What do you think?
Rate this book
Burning Dreams
Life would be much easier for Rosalind Olchawski if she didn't have to wake up the morning after the fairy tale.
Falling abruptly in love with a much younger drag king, awakening to the passionate madness of life, and breaking barriers, internal and external, are all wonderful things. But the past has a way of lingering and erupting into the present with devastating force, and sometimes love doesn't come with the white picket fence of our dreams. Rosalind's former husband arrives unexpectedly in Buffalo, turning Rosalind's brand new life with her lover Taryn on its head. Paul doesn't know Rosalind has fallen in love with a young woman and moved on with her life, and he wants her back. Will Paul's intrusion destroy him, or the burning new life Rosalind has built?
Falling abruptly in love with a much younger drag king, awakening to the passionate madness of life, and breaking barriers, internal and external, are all wonderful things. But the past has a way of lingering and erupting into the present with devastating force, and sometimes love doesn't come with the white picket fence of our dreams. Rosalind's former husband arrives unexpectedly in Buffalo, turning Rosalind's brand new life with her lover Taryn on its head. Paul doesn't know Rosalind has fallen in love with a young woman and moved on with her life, and he wants her back. Will Paul's intrusion destroy him, or the burning new life Rosalind has built?
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
45 people want to read
About the author
Susan Smith
6 books8 followersLibrarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Susan Smith "Smitty" is the author of three published novels. She has been publishing lesbian and queer fiction since 2001, while at the same time writing poems, plays, short stories, and fan fiction.
Susan Smith "Smitty" is the author of three published novels. She has been publishing lesbian and queer fiction since 2001, while at the same time writing poems, plays, short stories, and fan fiction.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 10, 2012
I had a love/hate relationship with this book the entire time i struggled to finish it. Despite anything i state in this review that mentions what bugged me personally, i still highly recommend this book and the first one, Of Drag Kings and the Wheel of Fate. They are both long and relatively inexpensive, so i would deem them worth checking out.
The author has a very intelligent writing style, the plot is multifaceted, the characters are richly described and come alive in the pages. I loved the whole theme of reincarnated souls, of personal growth and healing of wounds that were lifetimes in the making. I loved the mysticism which was more prevalent in this book than the first. It was heavy with visions and witchcraft of a sort. And the blurring of gender roles was explored as well. I loved just about all of the characters... i hated Taryn. Since she was a main focus of the book (she would never settle for being anything less than the main focus, now would she?), at times it made it difficult to appreciate all of the other great aspects of the book. At first i struggled to figure out what bothered me about this book, because i really liked the plot and the various other aspects. Finally towards the end, i found that i was closing the e-book every time Taryn came into the scene. She was a self absorbed punk in this book, and i can't even remember if i liked her at all in the first book.
Another thing that slowed me down with this book, was something i pointed out in the first book as well. The author is very good with words and pulls you along with her. But when her characters got lost along trains of thought that last for many pages, i ended up getting lost too. Several times, for example, someone would ask a question, then go off on their inner dialog for pages, and by the time the other person answered, you had forgotten there was even a question, let alone what it was. The rambling, though often insightful and intellectual, made the book fairly long as well. I once again found myself skimming in places hoping to get out of the rambling and back to the plot. Despite this, i probably highlighted more insightful quotes and passages than i ever have in a book. So once again, love/hate.
i can't even rate it like i usually do. there were parts of the plot that i loved, and others that annoyed me. Same with character development and writing style. And there were no memorable hot and steamy scenes to even note. So, despite that it took me forever to finish, and annoyed me on several levels, this is a book i will not forget and can't help but recommend to others.
The author has a very intelligent writing style, the plot is multifaceted, the characters are richly described and come alive in the pages. I loved the whole theme of reincarnated souls, of personal growth and healing of wounds that were lifetimes in the making. I loved the mysticism which was more prevalent in this book than the first. It was heavy with visions and witchcraft of a sort. And the blurring of gender roles was explored as well. I loved just about all of the characters... i hated Taryn. Since she was a main focus of the book (she would never settle for being anything less than the main focus, now would she?), at times it made it difficult to appreciate all of the other great aspects of the book. At first i struggled to figure out what bothered me about this book, because i really liked the plot and the various other aspects. Finally towards the end, i found that i was closing the e-book every time Taryn came into the scene. She was a self absorbed punk in this book, and i can't even remember if i liked her at all in the first book.
Another thing that slowed me down with this book, was something i pointed out in the first book as well. The author is very good with words and pulls you along with her. But when her characters got lost along trains of thought that last for many pages, i ended up getting lost too. Several times, for example, someone would ask a question, then go off on their inner dialog for pages, and by the time the other person answered, you had forgotten there was even a question, let alone what it was. The rambling, though often insightful and intellectual, made the book fairly long as well. I once again found myself skimming in places hoping to get out of the rambling and back to the plot. Despite this, i probably highlighted more insightful quotes and passages than i ever have in a book. So once again, love/hate.
i can't even rate it like i usually do. there were parts of the plot that i loved, and others that annoyed me. Same with character development and writing style. And there were no memorable hot and steamy scenes to even note. So, despite that it took me forever to finish, and annoyed me on several levels, this is a book i will not forget and can't help but recommend to others.
March 15, 2015
Sequel to Of Drag Kings And the Wheel of Fate. First I thought it wouldn't be as good as the previous one, but it grew and grew and became wonderful too!
December 23, 2023
An even deeper journey into mystical & mythological experiences than the first one
“You know what it means. You're everything. I put on flesh and got born so I could be near you.”
“I wasn’t ready to see her. She still had to be what I needed.”
• ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ •
This 2nd book is an even further journey into mystical & mythological mixed in with the mundane experiences & exesstential existences than the first one. The "otherworldly" sets the scene for the regular world & the cast must play their roles.
“You know what it means. You're everything. I put on flesh and got born so I could be near you.”
“I wasn’t ready to see her. She still had to be what I needed.”
• ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~ •
This 2nd book is an even further journey into mystical & mythological mixed in with the mundane experiences & exesstential existences than the first one. The "otherworldly" sets the scene for the regular world & the cast must play their roles.
Did Not Finish
February 10, 2018I started reading this book one year ago. By September 20th (7 months later), I had only made it to 36%. No progress has been made another 5 months later. I'm sad to say that I seriously need to get this out of my Currently Reading list and add it to my DNF pile. I really, REALLY wanted to like 'Burning Dreams' because I liked the first book. Oh well, I guess. DNF = no rating.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews