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Pascal Trilogy #3
Ярчайшая мечта
Когда обожаемая невеста Андре де Сен-Симона трагически погибла, молодой археолог решил навсегда забыть о любви и семье, полностью посвятив себя науке.
Однако юная Али – дочь погибшего в Турции английского ученого, спасенная Андре от голодной смерти, – придерживается совсем иного мнения. Она с первого взгляда страстно полюбила своего мужественного спасителя и намерена сделать все возможное и невозможное, чтобы добиться от него взаимности и доказать ему, что пришла пора быть счастливым вновь…
Однако юная Али – дочь погибшего в Турции английского ученого, спасенная Андре от голодной смерти, – придерживается совсем иного мнения. Она с первого взгляда страстно полюбила своего мужественного спасителя и намерена сделать все возможное и невозможное, чтобы добиться от него взаимности и доказать ему, что пришла пора быть счастливым вновь…
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 5, 2010
Third book in the Pascal Trilogy, which is author Katherine Kingsley's most popular series. The second bk in the series - No Sweeter Heaven - is the most famous and probably the best bk in the series. I read No Sweeter Heaven 15 years ago and reading NBD, I am reminded of all the things I liked and disliked about KK's writing.
This novel features the only son of the H/H from No Sweeter Heaven and, if I include the Prologue, it covers a period of 16 years. It starts with 14 year old Andre vowing to love his childhood sweetheart forever and ever. When his sweetheart dies, Andre turns his back on God, his family, and his country, and roams all over Ancient Asia Minor writing history books.
In Turkey, he comes across a sick urchin, Ali, and nurses her back to health. After she recovers, Andre keeps Ali as his servant, thinking she is a 12 yr old boy. Ali helps to alleviate the heaviness in Andre's heart with her laughter, her chattering, her intelligence, and her thirst for life. When Ali is discovered to be the long-lost daughter of Andre's mentor, he sends her away to England to be with her relatives because it is the right thing to do.
Ali, who grew up thinking she was Turkish and Muslim, deals with the culture shock of Victorian England. She meets with the H/Hs of the previous 2 books. She learns English and all the accomplishments of a proper English lady. But mostly, she waits for Andre to come back to England because she knows she is meant to be his wife.
KK is known for the spiritual and otherworldy elements in her books. Spiritual faith is an important theme in this trilogy. I have never read an inspirational or christian romance so I dont know how this would compare but I would not call KK's tone preachy or zealous.
NBD is about 380 pages but it read like 450. It is a visceral read. I laughed. I teared up. I felt like I was put through the wringer. The prose is clean, but evocative. At times, it reminded of Patricia Gaffney (the Gaffney who wrote Wild at Heart and To Love and Cherish). KK and Gaffney both wrote for the same imprint (Topaz) during 1990s as well as many other excellent authors like Mary Jo Putney. I suggest that if you liked the Gaffney books I mentioned as well as some of the more New Age-y historicals of Putney, then you might want to give this trilogy a try.
Grade: B+
This novel features the only son of the H/H from No Sweeter Heaven and, if I include the Prologue, it covers a period of 16 years. It starts with 14 year old Andre vowing to love his childhood sweetheart forever and ever. When his sweetheart dies, Andre turns his back on God, his family, and his country, and roams all over Ancient Asia Minor writing history books.
In Turkey, he comes across a sick urchin, Ali, and nurses her back to health. After she recovers, Andre keeps Ali as his servant, thinking she is a 12 yr old boy. Ali helps to alleviate the heaviness in Andre's heart with her laughter, her chattering, her intelligence, and her thirst for life. When Ali is discovered to be the long-lost daughter of Andre's mentor, he sends her away to England to be with her relatives because it is the right thing to do.
Ali, who grew up thinking she was Turkish and Muslim, deals with the culture shock of Victorian England. She meets with the H/Hs of the previous 2 books. She learns English and all the accomplishments of a proper English lady. But mostly, she waits for Andre to come back to England because she knows she is meant to be his wife.
KK is known for the spiritual and otherworldy elements in her books. Spiritual faith is an important theme in this trilogy. I have never read an inspirational or christian romance so I dont know how this would compare but I would not call KK's tone preachy or zealous.
NBD is about 380 pages but it read like 450. It is a visceral read. I laughed. I teared up. I felt like I was put through the wringer. The prose is clean, but evocative. At times, it reminded of Patricia Gaffney (the Gaffney who wrote Wild at Heart and To Love and Cherish). KK and Gaffney both wrote for the same imprint (Topaz) during 1990s as well as many other excellent authors like Mary Jo Putney. I suggest that if you liked the Gaffney books I mentioned as well as some of the more New Age-y historicals of Putney, then you might want to give this trilogy a try.
Grade: B+
June 26, 2014
There's a clear fairy tale aspect in this book. The hero's father had a gift to cure people that seemed close to magic . There are even a few almost supernatural dialogues. But as reluctant as I usually am for anything not completely realistic, it worked really well there.
I really liked the characters, especially Ali/Alexis, with her sunny and giving character. I liked how insightful and perceptive she was. I even liked the way her deep faith came through her acts, thoughts and talk, at least when not under a deep emotion. I liked how her emotions could rise and have the better of her, without making her false to herself or ever being mean.
So yes, the hero was for too long an idiot, closed off in his own world, in his own self-inflicted pain. Yes, not everything was realistic, either in the description of the Ottoman Empire, or Victorian Britain.
But it all worked beautifully together and gave me a wonderful feeling of well-being every time I read it. Hence my 4.5 stars upgraded to 5.
Side note: I read the freebie version available through Amazon. And I could hardly believe how bad the editing was. The electronic version must have been made through a scan of a paper version, hence a proliferation of mistyped words, like tom instead of torn, ah instead of all, etc. I would say at least once every one or two pages. Honestly this book fully deserves a professional editing and not to remain as such.
I really liked the characters, especially Ali/Alexis, with her sunny and giving character. I liked how insightful and perceptive she was. I even liked the way her deep faith came through her acts, thoughts and talk, at least when not under a deep emotion. I liked how her emotions could rise and have the better of her, without making her false to herself or ever being mean.
So yes, the hero was for too long an idiot, closed off in his own world, in his own self-inflicted pain. Yes, not everything was realistic, either in the description of the Ottoman Empire, or Victorian Britain.
But it all worked beautifully together and gave me a wonderful feeling of well-being every time I read it. Hence my 4.5 stars upgraded to 5.
Side note: I read the freebie version available through Amazon. And I could hardly believe how bad the editing was. The electronic version must have been made through a scan of a paper version, hence a proliferation of mistyped words, like tom instead of torn, ah instead of all, etc. I would say at least once every one or two pages. Honestly this book fully deserves a professional editing and not to remain as such.
August 11, 2021
This was something different from the other 2 books in the series, it involves Andre and Ali meeting and bonding for a long time during their travels and building a strong relationship. I enjoyed the times where Ali was so curious, positive and tried to bring happiness to Andre’s life. I felt that part, where the 3 of them; Andre, Ali, and Jo-jean traveled together, was the best part of the book before it kinda downhill when Andre decided to send Ali back to England against her wishes and they were separated for a long 5 years.
As I found it easy to love the characters in the 2 previous books of this series (except Lily in No Sweeter Heaven), I am sad to say that I could not find it easy to love Andre as he comes off as an ass twice. The first time was how he refused to speak or spend time with his parents, Pascal and Lily, from the previous book and I can imagine how heartbroken they must be, separated from their son Andre. As I enjoyed Pascal’s and Lily’s love story in No Sweeter Heaven, I disliked him for treating his parents horribly. I know it had something to do with Genevieve’s death but early in the book, the truth of it was not revealed yet why Andre ended up estranged from his parents. (I wrote this review when I was halfway through the book)
The second time was when he finally came back to England and believed Ali had changed for the worst and called it a travesty, which hurt both his godparents’ and Ali’s feelings. I did not like how he discredited the efforts of both his godparents and Ali’s to make Ali a proper English lady. Yes, he may be harsh with his words but actually really care about people deep down in his heart but I do not appreciate him hurting other people’s feelings with his words. I did not like him coming back to insult everybody then taking Ali by the lake as if he did nothing wrong.
However, he redeemed himself by treating Ali well after they married by buying her a house and giving her all the things she wanted even if he could not give his own heart. He slowly fell for her overtime, showing her more of him, laughing more but a bit of part was still held back by Genevieve. Yet, he is very protective and loving around Ali even if he did not realize he was falling in love.
I must say I’m not fond of the part where Ali thought that by leaving Andre, all the problems with Wellesley would be solved miraculously. I felt she could have consulted with him on the problem and took it on together as a couple. As a result of her leaving, she left him heartbroken and I don’t like seeing that. That shows the lack of communication between them, which is usually what happens between couples and I dislike it.
The reason for the estranged relationship between Andre and his parents finally came out in the last chapter of the book which felt wayyy too long and dragged out and it was something I kinda expected. But still, I can’t help but think, really Andre? 9 years being angry at your parents and not hearing them out? Could have saved a whole lot of time and pain if he had just given stopped running away and given Pascal a chance to explain.
Despite my issues, I did enjoy the first few chapters of the book and the appearance of Georgia, Nicholas, Pascal and Lily in this book. Seeing them grow old, with children and grandchildren, Georgia and Nicholas being 75, and Pascal and Lily being around 50ish, made me feel sad and teary, as I felt time flies so much for them and with how the books are written chronologically, the characters also followed the timeline, thus growing old. It felt as if I was with the characters and grew old with them, even though I read this series over a span of only a few days.
This book was a somewhat enjoyable read, even if I did not like Andre until the last few chapters of the book.
It would have been nice to see everyone Georgia, Nicholas, Pascal, Lily, Jo-jean, Andre and Ali just together in the same place celebrating in the last chapter. On a side note, I was surprised that Jo-jean was the miracle child that Pascal brought back to life. also, i think i have had enough of reading about God in books. this was the first time i ever read an author whose books have so much of God in them. i am not a religious person, unfortunately.
As I found it easy to love the characters in the 2 previous books of this series (except Lily in No Sweeter Heaven), I am sad to say that I could not find it easy to love Andre as he comes off as an ass twice. The first time was how he refused to speak or spend time with his parents, Pascal and Lily, from the previous book and I can imagine how heartbroken they must be, separated from their son Andre. As I enjoyed Pascal’s and Lily’s love story in No Sweeter Heaven, I disliked him for treating his parents horribly. I know it had something to do with Genevieve’s death but early in the book, the truth of it was not revealed yet why Andre ended up estranged from his parents. (I wrote this review when I was halfway through the book)
The second time was when he finally came back to England and believed Ali had changed for the worst and called it a travesty, which hurt both his godparents’ and Ali’s feelings. I did not like how he discredited the efforts of both his godparents and Ali’s to make Ali a proper English lady. Yes, he may be harsh with his words but actually really care about people deep down in his heart but I do not appreciate him hurting other people’s feelings with his words. I did not like him coming back to insult everybody then taking Ali by the lake as if he did nothing wrong.
However, he redeemed himself by treating Ali well after they married by buying her a house and giving her all the things she wanted even if he could not give his own heart. He slowly fell for her overtime, showing her more of him, laughing more but a bit of part was still held back by Genevieve. Yet, he is very protective and loving around Ali even if he did not realize he was falling in love.
I must say I’m not fond of the part where Ali thought that by leaving Andre, all the problems with Wellesley would be solved miraculously. I felt she could have consulted with him on the problem and took it on together as a couple. As a result of her leaving, she left him heartbroken and I don’t like seeing that. That shows the lack of communication between them, which is usually what happens between couples and I dislike it.
The reason for the estranged relationship between Andre and his parents finally came out in the last chapter of the book which felt wayyy too long and dragged out and it was something I kinda expected. But still, I can’t help but think, really Andre? 9 years being angry at your parents and not hearing them out? Could have saved a whole lot of time and pain if he had just given stopped running away and given Pascal a chance to explain.
Despite my issues, I did enjoy the first few chapters of the book and the appearance of Georgia, Nicholas, Pascal and Lily in this book. Seeing them grow old, with children and grandchildren, Georgia and Nicholas being 75, and Pascal and Lily being around 50ish, made me feel sad and teary, as I felt time flies so much for them and with how the books are written chronologically, the characters also followed the timeline, thus growing old. It felt as if I was with the characters and grew old with them, even though I read this series over a span of only a few days.
This book was a somewhat enjoyable read, even if I did not like Andre until the last few chapters of the book.
It would have been nice to see everyone Georgia, Nicholas, Pascal, Lily, Jo-jean, Andre and Ali just together in the same place celebrating in the last chapter. On a side note, I was surprised that Jo-jean was the miracle child that Pascal brought back to life. also, i think i have had enough of reading about God in books. this was the first time i ever read an author whose books have so much of God in them. i am not a religious person, unfortunately.
January 19, 2026
Good stories but typos galore
The 3 stories were well crafted and each held my interest. I truly enjoyed the metaphysics and spirituality of the stories. Book 2 was a challenge for the first half having to slog through the seemingly continuous arguments and bickering that Pascal and Lily did with each other. Very tedious. I almost gave up and skipped to the last book. My guess is that this trilogy was self-published because there were so many errors in grammar and typos that I know a second pair of eyes would have caught most of them. Do yourself a favor and invest in Grammarly. Spellcheck would have caught most of the obvious mistakes and Grammarly the remainder.
The 3 stories were well crafted and each held my interest. I truly enjoyed the metaphysics and spirituality of the stories. Book 2 was a challenge for the first half having to slog through the seemingly continuous arguments and bickering that Pascal and Lily did with each other. Very tedious. I almost gave up and skipped to the last book. My guess is that this trilogy was self-published because there were so many errors in grammar and typos that I know a second pair of eyes would have caught most of them. Do yourself a favor and invest in Grammarly. Spellcheck would have caught most of the obvious mistakes and Grammarly the remainder.
June 26, 2021
A Bit of Some Fantasy
The story line is very engaging. Ali and Andre have a great deal of depth to their characters. There is some "wokeness" with the frequent use of "Allah" by Ali. The whole area covered by how different religions have different names for God is completely unnecessary to the rest of this HR.
Andre's father is portrayed as a "miracle worker" of a physician/surgeon. He operates successfully on Ali for an ovarian cyst. This being done in 1870, beggars believe. That really is a fantasy event imagined by the author.
The story line is very engaging. Ali and Andre have a great deal of depth to their characters. There is some "wokeness" with the frequent use of "Allah" by Ali. The whole area covered by how different religions have different names for God is completely unnecessary to the rest of this HR.
Andre's father is portrayed as a "miracle worker" of a physician/surgeon. He operates successfully on Ali for an ovarian cyst. This being done in 1870, beggars believe. That really is a fantasy event imagined by the author.
September 20, 2018
Great book
Really nice story, just bit too religious for my taste. But not as much as the 2nd one, and that makes this one more appealing.
Really nice story, just bit too religious for my taste. But not as much as the 2nd one, and that makes this one more appealing.
July 29, 2019
3.5 out of 5 stars
January 16, 2026
Last in series
July 22, 2010
DNF - I can handle giving the heroine a Muslim male name and exoticising old Anatolia - other authors have done the same in historical romance (Loretta Chase for example), and I loved the characters and their dialogue again (although it's totally unbelievable that a girl who had lived with a tribe for that length of time would have been raised as a tomboy even then), but when we had the meet-cute after she had been raised to become an English lady (we're talking of the heroine at the age of 21 now, since she was 16 when she met the hero) - and him behaving like a verklempt idiot which was totally consistent with his set-up, she suddenly decides to forget everything she wanted be for him and pout and promise to marry someone else in a tantrum.
I've decided I can't handle that, there are too many other good books to read to wade through that stuff for the fun bits. It's a pity - you rarely get such sympathetic portrayals of aging couples of previous romance novels (the first hero is 75 in this book).
Well, I skipped through it after all, and am adding a star for the dialogue and characters again.
I've decided I can't handle that, there are too many other good books to read to wade through that stuff for the fun bits. It's a pity - you rarely get such sympathetic portrayals of aging couples of previous romance novels (the first hero is 75 in this book).
Well, I skipped through it after all, and am adding a star for the dialogue and characters again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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September 1, 2013Pascal Book 3
March 1, 2014
Enjoyable and I loved Ali's faith.
March 17, 2014
Is a great book to read
August 10, 2015
Sweet story
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews