These Dreams Review & Giveaway

Let me start by saying I would give These Dreams a 10 star rating if I could. I’ve read and loved all of Nicole Clarkston’s books, but so far this is her best novel and it only proves that talent can produce amazing books, but talent and experience are the recipe for memorable stories such as this one.

In These Dreams, after locating Wickham and arranging everything for his marriage to Lydia Bennet, Mr. Darcy is abducted and taken to Portugal where a mysterious plotline will be developed and new interesting and original characters will make their first appearance.

Darcy will of course return to England, but some parts of the book occur in Portugal and as a portuguese I have to say that it is clear the author did a great job at historical and linguistic research. Everything on the portuguese settings is perfectly accurate, and reading words such as “Amo-te” and “saudade” so well placed in the dialogues warmed my heart. Bravo Nicole Clarkston!

I believe some readers may consider the first part of the book a bit angsty but the intensity of Darcy and Elizabeth’s feelings for one another, and the very special way they were connected, make it a very romantic novel that is pleasing even for those who don’t normally tolerate angst, even because the moments between Darcy and Elizabeth after they are reunited are worth all the angst lived until that moment.

I personally love angsty books so this one was just my cup of tea! I consider These Dreams perfect in every way and I honestly cannot point one single thing I didn’t enjoy. If I have to point something out, it is the fact that there isn’t a prequel written yet. (I’m really cheering for a prequel about Col. Fitzwilliam and Amália 🙂 )

The book is quite long but the cliff-hangers at the end of each chapter and the connections to the subsequent chapters kept me interested until the very end, making it seem a very fast read. In fact, the connection between the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another is part of why I love Nicole Clarkston’s writing so much, these little details in her writing make These Dreams a gripping book.

Apart from Elizabeth and Darcy’s love story, which was profound, solid and beautiful, I absolutely LOVED Col. Fitzwilliam’s love story and love interest! Amália was an incredible character and I wish the author will some day dedicate a book to her and the Colonel. I kept wishing the next chapter would be about them, and sometimes, I even forgot about Darcy and Elizabeth, which says a lot!

These Dreams is a masterfully written story, full of layers and twists that will keep the reader interested until the last page. The character development was incredible, not only when it comes to Darcy and Elizabeth, but also concerning secondary characters like Lydia and Wickham and even original characters such as Amália and her father.

The book approaches several interesting subjects like PTSD, patriotist, religion, honour, trust and love that only add to its complexity and contribute to place These Dreams amongst the best JAFF books out there.

This is a book that should not be missed and I can not recommend it enough for those who like quality literature, mystery and romance.

 

You can find These Dreams at:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

 

 

 

An abandoned bride

    A missing man

        And a dream that refuses to die…

Pride and patriotism lend fervor to greed and cruelty, and Fitzwilliam Darcy

is caught at the centre of a decades-old international feud. Taken far

from England, presumed dead by his family, and lost to all he holds dear,

only one name remains as his beacon in the darkness: Elizabeth.

Georgiana Darcy is now the reluctant, heartbroken heiress to Pemberley,

and Colonel Fitwilliam her bewildered guardian. Vulnerable and unprepared,

Georgiana desperately longs for a friend, while Fitzwilliam seeks to protect her

from his own family. As the conspiracy around Darcy’s death widens and

questions mount, Colonel Fitzwilliam must confront his own past.

An impossible dream, long ago sacrificed for duty, may become his only hope.

Newly married Lydia Wickham returns to Longbourn- alone and under

mysterious circumstances. Elizabeth Bennet watches one sister suffer and

another find joy, while she lives her own days in empty regrets over what might

have been. Believing Darcy lost forever, she closes her heart against both pain

and happiness, but finds no escape from her dreams of him.

 

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Nicole Clarkston is a book lover and a happily married mom of three. Originally from Idaho, she now lives in Oregon with her own romantic hero, several horses, and one very fat dog. She has loved crafting alternate stories and sequels since she was a child watching Disney’s Robin Hood, and she is never found sitting quietly without a book of some sort.

Nicole discovered Jane Austen rather by guilt in her early thirties―how does any book worm really live that long without a little P&P? She has never looked back. A year or so later, during a major house renovation project, she discovered Elizabeth Gaskell and fell completely in love. Her need for more time with these characters led her to simultaneously write Rumours & Recklessness, a P&P inspired novel, and No Such Thing as Luck, a N&S inspired novel. Both immediately became best selling books. The success she had with her first attempt at writing led her to write three other novels that are her pitiful homage to two authors who have so deeply inspired her.

Nicole was recently invited to join Austenvariations.com, a group of talented authors in the Jane Austen Fiction genre. In addition to her work with the Austen Variations blog, Nicole can be reached through Facebook at http://fb.me/NicoleClarkstonAuthor, Twitter @N_Clarkston, her blog at Goodreads.com, or her personal blog and website, NicoleClarkson.com.

 

You can contact Nicole through the following links:

Website

Goodreads Author Page

Goodreads Blog

Facebook

Amazon Author Page

Twitter

 

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09/19   So little time…; Guest Post, Excerpt, Giveaway

09/20   My Jane Austen Book Club; Vignette, GA

09/21   From Pemberley to Milton; Review, GA

09/22   Interests of a Jane Austen Girl; Review, Excerpt, Giveaway

09/23   Just Jane 1813; Review, GA

09/24   My Vices and Weaknesses; Excerpt, GA

09/25   Babblings of a Bookworm;  Guest Post or Vignette, GA

09/26   Diary of an Eccentric; Review, Giveaway

09/27   Half Agony, Half Hope; Review, Excerpt

09/28   Darcyholic Diversions; Author Interview, GA

09/29   My Love for Jane Austen; Charcter Interview, GA

09/30   Margie’s Must Reads; Guest Post, Excerpt, GA

10/01   Savvy Verse and Wit; Review, GA

10/02   Austenesque Reviews; Character Interview, GA

10/03   Obsessed with Mr. Darcy; Review, GA

10/04   From Pemberley to Milton; Guest Post, GA

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Nicole Clarkston would like to offer 10 eBook copies of These Dreams to readers following the blog tour.

Readers may enter the drawing by tweeting once a day and daily commenting on a blog post or review that has a giveaway attached for the tour. Entrants must provide the name of the blog where they commented. Remember: Tweet and comment once daily to earn extra entries.

A winner may win ONLY 1 (ONE) eBook of These Dreams by Nicole Clarkston. Each winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter and the giveaway is international.

To enter the Rafflecopter giveaway click here.

Good Luck Everyone!