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Sweet Dreams My Love
Can love conquer all? Is there such a thing as Fate? Do dreams really come true?
To help pay for his mother’s convalescence, Jakob Kohl leaves his musical studies in Germany in order to be a paid companion to his distant cousin Albert. It’s not a pleasant existence, but Jakob does get to travel to Paris, where he meets a beautiful man who asks for his help… a mysterious man no one else can see. Jakob soon fears he may be going crazy, because he finds himself falling in love with Damien, who says they were brought together by Fate—Jakob is the only one who can rescue Damien from the shadowy world where he sleeps and waits for his dream of everlasting love and freedom to come true.
To help pay for his mother’s convalescence, Jakob Kohl leaves his musical studies in Germany in order to be a paid companion to his distant cousin Albert. It’s not a pleasant existence, but Jakob does get to travel to Paris, where he meets a beautiful man who asks for his help… a mysterious man no one else can see. Jakob soon fears he may be going crazy, because he finds himself falling in love with Damien, who says they were brought together by Fate—Jakob is the only one who can rescue Damien from the shadowy world where he sleeps and waits for his dream of everlasting love and freedom to come true.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 16, 2011
70 people want to read
About the author
Julie Lynn Hayes
78 books102 followersJulie Lynn Hayes was born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, and still calls that city home. She first began to write over fifty years ago, and doesn’t see that stopping anytime soon. She likes to write in different genres, to stretch herself in order to see what is possible. When someone tells her something can’t be done, she feels compelled to do it. Much of her writing is in the m/m romance category.
When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!
You can contact Julie at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.
When she isn’t writing, or working at her day job with a third party elevator inspection company, she enjoys crafts, such as cross stitch and crochet, and watching her favorite programs. Her favorite chef is Geoffrey Zakarian, and her favorite historical character is Aaron Burr—she is obsessed with all things Hamilton! Never say never is her motto!
You can contact Julie at tothemax.wolf@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 26, 2011
The newest release in Dreamspinner’s Fairy Tale line, Sweet Dreams, My Love is the story of Damien, a child of the Moulin Rouge in Paris at the turn of the 20th century, and Jakob (pronounced Ya-kob) a german student who is visiting Paris as a paid companion/PA/beard/chauffeur to his cousin Albert, a wealthy and perennially horny man devoted to having every man in Paris. Jakob has had to drop out of music school to care for his ailing mother and is forced to take a job from his cousin, who no matter family status, treats him as a servant (and worse). Never worried about his health or feelings, Albert has been having Jakob drive him around Paris from date to booty call and back at all hours of the day and night. Jakob is tried and practically sleepwalking, and while spending time visiting the Louvre during one of his cousin’s trysts, a beautiful man with long platinum hair makes his acquaintence. After talking for a while, the man disappears and Jakob is confused until he happens to see him again later. Finally, Damien tells Jakob the story of his life and that Jakob is the first man who has ever seen him or spoken back to him.
Damien was born in the 1880s to a woman an the Moulin Rouge. Just as the woman started to give labor, she stumbled up on a back room at the club where twelve very famous and talented artists held a meeting of their secret club. There was no time to call for help, so the men helped the woman give birth to her child, and when they asked her about her plans for the child and she replied that she planned to toss him into the Seine, they begged her to give the little boy over to their care. Thus, Damien was raised with twelve very special fathers, moving month after month to each of their separate homes, learning different things from each of the different men. On his eighteenth birthday, they planned a very special coming out party for him, to finally induct him (now their protege as well) into their club. Eager to taste Absinthe for the very first time, Damien takes his celebatory drink only to find it has been poisoned, and only the green faery can save him from death. Yet, while she can save Damien from death, she cannot wake him altogether — and so for over one hundred years Damien sleeps, waiting for his true love to wake him up.
I must tell you that I really quite enjoyed this story — in fact, I couldn’t put it down. However, I felt like the further the story got towards the ending, the sloppier the writing and plot became, until the end disappointed me altogether. The best part, for sure, is the first half of the novella, where we get to know Damien and his fathers through him. These scenes are also very erotically charged, even though he is present in states of arousal (etc.) with his fathers and vice versa. Yet, there was no sex between them and their presence and the easy development of any activity into an orgy definitely made the setting of the Moulin Rouge come alive. I really loved the beginning because, though you will have to suspend your beliefs (this is a fairy tale, after all), I loved to see the interaction between all of his fathers (Toulouse Latrec, Monet, Degas, Renoit, and Cezanne to name a few) and himself.
I also loved Jakob, but I couldn’t love him as much as I wanted to because I never felt that I got to know him. Just as we see with all of the characters, they are all very clear characters, not people. I understand that this is more accepted in a fairy tale, but if they are supposed to be caricatures of typical fairy tale heroes, then I would expect them to revel in that role. Yet, here they are presented as if they are real people in a sudden paranormal situation, so I wanted to know more about them.
In essence, I found that this story seemed more like a short story when I thought back on it. There were times when I was reading that I noticed unimportant details. I think that if you were to edit this down to the bare essentials of the plot, you’d be left with a short story. With the amount of time the reader has to become involved with the story, there are certainly a lot of things left out, things which, in a short story, I wouldn’t hold against the author because of time constraints… but here, they leave holes in the story, namely the ending.
The biggest problem that I had with the ending is not that the danger abruptly ends (which it does), but that we don’t know why. We are given a glimpse of the villain in the beginning (whose identity is almost funny, actually), but he never returns in any capacity and we never know his real motivations (though you could read your own into it if you know anything about art history). On top of this, the way that danger is averted and the hero saves the day is completely unoriginal and the idea is even cited from a bad horror movie.
For the full review, please visit Reviews by Jessewave.
Damien was born in the 1880s to a woman an the Moulin Rouge. Just as the woman started to give labor, she stumbled up on a back room at the club where twelve very famous and talented artists held a meeting of their secret club. There was no time to call for help, so the men helped the woman give birth to her child, and when they asked her about her plans for the child and she replied that she planned to toss him into the Seine, they begged her to give the little boy over to their care. Thus, Damien was raised with twelve very special fathers, moving month after month to each of their separate homes, learning different things from each of the different men. On his eighteenth birthday, they planned a very special coming out party for him, to finally induct him (now their protege as well) into their club. Eager to taste Absinthe for the very first time, Damien takes his celebatory drink only to find it has been poisoned, and only the green faery can save him from death. Yet, while she can save Damien from death, she cannot wake him altogether — and so for over one hundred years Damien sleeps, waiting for his true love to wake him up.
I must tell you that I really quite enjoyed this story — in fact, I couldn’t put it down. However, I felt like the further the story got towards the ending, the sloppier the writing and plot became, until the end disappointed me altogether. The best part, for sure, is the first half of the novella, where we get to know Damien and his fathers through him. These scenes are also very erotically charged, even though he is present in states of arousal (etc.) with his fathers and vice versa. Yet, there was no sex between them and their presence and the easy development of any activity into an orgy definitely made the setting of the Moulin Rouge come alive. I really loved the beginning because, though you will have to suspend your beliefs (this is a fairy tale, after all), I loved to see the interaction between all of his fathers (Toulouse Latrec, Monet, Degas, Renoit, and Cezanne to name a few) and himself.
I also loved Jakob, but I couldn’t love him as much as I wanted to because I never felt that I got to know him. Just as we see with all of the characters, they are all very clear characters, not people. I understand that this is more accepted in a fairy tale, but if they are supposed to be caricatures of typical fairy tale heroes, then I would expect them to revel in that role. Yet, here they are presented as if they are real people in a sudden paranormal situation, so I wanted to know more about them.
In essence, I found that this story seemed more like a short story when I thought back on it. There were times when I was reading that I noticed unimportant details. I think that if you were to edit this down to the bare essentials of the plot, you’d be left with a short story. With the amount of time the reader has to become involved with the story, there are certainly a lot of things left out, things which, in a short story, I wouldn’t hold against the author because of time constraints… but here, they leave holes in the story, namely the ending.
The biggest problem that I had with the ending is not that the danger abruptly ends (which it does), but that we don’t know why. We are given a glimpse of the villain in the beginning (whose identity is almost funny, actually), but he never returns in any capacity and we never know his real motivations (though you could read your own into it if you know anything about art history). On top of this, the way that danger is averted and the hero saves the day is completely unoriginal and the idea is even cited from a bad horror movie.
For the full review, please visit Reviews by Jessewave.
February 25, 2011
SPOILERS GALLORE YOU HAD BEEN WARNED. Sorry there is absolutely no way I can explain what annoyed me so in the plot of this book without using spoilers, lots of them.
This is part of the Dreamspinner Fairly tales series and so far I have read and loved every book in these series, lovely adult twists on the familiar fairy tales be it Amy Lane, or Heidi Cullinan's fairy tales or Abigail Roux, I found all those books to be incredibly entertaining. I guess there is bound to be an exception to every rule. I felt as if I am slowly going crazy when I was reading this book, I did not feel pulled in "fairy tale reality", but was feeling as if "our", every day recognizable reality went nuts.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. LOTS OF SPOILERS.
I open this book and start reading and there is this eighteen year old young man Damien and one of his twelve fathers walking to Mouline Rouge to celebrate his coming out party. And yes the year is 1900 and it is France. The name of the older gentleman is Tolouse Lautrec. Sounds familiar? If not, I am sure it will sound familiar soon. Oh there are random insertions of simple French words in the book. It is not hard to figure it out even if you do not know French at all. Anyway I digress, turns out the boy is an adopted son of twelve artists, who call themselves Dreammongers, and among those artists are Degas, Monet, Manet and all other guys known to the normal world as Impressionists. And yes, this is a very important part of why I decided that I need a stiff drink after I was done with this book.
See, I think that when you decide to incorporate very real and very famous group of artists in the fairy tale, you should call them as they had been known to the world.
You may tell me that maybe "Dreammongers" are proper translation from French and I will tell you it is quite possible. I tried to google it and I could not find it, but it is possible, however besides random Non, qui, mon pere, ma mere, the book is written in English and no, they are not called Dreammongers in English, sorry but they are not.
They are having little orgy/ coming out party for their adopted son there, because they are all gays you see (and who knows maybe they were, but again, I kept wishing that group of artists would have been completely imaginary?) and then the boy poses for them nude. By the way, he saw at one time or another all of them with the lovers, but they refused to explain the mechanics of sex to him. They were "prudish" and encouraged his modesty. I guess letting the kid see you with the lover does not count.
At the party he is allowed to drink the green drink for the first time (I am not sure if it is meant to be like light drug, but it looked like it. Its name is absinthe?)), but after he tries it, it is clear he is poisoned. The bad guy is there. One would think we would be told what it is that those Dreammongers did to him, but besides muttering something about excluding him, he does not make it any clearer for this reader.
And then green fairy appears. Yes she does, she cannot counteract the poison, but she can make him fall asleep till his true love will find him.
So I am sure by now you see that it is a twist on Sleeping beauty, but to me it is the clumsiest Sleeping beauty ever written.
Fairy says she needs to hide him. Why??? Could she maybe mention that there is some sort of danger if she does not hide the boy? At least in the classical tale she puts all the castle asleep, but why she takes the kid away, I have no idea and what the hell is fairy doing in the 1900 France, I have no clue either. I mean those Dreammongers seem to be real people, not creatures of fairy tales and thus I am getting a vibe that I am reading a historical and here we go, fairy appears.
Anyway, we are now in our times and Damien starts coming to another guy from Germany in his dreams who is visiting Paris with his cousin and day dreams sometimes. Of course this German guy Jacob figures out how to save Dorian from Dreams with the help of Jewish Rabbi of his friend. I guess fairy stuck him in the Dream world, no idea why she did that.
Oh and while Jacob tries to figure out Dorian's story he is trying to research the Dreammongers, but librarians in Paris never heard about this group of artists which included Degas, Monet, Manet. Librarians in Paris do not know them. RIGHT. Does my main gripe with this book makes sense?
I never felt that the writer successfully blended fairy tale reality and “real” reality. It felt more like a historical, where the history part of it became something else.
And they lived happily ever after and I want my money back now.
This is part of the Dreamspinner Fairly tales series and so far I have read and loved every book in these series, lovely adult twists on the familiar fairy tales be it Amy Lane, or Heidi Cullinan's fairy tales or Abigail Roux, I found all those books to be incredibly entertaining. I guess there is bound to be an exception to every rule. I felt as if I am slowly going crazy when I was reading this book, I did not feel pulled in "fairy tale reality", but was feeling as if "our", every day recognizable reality went nuts.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. LOTS OF SPOILERS.
I open this book and start reading and there is this eighteen year old young man Damien and one of his twelve fathers walking to Mouline Rouge to celebrate his coming out party. And yes the year is 1900 and it is France. The name of the older gentleman is Tolouse Lautrec. Sounds familiar? If not, I am sure it will sound familiar soon. Oh there are random insertions of simple French words in the book. It is not hard to figure it out even if you do not know French at all. Anyway I digress, turns out the boy is an adopted son of twelve artists, who call themselves Dreammongers, and among those artists are Degas, Monet, Manet and all other guys known to the normal world as Impressionists. And yes, this is a very important part of why I decided that I need a stiff drink after I was done with this book.
See, I think that when you decide to incorporate very real and very famous group of artists in the fairy tale, you should call them as they had been known to the world.
You may tell me that maybe "Dreammongers" are proper translation from French and I will tell you it is quite possible. I tried to google it and I could not find it, but it is possible, however besides random Non, qui, mon pere, ma mere, the book is written in English and no, they are not called Dreammongers in English, sorry but they are not.
They are having little orgy/ coming out party for their adopted son there, because they are all gays you see (and who knows maybe they were, but again, I kept wishing that group of artists would have been completely imaginary?) and then the boy poses for them nude. By the way, he saw at one time or another all of them with the lovers, but they refused to explain the mechanics of sex to him. They were "prudish" and encouraged his modesty. I guess letting the kid see you with the lover does not count.
At the party he is allowed to drink the green drink for the first time (I am not sure if it is meant to be like light drug, but it looked like it. Its name is absinthe?)), but after he tries it, it is clear he is poisoned. The bad guy is there. One would think we would be told what it is that those Dreammongers did to him, but besides muttering something about excluding him, he does not make it any clearer for this reader.
And then green fairy appears. Yes she does, she cannot counteract the poison, but she can make him fall asleep till his true love will find him.
So I am sure by now you see that it is a twist on Sleeping beauty, but to me it is the clumsiest Sleeping beauty ever written.
Fairy says she needs to hide him. Why??? Could she maybe mention that there is some sort of danger if she does not hide the boy? At least in the classical tale she puts all the castle asleep, but why she takes the kid away, I have no idea and what the hell is fairy doing in the 1900 France, I have no clue either. I mean those Dreammongers seem to be real people, not creatures of fairy tales and thus I am getting a vibe that I am reading a historical and here we go, fairy appears.
Anyway, we are now in our times and Damien starts coming to another guy from Germany in his dreams who is visiting Paris with his cousin and day dreams sometimes. Of course this German guy Jacob figures out how to save Dorian from Dreams with the help of Jewish Rabbi of his friend. I guess fairy stuck him in the Dream world, no idea why she did that.
Oh and while Jacob tries to figure out Dorian's story he is trying to research the Dreammongers, but librarians in Paris never heard about this group of artists which included Degas, Monet, Manet. Librarians in Paris do not know them. RIGHT. Does my main gripe with this book makes sense?
I never felt that the writer successfully blended fairy tale reality and “real” reality. It felt more like a historical, where the history part of it became something else.
And they lived happily ever after and I want my money back now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2012
Ethereally handsome, Damien is the much-loved son of the Dreammongers. The Dreammongers are a group of artists who share the responsibility and joy of raising Damien, their son and muse. On the night of Damien’s 18th birthday, the night of his coming out party, the night Damien was to have had his first taste of absinthe, the night that should have been sublimely happy, an old nemesis strikes at the heart of the Dreammongers, attacking Damien.
A whimsical character intercedes saving Damien from certain death. Initially, the Dreammongers experience a moment of relief but their prayers have not been answered, at least not in the way the Dreammongers were hoping for. Damien is alive but in an unnatural sleep, the sleep of fairy tales, the sleep of eternal youth.
A century passes and we are introduced to Jakob and his cousin, Albert. Albert is a grossly unlikable, bumptious, adulterer who is as attractive as asbestosis in an attic. Jakob is dedicated to his aged mother. He’s hardworking and good-natured with hopes of finding the love of his life, of finding his life partner. While in Paris with Albert, Jakob meets the man of his dreams. He meets Damien.
Julie Lynn Hayes’ Sweet Dreams, My Love is a contemporary adult fairy tale with a sleeping beauty, capricious characters, a secret location, and an unidentifiable danger. Julie Lynn Hayes spins a mercurial story but she does not answer every question proffered in the telling of Sweet Dreams, My Love. Maybe the questions are not answered because they are answered in a sequel. Or, maybe it’s what you see, is what you get. I don’t know. What I can tell you is, although there are questions I would have like answered, Julie Lynn Hayes story is well written and playful and readers will enjoy watching the literary dance between fictional and historical characters. At its heart, Sweet Dreams, My Love is a fairy tale for adults about a search for love that transcends time.
I have to admit it. I was prepared NOT to like this book. It’s not the type of story that I’d normally consider reading, an M/M romance. But I really liked this story. Julie Lynn Hayes spun a charming adult M/M tale without graphic illustration. I have to say it again, I truly liked this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy M/M romance and to those who are open to other types of romantic relationships.
As for the cover, I don’t like it. I know it is supposed to be whimsical and maybe sexy, but it seems cheesy and is unworthy of this story that cajoles from page one. Don’t let the cover deter you. You’ll enjoy this tale.
A whimsical character intercedes saving Damien from certain death. Initially, the Dreammongers experience a moment of relief but their prayers have not been answered, at least not in the way the Dreammongers were hoping for. Damien is alive but in an unnatural sleep, the sleep of fairy tales, the sleep of eternal youth.
A century passes and we are introduced to Jakob and his cousin, Albert. Albert is a grossly unlikable, bumptious, adulterer who is as attractive as asbestosis in an attic. Jakob is dedicated to his aged mother. He’s hardworking and good-natured with hopes of finding the love of his life, of finding his life partner. While in Paris with Albert, Jakob meets the man of his dreams. He meets Damien.
Julie Lynn Hayes’ Sweet Dreams, My Love is a contemporary adult fairy tale with a sleeping beauty, capricious characters, a secret location, and an unidentifiable danger. Julie Lynn Hayes spins a mercurial story but she does not answer every question proffered in the telling of Sweet Dreams, My Love. Maybe the questions are not answered because they are answered in a sequel. Or, maybe it’s what you see, is what you get. I don’t know. What I can tell you is, although there are questions I would have like answered, Julie Lynn Hayes story is well written and playful and readers will enjoy watching the literary dance between fictional and historical characters. At its heart, Sweet Dreams, My Love is a fairy tale for adults about a search for love that transcends time.
I have to admit it. I was prepared NOT to like this book. It’s not the type of story that I’d normally consider reading, an M/M romance. But I really liked this story. Julie Lynn Hayes spun a charming adult M/M tale without graphic illustration. I have to say it again, I truly liked this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy M/M romance and to those who are open to other types of romantic relationships.
As for the cover, I don’t like it. I know it is supposed to be whimsical and maybe sexy, but it seems cheesy and is unworthy of this story that cajoles from page one. Don’t let the cover deter you. You’ll enjoy this tale.
February 14, 2016
This was a great read and a clever twist on the Sleeping Beauty tale. I wasn't 100% what to expect when I opened this book and I was still unsure for the first few pages, but suddenly I fell right into the story and read it from cover to cover without stopping.
The plot is well conceived with some great twists (and homage to other books and films) and the characters are extremely likeable. I was really swept up in the tale and keen to see what would happen next at every page turn.
There were a couple of minor inaccuracies in the French when the odd words or phrases cropped up, but this is a minor fault and wouldn't be spotted by non-French speakers anyway.
This is a M/M romance, so if that isn't your thing then this is not the book for you. Other than that, I would happily recommend it to anyone.
The plot is well conceived with some great twists (and homage to other books and films) and the characters are extremely likeable. I was really swept up in the tale and keen to see what would happen next at every page turn.
There were a couple of minor inaccuracies in the French when the odd words or phrases cropped up, but this is a minor fault and wouldn't be spotted by non-French speakers anyway.
This is a M/M romance, so if that isn't your thing then this is not the book for you. Other than that, I would happily recommend it to anyone.
August 19, 2012
Lovely and easy reading.
If you like complex and self explanatory stories this isn't for you. Because how Jakob rescues Damien makes no sense and Damien just adjusts himself to the moderns ways of the world, no-brainer, too quickly.
If you like complex and self explanatory stories this isn't for you. Because how Jakob rescues Damien makes no sense and Damien just adjusts himself to the moderns ways of the world, no-brainer, too quickly.
February 21, 2011
3.5 stars
April 1, 2012
Could have gotten a better rating without all the mistakes (spelling and otherwise) in both French and German quotations.
June 1, 2011
What a book.
I love the way Julie tells the story. It was vivid, she let me see everything from the characters point of view. A fairy tale that was very real!
Well done!
I love the way Julie tells the story. It was vivid, she let me see everything from the characters point of view. A fairy tale that was very real!
Well done!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews