Dreams of Perfection

Dreams Come True #1

by Rebecca Heflin

Best-selling romance writer Darcy Butler is holding out for perfection in the form of her own carefully-crafted heroes. Once blissfully engaged to be married, Darcy's post-traumatic commitment phobia is depriving her of the very thing she wants most: her very own happily-ever-after. Now, here she is just six months shy of her thirtieth birthday, and not a Prince Charming in sight. Successful lawyer Josh Ryan is the boy-next-door with a soft spot for the less fortunate, and Darcy's best friend without benefits. Darcy often comes to him lamenting her love-life, or the lack thereof, whereupon Josh patiently doles out his sage advice. Problem is Josh is in love with Darcy. But when Darcy finds herself looking into the handsome face of the man who graces the cover of her soon-to-be-released novel, she's convinced her dreams of perfection have come true. Or have they?

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers

276 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2014

About the author

Rebecca Heflin is a bestselling, award-winning author who has dreamed of writing romantic fiction since she was fifteen and her older sister sneaked a copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss' Shanna to her and told her to read it. Rebecca writes women's fiction and contemporary romance.

Rebecca is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Florida Romance Writers, RWA Contemporary Romance, and Florida Writers Association. She and her mountain-climbing husband recently relocated to central Virginia.

Be sure to follow Rebecca on BookBub for the latest sales. https://www.bookbub.com/profile/rebec...

Awards

2011 Royal Palm Literary Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)
2013 Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence Winner (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Holt Medallion Award of Merit (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Maggie Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Shooting Star Award (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence Finalist (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Award Winner (Rescuing Lacey)
2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers' Awards Finalist (The Promise of Change)
2013 Show Me Your Covers Contest Honorable Mention (Rescuing Lacey)
2014 Royal Palm Literary Awards Winner (Dreams of Perfection)
2016 Royal Palm Literary Awards, 3rd Place ( Dreams of Her Own)
2017 Virginia Romance Writers Holt Medallion Finalist (Dreams of Her Own)
2018 EPIC eBook Award Winner (Romancing Dr. Love)
2018 EPIC Ariana eBook Cover Awards Finalist (Romancing Dr. Love)
2018 Maine Romance Writers Strut Your Stuff Finalist, Contemporary Romance (Winning Dr. Wentworth and Educating Dr. Mayfield)
2018 Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America Booksellers' Best Finalist, Novella (Educating Dr. Mayfield)
2018 First Coast Romance Writers National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award Winner, Novella (Educating Dr. Mayfield)
2018 Orange County Romance Writers Book Buyers Best Winner, Novella (Winning Dr. Wentworth)
2018 Orange County Romance Writers Book Buyers Best Second Place, Novella (Educating Dr. Mayfield)
2019 Desert Rose RWA Golden Quill Finalist (A Season to Dance)
2019 Greater Detroit RWA Booksellers' Best Awards Finalist (A Season to Dance)
2019 RONE Awards, First Runner Up (A Season to Dance)
2019 Contemporary Romance Writers Stiletto Contest Finalist (A Season to Dance)
2019 Colorado Romance Writers The Beverley Contest Finalist (A Season to Dance)
2019 Royal Palm Literary Awards, Bronze (A Season to Dance)
2019 Kathryn Hayes "When Sparks Fly" Contest, 2nd Place (A Season to Dance)
2020 Royal Palm Literary Awards, Silver (A Season to Love)
2021 Contemporary Romance Writers Stiletto Consent, Finalist (A Season to Love)
2022 Contemporary Romance Writers Stiletto Consent, Finalist (A Season to Remember)
2022 Contemporary Romance Writers Reader's Choice Award (A Season to Remember)
2022 Royal Palm Literary Awards, Gold (A Season to Remember)

Reviews

[Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darcy butler is best selling romance writer that hasn't been really lucky in love or dating it seems. Darcy wants someone who will respect her work and share her love of baseball being New York Yankee fan. Darcy's best friend Laura Armstrong set her up for a blind date only to be disappointed yet again in not finding her Prince. Josh Ryan, is another best friend of Darcy's, who happens to be in love with Darcy and hasn't found the courage to tell her. Just when Darcy vows no more blind dates the unexpected happens she meets Mr. Perfect. Yet not all as it seems appearances can be fooling. Suddenly Darcy is juggling her schedule to keep up with everything going on in her life. Meanwhile Josh can't believe his eyes at the changes in Darcy. She's not the person he knows her to be. The changes don't go unnoticed by Laura either. Darcy finds herself in a position she hasn't experienced before writer's block. Will Darcy open her eyes? Can Josh tell Darcy the truth? Your answers await you in Dreams of Perfection.

This new to me author has created a wonderful world with interesting and unique characters right out of a fairy tale. I simply adore Darcy and Josh. The story and characters were flawed, interesting, unique, honest, real, and heartbreaking too. I look forward to more from this author in the future.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a friends to lovers romance so I was more than agreeable when I was asked to read this one. It wasn't too many pages in when I cracked up recognizing yet something else that I love. Baseball, Jane Austen and the Boy Next Door Charming Hero, it's a dream come true.

It might have been my imagination- probably because I see Jane Austen everywhere, but this one felt like a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. Okay, I saw the references to Mr. Knightley and Miss Bates so I don't think I'm that far off the beam. Anywhazit, whether it was or not, it was still a sweet romance about a woman writer who has to learn the difference between the perfect romance hero and the perfect man for her.

The story opens with Best-selling author, Darcy Butler, disappointed in yet another blind date. Her thirty birthday is bearing down on her and in her mind she has nothing to show for it, romantically speaking that is. She feels it is just wrong that a successful writer of romance has no romance in her life. Oh, her life isn't awful or anything. She has a loving supportive family, a career she loves and two best friends that she can't do without. Irascible Laura has been with her since grade school and keeps her life colorful and fun and then there is Sweet Josh with the boy next door charm who has been there for her since college letting her use his shoulder from Cheating Ex-Fiance' and now through the string of guys that don't cut it. Everyone keeps telling her that the Perfect Man doesn't exist, but Darcy just knows he's out there somewhere. And he is...Dr. Blake Garrett steps right out of the pages of her book and into her life.

Josh watches helplessly as Darcy meets the man of her dreams and knows that he can't compete. He has loved her from the day he set eyes on her, but circumstances never aligned right for him to speak up and then the day came when she announced him as firmly in the best friend category. Josh didn't want to lose her all together so he kept his peace and hoped that someday she would get her head out of the dreamy romance cloud and see him, really see him. But with Blake being all that she ever dreamed for, Josh prepares to move on for good and figure out how he will cope with seeing Darcy with another man. He focuses on his goal to make law partner in her dad's firm and focuses on his charity organization and free work. But then in an odd moment, he shares a kiss with Darcy. It was just as he always imagined, but now there is the distinct possibility that everything between them is ruined.

This book elicited so many emotions for me as I read, but most were on the mild side. Darcy and Josh split the narration, but this is really Darcy's story. It was the old adage of being careful what you wish for because you may get it. Darcy had to learn the hard way. She thought that as a romance writer that she knew all about romance and heroes, but she has to go through several experiences to see that she only believed in fairytales and not the good kind.
Her godmother, Gloria said it this way:
"You'd better lower your sights, or you'll find you've imagined your life away, while real life, the one that counts, has passed you by."
Darcy lifted her chin. "Mr. Right's out there. I know he is. I just have to be patient."
"Mr. Right may be out there, but he won't be Mr. Perfect, and the sooner you get that through the fairy dust in your head, the better." Loc. 14% Gloria and Darcy, Dreams of Perfection

Darcy's issues captured my attention and I settled in to see how she would handle Dr. Perfect and when she would see the real and golden qualities of her best friend. Speaking of her best friend, Josh is a guy that won't be everyone's idea of hero. He is one of the unsung beta heroes. He is so nice and selfless that he won't even push himself forward to tell the girl he loves how he feels about her. He is the everyday hero that cleans up nice and everyone will agree that he's nice with a heart of gold, but he won't ever be a dashing Blake Garrett who looks like a hero, who oozes confidence and who saves the world and a life all in a days work. No, he's the guy who you come home to and get comfortable with as you share your life's disappointments, that you high-five when your shared sports team scores a run, that you can just be yourself with through ugly tears and snorting laughter. Now that being said, Josh can do sultry as well as charming. Josh just after a shower wearing a broke-in pair of jeans with the top button popped answering his door is a sight to make a gal's mouth dry. Darcy sure enjoyed the view and Josh showed her what a real perfect kiss and night of passion could be like.

So, in the end, I'm still convinced that I read an Emma retelling with an engaging cast of characters and a heart-warming easy paced story that was more sweet than spice though spice did make its appearance. I'm thrilled to see that best bud Laura gets her story next. And here's a little dialogue between Darcy and Laura to give you a taste:
"I wasn't paying attention and I sort of...tripped over the curb," she finished lamely.
"You broke your finger because you tripped over the curb while flipping-off a cab driver?" Darcy's brows flew up as concern turned to astonishment, and astonishment became amusement.
"It's not funny! I not only broke my finger, I broke the heel on my favorite Louboutins,"Loc. 15% Laura and Darcy, Dreams of Perfection

Contemporary Romance or even Women's Fiction fans would probably enjoy this one.

My thanks to the author via her assistant for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams of Perfection by Rebecca Heflin is a 2014 Soul Mate Publication.

I have had this book in my TBR pile for a while, and I admit I had forgotten what the book was all about when I finally got around to reading it. So, I was delighted to learn this a friends to lovers romance with just a little touch of magic....

Darcy is a successful romance novelist on the brink of turning thirty. She is almost in full panic mode thinking she is never going to find Mr. Right, Mr. Perfection, but she also refuses to lower her standards and just settle. So, she has been on flurry of blind dates, all them epic fails.

However, she does have two of the best friends in the world, Laura and Josh. But, while Laura is her BFF, unbeknownst to Darcy, Josh is in love with her, has been for years, but he sits by and contents himself with their close friendship, hoping that someday Darcy will see what has been right under her nose the whole time.

But, the outlook seems rather bleak for Josh, when out of the clear blue sky Darcy meets a doctor who is an exact clone of the doctor/hero in her latest, soon to be released novel, all the way down to the scar on his forehead.

He's Dr. McDreamy and McSteamy all rolled into one, he is the very definition of perfect and Darcy is bitten, smitten, and totally enthralled. Yet, in the back of her mind is little smidgen of doubt, because the handsome, too good to be true, doctor's kisses doesn't quite ignite the feelings Darcy was expecting. Still, she is all in with the handsome doctor, while her other relationships stumble and limp along tepidly, and Darcy heads for a full blown meltdown.

I love the confident billionaire CEO, the boy next door who walks little old ladies across the street, the hot chiseled military hero or firefighter who pulls babies out of burning buildings, making me sigh and swoon, but nothing, but nothing is sexier than the regular guy out there who works hard, paid his dues, is great with kids, and is in love with his best friend. A guy who is not perfect, but is about as close to it as you are ever going to get in reality, which makes him the hottest and sexiest hero of them all. That was Josh. Mr. almost Perfect. But, Darcy will have to open her eyes in her own time and way, and it's when she believes she has found the epitome of the perfect man and he fails to rock her world, she discovers that everything she ever wanted, ever needed, or ever would need was right there in the palm of her hand all along.

Darcy never allowed herself to think of Josh as anything other than a really good friend. So, some blame does have to rest on Josh's shoulders for how things got the way they did. So, although Darcy is the character who develops the most in the story, Josh also comes a long way too, making a difference the lives of others and finally taking charge by acting on his feelings for Darcy.

I felt bad for Laura, and loved the banter between she and Josh, which made it seem like they didn't like each other, but of course the opposite was true. Hopefully, Laura will get her own story someday and put her horrible parents, especially her sexist father in his place.

I loved this book, loved all the characters, the development, the friendships, the magic in the air, and of course a super sweet and perfect HEA.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admit it, the reason romance stories are so popular for many readers is because the hero and/or heroine are somehow perfect, the dream person, all anyone could want, emotionally and physically. What happens when a popular romance author finds her own love life going down the drain and that her Prince Charming was a toad? Best-selling romance author, Darcy Butler is desperate for her own happily ever after, alone, lonely and in need of a man of her own to love and be loved by. Who better to know what makes the heart tick, but an author, or does the author’s fictional perfection become the standard she uses to judge all mere mortal men who fall woefully short, leaving her once again, all by herself.

Even her best friend, Josh, who is her sounding board, her "go to shoulder" to cry on can’t make her see what is before her very eyes, she is so lost in her dreams. Could it be possible that Darcy has missed the big picture regarding love?

When the man of her written dreams stands before her, she thinks she has finally found her happily ever after, but is getting everything you think you want really such a good thing? Could the kind of love she hungers for being standing right in front of her the whole time?
Rebecca Heflin’s Dreams of Perfection is a light and airy look at one woman’s skewed version of the “perfect” man. Filled with great banter a head in the clouds main character, and at least a dozen wrong turns on the road to happiness, this delightfully warm and crazy romance proves once again that one should watch what they wish for, because they might get it and it might not be what you need. Ms. Heflin gives us a the bright and shiny side of dating, the one that will make you giggle, because it may have happened to you, at least once and develops it into a romantic tale that feels all warm and fuzzy.


Publication Date: May 5, 2014
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
ISBN-13: 9781619355088
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Print Length: 252 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

[Star]

DREAMS OF PERFECTION is a romance novel which, I feel, will be very popular. I prefer romances, like this one, where the characters aren't perfect. Darcy Butler is a romance writer who doesn’t have a great love life. Everyone she dates turns out to be a frog instead of Prince Charming. Thankfully she has her best friend, Josh Ryan, who she can always count on. What Darcy doesn’t realize is that Josh has been in love with her for a very long time. When Darcy meets a man who matches the guy she’s written about in her latest draft novel, down to his name, she knows he’s perfect. However, is getting everything in a man she thinks she’s ever wanted really what Darcy wants? DREAMS OF PERFECTION is a funny, sweet, and light romance novel. I loved Josh; his grounded and generous nature was a perfect complement to Darcy’s airy and head-in-the-clouds personality. I liked Darcy, but I wish she’d been a little more realistic about life and love. DREAMS OF PERFECTION will have readers breaking out the tissues!

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Heflin writes a lovely contemporary romance highlighting that what one thinks is perfect is not always right.

Read full review in the 2014 November issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good book. Took me about 1/3 of the way to get really hooked. The story definitely moved along, it never dragged and the characters were interesting. It was hard at first to deal with Mr. Perfect, but after a while I began to see the underlying plot, I won't spoil it, but I did figure out who was behind it all before the ending. Just thought there would be more of a 'reveal', but maybe that really wasn't necessary. I will say my Kindle copy was missing some 'subject breaks' where there should have been a large separation in the paragraphs, but the sentences kept running along. Once I realized there was a 'subject change', I'd stop and re-read and carry forward again. I'm thinking about reading Laura's story too....

[Nada Sobhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every woman dreams of her perfect man, detailing their every aspect: haircut, eye colour, hand size, job, even their scent and favourite perfume.
In Dreams of Perfection by Rebecca Heflin, romance-writer Darcy Butler creates perfect men in her steamy novels. However, Darcy is not so lucky with real-life men; she divorced after catching her fiancé and husband-to-be cheating on her a few days before their wedding.
Her soon-to-be-released The Doctor's Dilemma is no exception, with its protagonist Dr. Blake Garrett being perfect for Darcy, acting as her reference sample when considering or dating men.
But what happens when Mr. Perfect leaps from the pages and materialises into Darcy's fairly-ordered life? Is he as perfect as she hopes? Does he have the perfect kiss?

The novel also opens with Josh, Darcy's best friend, long-time family friend and lawyer at her father's firm, who realises he is in love with Darcy but cannot muster the courage to tell her, whilst also fearing to break apart their friendship.

One of the most memorable chapters in Dreams of Perfection is chapter four, where Darcy agrees to go on a blind date with a friend of a friend. She is to meet with a 'Kempton Bell'.
"Kempton Bell. Kempton. What kind of name was that? She wondered" (p. 17)
The reader cannot help but agree with Darcy's thoughts. She agrees to meet Mr. Bell and what follows is a super hilarious chapter. Heflin's sense of humour is put to good use here. Darcy's blind date is a man who cuts to the chase. He doesn't say Hi or Hello but cuts straight to "Pretty", "you dress too provocatively" and "that won't be necessary once we're married… you won't have time [for your writing] with all the social and charitable commitments you'll be undertaking as my wife." (p. 18) These words are said in the first few minutes of the date or rather 'meeting'; after his otherworldly order from the waitress. That and he hands her his resume and "recommendations" from his ex-wife!

A short while later, Darcy meets the man of her dreams "literally". He mysteriously leaps from the cover of her book to real life. One of the lines and images that stood out for me was from Josh's point of view when he sees Mr. Perfect wrap his arms around Darcy: "He felt the familiar fangs of jealousy puncture his heart." (p. 44). I love alliteration and beautiful imagery; this line combined both and hit the spot.
She tells Josh "Don't worry about me. My hero has come to life. I don't know how or why and frankly, I don't care. I only know I've been waiting for Mr. Right, and here he is, in the flesh, only he's Dr. Right. Who better than the man of my dreams, quite literally?" (p. 44-45)
Naturally, Josh is suspicious of Mr. Perfect/Dr. Blake Garrett and seeks to prove him a fraud, causing additional tension in his relationship with Darcy.

Order and commitments begin to fall apart and strong friendship ties start to strain with the appearance of this new and dazzling fictional stranger, who may not be around much but nonetheless consumes all of Darcy's time.

As the title indicates, Dreams of Perfection tackles the idea of perfection. Darcy's imagined Blake Garrett and the real-life Doctor collide but slowly. At one point, and appearing like party-pooper, Darcy asks Blake why they never argue. The reader realises that the absence of arguing makes life seem perfect; however it is essential in every relationship. After all, a utopia is boring.

Despite being a bestselling romance writer, Darcy is unaware that her books are mere fantasy for her readers. Her idle attempt at finding Mr. Perfect blinds her to what is right in front of her.

Moreover, I felt Darcy is rather selfish. One cannot help but feel sorry for Josh – a lot. One realises that work and boyfriend tend to take most of a person's time. Still, Darcy becomes exceptionally absorbed with Blake, she forgets everyone else, including Josh and Laura and her usual outings with them. The relationship also makes her abandon many baseball games with Josh – although she feels bad about it. Still, Darcy does not attempt to make a compromise when she gets a new boyfriend. The number of times she skips or ditches games with Josh for her dates or commitments with Blake make her appear selfish and insensitive. However, they play a role in her transformation.

When she sits with her Aunt Rosie, Darcy comes to a revelation:
"Her own dreams of princes and white horses, of perfect alpha-male heroes and being swept off her feet seemed childish and silly when compared to what her aunt and uncle had. Mr. Right didn't have to be perfect. He just had to be perfect for her. Like Uncle Al was for Aunt Rosie." (p. 221)

Heflin's Dreams of Perfection maintains several fairy-tale aspects, and though it has a happy ending, Mr. Perfect is not the one who gets the prize, making it a sort of fairy-tale in reverse or a twist in the tale.

Heflin maintains an excellent tension-relief-comedy model throughout her novel. She has a very good sense of humour, whether through scenes, or more often through Darcy's sarcastic inner voice. Moreover, Darcy's best friends, Laura and Josh constantly tease one another creating lots of humour for the reader and later jealousy for Darcy.

Dreams of Perfection is an excellent novel of love, maturity – past the age of 30 – self-discovery and perfection. Its short chapters make it an easy and quick must read.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there really such a person as Mr. Perfect?

Best-selling romance author Darcy Butler is about to turn thirty and she is on a quest to find Mr. Right, but he has to live up to the perfect standards of Dr. Blake Garrett, the fictional hero that she has created in her latest romance novel. When Darcy's fictional hero literally comes to life, she thinks she has found her perfect Mr. Right, and will finally get the elusive happily-ever-after ending ... but along the way she finds out that finding perfection isn't exactly what she had dreamed of, especially when the real Mr. Right has been in front of her the whole time.

In Dreams of Perfection, the first book of the Dreams Come True Series, author Rebecca Heflin weaves an entertaining romantic story set in NYC that follows one woman's search for the perfect Mr. Right, a best friend's unrequited love, and the realization that the perfect true love was always there waiting in the wings.

Dreams of Perfection is an engaging romantic tale that has a wonderful mixture of romance, humor, and drama that easily draws the reader into Darcy and Josh's story. The author has created a realistic cast of characters who are fun to get to know: best selling romance author Darcy Butler and her best friends snarky ad account executive Laura Armstrong and the boy-next-door attorney Josh Ryan. These fun-loving characters' quirky friendship provides a lot of laugh-out-loud moments that keeps the reader in stitches as their relationship is filled with drama, mishaps, misperceptions, and humorous trials and tribulations. This is a thoroughly enjoyable romance story that leaves you wanting more.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the author had me hook, line, and sinker with her inclusion of Darcy and Josh's passion for Yankees baseball. As a diehard Yankees fan who has sat in the low level field seats in the world famous Yankees Stadium, I loved, loved, loved the rich descriptions of the sights and sounds that accurately captured the true essence of Yankee baseball.

I look forward to reading about Laura's story in Ship of Dreams, the second book in the series.

Dreams of Perfection is a fun lighthearted romantic tale about friendship and finding true love that will give you a warm and fuzzy feeling and leave a smile on a your face.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...

[Jennifer Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book free from the author in exchange for an honest review*

I’m not quite sure where to start on this so I’ll just jump right in and try my best not to give away any details that would ruin the storyline.

Darcy is a romance author and I think the hero’s she creates for her books have ruined her for actual living men. She wants the perfect man, the knight in shining armor who rides up on a horse and whisks her away, but since when does real life ever happen like it does in a romance novel. Well….in this book it does. Her character (or well someone very closely resembling him) comes out of nowhere and sweeps her off her feet.

“No. I mean he’s really my hero.” She reached into her tote bag and pulled out her ARC. “I get dibs on him.”

Josh is Darcy’s best friend. The only problem with that is he’s been in love with her since he met her and she has no clue. He was officially stuck in the friend zone and it never bothered him until she met Blake and Josh’s world began to crumble. He was no longer the one she ran to, hell he barely even saw her after her Romeo came into the picture.

“The temptation to kiss the chocolate from her lips tested his resolve. He held her gaze a moment before the intercom buzzed, breaking the spell.”

I enjoyed the beginning of this book. The blind dates were funny, Darcy was sweet, and Josh was everything she ever needed him to be. Once Darcy met Blake the book took a turn into snoozeville. I kept waiting for something good to happen, but it never really did, not until Blake disappeared from the picture….which is not until much closer to the end of the book. I did enjoy the ending though. That was a nice way to say, Happy Birthday.

Dreams of Perfection is a story about getting exactly what you want and realizing maybe you had what you wanted to begin with. The grass is not always greener on the other side and sometimes love is staring us in the face so long that we don’t notice it.

My Favorite Laughable Moment: Darcy’s blind date with Kempton was the funniest thing in the entire book. I laughed so hard. I mean really…a letter of reference from the ex-wife, now that was hilarious!

“Oh, don’t worry, I am not opposed to children. I have a strong sex drive, so children are inevitable, but I don’t believe in premarital sex, so marriage is mandatory and soon.” …… “This is my resume.”

[Chasity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the best romantic plots I have ever read. I really enjoyed the fact that Darcy was a romance author, and yet she couldn’t get her love life together. It just goes to show that sometimes reality and fiction really don’t mix. However in this book she meets a man right out of one of her novels, no literally one of her heroes has miraculous turned up in her life, but Darcy quickly finds out that sometimes Mr. Perfect can be just too perfect.


I really liked Darcy she reminded me of some aspects of myself and she had a fun personality and cute quirks. Josh absolutely cracked me up, he’s so adorable. I really liked Josh, he was probably my favorite character and was very relatable down to earth guy.


I liked the way she wrote this book, it was very upbeat, her characters are vibrant and they come alive on the pages and keep you very interesting.


Yes the plot does have an ending you see coming but I didn’t really mind that because the plot kept you intrigued. There was not a dry moment in the book and that is really hard to do especially if your readers know what’s coming. I give Rebecca major props for that one, it is a task that is not easily done but she did it flawlessly.


One of my favorite lines in the entire book is “Ah, the woes of the super-rich.” I don’t know why but that stuck in my mind and made me double think a few things.


Another thing that I really liked was that the Blake mystery was never entirely figured out, she hinted at things that might have happened but she leaves it up to the reader to make their final decision about Mr. Perfect, I have my theories and when you read it, I would like to hear your opinion on what you think happened. Other than that I will keep my mouth shut about what I think happened!


I really deeply enjoyed this book and I think the plot was rather fresh and interesting, I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a new and fresh story!

[Two Nerds With Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewer: Lynn
Disclosure: This ebook was provided by the author in exchange for an HONEST and not necessarily positive review.

Darcy is a romance writer, a dreamer, a tomboy and is looking for Mr. perfect. Blake Garrett is the man she judges every guy on. Blind date after blind date and she has yet to find him. She thinks as long as she keeps looking she will eventually come across him. Her best friend Josh has been in love with Darcy from pretty much the moment he met her. Afraid of losing her friendship he sits back and listens to her tales of not finding Mr. Perfect. Until the night her other best friend Laura ends up in the emergency room and the perfect man from her novel walks into the room. Dr. Blake Garrett. he has all the attributes of her perfect man but there is something missing. But she is determined to make it work. After all, this is the man she has been waiting for.

This is my first book from this author and I loved it. You have to laugh at Darcy at times. Living in her head and trying to make the fairy tale come true. Poor Josh was seriously friend-zoned through most of the book. So afraid to step over that line. But willing to do anything for Darcy. She doesn't see it. She has the perfect man blinders on. Laura the other best friend is another great supporting character. Where Darcy is the good girl, Laura is the bad girl and makes for some fantastic conversations. Will Laura take her blinders off and see who is perfect for her or will she continue to keep them on and miss the love of her life?

If you love best-friend romance, don't pass this one up.

[Larena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary, Romance


Darcy Butler is a best-selling romance author that is holding out for the perfect man like the heroes that are in her books. Darcy was once engages but now she is now is dealing with a commitment phobia after the traumatic ending of her engagement. It is also getting in the way of the one thing she wants most her own happily-ever-after. Now she is six months away from her thirtieth birthday and doesn’t have a Prince Charming.

Josh Ryan is a successful lawyer with a soft spot for the less fortunate. He is also Darcy’s best friend without the benefits. Darcy goes to Josh lamenting her love-life or lack thereof and Josh is there for her and doling out his sage advice. The only problem is that Josh is in love with Darcy.

Now Darcy thinks she has finally found her perfect hero when she meets a man that has the handsome face of the hero in her latest book that is soon-to-be released. She is convinced her dreams of perfection have come true. Or have they?


This is a fun friends to lover story with well developed characters. The humor help the story move along well. While some readers will wish for things to move a little faster between Josh and Darcy it is still a good story. The characters are very relatable and down to earth. There are some slow areas but nothing that truly bogs down the story. It is also the start of series that should prove to be interesting and will hopefully give readers a chance to revisit the characters from the other books.

[Kurt Springs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
Darcy Butler is an award winning romance author. She’s recovering a painful relationship that has left her wary of commitment. She has a best friend name Josh Ryan with whom she shares several passions that include baseball. However, she is looking for a perfect mate, like the fictional hero of her stories, Blake Garrett. She is so infatuates with the idea of Blake Garrett that she misses the fact that her best friend is in love with her. Suddenly, as if by magic, Dr. Blake Garrett seems to enter her life. He is just as she imagined him: handsome, kind, philanthropic. Somehow, he is too perfect. Meanwhile, Josh Ryan has to control his jealousy or risk losing her forever.

Review:
Dreams of Perfection is almost a morality play, with Darcy so infatuated with perfection that she misses someone who really loves her. Darcy and her friends are instantly likable, with all their quirks making them believable. The only one who is harder to believe in is Blake Garrett, and that seems to be by design. Rebecca Heflin even includes an interesting twist at the end, but I won’t spoil it for the reader.

I am not really drawn to romance, so it didn’t turn out to be a page turner for me. Maybe some high explosives would have helped (just kidding). For the die hard romance reader, this will be a wonderful tale.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good love story. It even had a comical side to it with Darcy as an author writing about the perfect man, Doctor Blake. Like many other love stories the one looking for love usually finds a substitute to make up for the one she doesn't have. Darcy is no different, she is willing to settle for Mr. Right who you know is so wrong. Dr. Blake has no passion, doesn't seem to have much feeling, expresses very little such as a jealous nature that would be sure to be if he were in love with her.

On the other hand she and Josh has been friends for long time and she can't see that her best friend is the one she should have because, like a lot of women, she is looking for Mr. Perfect. How boring is that. Dang I was crazy about Josh from the start. Many love stories are way to predictable as this book was.

I will say one thing about Rebecca Heflin she sure know how to write a love scene that heated up even my glasses. Fun read if you love romance. Fun book if you simply want a good book to read. Well done, well written and there is a little spot in the book the Heflin makes your eyebrows raise but you will have to get the book to know what it is. I dare you to find out what the eyebrow raiser is!

[Librarian Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book that can easily be read in one sitting. The premise is one best-selling romance novelist who wants her own Mr. Right and Mr. Perfect like the ones she writes about. In the wings is her best friend who has loved her for years, but is afraid to tell her because he doesn't want to ruin what they have. Enter the hero of her soon-to-be-released novel...and he's Mr. Perfect--but Darcy has to figure out if he's indeed Mr. Right.

The characters of this are very well drawn...they are people you would love to hang out with. I loved Josh and wanted to shake Darcy for not seeing him as boyfriend material for so long. Her best friend Laura, too, was a hoot. Loved the back and forth between her and Josh. I hope that she will be the main character in one of Rebecca's next books.

There were several laugh out loud moments-- loved Laura's account of her "accident" that led Darcy to meeting the mysterious Dr. Garret and the accounts of the "first dates" described...what fun! I would have liked to have known the mystery surrounding Blake Garret, but maybe there is a fairy godmother working in the background.

Four Stars, Ms. Heflin, and I'm looking forward to reading your next book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darcy is looking for perfection in a man. Josh has loved her for years but he's her best friend. Now a perfect man that has come from the pages of her romance novels appears. And he's a doctor and a humanitarian. How can Josh compete with that?

I enjoyed this story. While there is some sex, this is a sweet romance. Darcy thinks she has found the perfect man and the perfect romance with Dr. Blake Garrett. He's stepped right out of her current romance novel. Everything she's written about him is what he is in real life. He does not even get mad. I felt about him like the reviewer in the book--too good to be true, therefore, he is boring. I liked Josh. He is not boring. When Darcy finally opens her eyes it may be too late for her. They both need to communicate better. I did like that Darcy asked questions but she also jumped to a lot of conclusions.

The story was fun. I liked the background of New York as well as the bonding that goes on over Yankees' games (not my team.) It gives a New York flavor to the story. I liked the secondary characters. I will be keeping an eye on Gloria, Darcy's agent and godmother. I wonder if she'll be in the next story. A good romance with fun characters who get their HEA.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams of Perfection by Rebecca Heflin
Darcy, a romance author strikes out again with yet another date. He's all wrong for her and he thinks baseball is boring, she does not.
She talks to her best friend Josh Ryan and he also realizes her bio clock is ticking away as she's almost 30.
When he was 21 he wanted her but she turned up engaged the next day, which didn't last long.... amazing her new boyfriend turns out to be exactly like the man she's written about in her new book, even down to the scar on his face.
Love the charity work and unexpected trips to new places. The story goes back in time to when she really turned to Josh
and he had turned to her....she tries an experiment with Josh....urgent hot steamy sex scenes.
Unexplained appearances are mysteries that will allow the story to continue... Others works from the publisher are excerpted at the end.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Job. Very cute love story. Darcey , Josh and Laura, the main character bring a life of their own to the book..very easy to relate to all the characters. I could wait for the inevitable to happen. (no spoiler).
the book did need formatted, which it might have been so.I'm not counting.g that in the rating since I received a copy from the author before hand. us a few minor mistakes. also.not holding against her.
but the book itself for romance was good. not too many sex scenes which can ruin a book. tasteful when they were written. a plus. the ending was perfect .
all in all I'd recommend it. nice read . I read it in 3days.

I was given a copy for a honest review.
if you want spoilers check.out my blog which I'll be posting this book on very soon. http://thereaderhaven.wordpress.com
The Book Junkie.

[FS Meurinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ARC Received for honest review"

This story is a great recommendation for those who love contemporary romance. Darcy and Josh are amazing characters, the storyline flows in a way you just keep reading without even noticing, there is romance and humor a perfect combination with drama that just draws you in.

This is the fist book in the series; the story is about Darcy, a best-selling romance author, who is looking for love with a happily-ever-after. Then Josh comes along as Darcy’s best friend and who he is in love with her. After her latest novel, she faces the man behind the cover of her novel and she is convinced he is perfection. Find out how everything folds out. I can’t wait for next installment.

[Krissys Bookshelf Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's something to be said for characters that come with flaws. It makes them more realistic, and easier to relate to. That's what I found in Dreams of Perfection.
I mean, who hasn't had the experience of a broken heart that led them to be just a tad over cautious of approaching yet another potential heart ache?
That's what I really loved about getting to know Heflin's characters because they are so much like many of us trying to find their way through the minefield that is both life and love.
Dreams of Perfection is just the right amount of honesty and reality to make the journey worth it.

[iamjenai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I immensely enjoyed reading this book! I know I swore before that I am done reading the "in love-with-best friend-story". Often, they are all the same, it's like re-reading an old story. Glad that Ms. Heflin did a good job in writing a believable and heartfelt friendship/romance between Darcy and Josh. It was really such a relief for me that she was able to make it right. Character dialogue felt authentic, love the humor, really had fun reading this.

My only complain is the magical element here. I didn't see it coming and I hated it. It would have been a perfect book for me if not for that 'magic'. Anyway, I have book # 2, I am excited to read Laura's story!

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to read this wonderful story for a blog Im apart of. I would give this wonderful story 4 stars. I love Darcy and Josh. They put that age old theory of 'can a man a woman just be friends' and yes they can. Even though there are some moments when we see both Josh and Darcy are trying to fight the inevitable, Rebecca writes these characters in such a unique and beautiful way. I would have to say the one thing I love about her is her names of her characters. I would highly recommend this book to others, especially to those that love a good romance.

[Sassy Moms Say Read Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

DAWN'S REVIEW:

I would give this wonderful story 4 stars. I love Darcy and Josh. They put that age old theory of 'can a man a woman just be friends' and yes they can. Even though there are some moments when we see both Josh and Darcy are trying to fight the inevitable, Rebecca writes these characters in such a unique and beautiful way. I would have to say the one thing I love about her is her names of her characters. I would highly recommend this book to others, especially to those that love a good romance.

[Tracey Lampley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams of Perfection is an entertaining read. The characterization and plot keep the pages turning. It has everything on the menu that goes in a romantic meal. If you’re up for romance, then this book is for you. I rate this book a five-star read.

[Vee Stojcevski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Romance

A lovely story about two best friends who belong together. Darcy writes romance novels about the perfect guy but after meeting one of her own creations in real life she soon realizes life is not about perfection.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dreams of Perfection by Rebecca Heflin: Enjoyed this book very much. Love Darcy and Josh very much. Liked Laura to. Can not wait until her story comes out. Hope it is soon.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 but rounding up

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story! Can't wait to read the second book!

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the characters..most of the plot was OK but it got incoherence at the end.