on the subject matter that it covers. It's very insubstantial and lacks substance. Nothing about it is thought provoking, nor does it make readers ask difficult questions, as the characters don't seem to be truly bent out of shape regarding their receptive conflicts. A part of that is because there is way more telling than showing. In fact that is another major flaw. We never understand what's so great about any of the main three other than being told so, as their actions point out how not great they really are.
This reminded me of Twilight Fanfiction for some reason. Judging by the Twi references in the book and Epi, and a few other choice Twi lines throughout the text, I see where the inspiration could have come from. In fact, Mia is a Bella in more ways than not and this is a Twi ripoff. Twilight is ALL over this book: the love triangle, the fear of young marriage, the men fighting, the conflict of abandonment and distance... the fucking dialogue...etc Another thing is that this story was so typical of the Twi FF writers that wrote the cheating trope in E/B TFF. 90% of the time it seem to be a recreation of the authors' own experiences with infidelity as the victim, and they needed to project how they dealt, or wished they'd dealt with the situation in a revengeful manner into their writing to the point of it being obvious. So obvious in fact that the female tends to get away with doing things the male hero would NEVER be able to be forgiven for. And for all the Edward cheating fics in Twi Fandom, it's canon that Bella was the unfaithful one and yet, she's almost never portrayed that way, or done so to an extreme, like dear Mia here.
The bottom line is that Mia's decisions in Man of My Dreams to do all of the things she did to try to justify her relationship with Noah were weak reasons for any marriage, much less hers and using Declan as a scapegoat. AND NEVER, not once, did she acknowledged her fuck ups. To me, that signifies that the character didn't have an arc, and therefore there was no growth shown, which makes it bad writing. If Declan had called home ahead of kissing that masseuse to say he needed space from his marriage and needed time to be free...God, I don't even want to know what would have been said about him in the book from other characters, nor the readers. It would be the biggest pile of BS from most women who read it.
Again, I'm done. I just wished I could get my time back.
October 6, 2013
Man of My Dreams had me from the start. I loved the changing timeline of the plot. The author cleverly changed the point of view between characters as well as the stages of life. While sometimes this can confuse the reader, she made it work flawlessly.
Mia had her heart set on one guy the entire duration of her high school career. Sadly, she never got to kiss him or take their friendship to the next level. Now married to her college boyfriend, Mia starts having dreams about Noah, her high school crush. With a struggling marriage that seems to have lost its spark, Mia can’t help but take the dreams as a sign from above. Her world has to be about to change one way or another. Little does she know a holiday party will tip her world right off its axis.
Betrayal, lies and secrets drive a wedge in between her and her husband, Declan. Her one true love has become a man she can no longer fully give her heart to. After a separation and a chance to analyze her relationship, Mia realizes she wants more. Being a housewife and living in her mommy uniform has taken a toll on her mind and body. She wants more for herself and knows she deserves it.
A high school reunion gives Mia the opportunity to explore her feelings for her high school crush, Noah. Single and declaring Mia the one that got away, Noah is ready to show her the world. Mixed emotions find her unable to fully move on with her separation. Which guy is really the man of her dreams? Is it the high school crush or the man who stole her heart in the library and married her?
Man of My Dreams had me reminiscing about my own days in high school. The playlist throughout the book was absolutely perfect and reminded me of my youth. I worried Declan was going to completely give up on Mia knowing he had walked out on her once before. He had felt trapped and unable to breathe by their relationship on more than one occasion. Mia had also doubted marrying him and feared they would regret being married so young. With that being said, I found myself loving Declan and Noah equally at times. I think I would have written Declan off if I hadn’t already read the history he shared with Mia. There was an unexplored mystery about Noah that also had me rooting for him. Love triangles are always messy and never end well. Someone always gets hurt.
I will sum up Man of My Dreams with two words…… What If? This simple phrase relates to Mia, Declan and Noah during all of the moments that altered their course. Life is truly unpredictable.
Mia had her heart set on one guy the entire duration of her high school career. Sadly, she never got to kiss him or take their friendship to the next level. Now married to her college boyfriend, Mia starts having dreams about Noah, her high school crush. With a struggling marriage that seems to have lost its spark, Mia can’t help but take the dreams as a sign from above. Her world has to be about to change one way or another. Little does she know a holiday party will tip her world right off its axis.
Betrayal, lies and secrets drive a wedge in between her and her husband, Declan. Her one true love has become a man she can no longer fully give her heart to. After a separation and a chance to analyze her relationship, Mia realizes she wants more. Being a housewife and living in her mommy uniform has taken a toll on her mind and body. She wants more for herself and knows she deserves it.
A high school reunion gives Mia the opportunity to explore her feelings for her high school crush, Noah. Single and declaring Mia the one that got away, Noah is ready to show her the world. Mixed emotions find her unable to fully move on with her separation. Which guy is really the man of her dreams? Is it the high school crush or the man who stole her heart in the library and married her?
Man of My Dreams had me reminiscing about my own days in high school. The playlist throughout the book was absolutely perfect and reminded me of my youth. I worried Declan was going to completely give up on Mia knowing he had walked out on her once before. He had felt trapped and unable to breathe by their relationship on more than one occasion. Mia had also doubted marrying him and feared they would regret being married so young. With that being said, I found myself loving Declan and Noah equally at times. I think I would have written Declan off if I hadn’t already read the history he shared with Mia. There was an unexplored mystery about Noah that also had me rooting for him. Love triangles are always messy and never end well. Someone always gets hurt.
I will sum up Man of My Dreams with two words…… What If? This simple phrase relates to Mia, Declan and Noah during all of the moments that altered their course. Life is truly unpredictable.
February 10, 2014
I'm on the fence on this one. On one hand, it was a page turner and had a great plot. The story was very well written and the author did a great job evoking emotions from me. On the other hand, those emotions were kinda all over the place. At first, I was all for Mia kicking Declan to the curb for cheating. Marriage is difficult by itself, but throw in two young kids as a stay at home mom, it's got to be even harder. So I can completely understand the feeling of losing your identity to that. And to have your other half step out is just that much worse. But once it was discovered that Declan only kissed the other girl, and I'm not excusing him for that at all - that is still fucked up - but Mia kicking him out for months and full on dating her high school crush, the guy she's been having serious sexy dreams about for months - even before the shit storm in her marriage - was wrong. I felt like the things Mia accused Declan of were her own issues as well. Granted, I'm not married and have never been in this situation so I can't full on have a true educated opinion on the matter, but I didn't like some of the things she did and the ways she went about them. However, Declan was not an innocent bystander in this either. He had his faults and the fact that he knowingly planned to do something with another woman, and went so far as to feel guilty as he was in the process of making those moves, was way effed up. He knew he was wrong before, during, but especially after those actions were played out. I guess the point here is that they both made mistakes, and it took some serious actions on both their parts to each wake up to what it was they both wanted. Each other. I'm sad Noah got caught up in all this since he seemed like a nice guy, but in the end, Mia and Declan were meant to be together so I'm glad they worked things out and got their HEA. Kudos to Ms. Andrews for pulling such strong emotions from me in what I believe is her debut book! I will definitely be reading more form her!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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