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!تحلمين
Elizabeth was brokenhearted when she discovered that her fiance Dan was in love with her best friend Karen, and as there was nothing she could do but accept the situation as gracefully as possible, she broke off the engagement.
Then family circumstances pushed Elizabeth into an engagement to Karen's brother . Toby. Was this really the solution to her problem?
Then family circumstances pushed Elizabeth into an engagement to Karen's brother . Toby. Was this really the solution to her problem?
157 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 2000
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Lamb
261 books316 followersSheila Ann Mary Coates Holland
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
aka Sheila Holland, Sheila Coates, Charlotte Lamb, Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf, Laura Hardy
Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on 1937 in Essex, England, just before the Second World War in the East End of London. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. Sheila attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls. On leaving school at 16, the convent-educated author worked for the Bank of England as a clerk. Sheila continued her education by taking advantage of the B of E's enormous library during her lunch breaks and after work. She later worked as a secretary for the BBC. While there, she met and married Richard Holland, a political reporter. A voracious reader of romance novels, she began writing at her husband's suggestion. She wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot! In between raising her five children (including a set of twins), Charlotte wrote several more novels. She used both her married and maiden names, Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, before her first novel as Charlotte Lamb, Follow a Stranger, was published by Mills & Boon in 1973. She also used the pennames: Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy. Sheila was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident - even dominant - heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship. A prolific author, Sheila penned more than 160 novels, most of them for Mills & Boon. Known for her swiftness as well as for her skill in writing, Sheila typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel. Since 1977, Sheila had been living on the Isle of Man as a tax exile with her husband and four of their five children: Michael Holland, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Sheila passed away on October 8, 2000 in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Island. She is greatly missed by her many fans, and by the romance writing community.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 16, 2013
Not one of my favorites by this author. I found it a little difficult to follow. I'm not a fan of multiple story lines with multiple romances. Add on top of that multiple siblings, multiple cousins, multiple aunts, and you just have way too much going on. I felt it detracted from the romance of the protagonists.
I am also not a particular fan of those tight family connections where siblings interweave relationships at the drop of a hat.
I am also not a particular fan of those tight family connections where siblings interweave relationships at the drop of a hat.
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December 8, 2021I need to add some new tags for books
Reviews-say-no-wait-is-that-a-cocker-spaniel-puppy-on-the-cover
Check-back-for-reviews-that-reveal-dog-prominence.
"
Reviews-say-no-wait-is-that-a-cocker-spaniel-puppy-on-the-cover
Check-back-for-reviews-that-reveal-dog-prominence.
"
March 5, 2016
2.5 Annoying Stars
“Everyone has their limits, I’ve reached mine.”
Elizabeth, the female protagonist in this book was so damned annoying, I was actually rooting that Dan would find someone else and move on.
She eavesdrops on a conversation between her fiancé and her closest girlfriend, jumps to the wrong conclusion, breaks off her engagement. All without giving the man she “loves” the opportunity to defend himself against her assumed accusations. I was annoyed at the way she made herself believe that she was the wronged one, when in truth, she was the one that wronged the people she called friend.
While an decent story, I could not get past how much Elizabeth annoyed me. It is a Good Read even so.
“Everyone has their limits, I’ve reached mine.”
Elizabeth, the female protagonist in this book was so damned annoying, I was actually rooting that Dan would find someone else and move on.
She eavesdrops on a conversation between her fiancé and her closest girlfriend, jumps to the wrong conclusion, breaks off her engagement. All without giving the man she “loves” the opportunity to defend himself against her assumed accusations. I was annoyed at the way she made herself believe that she was the wronged one, when in truth, she was the one that wronged the people she called friend.
While an decent story, I could not get past how much Elizabeth annoyed me. It is a Good Read even so.
February 7, 2017
Surprisingly, I liked this book. It's an older harlequin, so no pre-marital sex going on which is kinda significant to the story.
The heroine Liz is a bit fed up with her fiance Dan, he keeps cancelling dates, she hardly sees him, he works to hard, just generally taking her for granted. His family is partners with hers in a local Company and both families are neighbors and good friends. They sort of grew up together, though her fiance is 10 years older than her. His cousins, Karen and Toby, are also her childhood friends and closer to her age. Though their families have known each other forever and are happy about the engagement, Liz' father insists on a years engagement before the wedding.
One day, frustrated and at a loose end after he cancels yet another date, she walks over to his house on a separate errand, and overhears Dan and her friend Karen speaking tenderly and embracing. Liz is devastated, she decides to break off the engagement without confronting her fiance so that they wouldn't be burdened with guilt at having been found out. She does care for Karen, her friend and despite her pain wants to give them their chance. In her misery she makes her fiance believe that she has turned to someone else, Toby, her other childhood friend and brother of Karen. Instead of being relived, Dan seems angry and jealous. Dan is actually the boss of Toby at the family company and had been intending to send Toby to Italy. When Liz breaks off their engagement, she goes with Toby to Italy. They spend a couple of months there working, then Dan shows up telling them to go home since his aunt, whom they are all close to, is critically ill. Since they don't want to upset her, and she might suspect something by their coming home too soon from Italy, Dan convinces Liz and Toby to pretend to be engaged. Liz is upset by this turn of events but goes along with it. She is also surprised that Karen and Dan have made no efforts to get engaged in the meantime.
When they are back in England, Dan seems to be pursuing her again. She also finds out that her father and Dan's grandfather conspired to insist on a year long engagement and she blames them since she thinks that in Dan's frustration he turned to someone else. Circumstances get more convoluted before she gets to talk to her friend Karen and confronts her about what she witnessed a few months ago which led to her broken engagement. It turns out to be a misunderstanding and there was never anything between Karen and Dan. Though this is cleared up, she still feels she cannot confront Dan as this might just force him to propose to her again or to reject her totally which she cannot take. Some other things happen, and more misunderstandings are cleared up, indirectly by others, but not between herself and Dan. Dan still wants her and is willing to overlook her 'fling' with Toby, but Dan is a bit of a controlling male and she didn't want him to get all his own way. She also remembers all the times he had neglected her when they were engaged.
Finally when they do get to talk, she finds out that he had been avoiding her since he was getting so frustrated by having to wait for her for a year and he had doubts about controlling himself. He also values her more since he has had to fight for her, and not take her for granted anymore. It turns out he had loved her since she was young, and thought she knew all along without his having to say so.
Some reviewers found that there were too many characters and that the relationships were confusing, but I didn't find this to be so. Also though I felt bad for the main characters, I did feel that CL's intention was for the H to have to fight for the h since he was too used to getting his own way and had started to take her for granted.
The heroine Liz is a bit fed up with her fiance Dan, he keeps cancelling dates, she hardly sees him, he works to hard, just generally taking her for granted. His family is partners with hers in a local Company and both families are neighbors and good friends. They sort of grew up together, though her fiance is 10 years older than her. His cousins, Karen and Toby, are also her childhood friends and closer to her age. Though their families have known each other forever and are happy about the engagement, Liz' father insists on a years engagement before the wedding.
One day, frustrated and at a loose end after he cancels yet another date, she walks over to his house on a separate errand, and overhears Dan and her friend Karen speaking tenderly and embracing. Liz is devastated, she decides to break off the engagement without confronting her fiance so that they wouldn't be burdened with guilt at having been found out. She does care for Karen, her friend and despite her pain wants to give them their chance. In her misery she makes her fiance believe that she has turned to someone else, Toby, her other childhood friend and brother of Karen. Instead of being relived, Dan seems angry and jealous. Dan is actually the boss of Toby at the family company and had been intending to send Toby to Italy. When Liz breaks off their engagement, she goes with Toby to Italy. They spend a couple of months there working, then Dan shows up telling them to go home since his aunt, whom they are all close to, is critically ill. Since they don't want to upset her, and she might suspect something by their coming home too soon from Italy, Dan convinces Liz and Toby to pretend to be engaged. Liz is upset by this turn of events but goes along with it. She is also surprised that Karen and Dan have made no efforts to get engaged in the meantime.
When they are back in England, Dan seems to be pursuing her again. She also finds out that her father and Dan's grandfather conspired to insist on a year long engagement and she blames them since she thinks that in Dan's frustration he turned to someone else. Circumstances get more convoluted before she gets to talk to her friend Karen and confronts her about what she witnessed a few months ago which led to her broken engagement. It turns out to be a misunderstanding and there was never anything between Karen and Dan. Though this is cleared up, she still feels she cannot confront Dan as this might just force him to propose to her again or to reject her totally which she cannot take. Some other things happen, and more misunderstandings are cleared up, indirectly by others, but not between herself and Dan. Dan still wants her and is willing to overlook her 'fling' with Toby, but Dan is a bit of a controlling male and she didn't want him to get all his own way. She also remembers all the times he had neglected her when they were engaged.
Finally when they do get to talk, she finds out that he had been avoiding her since he was getting so frustrated by having to wait for her for a year and he had doubts about controlling himself. He also values her more since he has had to fight for her, and not take her for granted anymore. It turns out he had loved her since she was young, and thought she knew all along without his having to say so.
Some reviewers found that there were too many characters and that the relationships were confusing, but I didn't find this to be so. Also though I felt bad for the main characters, I did feel that CL's intention was for the H to have to fight for the h since he was too used to getting his own way and had started to take her for granted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2014
It wasn't "A" family affair, there were too many relationships in the two homes and it got to be confusing at times.
April 24, 2021
A fairly standard Charlotte Lamb novel; our heroine overhears her very busy fiance having a fraught conversation with his cousin, her best friend, and immediately hurls herself at the conclusion that they're having an affair. I mean, she doesn't just jump at it, she does a lunge for it. Olympic ski jumpers have won gold for less. But of course feelings might get hurt if she admits that she knows Karen and Dan are in love with each other so she tells him she's in love with his other cousin and breaks off the engagement. Thence it just kind of Charlotte Lambs along. I felt like the heroine had more of a personality than Charlotte Lamb heroines often do, but I'm not sure whether that's because she actually does or because I was reading this book in hard copy (fancy Romance Treasury Association hard copy, no less) which makes it all seem more solid and less silly than an ebook from my library's Hoopla collection.
May 20, 2021
I love Charlotte Lamb’s stubborn heroes in full pursuit.
There’s a bit too much going on in this book. Too many other people. I would rather have a HP revolve solely about the h and the H.
And I don’t like that she has a boyfriend after she left the H. I know the relationship with the H was technically over, but it does feel a bit like she cheated on him by kissing another man.
There’s a bit too much going on in this book. Too many other people. I would rather have a HP revolve solely about the h and the H.
And I don’t like that she has a boyfriend after she left the H. I know the relationship with the H was technically over, but it does feel a bit like she cheated on him by kissing another man.
pback-to-read
July 8, 2023Elizabeth was brokenhearted when she discovered that her fiance Dan was in love with her best friend Karen, and as there was nothing she could do but accept the situation as gracefully as possible, she broke off the engagement.
Then family circumstances pushed Elizabeth into an engagement to Karen's brother . Toby. Was this really the solution to her problem?
Then family circumstances pushed Elizabeth into an engagement to Karen's brother . Toby. Was this really the solution to her problem?
June 25, 2024
I should have hated it more, because it contained every trope I despise. The entire book hangs upon one huge misunderstanding, so the heroine breaks her engagement and spends the *entire time* flitting about with an 'other man'. She doesn't love this OM, and yet she's constantly caressing his face, dancing cheek and to cheek and tenderly kissing his lips because he's 'like her brother', and of course the hero sees it and withdraws even more.
I hate this so so so much, it infuriates me because it's such a paper thin plot device that drives me wild with frustration. Dan, the 'hero' of the book, is barely with us on the page, has about six lines in total.
And yet, I had to give it at least 3 stars because Lambs descriptions of the Kentish countryside were just gorgeous, essentially the background of my childhood in vivid detail. I adored it.
The main plot sucked though.
I hate this so so so much, it infuriates me because it's such a paper thin plot device that drives me wild with frustration. Dan, the 'hero' of the book, is barely with us on the page, has about six lines in total.
And yet, I had to give it at least 3 stars because Lambs descriptions of the Kentish countryside were just gorgeous, essentially the background of my childhood in vivid detail. I adored it.
The main plot sucked though.
April 19, 2024
Almost 4 stars - would have been three but the heroine saves a scared puppy from being kicked, so she redeems herself for me.
It's not a bad book, but it's one of her earlier efforts (1974, although reprinted here in 1992 hence the modern cover). The hero is autocratic and learns a lesson from the separation which we are told he needed. He neglected her for whatever reason and it was easy for her to think he didn't love her anymore as he was never there. It works out well as she had time out to grow and he suffered. But his character didn't get much page time and so is not as rounded as her later heroes. She's feisty, which I like, and kind, too. But just a little silly in places.
Anyhow, it's a decent book with no OW, but lots of extra characters.
It's not a bad book, but it's one of her earlier efforts (1974, although reprinted here in 1992 hence the modern cover). The hero is autocratic and learns a lesson from the separation which we are told he needed. He neglected her for whatever reason and it was easy for her to think he didn't love her anymore as he was never there. It works out well as she had time out to grow and he suffered. But his character didn't get much page time and so is not as rounded as her later heroes. She's feisty, which I like, and kind, too. But just a little silly in places.
Anyhow, it's a decent book with no OW, but lots of extra characters.
January 4, 2018
-189 تحلمين:
شارلوت لامب
روايات احلام
أحبت غابرييل طوال عمرها كايل ثم اكتشفت قبل الزفاف بأيام أنه يحب أفضل صديقاتها، وانهار عالم أحلامها وبقي لها من حطام روحها كبرياؤها لا يمكنها أن تحب من ليس لها، وكايل لم يعد لهالذلك عليها أن تعلمه بقرارها التخلي عنه من أجل حبيب آخر، ثم ترحل بعيداً، وهذا ما فعلته لكن لسبب لم تفهمه، لم تكن هذه هي النهاية بالنسبة لكايل تايسون.
شارلوت لامب
روايات احلام
أحبت غابرييل طوال عمرها كايل ثم اكتشفت قبل الزفاف بأيام أنه يحب أفضل صديقاتها، وانهار عالم أحلامها وبقي لها من حطام روحها كبرياؤها لا يمكنها أن تحب من ليس لها، وكايل لم يعد لهالذلك عليها أن تعلمه بقرارها التخلي عنه من أجل حبيب آخر، ثم ترحل بعيداً، وهذا ما فعلته لكن لسبب لم تفهمه، لم تكن هذه هي النهاية بالنسبة لكايل تايسون.
not-finishing
June 7, 2023Another one I only got a single chapter into, because I was yelling 'just TALK to each other already!' within the first few pages, and the man who was supposed to be all sexy and alluring was just an awful misogynistic jerk. Meh. [Aug 2022]
August 4, 2021
Mistaken impressions are the worst!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2023
Tudo por causa de um mau entendido, a mocinha resolve terminar o noivado.
Dan e Elizabeth nao passaram muito tempo juntos, e a família dos dois sempre atrapalhava. Se ela tivesse viajado com ele para Itália em vez com o melhor amigo. Talvez tivessem resolvidos seus problemas mais cedo.
Dan e Elizabeth nao passaram muito tempo juntos, e a família dos dois sempre atrapalhava. Se ela tivesse viajado com ele para Itália em vez com o melhor amigo. Talvez tivessem resolvidos seus problemas mais cedo.
August 3, 2012
3.5 stars
This story surprised me a little. It had a little more going on than I anticipated. Not as shocking as some of Lamb's novels but an enjoyable read.
This story surprised me a little. It had a little more going on than I anticipated. Not as shocking as some of Lamb's novels but an enjoyable read.
Read
November 2, 2012it is good.what I learnt is that is not good to jump to conclusion because the result is not always good especially when it is going to affect you at the end of the day.
Read
May 29, 20161.5
November 10, 2023
Todo por escuchar a escondidas.🤣
Aún así es una lectura muy entretenida y los dos protagonistas son tercos por igual pero no resultó tan malo
Aún así es una lectura muy entretenida y los dos protagonistas son tercos por igual pero no resultó tan malo
November 14, 2016
Storia carina e divertente per passare un po' di tempo senza preoccupazioni.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews