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Wildest Dreams

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Holding out for a hero... Arabella adored the bestselling tales about Palfrey.

No man she'd met in real life could quite match up to the gallant fictional hero! But she knew nothing about the author of the Palfrey stories: the man guarded his real identity fiercely. Until Hollywood made a bid to film his books and it was up to Arabella to track him down.

One surprise was that Robert Lawrence turned out to be just as devilishly handsome as his character, and Arabella could have fallen for him at once! Another was that she realized Robert was someone about whom she already knew quite a lot. At best, this man of her dreams could only ever want an affair... .

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1997

8 people are currently reading
62 people want to read

About the author

Carole Mortimer

1,299 books911 followers
I have written almost 250 romance novels in contemporary and Regency.

I am a USA Today Bestselling Author and recipient of the 2015 RWA Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014 I received a Pioneer of Romance Award from Romantic Times in the US and in 2012 I was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II for my 'outstanding service to literature'.

I am very happily married to Peter with six sons, and live on the Isle of Man

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5 stars
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14 (18%)
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27 (35%)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
Profile Image for Azet.
1,095 reviews285 followers
March 31, 2021
Another keeper by Carole Mortimer,reading this book was like watching a romantic comedy!It was much fun! Arabella Atherton is a cool and diligent businesswoman who are the editor to the famous author,the gorgeous Robert Lawrence. They instantly mock and insult each other when they first meet,but all the while, secretly fall in love with each other.

I just love the heroines father and brother,every scene with them made me laugh,I also love the scene where Arabella goes to the resturant with Robert and his daughter,and that a spaghetti meal is named "Spaghetti Arabella" in that resturant. Just imagined eating it!

***
'What's been wrong?' She frowned her concern. 'Are you having problems with the new series of books you're writing?'

'Now she acts like my editor!' Robert raised his eyes heavenwards, his hands tightening on hers. 'You are the most complicated woman I have ever met in my life! It's you, woman. You are the reason I'm so damned miserable and all of my nearest and dearest just want to stay out of my way!'

-Arabella & Robert
Profile Image for boogenhagen.
1,993 reviews888 followers
December 16, 2018
Re Wildest Dreams - Carole Mortimer gives us a pretty standard HP outing with this one.

The h is a red-headed editor who works for her father's publishing firm. She is kinda plain and thin and has to deal with a very chauvinistic father and brother who don't seem to take her seriously. They are both very patriarchal in their treatment of her. So when the book opens and the h's brother admits that he was run off the estate of their most famous writer, the h has a good laugh.

Then she has to take both her brother and her father to task, because the h is the editor for their most famous writer and now her family has completely irked the man. The h has some resentment of her own, tho she does love her family, because her father pretty much lampooned her into the publishing house instead of letting the h attend uni like her brother did.

There is a big film rights offer for the book series their best selling author writes and the h decides that she will have to be the one to smooth over any troubled waters and also see if the author wants his books on film.

The h has a seekrit tho, she has been in love with the hero of the writer's books for the last five years. So imagine her surprise when she gets to the writer's estate and after facing down two guard dogs, sees the living image of her book hero talking with a man she assumes is her writer.

The h has never seen her best author, they communicate by letter and he doesn't do publicity or promotions. After some interesting banter, the man the h assumes is the gardener is revealed to be her author and the h's heart trips into overtime. (Ironically, the older man she thought was her author is in fact the H's gardener.)

After some tense discussion with her writer H, the h learns that the H is not interested in having any movies made of his books and that he has a young teen daughter. Then the h is absolutely horrified when she finds out via the daughter that the H is planning on killing his main character off.

When the managing teen finagles the h into staying for dinner and staying the night, the full effect of the h's crush on the H's character comes to the fore, the h realizes that the H acts just like his character in his book and she falls head over hills into love.

There is a roofie kiss and a timely teen daughter interruption. The H gets pretty cranky with his child and when the h goes to talk to her about what she interrupted, she realizes that the h's first wife is a beautiful Hollywood actress.

The h instantly realizes that she is out of her league to compete with such a beauty and runs back to London the next morning, leaving a note for the H. Once back in London, the h cuts her hair and gives herself a fashion makeover, then she sends a letter telling the H that her brother will be his editor in the future.

The H shows up one afternoon to drag the h to lunch, she is upset he is killing off her beloved character and even tho the H asks nicely, she refuses to edit anymore of his books. Lunch is even more shocking when her widowed, hidebound father shows up with a lovely magazine editor and the h can tell her father is in love.

We get some wedding planning with the new stepmother and the h has decided to move out of the family home and take a new editorial position with a different firm. The h is finding it funny that her traditional father is marrying a career lady who won't be quitting her own job and now her father has to make some compromises in his life.

The H shows up at the h's father's wedding and after the two of them bicker like an old married couple, the h's father sends them off to sort themselves out. The H and h go back to his hotel room, have a unicorn grooming license revocation and the H announces that he did not kill his beloved character off, he gave him a happy ending because the h loved the character so much.

The H also explains that his ex-wife wasn't interested in having a child and neglected his daughter during their marriage in favor of a ton of extra-marital affairs. There was some sort of kidnapping attempt where the ex-wife's father ended up paying the ransom instead of the H. So the ex-wife divorced him and the H got custody of his daughter.

The H explains that he lost all love and respect for his ex wife years earlier and that he adores the h and has since he met her. He tells the h he fell in love with her at first sight, even tho the h is convinced she isn't beautiful enough for him. A few more roofie kissing moments convince the h that the H is sincere and since the h loves him madly right back, the two of them start planning the wedding and a big family for the rosy pink HEA.

This one is okay, there isn't a lot of drama and the h's ridding herd on her family was fairly funny. I did worry a bit about the h's obsession with a fictional character, but the H didn't seem to mind that a bit and overall this was a nice, average HPlandia outing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for *CJ*.
5,113 reviews630 followers
April 2, 2019
"Wildest Dreams" is the story of Arabella and Robert.

Firstly, let's take a minute to appreciate the gorgeous cover: the h, dressed up like a sexy librarian/ secretary, going ooh-la-la with her lowered glasses, while staring at the blonde Adonis of the shirtless, 6 packed hero!

Our h is a book editor, who works with her overbearing father and childish brother, both of whom are male chauvinists. She has a favorite author who refers to himself as "Merlin", hides his identity, and whose MC is a hero called Palfrey- a blonde fictional god she is in love with. When Merlin refuses a movie deal, thanks to her brother's unwelcome intrusion, Arabella goes to meet the recluse herself.
She soon realizes that not only is Merlin NOT an old wise man she had envisioned him to be, but also a live version of her ultimate fantasy man- Palfrey! But while Palfrey is written as humorous and kind, Robert Merlin is a grumpy and uncooperative scrooge! He also has a 12 year old daughter Emma, who is not only depending on Arabella to convince her dad not to kill Palfrey off, but also bent on matchmaking Robert with Arabella!
Arabella is heartbroken! How can Robert kill himself..she means Palfrey..she means her perfect man! But as reality and fiction start colliding, she starts falling for the real man, while he seems to be somewhat reciprocating her feelings. But when Arabella refuses to be his editor, unable to see Palfrey die, can Robert convince her that her real love is just waiting around the corner?

This was just so adorable. An Im-in-love-with-a-fictional-man-so-hard-heroine who reminded me of someone *cough*myself*cough*, a brooding hero who soon turns kind, some likable secondary characters, a sweet love story and a OTT saccharine ending. I really, REALLY liked it!

Only a bit of angst would have made this a 5 star, but if you need some sugar, here it is!

Safe
4.5/5
Profile Image for Emy Mellark.
69 reviews16 followers
April 7, 2022
listenn.. we love an enemies to lovers moment but this one was bananas. Like only ever talking about his book series and the weather and suddenly they’re madly in love? Only a month of barely knowing eachother and getting married? Huhhh?
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
June 29, 2020
Holding out for a hero...

Arabella adored the bestselling tales about Palfrey. No man she'd met in real life could quite match up to the gallant fictional hero!

But she knew nothing about the author of the Palfrey stories: the man guarded his real identity fiercely. Until Hollywood made a bid to film his books and it was up to Arabella to track him down.

One surprise was that Robert Lawrence turned out to be just as devilishly handsome as his character, and Arabella could have fallen for him at once! Another was that she realized Robert was someone about whom she already knew quite a lot. At best, this man of her dreams could only ever want an affair
Profile Image for Tia.
Author 10 books141 followers
November 26, 2012
This novel was kind of silly with all the resigning of jobs because of a character in a series that was about to be killed off. Although it was entertaining to read about the relationship, in the physical and emotional sense that developed between hero and heroine.
673 reviews9 followers
July 30, 2011
It's alright, I love the cover art!!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews

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