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Dream Trilogy #1-3
Daring to Dream / Holding the Dream / Finding the Dream
Daring to Dream (1996)
Margo Sullivan returns home to Templeton house and her friends after her posh life as a model falls apart. As she tries to pick up the pieces, the long-simmering chemistry between her and Joshua Templeton finally comes to a boil.
Holding the Dream (1997)
Kate Powell has always felt indebted to the Templetons for taking her in after her parents deaths. All she's ever wanted is to make them proud. But accusations of embezzlement have her hanging her head in shame. It takes the gentle persistence of Byron DeWitt to prod her into fighting back.
Finding the Dream (1997)
Laura Templeton wanted one thing in life, to marry her Prince Charming and raise a family. Unfortunately, her Prince turned into a toad and she's forced to begin her life again. Adding to the turmoil is the brooding, handsome Michael Fury, a man she's always had a hidden desire for.
Margo Sullivan returns home to Templeton house and her friends after her posh life as a model falls apart. As she tries to pick up the pieces, the long-simmering chemistry between her and Joshua Templeton finally comes to a boil.
Holding the Dream (1997)
Kate Powell has always felt indebted to the Templetons for taking her in after her parents deaths. All she's ever wanted is to make them proud. But accusations of embezzlement have her hanging her head in shame. It takes the gentle persistence of Byron DeWitt to prod her into fighting back.
Finding the Dream (1997)
Laura Templeton wanted one thing in life, to marry her Prince Charming and raise a family. Unfortunately, her Prince turned into a toad and she's forced to begin her life again. Adding to the turmoil is the brooding, handsome Michael Fury, a man she's always had a hidden desire for.
822 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
574 people are currently reading
1633 people want to read
About the author
Nora Roberts
1,220 books60.1k followersNora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 8, 2012
Well, this is actually a trilogy where my current re-read leaves me feeling quite different from the previous ones so far.
Daring to Dream
I still really love the Templeton family, Margo Sullivan and her mother, the idea of Pretenses the shop and the strong family/friend relationship between Laura, Margo and Kate (probably prototype for the Bride Quartet if you think about their exchanges) - but I SEVERELY dislike Josh Templeton.
This is a guy who may work hard and have worked hard, but was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. So he realizes he is in love with Margo when he is in his 20s? I think? She's four years younger or so. He can see her drive is a bit larger than life and that she wants to live the glamorous life - and because he knows her he decides (and this is actually written as an explanation here) to wait for her current life to implode, so he can swoop down on her at her lowest ebb to make her cling to him and consider him and be seduced by the loving and care he gives her: He is an emotional coward.
Margo who went after her dream in the face of disapproval from her mother and doubt from her friends, IS melodramatic and easily riled - and it seems as if only harsh treatment will get her out of a despairing spiral (her two best friends do it to her, as well, and she seems to accept it as natural) - BUT she takes ALL the risks.
Josh is so much a coward that - even though it has been reiterated numerous times in the story and he has confirmed it too, that he knows that one of Margo's total strengths is loyalty - he interprets one kiss of an old friend with both completely dressed, after he and Margo have admitted they love each other as her having turned into a slut.
This is a romance, so of course after some weeks and some talking to from their family, the two of them get together - but he never really has to grovel hard enough - Margo AGAIN makes the first move and lays her heart on the line in grand style.
Well - he isn't good enough for her, and only her low self-esteem which she has had all her life, because all she has to offer (she thinks) is her beauty makes me think she'll be happy with the bit she is offered here. She can't conceive of deserving more of an apology after her previous life.
Holding the Dream
Another real Alpha hero, although not as much of an asshole as Josh, Bryon De Witt only is intrigued by Kate when he sees her glamoured up for a special occasion (she lost a bet with her friends), he had discounted her as too abrasive before.
Since he is rarely wrong on a first impression, he is intrigued enough to talk to her some more and when he sees her at her lowest ebb (she was fired from the position she had been working for in her life-plan since a teenager) he offers a sympathetic ear BUT when Kate doesn't take the route he EXPECTS her to take (she has her reasons which she hasn't shared), he goes to Josh to openly encourage him to go after her former employers legally.
I do think Kate has some magnificent scenes taking no crap, but even there Byron makes her feel like an idiot with his reasonableness (because a woman making a huge scene when someone manipulates other people on her behalf without asking her if this is what she wants is ... I don't know... shrewish?) - at the same time as his tamed anger makes her cautious (oooooh, the man may unleash his inner bear, so the woman better beware).
I really don't remember these as so sexist and stereotypical. I mean the MacKade books are ten years older and they do a much better job of having women and men be equally strong...
Maybe it is just the truly crappy row I had with my mother on Monday (long overdue but nevertheless hard on heart and head) that makes me very sensitive toward this.
Blockquote directly from the ebook - see what you think:
Okay, picking up this review after months of having finished the trilogy is probably not the best but for fairness sake I have to say that Byron improves a lot over the course of the book and Kate's personal stubbornness does extend to not sharing her problems with her emotional support people, i.e. her best friends - and that leads to a hospital stay.
She starts wising up, Byron starts owning up to him being manipulative but at the same time her happiness becomes more imporant to him so he thinks about the end result and her feelings a lot more and developments in Kate's knowledge about her father's crime (and a total jerkface workplace intrigue) put her at a crossroad where she can decide whether to go back and pick up her old life (and have her employers be grateful for that) or to stay with the shop she has opened with her friends and give Byron a chance for good.
The friend support scenes are excellent in this book (none of the others are as introverted as Kate so that drama is especially strong here) and Byron becomes more unsure of himself the further he falls into love with Kate, which makes me like him quite a bit more than Josh. A fun quote from this novel to balance the other one:
Finding the Dream
It's probably unfair to this book that I'm reviewing it so late after having finished this reread because it is the best love story of the three. A young man whose past made him leave his hometown, a former friend from the wrong tracks of Josh's, Michael Fury has returned and started to build a new life for himself and the horses he now breeds (he used to be a stuntman in Hollywood), but when a mudslide destroys the stables where he keeps the horses, he asks if he can rent the empty Templeton stables until he can have his own place built.
Laura Templeton has always been physically aware of Michael and he's always had a thing for her, too, but when they were teenagers he was much too aware that she was the equivalent of a princess (and his best friend's sister) and that he was poor. Laura for her part was alarmed at the feelings Michael roused in her, because that's not what she thought romance should be like - he didn't fit her stereotype of romantic love.
After the first two books the reader already knows that the man who did fit her romantic stereotype was an opportunistic manipulating egoist and now that Laura is finally free and finding her feet again, although the feelings of her daughters about the marriage and their father's lack of interest in them is important to the story and explored in detail, she is open to a casual fling.
And that's what both are willing to risk when they realise the old attraction has revived - a fling. But of course it doesn't stop there, because they both feel too deeply when their emotions engage.
But there's still Laura whose daughters come first for her, so she has doubts whether they will accept Michael and Michael himself who can't believe Laura won't think that she is slumming at some point.
This was two damaged people finding their way to each other and making each other stronger through their love.
Daring to Dream
I still really love the Templeton family, Margo Sullivan and her mother, the idea of Pretenses the shop and the strong family/friend relationship between Laura, Margo and Kate (probably prototype for the Bride Quartet if you think about their exchanges) - but I SEVERELY dislike Josh Templeton.
This is a guy who may work hard and have worked hard, but was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. So he realizes he is in love with Margo when he is in his 20s? I think? She's four years younger or so. He can see her drive is a bit larger than life and that she wants to live the glamorous life - and because he knows her he decides (and this is actually written as an explanation here) to wait for her current life to implode, so he can swoop down on her at her lowest ebb to make her cling to him and consider him and be seduced by the loving and care he gives her: He is an emotional coward.
Margo who went after her dream in the face of disapproval from her mother and doubt from her friends, IS melodramatic and easily riled - and it seems as if only harsh treatment will get her out of a despairing spiral (her two best friends do it to her, as well, and she seems to accept it as natural) - BUT she takes ALL the risks.
Josh is so much a coward that - even though it has been reiterated numerous times in the story and he has confirmed it too, that he knows that one of Margo's total strengths is loyalty - he interprets one kiss of an old friend with both completely dressed, after he and Margo have admitted they love each other as her having turned into a slut.
This is a romance, so of course after some weeks and some talking to from their family, the two of them get together - but he never really has to grovel hard enough - Margo AGAIN makes the first move and lays her heart on the line in grand style.
Well - he isn't good enough for her, and only her low self-esteem which she has had all her life, because all she has to offer (she thinks) is her beauty makes me think she'll be happy with the bit she is offered here. She can't conceive of deserving more of an apology after her previous life.
Holding the Dream
Another real Alpha hero, although not as much of an asshole as Josh, Bryon De Witt only is intrigued by Kate when he sees her glamoured up for a special occasion (she lost a bet with her friends), he had discounted her as too abrasive before.
Since he is rarely wrong on a first impression, he is intrigued enough to talk to her some more and when he sees her at her lowest ebb (she was fired from the position she had been working for in her life-plan since a teenager) he offers a sympathetic ear BUT when Kate doesn't take the route he EXPECTS her to take (she has her reasons which she hasn't shared), he goes to Josh to openly encourage him to go after her former employers legally.
I do think Kate has some magnificent scenes taking no crap, but even there Byron makes her feel like an idiot with his reasonableness (because a woman making a huge scene when someone manipulates other people on her behalf without asking her if this is what she wants is ... I don't know... shrewish?) - at the same time as his tamed anger makes her cautious (oooooh, the man may unleash his inner bear, so the woman better beware).
I really don't remember these as so sexist and stereotypical. I mean the MacKade books are ten years older and they do a much better job of having women and men be equally strong...
Maybe it is just the truly crappy row I had with my mother on Monday (long overdue but nevertheless hard on heart and head) that makes me very sensitive toward this.
Blockquote directly from the ebook - see what you think:
I’m not your type any more than you’re mine.”
“No, you’re not,” he agreed. “Still, I occasionally enjoy sampling something . . . different.”
“I’m not a new recipe.” She pulled her hand free, pushed her plate aside. “And I came here to have, as you termed it, a civilized discussion.”
“This seems civilized to me.”
“Don’t pull out that reasonable tone.” She had to squeeze her eyes shut and count to ten. She made it to five. “I hate that reasonable tone. I agreed to go to dinner with you so that I could make myself clear, so that I could do so without losing my temper the way I did earlier today.”
For emphasis, she leaned forward a little, was distracted by discovering that there was a thin gold halo around his pupils. “I don’t want you meddling in my life. I don’t know how to make it any more plain than that.”
“That’s plain.” Since they seemed to have finished the meal, he picked up the plates and carried them to the counter. Sitting again, he took a cigar from his pocket, lit it. “But there’s a problem. I’ve developed an interest in you.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You find that difficult to believe?” He puffed out smoke, considered. “So did I initially. Then I realized what kicked it off. I’m driven to solve problems and puzzles. Answers and solutions are essential to me. Do you want coffee?”
“No, I don’t want coffee.” Didn’t he know it drove her crazy the way he could slide from one topic to the next in that slow, southern drawl of his. Of course he did. “And I’m not a problem or a puzzle.”
“But you are. Look at you, Kate. You white-knuckle your way through life.” He reached out, deliberately uncurled her fist. “I can almost see whatever fuel you bother to put inside you being sucked away by nerves. You have a loving family, a solid base, an excellent mind, but you pick at details as if they were knotted threads. You never consider just snipping one off. Yet when you’re faced with the injustice, the insult of being fired from a job that was a huge part of your life, you sit back and do nothing.”
Okay, picking up this review after months of having finished the trilogy is probably not the best but for fairness sake I have to say that Byron improves a lot over the course of the book and Kate's personal stubbornness does extend to not sharing her problems with her emotional support people, i.e. her best friends - and that leads to a hospital stay.
She starts wising up, Byron starts owning up to him being manipulative but at the same time her happiness becomes more imporant to him so he thinks about the end result and her feelings a lot more and developments in Kate's knowledge about her father's crime (and a total jerkface workplace intrigue) put her at a crossroad where she can decide whether to go back and pick up her old life (and have her employers be grateful for that) or to stay with the shop she has opened with her friends and give Byron a chance for good.
The friend support scenes are excellent in this book (none of the others are as introverted as Kate so that drama is especially strong here) and Byron becomes more unsure of himself the further he falls into love with Kate, which makes me like him quite a bit more than Josh. A fun quote from this novel to balance the other one:
“This is so incredibly dumb.” Naked, Kate fidgeted and blew the bangs out of her eyes. “I feel like an idiot.”
“Leave your hair alone,” Margo ordered. “I worked too hard on it to have you screw it up. And stop gnawing on your lip.”
“I hate wearing lipstick. Why won’t you let me see my face?” Kate craned her neck, but Margo had draped the mirror in the wardrobe room. “I look like a clown, don’t I? You made me look like a clown.”
“Actually, it’s more like a twenty-dollar hooker, but it’s such a nice look for you. Hold still, damn it, so I can get you into this thing.”
Suffering mightily, Kate lifted her arms as Margo hooked her into what seemed to be some instrument of medieval torture. “Why are you doing this to me, Margo? I cut the check for your dippy string trio, didn’t I? I went along with the truffles—even though they’re snuffed out by pigs and hideously expensive.”
Her face set like a general leading troops into battle, Margo adjusted the bustier. “You agreed to follow my guidance for your image tonight. The Annual Reception and Charity Auction is Pretenses’ most important event. Now stop bitching.”
“Stop playing with my tits.”
“Oh, but I love them so. There.” Margo stepped back, then nodded in satisfaction. “I didn’t have much to work with, but . . .”
“Keep it up, Miss D Cup,” Kate grumbled, then looked down and goggled. “Jesus, where did they come from?”
“Amazing, isn’t it? In the right harness, those puppies just rise.”
“I have breasts.” Stunned, Kate patted the swell rising above black satin and lace. “And cleavage.”
“It’s all a matter of proper positioning and making the most of what we have. Even when it’s next to nothing.”
“Shut up.” Grinning, Kate slicked her hands down her torso. “Look, Ma. I’m a girl.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet. Put this on.” Margo tossed her a thin swatch of stretchy lace.
Kate studied the garter belt, tugged it, snorted. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not putting it on for you.” Margo patted the bulge under her sparkling silver tunic. “At seven months and counting, bending over isn’t as easy as it used to be.”
“I feel like I’m in dress rehearsal for a porn flick.” But after a struggle, Kate snapped the garter belt into place. “It’s a little hard to breathe.”
Finding the Dream
It's probably unfair to this book that I'm reviewing it so late after having finished this reread because it is the best love story of the three. A young man whose past made him leave his hometown, a former friend from the wrong tracks of Josh's, Michael Fury has returned and started to build a new life for himself and the horses he now breeds (he used to be a stuntman in Hollywood), but when a mudslide destroys the stables where he keeps the horses, he asks if he can rent the empty Templeton stables until he can have his own place built.
Laura Templeton has always been physically aware of Michael and he's always had a thing for her, too, but when they were teenagers he was much too aware that she was the equivalent of a princess (and his best friend's sister) and that he was poor. Laura for her part was alarmed at the feelings Michael roused in her, because that's not what she thought romance should be like - he didn't fit her stereotype of romantic love.
After the first two books the reader already knows that the man who did fit her romantic stereotype was an opportunistic manipulating egoist and now that Laura is finally free and finding her feet again, although the feelings of her daughters about the marriage and their father's lack of interest in them is important to the story and explored in detail, she is open to a casual fling.
And that's what both are willing to risk when they realise the old attraction has revived - a fling. But of course it doesn't stop there, because they both feel too deeply when their emotions engage.
But there's still Laura whose daughters come first for her, so she has doubts whether they will accept Michael and Michael himself who can't believe Laura won't think that she is slumming at some point.
This was two damaged people finding their way to each other and making each other stronger through their love.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 11, 2021
This was technically a reread, although I first read this trilogy long enough ago that I could only remember a few scenes here and there.
I'll start by talking about the trilogy as a whole, and then cover each book individually. As is usual with Roberts' trilogies (or at least the older ones - I haven't read many of her newer works), each book features a different couple, although the trilogy as a whole is held together by a particular framing story. In this case, I suppose there are two framing stories: first, the story of Seraphina, a young woman who jumped off a cliff in 1846 after learning that her soldier lover had been killed; and second, the story of Laura Templeton, who once dreamed of having a fairytale marriage like her parents.
The Templetons are rich, but Roberts assures us that they're the good kind of rich: they view their staff as family and don't let them go just because they're getting older (unless they wanted to retire - but it seems that no one who works in the Templeton household ever wants to do that), they donate generously to charity, and they take good care of each other and those they love. The first book deals with Margo, the Templeton housekeeper's daughter, who was practically treated like Laura Templeton's sister. The second book deals with Kate, who was taken in by the Templeton family after her parents were killed in an accident when she was eight. The third book deals with Laura Templeton. All three women are very close friends, and their friendship is given a prominent place in the narrative and is one of the reasons why I wouldn't recommend reading this trilogy out of order.
All three women end up at rock bottom - or at least their idea of rock bottom, since anyone in the Templeton orbit automatically has a robust safety net they can call on at any point - and find love while picking themselves back up again. For me, the safety net aspect was both one of the appeals of this trilogy and one of the biggest frustrations. After Margo's life blew up in her face, she discovered that she was not only broke, but also deeply in debt. Although she insisted that she had to dig herself out, it was clear that she could ask for help at any point and the Templetons would have handed her fistfuls of money and made everything better. Same with Kate after she lost her job, and Laura when she divorced her husband and found out he'd cleaned out her bank account. None of these women were truly in any danger of starving or becoming homeless. Imagine never having to worry that bad luck or bad decisions might do more than badly hurt your pride.
Which brings me to the aspect of this that I found frustrating. First, what does it even mean to do something on your own when you're involved with the Templeton family? Margo acted like she left the Templetons at 18 and started her modeling career completely on her own, but at one point in her book it was mentioned offhand that Laura used her connections to help her find work. And I somehow doubt Margo's shop would have lasted without Kate and Laura adding their own money to the business.
Second, at times it felt like these women were being overly stubborn rather than admirably self-reliant or however Roberts wanted them to be viewed. Laura, in particular, drove me nuts. She wouldn't accept money from her parents but still, apparently, wanted to continue giving her kids the same lifestyle they had when she was married to Peter. And she continued to live in the big Templeton estate, which needed to be properly staffed and maintained. I was livid when she mentioned being worried that she might have to let staff go because, no, she absolutely did not have to do that - she could have given the estate back to her parents and gone to live somewhere she could actually afford, or she could have accepted at least enough money from her parents to ensure she could pay the staff. Her own stupid pride was the only thing preventing her from doing any of that.
The best thing about this trilogy, overall, was the family and friendship stuff. The characters' discussions with their parents were great, and I loved the way Margo, Kate, and Laura stood by each other, even though I sometimes wanted to shake them for being so stupidly stubborn. Their friendship held the trilogy together well enough that the Seraphina storyline (and its very slightly supernatural feel) were almost unnecessary.
This trilogy did feel a bit dated, unfortunately. It wasn't just characters' reactions to computers, the way Byron faxed a bunch of things but never once mentioned email, and that casual mention of Donald Trump as though an offer to work for him would be even vaguely appealing. I don't know that I can pinpoint it exactly, but it had something to do with the way all of the romances sprang out of each of the women reaching the lowest points in their lives.
Well, on to the individual romances.
Daring to Dream:
Although the Templetons always treated Margo like one of their own, her mother made sure she never forgot that she was actually just the housekeeper's daughter. At 18, she decided to go off on her own and use her beauty to make a name for herself, and attain the glamorous and glitzy lifestyle the Templetons made her long for. Ten years later, she arrives back at the Templeton estate with her life in shambles and a mountain of debt. With the help of her best friends, Laura and Kate, she manages to get back on her feet and build a new life for herself. She also gradually comes to the realization that she's in love with Josh, Laura's older brother, who's now a lawyer and who has secretly loved her since they were kids.
This is the worst book in the trilogy, and the romance is unfortunately the reason why. Josh spent years hiding his interest in Margo (which started when he was 16 and she was 12 - I was uncomfortable with the way 12-year-old Margo was depicted), just waiting for the day when she'd screw up enough to need him to swoop in a pick up the pieces, as thought their eventual romance was inevitable. He even admitted that's how he'd viewed it all. It would have served him right if she had ended up with someone else.
Margo and Josh certainly meshed well sexually, but it was so easy for Josh to doubt Margo that I had trouble believing their relationship could really last. On the one hand, Margo's beauty and sex appeal drew him in. On the other hand, it made him angry and jealous to see other men drawn in the same way. He wasn't the worst jealous romance hero I've ever seen, but that didn't make it any better, and I found myself wishing that Margo could have ended up with someone who didn't feel as entitled to her and who had made a few mistakes of his own. The way Josh was depicted, it was as though he'd never done anything wrong in his life, ever. I also didn't like the edge of violence in his character -
It didn't help that Margo was one of my least favorite Nora Roberts heroine types, the "wild and sexy one." I don't relate well to those types at all, and in this case there was the added issue of Margo unapologetically being an "other woman" - the last guy she was with (before Josh) was a married man who swore he'd leave his wife for her (he was lying, and his wife knew about the affair and didn't care, but Margo didn't know that). For some reason this was never a huge issue for the other characters, not even Laura, whose husband cheated on her.
Holding the Dream:
Kate was taken in by the Templetons when she was eight and her parents were killed in an accident. Years later, she's a successful accountant whose world suddenly tumbles down around her ears as she learns a horrible secret about her father and is then fired for something she didn't do. Byron De Witt, who manages one of the Templeton hotels, helps her pick up the pieces.
Kate and Byron were my favorite couple in the trilogy and Kate was my favorite heroine, even though I thought the last book, Finding the Dream, was actually stronger overall than this one. Kate loved and was good at her career, and she was the most practical of the three women and also, I think, the most aware of what it would really mean to accomplish something without Templeton assistance. She was also really terrible at taking care of herself, which was where Byron came in - he forced her to see a doctor when all her personal troubles came to a head and really affected her health. I was reminded of Eve and Roarke (the main characters of Roberts' In Death series, written under the name J.D. Robb), although Byron wasn't as pushy as Roarke.
As was usual for this trilogy, the family stuff was stronger than the romance. I loved Kate's discussion with Susan Templeton (her aunt and mother figure after the death of her parents), about how she'd viewed the Templetons and her place in the family. Byron was nice enough and a great fit for Kate, although not terribly memorable as romance heroes go.
Finding the Dream:
It's been almost two years since Laura's divorce. Things are looking better, but Laura's still struggling to rebuild her finances and it still hurts that Peter doesn't seem to care about their children. When Josh asks her to allow Michael, an old friend of his, to use the stables and the groom's apartment above them, since his own home and stables were destroyed by a mudslide, she reluctantly agrees. Michael always struck her as being a little dangerous. While he did spend a period of time as a mercenary, he's now a horse trainer and occasionally works as a stunt double. As he and Laura get to know each other, they realize that neither one of them is the person the other assumed them to be.
This is the best book in the trilogy, with a strong romance that worked really well with the trilogy's family relationships aspect (in this case, it was the female friendship that was weaker - there was a definite expectation that readers had read the first two books and already understood how Margo, Kate, and Laura's friendship worked). Michael befriended Laura's daughters, Ali and Kayla, and taught them how to ride, and his and Laura's relationship developed naturally from there, for the most part.
Michael was my favorite of the trilogy's heroes, and I really liked his affection for Ali and Kayla (although there's a scene in which he threatens to spank Ali that may throw some readers - one of those things that made this trilogy feel dated). The end of the book was a bit too dramatic for my tastes, though. On the plus side, at least Roberts didn't go as far as she could have and include a ghostly Seraphina cameo or something.
Overall, it's not a bad Nora Roberts trilogy, but it's definitely not my favorite, and it's starting to show its age.
Rating Note:
Probably more like 3.5 stars. I rounded it up to 4 stars because of my enjoyment of the family and friendship aspects.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
I'll start by talking about the trilogy as a whole, and then cover each book individually. As is usual with Roberts' trilogies (or at least the older ones - I haven't read many of her newer works), each book features a different couple, although the trilogy as a whole is held together by a particular framing story. In this case, I suppose there are two framing stories: first, the story of Seraphina, a young woman who jumped off a cliff in 1846 after learning that her soldier lover had been killed; and second, the story of Laura Templeton, who once dreamed of having a fairytale marriage like her parents.
The Templetons are rich, but Roberts assures us that they're the good kind of rich: they view their staff as family and don't let them go just because they're getting older (unless they wanted to retire - but it seems that no one who works in the Templeton household ever wants to do that), they donate generously to charity, and they take good care of each other and those they love. The first book deals with Margo, the Templeton housekeeper's daughter, who was practically treated like Laura Templeton's sister. The second book deals with Kate, who was taken in by the Templeton family after her parents were killed in an accident when she was eight. The third book deals with Laura Templeton. All three women are very close friends, and their friendship is given a prominent place in the narrative and is one of the reasons why I wouldn't recommend reading this trilogy out of order.
All three women end up at rock bottom - or at least their idea of rock bottom, since anyone in the Templeton orbit automatically has a robust safety net they can call on at any point - and find love while picking themselves back up again. For me, the safety net aspect was both one of the appeals of this trilogy and one of the biggest frustrations. After Margo's life blew up in her face, she discovered that she was not only broke, but also deeply in debt. Although she insisted that she had to dig herself out, it was clear that she could ask for help at any point and the Templetons would have handed her fistfuls of money and made everything better. Same with Kate after she lost her job, and Laura when she divorced her husband and found out he'd cleaned out her bank account. None of these women were truly in any danger of starving or becoming homeless. Imagine never having to worry that bad luck or bad decisions might do more than badly hurt your pride.
Which brings me to the aspect of this that I found frustrating. First, what does it even mean to do something on your own when you're involved with the Templeton family? Margo acted like she left the Templetons at 18 and started her modeling career completely on her own, but at one point in her book it was mentioned offhand that Laura used her connections to help her find work. And I somehow doubt Margo's shop would have lasted without Kate and Laura adding their own money to the business.
Second, at times it felt like these women were being overly stubborn rather than admirably self-reliant or however Roberts wanted them to be viewed. Laura, in particular, drove me nuts. She wouldn't accept money from her parents but still, apparently, wanted to continue giving her kids the same lifestyle they had when she was married to Peter. And she continued to live in the big Templeton estate, which needed to be properly staffed and maintained. I was livid when she mentioned being worried that she might have to let staff go because, no, she absolutely did not have to do that - she could have given the estate back to her parents and gone to live somewhere she could actually afford, or she could have accepted at least enough money from her parents to ensure she could pay the staff. Her own stupid pride was the only thing preventing her from doing any of that.
The best thing about this trilogy, overall, was the family and friendship stuff. The characters' discussions with their parents were great, and I loved the way Margo, Kate, and Laura stood by each other, even though I sometimes wanted to shake them for being so stupidly stubborn. Their friendship held the trilogy together well enough that the Seraphina storyline (and its very slightly supernatural feel) were almost unnecessary.
This trilogy did feel a bit dated, unfortunately. It wasn't just characters' reactions to computers, the way Byron faxed a bunch of things but never once mentioned email, and that casual mention of Donald Trump as though an offer to work for him would be even vaguely appealing. I don't know that I can pinpoint it exactly, but it had something to do with the way all of the romances sprang out of each of the women reaching the lowest points in their lives.
Well, on to the individual romances.
Daring to Dream:
Although the Templetons always treated Margo like one of their own, her mother made sure she never forgot that she was actually just the housekeeper's daughter. At 18, she decided to go off on her own and use her beauty to make a name for herself, and attain the glamorous and glitzy lifestyle the Templetons made her long for. Ten years later, she arrives back at the Templeton estate with her life in shambles and a mountain of debt. With the help of her best friends, Laura and Kate, she manages to get back on her feet and build a new life for herself. She also gradually comes to the realization that she's in love with Josh, Laura's older brother, who's now a lawyer and who has secretly loved her since they were kids.
This is the worst book in the trilogy, and the romance is unfortunately the reason why. Josh spent years hiding his interest in Margo (which started when he was 16 and she was 12 - I was uncomfortable with the way 12-year-old Margo was depicted), just waiting for the day when she'd screw up enough to need him to swoop in a pick up the pieces, as thought their eventual romance was inevitable. He even admitted that's how he'd viewed it all. It would have served him right if she had ended up with someone else.
Margo and Josh certainly meshed well sexually, but it was so easy for Josh to doubt Margo that I had trouble believing their relationship could really last. On the one hand, Margo's beauty and sex appeal drew him in. On the other hand, it made him angry and jealous to see other men drawn in the same way. He wasn't the worst jealous romance hero I've ever seen, but that didn't make it any better, and I found myself wishing that Margo could have ended up with someone who didn't feel as entitled to her and who had made a few mistakes of his own. The way Josh was depicted, it was as though he'd never done anything wrong in his life, ever. I also didn't like the edge of violence in his character -
It didn't help that Margo was one of my least favorite Nora Roberts heroine types, the "wild and sexy one." I don't relate well to those types at all, and in this case there was the added issue of Margo unapologetically being an "other woman" - the last guy she was with (before Josh) was a married man who swore he'd leave his wife for her (he was lying, and his wife knew about the affair and didn't care, but Margo didn't know that). For some reason this was never a huge issue for the other characters, not even Laura, whose husband cheated on her.
Holding the Dream:
Kate was taken in by the Templetons when she was eight and her parents were killed in an accident. Years later, she's a successful accountant whose world suddenly tumbles down around her ears as she learns a horrible secret about her father and is then fired for something she didn't do. Byron De Witt, who manages one of the Templeton hotels, helps her pick up the pieces.
Kate and Byron were my favorite couple in the trilogy and Kate was my favorite heroine, even though I thought the last book, Finding the Dream, was actually stronger overall than this one. Kate loved and was good at her career, and she was the most practical of the three women and also, I think, the most aware of what it would really mean to accomplish something without Templeton assistance. She was also really terrible at taking care of herself, which was where Byron came in - he forced her to see a doctor when all her personal troubles came to a head and really affected her health. I was reminded of Eve and Roarke (the main characters of Roberts' In Death series, written under the name J.D. Robb), although Byron wasn't as pushy as Roarke.
As was usual for this trilogy, the family stuff was stronger than the romance. I loved Kate's discussion with Susan Templeton (her aunt and mother figure after the death of her parents), about how she'd viewed the Templetons and her place in the family. Byron was nice enough and a great fit for Kate, although not terribly memorable as romance heroes go.
Finding the Dream:
It's been almost two years since Laura's divorce. Things are looking better, but Laura's still struggling to rebuild her finances and it still hurts that Peter doesn't seem to care about their children. When Josh asks her to allow Michael, an old friend of his, to use the stables and the groom's apartment above them, since his own home and stables were destroyed by a mudslide, she reluctantly agrees. Michael always struck her as being a little dangerous. While he did spend a period of time as a mercenary, he's now a horse trainer and occasionally works as a stunt double. As he and Laura get to know each other, they realize that neither one of them is the person the other assumed them to be.
This is the best book in the trilogy, with a strong romance that worked really well with the trilogy's family relationships aspect (in this case, it was the female friendship that was weaker - there was a definite expectation that readers had read the first two books and already understood how Margo, Kate, and Laura's friendship worked). Michael befriended Laura's daughters, Ali and Kayla, and taught them how to ride, and his and Laura's relationship developed naturally from there, for the most part.
Michael was my favorite of the trilogy's heroes, and I really liked his affection for Ali and Kayla (although there's a scene in which he threatens to spank Ali that may throw some readers - one of those things that made this trilogy feel dated). The end of the book was a bit too dramatic for my tastes, though. On the plus side, at least Roberts didn't go as far as she could have and include a ghostly Seraphina cameo or something.
Overall, it's not a bad Nora Roberts trilogy, but it's definitely not my favorite, and it's starting to show its age.
Rating Note:
Probably more like 3.5 stars. I rounded it up to 4 stars because of my enjoyment of the family and friendship aspects.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
October 10, 2015
salvo el ultimo libro.. las dos primeras historias muy flojas la verdad. Aburridas. La historia de Laura y michael son los que mejoran la trilogía.
May 18, 2025
Daring To Dream-
Margo and Josh’s story was so beautiful and enthralling. Once I started I found it impossible to set the book down. They grew up together so there was so much history between them, he was always there for her even if she didn’t always know it. After Margo’s life was flipped upside down, she works hard with the help of her friends, family and of course josh, to turn her life back around. The end result is tragically beautiful. Just goes to show that love can take you to extraordinary places.
Holding The Dream-
Kate and Byron’s story was so different from Margo and Josh’s. It was still just as enchanting. I love how Margo and Laura’s lives are still weaved into Kate’s story, while we are digging in deeper and exploring Kate’s character further we still see how things are working out and flowing for Margo and Laura. Kate loves to have things planned and when things happen unexpectedly it’s pure mayhem, so it was almost comical watching her fall head over heels in love. Also very heartwarming, knowing and seeing the characters around Kate to know exactly what she was feeling, thinking and what she was going to do before she even knew it herself. Just goes to show that the people who really care about you, whether family, friends, or that one true love, know you better than you know yourself sometimes. The only thing that drove me nuts was Kate’s stubbornness, she almost gave me an ulcer and her story deserved a better ending. Hopefully I’ll see more into her story during Laura’s in “finding the dream.”
Finding The Dream-
Ohh my heart, I think this was the best story yet! I found myself laughing out loud and crying throughout. Laura and Michael were made for each other and it was clear as day from the beginning! What broke me bad, was when Laura was losing Michael and she realized she had never felt that hurt before. She knew what it was like to have her heartbroken when she had her divorce, knew how it broke her even more when her ex confessed he never loved her or her kids, losing Michael was a whole new level of hurt because she realized when you fully love someone it hurts like hell when you lose them. Seraphina, her love and dowry was a beautiful touch to the three stories also, you see it reappear time and again and it plays a big role throughout the story. The ending was glorious, I’m almost sad that it ended but my heart is swelling with bliss. Never give up on your dreams.
September 18, 2020
2020
Margo is a very strong, independent woman (mostly). Thankfully, for her, she has two of the best friends anyone could ask for and she gets to lean on them occasionally. I like that Margo is strong enough to know her flaws. And I like that after she has a moment of pity for herself, she steels herself and gets ready for battle. Josh isn't the type of leading man that I prefer (because I don't like being maneuvered, which is the majority of his personality). Other than his very, very strong lawyer personality, he is kind and funny and generous and hard-working. Devastatingly handsome. And loaded. And I like that he is definitely flawed (he has some major issues with Margo's past which makes no sense because he definitely wasn't a monk before her). However, they do seem to compliment each other perfectly. For the most part (after all, no couple is completely perfect).
Kate is a very smart lady, especially when it comes to math. She struggles a little bit with figuring out people. She has definitely had her share of struggles in the past. But she overcame everything with the help and love of the people around her. She was welcomed into the Templeton household as one of their own and immediately became best friends with Margo and Laura, who lived there. I loved how tight-knit all the girls are (even though Kate struggles to open up sometimes). And I love how much growth Kate exhibits when she has to come to terms with many of the life altering decisions that have been foisted upon her. Byron is exactly the kind of man that I like. He is hardworking, a sucker for puppies, is proud of himself and where he comes from, is a family man, loves to cook, loves to challenge himself. I like that he likes all of Kate's rough edges. He finds her intriguing and fun (even when she's being difficult). And I like how well they fit together. Especially when they are challenging each other. Although, mostly he challenges her to face her emotions. But she challenges him to be a more patient, thoughtful guy (not that he isn't thoughtful, just that being around Kate can give anyone a run for their money on patience).
Laura is the champion in this story. She is struggling with going through a rough divorce (I mean her husband cheating on her and then if that wasn't enough he completely cleaned out her bank accounts), she's holding down two jobs, raising two children on her own. I love that Laura is driven. I love that she doesn't want to just take money from her family (even though that would have infinitely made her life easier). I love that she wanted to stand on her own two feet. I love that she cherishes her children (even though Allie has been a tough nut since her father left). And I love that she can absolutely be a princess speaking down to a peasant if she feels she needs to. I love that Michael is rough around the edges. I love bad boys with hearts of gold. I love that he trains horses to do silly things like play dead. And I love that he embraces the girls with open arms, even though he's a rough and tough guy. I love that he has such compassion and strength. And is a bit of a f***up when it comes to relationships. Even though he makes me cry buckets (at he end of the story), he is still an absolute hero in my mind.
Margo is a very strong, independent woman (mostly). Thankfully, for her, she has two of the best friends anyone could ask for and she gets to lean on them occasionally. I like that Margo is strong enough to know her flaws. And I like that after she has a moment of pity for herself, she steels herself and gets ready for battle. Josh isn't the type of leading man that I prefer (because I don't like being maneuvered, which is the majority of his personality). Other than his very, very strong lawyer personality, he is kind and funny and generous and hard-working. Devastatingly handsome. And loaded. And I like that he is definitely flawed (he has some major issues with Margo's past which makes no sense because he definitely wasn't a monk before her). However, they do seem to compliment each other perfectly. For the most part (after all, no couple is completely perfect).
Kate is a very smart lady, especially when it comes to math. She struggles a little bit with figuring out people. She has definitely had her share of struggles in the past. But she overcame everything with the help and love of the people around her. She was welcomed into the Templeton household as one of their own and immediately became best friends with Margo and Laura, who lived there. I loved how tight-knit all the girls are (even though Kate struggles to open up sometimes). And I love how much growth Kate exhibits when she has to come to terms with many of the life altering decisions that have been foisted upon her. Byron is exactly the kind of man that I like. He is hardworking, a sucker for puppies, is proud of himself and where he comes from, is a family man, loves to cook, loves to challenge himself. I like that he likes all of Kate's rough edges. He finds her intriguing and fun (even when she's being difficult). And I like how well they fit together. Especially when they are challenging each other. Although, mostly he challenges her to face her emotions. But she challenges him to be a more patient, thoughtful guy (not that he isn't thoughtful, just that being around Kate can give anyone a run for their money on patience).
Laura is the champion in this story. She is struggling with going through a rough divorce (I mean her husband cheating on her and then if that wasn't enough he completely cleaned out her bank accounts), she's holding down two jobs, raising two children on her own. I love that Laura is driven. I love that she doesn't want to just take money from her family (even though that would have infinitely made her life easier). I love that she wanted to stand on her own two feet. I love that she cherishes her children (even though Allie has been a tough nut since her father left). And I love that she can absolutely be a princess speaking down to a peasant if she feels she needs to. I love that Michael is rough around the edges. I love bad boys with hearts of gold. I love that he trains horses to do silly things like play dead. And I love that he embraces the girls with open arms, even though he's a rough and tough guy. I love that he has such compassion and strength. And is a bit of a f***up when it comes to relationships. Even though he makes me cry buckets (at he end of the story), he is still an absolute hero in my mind.
June 28, 2021
Qué tres historias más preciosas💗💗💗
Noralovers😍
Noralovers😍
May 23, 2024
Misschien was het de vertaling maar mensen praten niet zo.. en je als man zo gedragen als de mannen in dit boek is niet sexy, maar seksistisch. De opeenvolgende boeken werden wel beter, of ik zat er beter in. En die locatie! Monterey lijkt mij absoluut een droomplek
March 20, 2012
A very satisfying trilogy by Ms. Roberts--this includes the three titles Daring to Dream, Holding the Dream, and Finding the Dream. It's about three sisters of the heart, three girls who were blessed to be raised as sisters by Susan and Tommy Templeton, world-renown hoteliers.
Daring to Dream is about Margo Sullivan, the daughter of Ann Sullivan, the Templeton's housekeeper. A widowed Ann moved from Ireland with Margo when she was just four, and though Margo never lacked for anything while growing up, she had a burning desire within for more. She more than meets her match in Josh Templeton--while they grew up together, they weren't truly siblings. That becomes ever more clear after Margo suffers a huge and humiliating setback. They come to see that while they do love each other, it isn't that brotherly/sisterly affection they've been hiding behind for years; it's something much MORE.
Holding the Dream is about Kate Powell, Susan and Tommy's niece, who they raised alongside their children when Kate's parents were killed in a car accident. She's always been the smart, driven one, and when her professional life takes a unexpected detour, with the help of Byron De Witt, manager of the local Templeton hotel, she comes to see that perhaps the life she'd mapped out for herself isn't the one she'd like to have after all and that maybe detours are not just one of life's pleasures, but life's pleasure.
Finding the Dream is Laura Templeton's story. Married young and determined to be the perfect wife and mother, she needs to start all over when her Prince Charming turns out to be unprincely and uncharming to boot. With the love of friends and family, a theme that runs through all three books, Laura discovers her own strengths and finds a love to match.
Ms. Roberts does an superb job as she often does with strong characterizations and great storytelling. A very engaging and enjoyable set of stories to read :)
Daring to Dream is about Margo Sullivan, the daughter of Ann Sullivan, the Templeton's housekeeper. A widowed Ann moved from Ireland with Margo when she was just four, and though Margo never lacked for anything while growing up, she had a burning desire within for more. She more than meets her match in Josh Templeton--while they grew up together, they weren't truly siblings. That becomes ever more clear after Margo suffers a huge and humiliating setback. They come to see that while they do love each other, it isn't that brotherly/sisterly affection they've been hiding behind for years; it's something much MORE.
Holding the Dream is about Kate Powell, Susan and Tommy's niece, who they raised alongside their children when Kate's parents were killed in a car accident. She's always been the smart, driven one, and when her professional life takes a unexpected detour, with the help of Byron De Witt, manager of the local Templeton hotel, she comes to see that perhaps the life she'd mapped out for herself isn't the one she'd like to have after all and that maybe detours are not just one of life's pleasures, but life's pleasure.
Finding the Dream is Laura Templeton's story. Married young and determined to be the perfect wife and mother, she needs to start all over when her Prince Charming turns out to be unprincely and uncharming to boot. With the love of friends and family, a theme that runs through all three books, Laura discovers her own strengths and finds a love to match.
Ms. Roberts does an superb job as she often does with strong characterizations and great storytelling. A very engaging and enjoyable set of stories to read :)
August 4, 2019
Reread after 20 years
I believe I probably read this trilogy when it was first released but don’t remember it at all! I thoroughly enjoyed Margo, Kate, and Laura’s stories and the men in their lives. I would have enjoyed an epilogue to tie things up.
I believe I probably read this trilogy when it was first released but don’t remember it at all! I thoroughly enjoyed Margo, Kate, and Laura’s stories and the men in their lives. I would have enjoyed an epilogue to tie things up.
March 2, 2014
It was really good
August 4, 2017
Cette intégrale regroupe trois histoires pour lesquelles je vais vous donner mon avis séparément, ainsi qu’un plus global.
Orgueilleuse Margo 💝
J’ai eu un véritable coup de coeur pour la première partie de cette intégrale, c’est un moment de pur bonheur avec tout les ingrédients nécessaires qui font une excellente histoire.
Au départ, nous avons trois amies que nous rencontrons durant leur enfance. Elles sont tellement liées qu’elles se considèrent plus comme des soeurs que des amies. Nous les retrouvons un peu plus tard, à l’adolescence, puis encore un peu plus tard, le jour du mariage de Laura, âgée alors d’à peine 19 ans.
Si tout le monde est heureux, ce n’est pas le cas de Margo, elle ne se sent pas à sa place, elle veut plus que cette vie qu’elle mène. Elle est bien faite, elle sait qu’elle plaît aux hommes, elle rêve de se voir dans les magasines, sur les affiches. Pour y parvenir, elle quitte sa vie et ses amies le jour-même du mariage, sans rien dire à personne.
Nous faisons un saut dans le temps et retrouvons Margo une dizaine d’années plus tard. Si elle a effectivement eu le succès qu’elle voulait, qu’elle apparaît maintenant sur les affiches, elle n’a pourtant pas tout ce qui fait une femme épanouie et heureuse. Suite à de graves accusations, elle va prendre sur elle et revenir chez elle, où elle sera accueillie à bras ouverts, mais tellement de choses ont changés en dix ans !
Eh puis, il y à Josh le frère de Laura …
Je ne vous en dirai pas plus, mais j’ai carrément craquer sur cet homme, il est tellement l’homme parfait et pourtant avec pas mal de défauts.
Avec cette première histoire, Nora Roberts nous donne le ton de cette intégrale ayant pour personnages principales trois amies de toujours qui sont prêtes à tout pour se soutenir mutuellement, à venir en aide à l’une d’elles si besoin. Un lien indéfectible les unis, un lien que les aléas de la vie ne peut détruire.
Kate l’indomptable 5/5
Deuxième histoire de cette intégrale avec en personnage principal, Kate, celle des trois amies que je trouve la plus mystérieuse.
Kate est une cousine de Laura, mais lorsque ses parents sont décédés dans un terrible accident de voiture qui aurait pu lui coûter la vie à elle aussi, les parents de Laura n’y ont pas réfléchi à deux fois, ils l’ont accueillie chez eux et l’ont élevées comme si elle était leur propre fille.
C’est de cet événement tragique que vient le souci principal de Kate, elle ne se laisse aucune liberté, tout doit être carré, tout doit se dérouler comme elle a décidé que cela se déroulerait. En fait, elle se sent redevable vis-à-vis de son oncle et sa tante de l’avoir recueillie et élevée, de lui avoir offert un toît. Elle ne conçoit pas la vie autrement.
Alors maintenant, imaginez un peu le carnage lorsqu’un rouage grince ou est défaillant dans cette mécanique qu’elle a mise en place, et qui dirige sa vie ! Ou encore lorsqu’un homme tel que Byron fait son apparition avec, lui aussi une certaine idée du déroulement de sa propre vie.
Kate est une femme en souffrance, une femme touchante que l’on a envie de protéger, parfois aussi de secouer pour simplement lui ouvrir les yeux. Byron fait preuve de beaucoup de patience avec elle, mais cela suffira t-il à dompter l’indomptable Kate ?
Cette partie consacrée principalement à Kate est, certes émouvante, bien que je ne la termine pas en coup de coeur. Nous y avons des moments de doutes, d’euphorie, de bonheur, de détresse, de joie partagées, d’humour également.
La blessure de Laura 💝
J’ai envie de garder un peu de mystère, et de ne pas vous dévoiler le moindre indice sur la dernière partie consacrée à Laura. Je vais simplement dire que Laura est une femme qui paraît faible, qui se croit faible, mais qui a au fond d’elle une force incroyable. Les épreuves qu’elle a du surmonter, peu de personne y arriverait, et pourtant, elle n’a pas été épargnée du tout.
Si j’ai eu un coup de coeur pour Margo, celui que j’ai ressenti pour Laura est encore plus fort, elle a réussi à me faire rire et pleurer en même temps.
Avis global 💝
Avant de commencer la lecture de cette belle brique de plus de 1100 pages, je me doutais que je passerais un bon moment, s’il y a bien une auteure avec laquelle je n’ai jamais été déçue, c’est bien Nora Roberts, bon OK il n’y a pas qu’elle, mais elle fait partie des auteurs pour lesquels je peux ne pas du tout lire le résumé du livre.
Avec “Trois rêves”, je suis passée par toutes les émotions possibles, je me suis musclée les avants-bras car oui une brique de plus de 1100 pages eh bien ça pèse malgré tout !, mais je me suis régalée, j’ai passé deux soirées et une demi-journée à le lire, mais une fois arrivée au bout, j’aurais bien continuer encore un peu.
Je sais que le nombre de pages peut faire peur, mais si vous aimez découvrir des personnages et des histoires que vous n’oublierez pas de si tôt, alors lancez-vous dans celui-ci, je suis certaine que vous l’aimerez autant que moi
Orgueilleuse Margo 💝
J’ai eu un véritable coup de coeur pour la première partie de cette intégrale, c’est un moment de pur bonheur avec tout les ingrédients nécessaires qui font une excellente histoire.
Au départ, nous avons trois amies que nous rencontrons durant leur enfance. Elles sont tellement liées qu’elles se considèrent plus comme des soeurs que des amies. Nous les retrouvons un peu plus tard, à l’adolescence, puis encore un peu plus tard, le jour du mariage de Laura, âgée alors d’à peine 19 ans.
Si tout le monde est heureux, ce n’est pas le cas de Margo, elle ne se sent pas à sa place, elle veut plus que cette vie qu’elle mène. Elle est bien faite, elle sait qu’elle plaît aux hommes, elle rêve de se voir dans les magasines, sur les affiches. Pour y parvenir, elle quitte sa vie et ses amies le jour-même du mariage, sans rien dire à personne.
Nous faisons un saut dans le temps et retrouvons Margo une dizaine d’années plus tard. Si elle a effectivement eu le succès qu’elle voulait, qu’elle apparaît maintenant sur les affiches, elle n’a pourtant pas tout ce qui fait une femme épanouie et heureuse. Suite à de graves accusations, elle va prendre sur elle et revenir chez elle, où elle sera accueillie à bras ouverts, mais tellement de choses ont changés en dix ans !
Eh puis, il y à Josh le frère de Laura …
Je ne vous en dirai pas plus, mais j’ai carrément craquer sur cet homme, il est tellement l’homme parfait et pourtant avec pas mal de défauts.
Avec cette première histoire, Nora Roberts nous donne le ton de cette intégrale ayant pour personnages principales trois amies de toujours qui sont prêtes à tout pour se soutenir mutuellement, à venir en aide à l’une d’elles si besoin. Un lien indéfectible les unis, un lien que les aléas de la vie ne peut détruire.
Kate l’indomptable 5/5
Deuxième histoire de cette intégrale avec en personnage principal, Kate, celle des trois amies que je trouve la plus mystérieuse.
Kate est une cousine de Laura, mais lorsque ses parents sont décédés dans un terrible accident de voiture qui aurait pu lui coûter la vie à elle aussi, les parents de Laura n’y ont pas réfléchi à deux fois, ils l’ont accueillie chez eux et l’ont élevées comme si elle était leur propre fille.
C’est de cet événement tragique que vient le souci principal de Kate, elle ne se laisse aucune liberté, tout doit être carré, tout doit se dérouler comme elle a décidé que cela se déroulerait. En fait, elle se sent redevable vis-à-vis de son oncle et sa tante de l’avoir recueillie et élevée, de lui avoir offert un toît. Elle ne conçoit pas la vie autrement.
Alors maintenant, imaginez un peu le carnage lorsqu’un rouage grince ou est défaillant dans cette mécanique qu’elle a mise en place, et qui dirige sa vie ! Ou encore lorsqu’un homme tel que Byron fait son apparition avec, lui aussi une certaine idée du déroulement de sa propre vie.
Kate est une femme en souffrance, une femme touchante que l’on a envie de protéger, parfois aussi de secouer pour simplement lui ouvrir les yeux. Byron fait preuve de beaucoup de patience avec elle, mais cela suffira t-il à dompter l’indomptable Kate ?
Cette partie consacrée principalement à Kate est, certes émouvante, bien que je ne la termine pas en coup de coeur. Nous y avons des moments de doutes, d’euphorie, de bonheur, de détresse, de joie partagées, d’humour également.
La blessure de Laura 💝
J’ai envie de garder un peu de mystère, et de ne pas vous dévoiler le moindre indice sur la dernière partie consacrée à Laura. Je vais simplement dire que Laura est une femme qui paraît faible, qui se croit faible, mais qui a au fond d’elle une force incroyable. Les épreuves qu’elle a du surmonter, peu de personne y arriverait, et pourtant, elle n’a pas été épargnée du tout.
Si j’ai eu un coup de coeur pour Margo, celui que j’ai ressenti pour Laura est encore plus fort, elle a réussi à me faire rire et pleurer en même temps.
Avis global 💝
Avant de commencer la lecture de cette belle brique de plus de 1100 pages, je me doutais que je passerais un bon moment, s’il y a bien une auteure avec laquelle je n’ai jamais été déçue, c’est bien Nora Roberts, bon OK il n’y a pas qu’elle, mais elle fait partie des auteurs pour lesquels je peux ne pas du tout lire le résumé du livre.
Avec “Trois rêves”, je suis passée par toutes les émotions possibles, je me suis musclée les avants-bras car oui une brique de plus de 1100 pages eh bien ça pèse malgré tout !, mais je me suis régalée, j’ai passé deux soirées et une demi-journée à le lire, mais une fois arrivée au bout, j’aurais bien continuer encore un peu.
Je sais que le nombre de pages peut faire peur, mais si vous aimez découvrir des personnages et des histoires que vous n’oublierez pas de si tôt, alors lancez-vous dans celui-ci, je suis certaine que vous l’aimerez autant que moi
October 2, 2022
This is the first Nora Roberts series where I didn’t connect with the characters. They weren’t likable and I didn’t feel that they belonged together. Well, the sisters may have, and the legend of the lost treasure kept me reading until the end.
In the first book, the heroine was selfish and spoiled. She and Josh never really trusted each other and they constantly threw their past lovers in each other’s faces. If I had to predict, I’d say they’d last about 2 years in real life.
In the second book, I was confused as to what actually happened. I got the part where she was in trouble and Byron had a god complex where he just had to rescue people in trouble, but they seemed to be constantly fighting. In fact they were fighting the last few pages until magically they were all lovey dovey and getting married.
Then in the final book, Laura finds herself with a guy who thinks she considers herself above him. He thinks she’s a socialite with nothing to do all day but file her nails and order servants around. He thinks he’s lower class and resents it. Feelings like that get buried, only to resurface in the end. So, I stand by my belief that none of the couples worked.
I know that this is a great author and many readers will be outraged by this review. They are entitled to their opinion, just as I’m entitled to mine, no matter what. Never let anyone tell you what to think or feel.
I didn’t enjoy this series and couldn’t recommend it to anyone.
In the first book, the heroine was selfish and spoiled. She and Josh never really trusted each other and they constantly threw their past lovers in each other’s faces. If I had to predict, I’d say they’d last about 2 years in real life.
In the second book, I was confused as to what actually happened. I got the part where she was in trouble and Byron had a god complex where he just had to rescue people in trouble, but they seemed to be constantly fighting. In fact they were fighting the last few pages until magically they were all lovey dovey and getting married.
Then in the final book, Laura finds herself with a guy who thinks she considers herself above him. He thinks she’s a socialite with nothing to do all day but file her nails and order servants around. He thinks he’s lower class and resents it. Feelings like that get buried, only to resurface in the end. So, I stand by my belief that none of the couples worked.
I know that this is a great author and many readers will be outraged by this review. They are entitled to their opinion, just as I’m entitled to mine, no matter what. Never let anyone tell you what to think or feel.
I didn’t enjoy this series and couldn’t recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2019
As romances go, I have enjoyed many of Nora's trilogies. However, this is the first time her characterizations have taken me deep enough to be moved to tears. Maybe it's the characters or maybe just that I identify with the feelings and thoughts they express in the situations they find themselves. I see Margo, Kate, and Laura clearly in my mind's eye and can picture myself in each of their lives, a quality of writing that I look for so I am able to immerse myself in the story's world for the time it takes to read three books...and I have breezed through these eager to get to the next chapter in between my many activities!
June 6, 2021
This was the first trilogy I've read by Nora Roberts and Nora is one of my favorite authors.
The book is a trilogy of three different couples, each couple having their own story. These were my kinds of books, I love happy endings and each couple went through their own trials and tribulations in order to find each other.
The only thing that bothered me was the Ann Sullivan character, especially in the third book. Ugh, what an annoying character.
I won't tell you what each book is about as you can see that already. But this was a series I couldn't put down. I would recommend if you like these kinds of books.
The book is a trilogy of three different couples, each couple having their own story. These were my kinds of books, I love happy endings and each couple went through their own trials and tribulations in order to find each other.
The only thing that bothered me was the Ann Sullivan character, especially in the third book. Ugh, what an annoying character.
I won't tell you what each book is about as you can see that already. But this was a series I couldn't put down. I would recommend if you like these kinds of books.
August 31, 2020
Al ser una trilogía, todas pueden leerse seguidas, como he hecho yo, leerse separadas e incluso saltándose alguna, ya que siempre hay una pequeña explicación de la historia anterior en cada novela. Personalmente me alegro de haberlas leído todas pero si volviese a hacerlo me saltaría la primera pues me dejó bastante fría, además de por la relación amorosa porque la historia y su protagonista no me terminaron de llegar.
Aún así, unas lecturas ideales y repletas de la esencia y elegancia de Nora Roberts, que siempre es una delicia de leer.
Aún así, unas lecturas ideales y repletas de la esencia y elegancia de Nora Roberts, que siempre es una delicia de leer.
June 4, 2021
I did not know who Nora Roberts is but after reading this, wow? I am in love with her writing. If you are a hopeless romantic, this might be the perfect for you. Yes i remembered I was obsessed with Josh Templeton HAHAHAHA I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! I really love Margo and Josh story. Yeah she was kind of stubborn but I love the man!!!!!! Till now, Josh Templeton remains my top 3 fictional characters even after I read new books.
The other books about Laura and Kate was alright. But the least fave is Laura. thats all :)
The other books about Laura and Kate was alright. But the least fave is Laura. thats all :)
January 21, 2019
Absolutely great!
I hadn't read all three of the 'Dream' books, now I regret waiting to do so! I enjoyed Kate's story over and over, for several years. Then I read Margo's, now Laura's. The series, separated is good! But, together, they're marvelous! There is humor, thought provoking interchange, and romance. If I may say so, Robert's, kind of romance. The kind that makes you laugh, with a twist of nostalgia😃. Truly recommend reading it!!!
I hadn't read all three of the 'Dream' books, now I regret waiting to do so! I enjoyed Kate's story over and over, for several years. Then I read Margo's, now Laura's. The series, separated is good! But, together, they're marvelous! There is humor, thought provoking interchange, and romance. If I may say so, Robert's, kind of romance. The kind that makes you laugh, with a twist of nostalgia😃. Truly recommend reading it!!!
November 12, 2017
Let's be fair: I have the trilogy and that's what I read. I felt that this trilogy marks a point when Roberts might have started with formulaic writing, compared to Homeport or some of her even earlier works, the characters aren't as well developed as I was hoping-- especially the lead characters.
That being said, I still enjoyed this trilogy and would recommend it to anyone.
That being said, I still enjoyed this trilogy and would recommend it to anyone.
October 12, 2018
I loved it!
I loved this book! It was so good! Getting to know all the different people that the book was about and all the ups and downs they went through. Having to start their lives over after going through such horrible things then finding love. It really makes you get emotionally involved.
I loved this book! It was so good! Getting to know all the different people that the book was about and all the ups and downs they went through. Having to start their lives over after going through such horrible things then finding love. It really makes you get emotionally involved.
January 16, 2025
This trilogy of three sisters as they each grow, learn & love, in their own ways, will forever be a favorite. How true to life it feels. We are so blind to seeing this play out in our own lives that we don’t see how each of us is a supporting character in someone else’s story as we live out our lives as the main character. I love the twists & turns, falls & rises… a very heartfelt book.
July 30, 2025
Dreams are made for Lovers
I have read all of Nora’s books for the past 10-15 years. I am now starting to go back and read some of her older books. I missed these somewhere and next to Three Sisters I think it is one of my favorite of her trilogies. Be sure and read this series you will not be disappointed as Margo, Kate and Laura find their dreams.
I have read all of Nora’s books for the past 10-15 years. I am now starting to go back and read some of her older books. I missed these somewhere and next to Three Sisters I think it is one of my favorite of her trilogies. Be sure and read this series you will not be disappointed as Margo, Kate and Laura find their dreams.
July 15, 2017
Another gem by Nora Roberts! Characters are easy to fall in love with, root for, and hope for their happy ever after. The whole extended family is well developed and the reader can feel the family connections and love. You won't be disappointed.
March 8, 2020
Awesomely awesome
I loved getting to know the characters in this trilogy. I hope to meet up with them in other books I read. THANKYOU for creating characters that are fascinating and enjoyable to read about
I loved getting to know the characters in this trilogy. I hope to meet up with them in other books I read. THANKYOU for creating characters that are fascinating and enjoyable to read about
October 3, 2021
This is one of my favorite trilogies from NR. I'm glad I got a physical copy of this. It's been a while since I've read it, but some of the details I still remembered after all these years. NR might be one of the very few authors whose writing and stories stay with me.
March 15, 2023
Romance and fantasy at it's best!
I love the way Nora Roberts weaves a tale...draws you in...makes your heart race...takes you places you've only dreamed of...and gives you romance, love and happy ever afters!
I love the way Nora Roberts weaves a tale...draws you in...makes your heart race...takes you places you've only dreamed of...and gives you romance, love and happy ever afters!
April 14, 2023
Classic Nora
I prefer NR’s newer books, but this is classic fare from the queen of romance. Reading three in a row probably is not recommended as it gets a little predictable, but I liked the main characters and the stories woven around them.
I prefer NR’s newer books, but this is classic fare from the queen of romance. Reading three in a row probably is not recommended as it gets a little predictable, but I liked the main characters and the stories woven around them.
July 30, 2023
This was a great read
She is a master storyteller. Three very different stories brought together by connection told lovingly and skillfully. These will leave you happy and satisfied. I highly recommend.
She is a master storyteller. Three very different stories brought together by connection told lovingly and skillfully. These will leave you happy and satisfied. I highly recommend.
December 3, 2024
Love, hope,and dream trilogy
What a lovely trilogy to experience. These three books were so inspiring. Couldn't put down.
Ones that will be read again and again. I love how all the main characters were so intertwined in all the stories!
What a lovely trilogy to experience. These three books were so inspiring. Couldn't put down.
Ones that will be read again and again. I love how all the main characters were so intertwined in all the stories!
October 5, 2025
Nora Roberts did it again!!
Another feel good book by Nora Roberts. I love that her books draw you inside. The Dream Trilogy has family values, love and romance and adventures of 3 best friends. I definitely recommend reading it!!
Another feel good book by Nora Roberts. I love that her books draw you inside. The Dream Trilogy has family values, love and romance and adventures of 3 best friends. I definitely recommend reading it!!
January 22, 2026
Amazing book
This set of books was sooo good. Laura's story made me cry, laugh and just was a emotional roller coaster. I first read these books 30 years ago and they are just as hood now as they were then!!
This set of books was sooo good. Laura's story made me cry, laugh and just was a emotional roller coaster. I first read these books 30 years ago and they are just as hood now as they were then!!
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