Chasing Dreams

by A.L. Brooks

A warm, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers, lesbian romance about chasing your dreams—wherever they might lead.

Powerful venture capitalist Claire Pressley is done with stressful New York and has set her sights on a "treechange"—renovating a homestead in Eagle Cove, Oregon, to make a gorgeous guesthouse.

Her plan isn't quite so simple when it turns out Eagle Cove's beloved town librarian Ruby Jordan had been saving to buy the homestead herself. Worse, Ruby had some grand, beautiful dream to turn it into an animal shelter.

Claire couldn't look more like a villain in her new town if she tried. Now she has to find a way to make peace with the locals, as Ruby furiously works out a Plan B for her animal shelter.

But even as the hot-headed women keep clashing, it's hard not to notice their sizzling chemistry, and how attractive they find each other.

It seems unlikely they'll even manage to be friends at this rate. And being more than friends . . . that would be just ridiculous! Right?

Contains mature themes.

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Lesbian, LGBT, Enemies To Lovers, Lesbian Fiction, Queer

Audible Audio

Published December 20, 2022

About the author

A.L. Brooks was born in the UK but currently resides in Frankfurt, Germany, and over the years she has lived in places as far afield as Aberdeen and Australia. She works 9–5 in corporate financial systems and her dream is to take early retirement. Like, tomorrow, please. She loves her gym membership, and is very grateful for it as she also loves dark chocolate. She enjoys drinking good wine and craft beer, trying out new recipes to cook, and learning German. Travelling around the world and reading lots and lots (and lots) of books are also things that fight for time with her writing. Yep, she really needs that early retirement.

Reviews

[Della B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruby has dreamt of buying the old Pruitt homestead for more years than she can remember. Her goal of establishing an animal rescue farm at the homestead is all planned except for actually buying the property. Ruby wants to save just a little bit more money to be able to afford the changes she has planned.
Claire is done with dedicating her life to her business. She now understands she will never receive the love and acknowledgment from her parents for living her life to their expectations. Claire wants out now and buying the Pruitt homestead to convert to a women only Bed and Breakfast is her dream for happiness. That one dream unwittingly comes at the expense of the other provides plenty of angst in this small town romance.
Chasing Dreams is a refreshing romance where the main characters are mature in both age and how they approach life. Although Ruby is devastated and angry at Claire for buying her dream property she is also mature enough to realize her anger is misplaced.
The romance is instant attraction yet Brooks works her magic to stoke the slow burn with minimal contact and personal growth for both characters. This is what sets this happily ever after apart from the others and makes it a must read romance.

I received an advance review copy from Ylva Publishing and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small town love.

This is marketed as an enemies to lovers book but the characters aren't really enemies. Ruby was a little grouchy about having lost out to Claire in purchasing a property to open an animal shelter but she was pretty adult about it, especially after she realises what Claire's plan for the place is.

Instead this story is about two people falling in love while making changes and chasing dreams so in a way it's also about falling for the right person at the right time. I like that Claire finds love at a point in her life when she's determined to start over in a small town, no longer the venture capitalist she has lost the passion in becoming. I like how the small towner Ruby is the right person for her and that the story is generally low angst despite the fact that the characters take some time to fully give themselves to each other. And even though they don't rush into things, I love the way they talk to each other, very communicative.

I don't always enjoy small town romances but this one feels different. It's a right read for me right now. Enjoyed it.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

4☆
Chasing Dreams should not only be just a feel-good romance book, but we all should try to make at least one or two dreams come true.

Claire Pressley, a venture capitalist in New York, wants to break free from her stressful job and life and make her dream come true to have a homestead far away in a rural place. In Eagle Cove, a little town, she finds just the right property. But it is a big step from the anonymity of New York and her business life, to Eagle Cove where life is slow, everyone knows everyone, and the rumor mill is always bubbling. She quickly realizes that winning the hearts of the residents is not an easy task.

Ruby, the town librarian, has had her eye on the Pruitt’s homestead for several years, but when the business lady from the big city snatches the property from under her nose, she is crushed. How is she supposed to realize her dream of an animal shelter now that there is no suitable property available nearby? For the time being, she takes out her anger and frustration on Claire, which is easier than keeping her own mistakes in mind. In the beginning, Ruby acts a bit like a spoiled child who doesn’t get her favorite toy. The anger is understandable but self-inflicted. But soon she shows her true caring self.

I really liked the heartwarming scenes when Claire experiences a family reunion for the first time in her life where affection and loving interactions are the most important thing, not status and appearance. Slowly she realizes what she could gain here, it looks like winning the lottery if she only dares. I could also feel Ruby’s fear and insecurity about her growing attraction and feelings for Claire, not sure if it would be better to just be friends or if risking her heart will be worth it. What if after a short time Claire will have enough of small-town life and will follow the call of the big city with the lights and entertainment and leave? The romance is slow-burn despite a rather fast-paced beginning. Baggage of past relationships and experiences hold them back.

There is also an important and beautiful side story concerning Ned, Ruby’s grandfather. He worries about the farm, and how it will go on when he can no longer do the work. He doesn’t think his two grandchildren will want to keep it going. Also, health is a bitch demanding that he cuts back and leaves the heavy farm work to helping hands. Letting go without feeling useless afterward is easier said than done. It’s endearing how grandchildren Ruby and Wayne take care of him, as it should be, although sometimes it’s hard especially when difficult conversations are necessary.

There are some more important secondary characters, and a lot of animals to love and laugh about their antics. Some of them are rather extraordinary pets.

This is an entertaining romance with loveable characters, without much drama and no artificial breakup at 80 %. Recommended to romance fans.

Thanks to YlvaPublishing for providing an ARC for an honest review.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing Dreams by A.L. Brooks is exactly the book you want to read if you are feeling down or having a bad day. It put me in a better mood just reading the story.

This is a feel good romance with a melting ice queen (Claire Pressley) who leaves her high powered and even higher stress job in New York, and moves to small town Eagle Cove, Oregon. She buys an old homestead just outside of town hoping to renovate the house and turn it into a guesthouse. She didn’t know she was buying the land the town’s sweetheart, librarian Ruby Jordan was saving to buy and turn into a shelter for homeless animals. Not the best way to gain the town’s trust and good will.

The setting of the novel is beautiful. The author did an amazing job of describing the small town nestled on the edge of the mountains in Oregon. The characters are equally well-developed from the mains, Ruby and Claire, to the secondary characters…even Ninja the library cat and Hettie the donkey. They are all loveable in their own ways. The story is an enemies-to-lovers romance, obviously, and it was lovely watching these two slowly grow together in spite of everything against them.

I really adored this tale. I recommend it to all romance lovers.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

[Laure · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, it was well written & I deeply loved the settings and the topics (I'm a hiker and a huge animal lover). But for the first timesince I discovered her work, I didn't really clicked with the characters born from the author's imagination. There wasn't enough character development for me to care about either of them & I wasn't able to buy their supposedly off the charts chemistry.

What also bothered me is that nothing really happened in there. No drama, nor angst. (based on the few info we had on Claire's parents there was a huge potential in that department). No real antagonism coming from the locals (having grown up in a small town, and despite the fact it was a very touristic one, let me tell you that the locals weren't not -- and still aren't for most of them -- very welcoming) or no problems, nor obstacles to overcome. Having a more realistic side of the small town life could have been the base of much needed complications in this story.... IMO, all was way too miraculous to be credible. Even the time frame seemed surrealistic ...

In addition, my feeling is there was a lot (way too much in absence of the character development mentioned above) of self-psychoanalizing on the MCs' side. Yes, there was some sex as well (not even the best scenes from my POV). But other than that... nada !!

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it possible for a dream to become reality after compromise? Who knows....
Small town librarian Ruby Jordan has dreamed of opening an animal sanctuary for years and just when that may become a reality, it is cruelly snatched away.
After grinding years in the family company, successful New York venture capitalist Claire Pressley (feeling she is losing her soul) decides on a drastic lifestyle change with a move to Oregon.
The Pruitt homestead, abandoned for years is just within Ruby's grasp (she's saved for years to fulfill her sanctuary dreams) when rich out-of-towner Claire purchases the property - now let the sparks fly!!
Once the dust settles, Claire begins to relax into country living and renovations to the property and Ruby realizes that Claire was not to blame in puncturing her dream bubble. Eventually, an underlying attraction blooms but they are both reluctant to get into a really deep relationship. Little pushes from cupids in town, emotional issues, small town gossip, misinformation, family and lack of their love or not, all play a part in this romance with heat and some angst. Supporting characters are nicely fleshed out adding nicely to the storyline and a HEA..
I easily recommend this read.

I rec'd an ARC through Ylva Publishing and this is my completely unbiased, voluntary review.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am new to this author and have now read two of her books back to back. Chasing Dreams is a delightful small town romance. Claire Pressley was a successful venture capitalist in NYC. But she wants a change of life and purchases a dilapidated homestead in Eagle Cove, Oregon. She plans to renovate the house and have a small B & B (4 guest rooms) or retreat for women. But arriving in Eagle Cove she finds the locals all know each other's business. And at least one is mad at her.

Ruby Jordan loves her job as a town librarian. Her other passion is rescuing animals and she had plans to purchase the property Claire buys in hopes of turning it into an animal shelter. Once Ruby gets over her initial disappointment, she can’t help but be drawn to Claire. Sparks fly but both are hesitant because of previous relationships. And the town is very small if things don’t work out.

I found the story engaging and entertaining. It is sweet errands together, or wings and a drink at the bar. It’s taking care of animals and an aging grandfather. At times I thought the author over explains feelings or thoughts. And a few scenes could have been edited out as extra, a trip back to NYC to sign paperwork and see an old friend. It fills in space but doesn’t add to the plot. But those are very minor quibbles. Overall I was charmed by the characters and enjoyed this low angst, feel good romance. Originally published March 2022. Thank you to Ylva Publishing for the digital copy via NetGalley. (4.5 Stars)

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claire Pressley needs a change. She's tired of her demanding job as a venture capitalist and trying to make her parents happy. She buys a homestead in Eagle Cove, Oregon and is set to fulfill her dream of having a guesthouse. Ruby Jordan is the sweetheart of Eagle Cove. She works at the town library and cares for animals in her spare time. Her dream is to buy the Pruitt homestead and turn it into an animal sanctuary. The same homestead that Claire saunters into town and buys. Needless to say, in the beginning Ruby is not team Claire, and she certainly doesn't feel any sparks, nope, not at all.

A new book from A.L. Brooks is always cause for celebration. With Chasing Dreams, she has once again given us a wonderfully written book with characters who are relatable and have sizzling chemistry. I like both of these women a lot. I love a small-town girl meets big city girl story where both women try to ignore the pull, but just can't seem to avoid the inevitable. Chasing Dreams deviates from that trope, however, because even though Claire moves to Eagle Cove from New York, the big city mentality doesn't come with her. She quickly adapts to the small-town life, surprising herself by how much she wants to be a part of this close-knit community. She's tired of the city, the noise and the pretentious overachievers that have been a part of her life for so long.

The supporting characters are delightful. Katie is Ruby's friend and runs the local bar and senses Claire may be the perfect woman for her relationship averse friend. Rudy's grandfather, Ned is dealing with the limits his advanced age is bringing about but provides Ruby with love and support at every turn. And Wayne, Ruby's brother, who takes a job renovating the homestead for Claire and helps Ruby navigate Ned's health issues.

This is touted as a feel-good book and it certainly lives up to that. There isn't a lot of angst, which is something I think we all deserve after the last few years. It's a story of women who act their age, communicate and find the right person at the right time. A.L. Brooks is one of my favorite authors. She always writes characters whose happiness I become invested in and Claire and Ruby have now joined the list of wonderful couples she has created. We are all Chasing Dreams in some form or another and you will be happy you joined Claire and Ruby as they chase theirs.

An ARC was received from Ylva Publishing for an honest review.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Executive moves to small town stealing another’s dream. Enjoyed, though sagged as bit in the middle but don’t we all? Recommended.

[Guerunche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is easily one of my favorites by this author, along with The Club. For someone who loves romances with a passion, this one ticked all my boxes.
When Claire Pressley decides to leave her life as a venture capitalist in New York City to pursue her dream of opening a guesthouse for women in Oregon, she is thrilled to have finally found the perfect location. But when she arrives in town to finalize the purchase, she is met with resistance from the beautiful local librarian Ruby Jordan, who for years had her heart set on buying the same property to turn it into an expansive animal shelter. What's done is done, and this is a small town where everyone knows everyone's business. It's not like they can avoid each other forever. But how can they overcome this - in spite of the fact that the attraction between them is impossible to ignore?
The build in this story was slow and fabulous. I ached right along with the women for them to be together. Their chemistry was palpable and so deliciously written. And though it took them a while to get there, the payoff was oh-so-satisfying and off the charts sexy!
I really appreciate that this isn't one of those formulaic romances where you're just dreading the bomb dropping at the 80 percent mark. Books like these prove that it's not necessary to do that, and it's possible to find another way to have something that the couple must overcome to be together. In this case, those challenges were relatable on both sides. These two characters embody the description of "the unstoppable force" and it was great to go along for the ride as they navigated these waters.
I also loved seeing the rare practice and discussion of safe sex in this novel. Brooks writes some of the best love scenes out there and while not giving anything away, I found their first encounter to be not only extremely hot, but much more realistic than many others. I enjoyed this so much, I read it all in one sitting. Highly recommend, folks.

I received an ARC from Ylva Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[MJSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received via YLVA in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb calls this “A warm, feel-good, enemies-to-lovers, lesbian romance” and that’s a pretty accurate description.

This features MC Claire, a business woman from NY who is burnt out on making bad deals that hurt good people and has decided to trade the business world for her dream of running her own women’s retreat in a small town. She buys a run down property and moves to the town to live while the renovates are undertaken (I also appreciated that these took a long time instead of just being done in a month or so). Only problem is the property she bought was also the dream property of the other MC, Ruby, who lives in town and has always wanted to buy the property to set up an animal sanctuary.

Claire buying the property out from under Ruby is essentially the ‘enemies to lovers’ set up of the book, but it’s not really accurate, Claire has no problem with Ruby, so the enemy thing is one sided and pretty much just comprised of Ruby acting like a petulant brat for something that was her own fault, since she had ample opportunity to buy it at any time prior. Claire does try to smooth things over, but it takes way too long for Ruby to get over herself and move on from her disappointment.

Apart from her reaction to Claire, Ruby is a lovely character, sweet and loving with her family and friends and with the admirable wish to help animals. Claire is also a sweetheart, I had expected more of an ice-queen, but she’s just a lovely woman who has taken a lot of emotional hits. Both women have past issues that weigh them down, and once they start interacting and moving towards a relationship, it’s this that slows them down.

I liked that they were open and honest with each other, pretty much from the start, and that the story took place over a long period to allow the MCs to actually get to know each other. The town is also populated by good supporting characters, especially Ruby’s family (her grandfather, Ned, in particular), and I liked that side story as well, although there were times I felt everything was wrapped up a bit too neatly. Claire also had a few good friends who provided support when needed, but terrible parents.

I was thankful that this avoids the miscommunication/contrived breakup situations that usually appear in lesfic, but I did find feel that the beginning was too slow due to Ruby being unreasonable, and on the flip side, the end sort of dragged due to Claire’s issues, which is why I knocked off a star. I still enjoyed this though, and recommend to anyone who enjoys nice, largely angst free romances. 4 stars.

[MiskaCZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ARC copy was given to me by YLVA for a honest review.

This is a good romance story about big dreams and small things. There are two diffrent dreams and one place, where these dreams should take place. Ruby dreams about animal shelter and Claire dreams about a guesthouse. This dreams clash, but it is a beginning of friendship and soon after that relationship. Both woman are strong and whats their dream come true and this book shows, that sometimes all can be reach together. This book is also about self reflection, doubts and family.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I DNF this at 9%, two chapters in, for a very specific reason—one of the protagonists, Rudy, reveals she raises cows for slaughter to support her animal sanctuary. While this may not be an issue for most readers, it was a deal-breaker me as an ethical vegan. Especially since I was drawn to this ARC specifically because it was an animal lover librarian sapphic romance, so finding out that character is a huge hypocrite was disappointing.

That said, the chapters I did read were well written, and the enemies-to-lovers conflict was set up nicely. So if you aren’t thrown by characters who cuddle some animals while killing others, you’ll probably enjoy this just fine.

I also have an ARC for another of the author’s romances, Make Her Wish Come True. Hopefully, that book will be more my cup of tea.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Menestrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Chasing Dreams and the idea of going back to the country and leaving the hustle and bustle of a workaholic life.

Money, money, money. We all dream about it, but it can consume everything you should value the most in life.

I wanted to scream a couple of times at Claire and Ruby, because... come on! But I enjoyed their dynamic a lot and the reasoning behind. Your past leaves always a scar in you and fear is hard to win over.

I liked a lot one theme, the one that you always thought the unspeakable dream you had in life wasn't worth chasing, and yet... once it's in front of you, you can't turn your back to it. Love. Love is worth any risks.

One thing I wonder about is what happened to Claire's parents and the letter. I would have liked to know. To have a bit of closure on that side.

In any case, I'm happy Claire has found a loving family and new friends and so many animals!

Ruby's directness and honesty was so cute and funny to read, and Claire... oh... Claire... you still deserve happiness and I'm so glad you let down all your walls.

Ps.

Ninja will always be a mystery! Too cute.
Ned, Wayne, Katie and all other characters were also a nice and heartfelt addition to the story.

[Carol Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely story!

Claire heads out to Oregon after buying a wonderful house, but when she arrives in the little town, she meets Ruby who had also wanted the house to pursue her dreams of turning it into an animal shelter. Instantly there is tension between them but attraction too, Ruby is upset with Claire and doesn’t trust that she is going to stick around. When Claire and Ruby get to know one another and Claire learns of Ruby’s dream, she becomes instrumental in making it happen.

This was such an amazing story, really heart-warming despite all the built up tension and angst flowing through it as the most intense relationship developed. What worked so well with this story was the development. There was a lot going on but there wasn’t too much detail that got it caught up in long wordy exchanges or scenes were every little detail had to happen, it really focused on those important moments between Claire and Ruby that completed the picture.

Let’s talk Ruby and Claire; just amazing. It was more on Ruby that all the tension and angst built but you could just feel her fighting it. She tried so hard not to like Claire, and you could completely understand why. It was most entertaining watching her do this though, we’ve all had that moment, we just don’t want to like someone but can’t help it and that’s what happened between these two! It brought a smile to face, Ruby trying so hard not to like Claire, even when she knew how nice she was and that there was chemistry between them. I just had to keep hoping she was going to get over that and explore a relationship because you could feel intensely how amazing they were going to be together.

Claire I felt for, she just wanted a bit of an escape, finds a nice place and ends up embroiled in tension and being the newcomer in town. When she and Ruby got talking though, I had no doubt that Claire was going to win her over eventually because Claire was just a good person. Everything about her was genuine and kind. With Ruby’s dream, no other person would have been better suited to help her achieve such things.

I am a big fan of all A. L. Brooks stories and Chasing Dreams did not disappoint. It was a fantastic plot, with memorable and loveable characters and settings, a feel good purpose, and lots of off the chart chemistry between two amazingly strong women. A beautiful romance, with heart and sentiment that I just cannot recommend enough.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my monthly if Hallmark was queer read. It hits all the easy going romance feels. Quaint setting, enemies-to-lovers trope, and dream project coming to fruition. Just the kind of thing to help a person reset for the changing of the seasons. Thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Ylva Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

[Neen Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before now I have only read one other A.L Brooks book and I loved it. But having read Chasing Dreams I’m definitely scurrying off to get her back catalogue sooner rather then later.

There is so much I loved about this book so let me break down some of my favourite points and ramble a bit more about others.
- Amazing seamless and realistic safe sex. I have no idea how she did it but the author managed to incorporate a safe sex scene that was smooth and natural and still sexy while also managing another scene discussing characters last tests and checks in a way that is believable.
- Mature characters (mostly lol) who actually think before they dive in.
- Realistic and well rounded characters with their own unique personalities, lives and dreams seperate from each other. They both have pasts and lives, scars and fears that influence their decisions and reactions in the world.
- Side characters that I adore who are just as real as the main characters. Extra shout outs to Shannon, Katie, Ned, and Wayne.
- Writing that is beautiful and encompassing.

Yes, it’s true the story starts with an enemies to lovers trope but even that didn’t feel as pitted against each other as is often the case. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my fair share of the binary tropes - sunshine vs grumpy etc. but I truly adored that neither of the main characters were ‘perfect’ or ‘the bad one’. I loved that they were both wonderfully flawed and brilliant in such a human way. They are both on their own journeys of facing very real and painful pasts and fears, and they do this for themselves. Yes they find each other and it helps them face these things … they don’t NEED each other to sand down any rough edges.

And if that hasn’t given you the desire to read it … damn, the sex scenes throughout the book are simply delicious. 😉

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Chasing Dreams is a slow burn enemies(ish) to lovers romance. Claire is burnt out from her morally questionable but very profitable job in finance in New York, and decides to leave it all behind to open an inn in a small town. Unfortunately, the property she buys is the one that Ruby has had her eye on for years to start her animal shelter.

Ruby initially holds Claire responsible for taking away her dream, but their mutual attraction overtakes Ruby's animosity. Still, both women have a difficult history that makes them reluctant to open up emotionally and commit to a relationship.

Ruby and Claire are both likeable characters; Ruby's initial dislike of Claire is irrational but understandable. Ruby's extended family plays an important part in the story; they and the friendly small town wear the story is set make the story especially cosy.

The plot is slow moving and more slice of life than intricate narrative. The book would only have been enhanced by more small town details, and I would enjoy reading another book set there.

[Fran Sappharc · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s fine, but I am used to more than fine from this publisher, so feel I am maybe being harsh. The mains are okay. The secondary characters are okay but nothing really zings.
I haven’t read many books where there is an open relationship and although this had one at the start, it was just there rather than 3 dimensional. Also unusual to read a book where precautions are taken. There was no real, to me, tension or barrier to the mains that I could get behind. Yes there was fear of being hurt but it wasn't sold to me. The book passed the time, but there was no urgency from me to find out what happened next. However the epilogue was the best written part for me. If you are looking for a book to pass the time you've found it! I liked this quote..... "And I, like everyone else, deserve to be happy and to be respected". Good words to live by.

[Theresa Costello · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was well written. The characters were solid and well thought out. The town was charming but felt real. But... nothing happened. Like really nothing. I guess there was a lot of self-psychoanalizing and some sex but other than that it was like an in-depth HGTV show with Queer women. No drama. No real problems or obstacles to overcome. If you like mixing rice pudding with vanilla ice cream then this book is for you.

[isa Simonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is great, the cover is awful

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good low-angst book with open communication and fun characters so this was a hit across all those items on my checklist. A very easy read, a sweet romance, and a great small-town setting.

[Sascha Broich · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC from Ylva for review*

This is a city-to-small-town story. Claire is fed up and unsatisfied with her job in a finance company. So she procures a dilapidated property and starts a fixer-upper.
Meanwhile Ruby, a small town librarian who had set her eyes on the same property, gets sidelined. So naturally she clashes with Clair. And that clash is only fueled by the attraction between them.
With the help of Ruby's friend Katie they get to talk and acknowledge their chemistry.
So over the course of the book they get closer, but it needs some pushes and an emergency to couple them.
While Ruby is the stereotype of a small town librarian (female, single, lesbian, loves animals and children), Claire isn't your typical big-city-shark. That makes her as likeable as her counterpart.
Both have baggage. Ruby from previous relationships and Claire from her family. But luckily they have some helpful friends who give them a push or two.
The support characters aren't completely fleshed out but they aren't cardboard cutouts either.
Mostly the story concentrates on our two main characters, but it doesn't feel like a chamber play. Even the animals don't steal the show, which is positive for the book.

This is a solid book and a pleasant read.

[Lyn Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our two MCs didn’t get off to the best of starts but gradually they learned to put aside past hurts, reach for their dreams and recognise life is too short to not let happiness into their orbit. Add a group of small town characters, a cat and a donkey to the mix and, well, happy-ever-after reigns.Four and a half stars.

[Minna Perälä · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up

[K.J .]

There’s a saying (there’s not but there should be) that it’s all very well chasing your dreams but if you don’t know what those dreams look like, then all you’re doing is playing Marco Polo with air.

You have to close your eyes in Marco Polo, but Chasing Dreams reminds us that if you open them, things become a lot more clear.

Claire Pressley (super-dooper corporate-y type person) lives in New York but decides to leave her mega-business life, and move to Eagle Cove in Oregon to renovate a homestead and turn it into a gorgeous guesthouse.

Eagle Cove’s beloved town librarian Ruby Jordan is having none of that, thanks very much. That homestead has been on her wish-list to buy for ages with the land it sits on ready for her planned animal shelter.

It doesn’t matter. The homestead’s sold, Ruby’s gutted, and Claire feels that maybe moving to the small town might now be a pretty crap idea. Except it’s not. Because life has a way of recalibrating itself, like when you give your SatNav a decent whack and it recalibrates itself.
Chasing Dreams should resonate with many people, particularly with all of our lockdowns and such as we reevaluate our lives, our days, our jobs, our dreams.

Superficially, this story is about two women who get together because one moves to the town where the other woman lives. They clash. The one who moves buys a property that the other one wanted. They solve their problem. There’s sex. Bing bang boom. They’re together. 

But to reduce this story to… I just did. Sorry, Angela. 

But! There are so many layers to this novel. It’s very AL Brooks; here’s a light story, but look under here, over there, between these lines and you’ll discover such a wonderful commentary on elements of life. I love it.

Claire has some baggage. She’s got veritable suitcases of life crap which she’s trying to toss out of the car as she moves to Eagle Cove. Her job, all glass and aluminium, stomps on smaller businesses and Claire’s level of distaste for that is now too much to consume. She’s also a little bit done with the friends-with-benefits situation she has going. Well, the benefits are nice, but Claire wants that one special person to share all those benefits with. Forever.

Oh! Speaking of sex—we were—a little segue here. Another thing that Brooks does well is write safe sex seamlessly into a story. It’s not shoehorned into a scene like an oddly-shaped sex toy. Want to know how to add dental dams into a foreplay conversation and still make it sexy? Read this book. 

Right. Dreams. Chasing them.

So, Ruby. For a little while in the story, I wanted to grab her shoulders, glare into her eyes like a slightly demented aunt, and tell her to get out of her own way. This reaction was mainly about her dream of purchasing the Pruitt property. It was there, the dream, but Ruby wallows beautifully in her nearly-but-not-quite pity party of ‘I need more time, I need a bit more money’.

So, when Claire sweeps in and buys the property, Ruby has to reassess her dreams. Reassessing dreams is very confronting. It makes the now-lost dream quite stark rather than just a vague, warm fuzzy wish. And when something’s confronting, either you suck it up, or you redirect blame. Claire becomes the metaphorical flag-bearer in Ruby’s what-else-can-go-wrong? parade. Hardly fair, but that’s what we do when our dreams are whisked away.

This is where I needed to sit down with both Claire and Ruby, probably in Ginny and Bill’s diner, and tell them that sometimes chasing a dream means to let go of it. That’s sounds crazy, but hear me out. If you’re so focused on a thing, you either can’t see anything else or you strangle the life out of that thing simply through the power of the ten-thousand laser beams coming from your eyeballs. A dream can be such a fixation that it’s no longer a dream. Because if you step back from a dream, kind-of-but-not-quite let it go, you can let it breathe.

Luckily, Claire and Ruby unclench a little from their dream—the property dream. The dream that can be analysed and they use their head to think about. Ha! But they’ve both got another dream. That one sits in each of their hearts. And that dream is very hard to unclench from. Hearts don’t listen to reason and logic and ideas about unclenching.

To do that means to be vulnerable. Ruby and Claire each have a dream of a forever person but both have chosen to not acknowledge that dream. They’ve both tossed that dream away. Sort of. We give up on our dreams because we’re scared. It’s much safer to sit in a bright and shiny awful that you hate because it’s awful and there’s so much awful rather than travel through the often hazardous forest to get to that dream.
Because that means you have to be vulnerable.

For much of the story, I felt Ruby was the most vulnerable. Yes, Claire has the biggest kind-of physical life stuff to let go of in order to chase her dream, and therefore she should be the most vulnerable. After all, she’s completely back flipped on her life to move to Eagle Cove to start a new life. 
But Ruby? She’s allowing her heart to chase her dream—the new dream with Claire in it—and that makes her seem much more susceptible to hurt.

Claire has to work through the workplace trauma and misplaced guilt from the Cobb deal. She blames herself, but in letting that guilt go, she gives herself permission to also chase her dream. 
Again, I find myself sitting in a booth at Ginny and Bill’s diner, sighing at Claire and Ruby, who sit tentatively, their shared Mac and cheese forgotten on the table.

Unless you give yourself permission to chase your dreams, you’re not really going after those dreams at all. They may as well be small talk at a party.

“So, what are your hopes and dreams?”
“Oh. Perhaps a retreat for women.”
“Lovely. Well, something to look forward to when you retire? Fill in your free time, right? Hors-d'œuvres?

Ruby works out her dream earlier than Claire. Then, we get the great character development thing (proper author-y word) that Brooks does so well in all her novels; Ruby and Claire talk to each other. As adults. Adulting about wishes, and waiting, and holding open the door of your dream so that when the other one is ready, you can walk through together.
But! Then they don’t communicate. Brooks makes sure there’s just enough sharing out loud as there is sharing inside their own heads, which is true to life. When you think about it.

It’s very difficult to chase something if the sandbags of past relationships, past ideals, past justifications hold you in place and your dream skitters on ahead. Ruby and Claire’s (and Shirley and Pete’s - you’ll see) sandbags get foisted over the side and it’s a clear road because now they can catch it. The dream.

Claire comes to Eagle Cove to chase—to catch—one dream; the property. Which is Ruby’s dream property. Who knew that a caught dream brings other dreams along for the ride?

[Sue Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

its very true you have to chase your dreams

ruby has a dream, she wants to help injured animals and hopes to buy a property that is close to town and can get more people to visit and help those animals

but her dreams are ripped from her when someone else buys the property

clare has also has a dream..... she has walked away from her way of life and is starting out on her own... and she has bought the house of her dreams

when clare and ruby meet its explosive ....its just as clare is signing the paperwork for the house and ruby is mad

a fun read that highlights that sometimes you just need to go for what you want in life

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley & Ylva publishing for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! An unexpected favorite of mine - 4.5 stars rounded up!

This book took me a little while to get into, but after the first few chapters I was fully engrossed in Claire & Ruby's story! This book had such heart to it, I loved learning about Eagle Cove and the supporting characters. Unlike some other romance books I've read in the past, you really got to understand the world that is Eagle Cove and get a full picture of who Claire and Ruby are, separately and together. My favorite thing by far about this book was how mature the characters were! I adored the amount of communication Ruby and Claire had about where they were at, where they were going, and what they were ready for. These conversations aren't always the easiest, but it was so refreshing seeing two characters talk things out rather than letting miscommunications drive the plot. It felt substantive, engaging, and heartwarming.

I was beyond pleased with the ending and felt like the Epilogue perfectly wrapped things up for me, giving me just enough information about where their future was taking them, but not too much. Overall, I loved this book and will absolutely be seeking out anything else that AL Brooks writes in the future!

[Tempe Luvs Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful slow-burn romance between two women who had previously been deeply hurt in their relationships. They both had to learn to trust again before they could both give and accept love.
Claire was a successful venture capitalist in NY, but was fed up, quit and purchased a gorgeous old homestead in Eagle Cove, Oregon. It was her dream to renovate and create a bed and breakfast for women.
Ruby was the local librarian who also had dreams involving the homestead. She had continued to save up so she could create an animal shelter out of the homestead. The book unfolds to tell of what they went through to reach both of their dreams.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t even have a review.. I was just so bored.