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Beyond Time #1
Dreamspell
A TIME TO LIVE. A TIME TO DIE. A TIME TO DREAM. Sleep disorders specialist Kennedy Plain has been diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. When her research subject dies after trying to convince her he has achieved dream-induced time travel and her study is shelved, she enlists herself as a subject to complete her research. But when she dreams herself into 14th-century England and falls into the hands of Fulke Wynland, a man history has condemned as a murderer, she must not only stay alive long enough to find a way to return to her own time, but prevent Fulke from murdering his young nephews. And yet, the more time she spends with the medieval warrior, the more difficult it is to believe he is capable of committing the heinous crime for which he has been reviled for 600 years. Baron Fulke Wynland has been granted guardianship of his brother's heirs despite suspicions that he seeks to steal their inheritance. When the king sends a mysterious woman to care for the boys, Fulke is surprised by the lady's hostility toward him--and more surprised to learn she is to be his wife. But when his nephews are abducted, the two must overcome their mutual dislike to discover the boys' fate. What Fulke never expects is to feel for this woman whose peculiar speech, behavior, and talk of dream travel could see her burned as a witch.
358 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2012
461 people are currently reading
1631 people want to read
About the author
Tamara Leigh
70 books967 followersTamara Leigh signed a 4-book contract with Bantam Books in 1993, her debut medieval romance was nominated for a RITA award, and successive books with Bantam, HarperCollins, and Dorchester earned awards and appeared on national bestseller lists.
In 2006, the first of Tamara’s inspirational contemporary romances was published, followed by six more with Multnomah and RandomHouse. Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie, Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award, and Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award.
In 2012, Tamara returned to writing historical romance with the release of Dreamspell and the bestselling Age of Faith and The Feud series. Among her #1 bestsellers are her general market romances rewritten as clean and inspirational reads, including Lady at Arms and Lady of Conquest. In late 2018, she released Merciless, the first book in the new AGE OF CONQUEST series, followed by Fearless and Nameless, unveiling the origins of the Wulfrith family. Psst!—It all began with a woman. Watch for Heartless in Spring 2020.
Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.
Connect with Tamara at her website www.tamaraleigh.com, Facebook, Twitter and tamaraleightenn@gmail.com.
In 2006, the first of Tamara’s inspirational contemporary romances was published, followed by six more with Multnomah and RandomHouse. Perfecting Kate was optioned for a movie, Splitting Harriet won an ACFW Book of the Year award, and Faking Grace was nominated for a RITA award.
In 2012, Tamara returned to writing historical romance with the release of Dreamspell and the bestselling Age of Faith and The Feud series. Among her #1 bestsellers are her general market romances rewritten as clean and inspirational reads, including Lady at Arms and Lady of Conquest. In late 2018, she released Merciless, the first book in the new AGE OF CONQUEST series, followed by Fearless and Nameless, unveiling the origins of the Wulfrith family. Psst!—It all began with a woman. Watch for Heartless in Spring 2020.
Tamara lives near Nashville with her husband, a German Shepherd who has never met a squeaky toy she can’t destroy, and a feisty Morkie who keeps her company during long writing stints.
Connect with Tamara at her website www.tamaraleigh.com, Facebook, Twitter and tamaraleightenn@gmail.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
June 21, 2017
4.5 stars
What a great romance! I loved the author's writing. I was impressed by how she could write a sentence that could so beautifully capture a moment or description. I loved both the hero and heroine. The secondary characters were great, as well as the mystery which was not fully solved until near the end of the book. The epilogue was short, but very satisfying. The only negative for me, which was not a big deal, was that this was not my favorite take on time travel, but it was different and unique :)
Safety
What a great romance! I loved the author's writing. I was impressed by how she could write a sentence that could so beautifully capture a moment or description. I loved both the hero and heroine. The secondary characters were great, as well as the mystery which was not fully solved until near the end of the book. The epilogue was short, but very satisfying. The only negative for me, which was not a big deal, was that this was not my favorite take on time travel, but it was different and unique :)
Safety
November 2, 2018
I'm adding Tamara Leigh to my favorite authors list. 😍 She combines the storytelling of Laini Taylor with the romantic tenderness of Amy Harmon. Love her!!! And this book gets 5 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️! I listened to it every available second and wanted to listen to it even when I couldn't.
The premise was totally cool. Kennedy is a 28-year-old doctor specializing in sleep disorders. And, oh yeah, she has brain cancer and is probably going to die any day now. One of her patients, Mac, insists that he is able to travel back in time—through his dreams—to a place that he read about in a book. Kennedy dismisses his tales as the wishful delusions of a dying man. But then Kennedy falls asleep after reading the same book and... there's Fulke...
I'm not going to say any more, except that you need to read this book. It's so well-conceived and well-written. BONUS: No graphic sex scenes.
The premise was totally cool. Kennedy is a 28-year-old doctor specializing in sleep disorders. And, oh yeah, she has brain cancer and is probably going to die any day now. One of her patients, Mac, insists that he is able to travel back in time—through his dreams—to a place that he read about in a book. Kennedy dismisses his tales as the wishful delusions of a dying man. But then Kennedy falls asleep after reading the same book and... there's Fulke...
I'm not going to say any more, except that you need to read this book. It's so well-conceived and well-written. BONUS: No graphic sex scenes.
June 15, 2012
From the gorgeous cover, to the whirlwind story of dreams and time travel, Dreamspell by
Tamara Leigh is a book you don't want to miss!!! The characters are endearing, the story is unique and unlike anything else I have read! This wonderful novel swept me away right from the beginning! I love the balance between the two time periods, the twenty-first century in America and fourteenth century England. The dialogue between the characters kept me smiling and I appreciated the humor found between people conversing from two different time periods. This book is so great that even when I got sick and should have been sleeping, I was up reading! So prepare yourself to be up late turning page after page because you won't be able to put this one down! Dreamspell is jam-packed full of emotion, romance and mystery! The ending was beautifully done and I am rarely ever satisfied with endings of books! Tamara Leigh has written a beautiful and amazing novel! I am anxiously awaiting what she will write next! Five stars for a brilliant read!!! *****
I received this book for free. This is my honest review.
Tamara Leigh is a book you don't want to miss!!! The characters are endearing, the story is unique and unlike anything else I have read! This wonderful novel swept me away right from the beginning! I love the balance between the two time periods, the twenty-first century in America and fourteenth century England. The dialogue between the characters kept me smiling and I appreciated the humor found between people conversing from two different time periods. This book is so great that even when I got sick and should have been sleeping, I was up reading! So prepare yourself to be up late turning page after page because you won't be able to put this one down! Dreamspell is jam-packed full of emotion, romance and mystery! The ending was beautifully done and I am rarely ever satisfied with endings of books! Tamara Leigh has written a beautiful and amazing novel! I am anxiously awaiting what she will write next! Five stars for a brilliant read!!! *****
I received this book for free. This is my honest review.
April 28, 2019
About the actual story :
I loved it so much ❤ Here's a quick expalnation.
Kennedy (girl) has little time left to live ,and even less to live for . She and her husband divorced ,so nkw all she has going for her is her career as a sleep disorder specialist.
Long story short she somehow "dreams" her way to Middle Ages England. She is thrust in the middle of an ambush where she finds herself mistaken for a lady ,Lady Lark . Unfortunately for her Lady Lark is no real lady , she's the king's cast off Mistress * hold your horses this is a clean book kids * .
Now before Ken finds herself in England she is given a book about a Lord called Fulke who is infamous for his cruelty . According to history he murdered his two young nephews.
Well guess who just happens to rescue her after the ambush ...why Lord Fulke of course . 😱 Ken becomes torn between her life in the Middle Ages where she tries to keep up her facade as a lady ,and trying to figure out how Lord Fulke is the man who killed his nephew's . In her own world she tries to learn to live through the painful progression of the last stages of cancer .
Now on to the real drama kids :
Now being infamous for being thought to be the King's mistress puts Kennedy in a lot of shall we say uncomfortable positions .
(I'd like to note that I'm reading the clean version of this that the author edited after she became a Christian so that really explains the whole mistress thing .)
So Kennedy within the first fifty pages has to adjust a lot to Medival culture shock . She accidentally reveals her legs to Fulke at least three times which makes him think she's a very lose women,which leads to some "slut shaming " and of course a vulgar propostion of his own , which is why I really hated his guts at first .
The third time he saw her legs was because he came into her room to fetch her for dinner ...erhhm excuse me that's not really proper behavior during the Middle ages I'd think. Fulke just waltzes in while she's sleeping and when she wakes up her legs were showing for which he scolds her !! *PAUSE THE SHOW* Role reversal Sir ...if she was to come in and you were just half naked ...whose fault is that hers or yours...obviously hers for intruding am I right???
There were other points where I was just shaking my head and being like *no* .
Do you really have to remind us that Lady Lark was a Mistress like every two seconds . That was my only real complaint .
My only " word of praise " for Fulke was that he wasn't good looking ,and I know that sounds strange but it was a breath of fresh air for me that he was normal looking and not a Greek statue . * if you know what I'm saying *
So I'd recommend this ...just to older readers like 17/18 plus if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable .
I loved it so much ❤ Here's a quick expalnation.
Kennedy (girl) has little time left to live ,and even less to live for . She and her husband divorced ,so nkw all she has going for her is her career as a sleep disorder specialist.
Long story short she somehow "dreams" her way to Middle Ages England. She is thrust in the middle of an ambush where she finds herself mistaken for a lady ,Lady Lark . Unfortunately for her Lady Lark is no real lady , she's the king's cast off Mistress * hold your horses this is a clean book kids * .
Now before Ken finds herself in England she is given a book about a Lord called Fulke who is infamous for his cruelty . According to history he murdered his two young nephews.
Well guess who just happens to rescue her after the ambush ...why Lord Fulke of course . 😱 Ken becomes torn between her life in the Middle Ages where she tries to keep up her facade as a lady ,and trying to figure out how Lord Fulke is the man who killed his nephew's . In her own world she tries to learn to live through the painful progression of the last stages of cancer .
Now on to the real drama kids :
Now being infamous for being thought to be the King's mistress puts Kennedy in a lot of shall we say uncomfortable positions .
(I'd like to note that I'm reading the clean version of this that the author edited after she became a Christian so that really explains the whole mistress thing .)
So Kennedy within the first fifty pages has to adjust a lot to Medival culture shock . She accidentally reveals her legs to Fulke at least three times which makes him think she's a very lose women,which leads to some "slut shaming " and of course a vulgar propostion of his own , which is why I really hated his guts at first .
The third time he saw her legs was because he came into her room to fetch her for dinner ...erhhm excuse me that's not really proper behavior during the Middle ages I'd think. Fulke just waltzes in while she's sleeping and when she wakes up her legs were showing for which he scolds her !! *PAUSE THE SHOW* Role reversal Sir ...if she was to come in and you were just half naked ...whose fault is that hers or yours...obviously hers for intruding am I right???
There were other points where I was just shaking my head and being like *no* .
Do you really have to remind us that Lady Lark was a Mistress like every two seconds . That was my only real complaint .
My only " word of praise " for Fulke was that he wasn't good looking ,and I know that sounds strange but it was a breath of fresh air for me that he was normal looking and not a Greek statue . * if you know what I'm saying *
So I'd recommend this ...just to older readers like 17/18 plus if that sort of thing makes you uncomfortable .
April 14, 2018
This is a fantastic book. I loved how two noble, foible, and polar opposite people overcame misconceptions and distrust to find that rarest of treasure---truest love. The kind to kill for. The kind to die for. The kind that lasts throughout eternity. Their adventure was grand, elaborate, and held moments of humor. The suspense kept me guessing. The journey this book allowed me to share was more than delightful, it was memorable. One last thought---this book, in my humble opinion, can boast of having one of the best endings ever written.
October 13, 2014
Time travel through dreams? Now there's a new twist on my favorite genre niche. I love time travel romances, and when I discovered that Tamara Leigh is a Christian author, of course I grabbed it.
Doctor Nedy Plain is dying of a brain tumor, and she's spending her last days immersed in a study of her own sleep disorder. Finally succumbing to sleep after days of deprivation, she dreams herself into fourteenth century England where she crosses paths with Fulke Wynland, a man condemned and remembered throughout history for killing his young nephews. Can she stop him and save the boys' lives before her own life is spent?
Dreamspell is mainstream clean romance (not Christian fiction), and the sensuality is high in places--for example, the hero is taking a bath and the heroine walks in and stays to talk to him, and then takes a bath after him while the hero is supposedly sleeping. I'm not used to mainstream fiction -- the characters I usually read are growing and changing spiritually throughout the book, and perhaps that missing element distanced me from Fulke and Nedy. Nedy's attitude toward her ex-husband, Graham, bothered me. Even if he had failed to cut Mama's apron strings, Graham seemed to be a good man who loved Nedy and wanted to reconcile with her. Failure to leave and cleave is no reason to give up on a marriage, and Nedy's choices made her seem shallow and driven by her feelings.
My nitpicking aside, Dreamspell is a fascinating story, with well-paced action and suspense. Kudos to the author for such an imaginative, interesting read. The epilogue was one of the best I've ever read and it had me in tears. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy mainstream clean romances, time travel, and medieval history, and to women who have lost their hair and other womanly features to radiation treatment. Fans of Bergren's "River of Time" series may also love this one. :-)
Doctor Nedy Plain is dying of a brain tumor, and she's spending her last days immersed in a study of her own sleep disorder. Finally succumbing to sleep after days of deprivation, she dreams herself into fourteenth century England where she crosses paths with Fulke Wynland, a man condemned and remembered throughout history for killing his young nephews. Can she stop him and save the boys' lives before her own life is spent?
Dreamspell is mainstream clean romance (not Christian fiction), and the sensuality is high in places--for example, the hero is taking a bath and the heroine walks in and stays to talk to him, and then takes a bath after him while the hero is supposedly sleeping. I'm not used to mainstream fiction -- the characters I usually read are growing and changing spiritually throughout the book, and perhaps that missing element distanced me from Fulke and Nedy. Nedy's attitude toward her ex-husband, Graham, bothered me. Even if he had failed to cut Mama's apron strings, Graham seemed to be a good man who loved Nedy and wanted to reconcile with her. Failure to leave and cleave is no reason to give up on a marriage, and Nedy's choices made her seem shallow and driven by her feelings.
My nitpicking aside, Dreamspell is a fascinating story, with well-paced action and suspense. Kudos to the author for such an imaginative, interesting read. The epilogue was one of the best I've ever read and it had me in tears. I'd recommend it to those who enjoy mainstream clean romances, time travel, and medieval history, and to women who have lost their hair and other womanly features to radiation treatment. Fans of Bergren's "River of Time" series may also love this one. :-)
December 21, 2012
I wish I knew what made Tamara Leigh's books so magical, because I'd bottle it and sell it (or maybe give it away, if I was feeling philanthropic) to all the other authors out there. First, she managed to make me like chick lit. Then she sucked me into time-travel romance, a genre I don't often read and is (in my opinion) rarely done well.
"Dreamspell" is a keeper. From an interesting premise of HOW time travel happened to a engaging mystery in her medieval world, I was glued to every world. And her heroes... yep, I always like her heroes. Fulke Wynland is no different.
I particularly like how she wrapped up the contemporary story at the end, giving a satisfying conclusion to both the medieval and modern storylines. Very well done. Do I suspect there might be another book to be written here? Ah, allow me my er, dreams...
"Dreamspell" is a keeper. From an interesting premise of HOW time travel happened to a engaging mystery in her medieval world, I was glued to every world. And her heroes... yep, I always like her heroes. Fulke Wynland is no different.
I particularly like how she wrapped up the contemporary story at the end, giving a satisfying conclusion to both the medieval and modern storylines. Very well done. Do I suspect there might be another book to be written here? Ah, allow me my er, dreams...
May 5, 2013
“Is that—?”
“Venison.”
“Bambi?”
So there are some ridiculous things in this. But they made me laugh. Kennedy tries to pull off 20th century popular culture gags in the 14th century and is surprised when they haven't seen the Wizard of Oz. But in a way, you can excuse her for just throwing out whatever she wants because she's convinced it's a dream. She has this easy confidence about her because either way, she knows that she is at death's door.
I liked that Kennedy slipped in and out of her “dream”. It made it more interesting for her to disappear into thin air in the 13th century.
Fulke and Kennedy have a fun relationship. They're constantly bickering and trying to one up the other. At the same time, they dance the slow dance of attraction and falling in love.
Fulke - “Do not sulk. I abhor sullen women.”
Kennedy - “All the more reason I should sulk.”
Fulke is not an attractive dude. I was glad, because I don't really like long hair on guys anyway.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Towards the end, a bit iffy, but the dialogue is good and kept me interested.
“Venison.”
“Bambi?”
So there are some ridiculous things in this. But they made me laugh. Kennedy tries to pull off 20th century popular culture gags in the 14th century and is surprised when they haven't seen the Wizard of Oz. But in a way, you can excuse her for just throwing out whatever she wants because she's convinced it's a dream. She has this easy confidence about her because either way, she knows that she is at death's door.
I liked that Kennedy slipped in and out of her “dream”. It made it more interesting for her to disappear into thin air in the 13th century.
Fulke and Kennedy have a fun relationship. They're constantly bickering and trying to one up the other. At the same time, they dance the slow dance of attraction and falling in love.
Fulke - “Do not sulk. I abhor sullen women.”
Kennedy - “All the more reason I should sulk.”
Fulke is not an attractive dude. I was glad, because I don't really like long hair on guys anyway.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. Towards the end, a bit iffy, but the dialogue is good and kept me interested.
September 28, 2014
This was a pretty good book. I liked that I didn't predict where it was going. I really liked Fulke. I started reading this book thinking I wouldn't get too into it. I was wrong. It sucked me right in.
July 24, 2020
What a wonderful introduction into the world of author Tamara Leigh! This story had it all...time travel, romance, and mystery as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely tale and would highly recommend it anyone. This is also a *clean read* for those who appreciate and prefer these types of romances. Without a doubt, I will be definitely be reading more from this author in the future and have already acquired a few books of her popular "Age Of Faith" series to delve into next!
March 29, 2019
Time travel through dreams brought on by sleep deprivation — very interesting plot.
I have to review Dreamspell as a secular book because if there's any faith element within this book it is merely peripheral. A few sections would have been fairly inappropriate should this be considered Christian Fiction.
However, it certainly kept my interest, was superbly written... and the surprise epilogue? Whew! Had me crying. I didn’t see that one coming!
The audio version of this book was very well done. A pleasure to listen to.
I have to review Dreamspell as a secular book because if there's any faith element within this book it is merely peripheral. A few sections would have been fairly inappropriate should this be considered Christian Fiction.
However, it certainly kept my interest, was superbly written... and the surprise epilogue? Whew! Had me crying. I didn’t see that one coming!
The audio version of this book was very well done. A pleasure to listen to.
April 6, 2017
3.5 stars
June 14, 2017
"Even I would have killed for thee.
And now I shall die for thee."
AMAZING. This book is simply amazing and I LOVED it.
Kennedy Plain is a 21st-century sleep disorders specialist. she enlists herself as a subject to complete her research, that has been shelved after she is forced to take a medical leave because of her brain tumor. She spends her every waking hour on her research. Finally, after eighty-six hours of sleep deprivation, she falls asleep and wakes up in the 14th century England, where she meets Fluke Wnyland, a Baron who history has condemned as a cold-hearted murderer who killed his own nephews to gain the title of Earl and whom Kennedy hates.
Fluke Wnyland even after being opposed by many was granted the wardship of his nephews, John and Harold. Many suspects he had a hand in the death of his brother and so thinks that the boys are not safe with him. Only after the boys are kidnapped do people actually believe that he truly cared for the boys and in fact had no hand whatsoever in his brother's death.
Dreamspell is one of the best novels I have ever read. This book had everything an amazing and smooth flowing storyline, well written, understandable and (almost) relatable characters, a mystery to find who was planning to kill John and Harold (Fluke Wnyland's nephews), a beautiful heart touching romance across time. this book was a page-turner I couldn't put down. Truly this book is amazing.
Dreamspell is my first book by Tamara Leigh and I really liked it and can't wait to read more of her books. She is an awesome Author and has an amazing writing style.
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November 5, 2025Review made Feb 2018
1.5
Wow, I have a very unpopular opinion about this book apparently
Basically I hated the whole thing but in particular:
The characters' emotions were so forced--nobody felt real. It just seemed like they were following a script the entire time and the only reason they made any decision was because the writer would give them a random, uncharacteristic thought/spike of emotion just to get the plot moving or give "drama".
The male interest was actually pretty creepy (he was supposed to be the dark, manly but broken type)--telling Nedy that he could bed her immediately if he wanted, forcing her into kisses, and constantly making sexual references. I know that the author intended it to be kinky, but it's like this book was written by a hormonal 12 year old girl who just made up an environment/plot just for the purpose of writing cliche and overused romance scenes.
The classic "She looks to his back and sees it is covered in scars of his past. She meets his gaze and suddenly sees a dark shadow cover his masculine profile. Then he seized her and kissed her passionately and even though she didn't want it she found herself kissing back for reasons that she will question herself for over the next 50 pages. Then he whispered against her mouth, 'You are mine, Lady Lark'"
Do you catch my drift.
This was not a real love story. They were not in love. They were just very physically attracted to eachother--and that is not how realistic and sincere relationships should begin. That is how little teenager girls fantasize them beginning
I don't understand the 4.15 rating
1.5
Wow, I have a very unpopular opinion about this book apparently
Basically I hated the whole thing but in particular:
The characters' emotions were so forced--nobody felt real. It just seemed like they were following a script the entire time and the only reason they made any decision was because the writer would give them a random, uncharacteristic thought/spike of emotion just to get the plot moving or give "drama".
The male interest was actually pretty creepy (he was supposed to be the dark, manly but broken type)--telling Nedy that he could bed her immediately if he wanted, forcing her into kisses, and constantly making sexual references. I know that the author intended it to be kinky, but it's like this book was written by a hormonal 12 year old girl who just made up an environment/plot just for the purpose of writing cliche and overused romance scenes.
The classic "She looks to his back and sees it is covered in scars of his past. She meets his gaze and suddenly sees a dark shadow cover his masculine profile. Then he seized her and kissed her passionately and even though she didn't want it she found herself kissing back for reasons that she will question herself for over the next 50 pages. Then he whispered against her mouth, 'You are mine, Lady Lark'"
Do you catch my drift.
This was not a real love story. They were not in love. They were just very physically attracted to eachother--and that is not how realistic and sincere relationships should begin. That is how little teenager girls fantasize them beginning
I don't understand the 4.15 rating
December 5, 2014
Oh my...just finished this. Sigh...."Loved it" doesn't even begin to accurately portray my feelings. But it will have to suffice. I LOVED it. From the beautiful cover (I have the newer redone edition), to the timeless romance, to wondering how the mystery would unravel, I enjoyed the entire ride! Tamara Leigh has jumped to the top of my favorite authors list over the past few months. She has an incredible gift for story-telling. I completely immerse myself into her stories and can see the entire thing play out in my mind like a gorgeous movie...and as with all her other books, I am extremely sad my time with Fulke and Nedy has come to an end. But oh, that epilogue! Perfect.
I loved each and every page of Fulke and Nedy's love story...theirs is a love story that will stay with me long after I've read it (but that's the beauty of owning the book--I can re-read it whenever I want)! :)
Do yourself a favor and bump this to the top of your to-read list. You won't regret it!
I loved each and every page of Fulke and Nedy's love story...theirs is a love story that will stay with me long after I've read it (but that's the beauty of owning the book--I can re-read it whenever I want)! :)
Do yourself a favor and bump this to the top of your to-read list. You won't regret it!
April 13, 2012
Dreamspell had me spellbound! Loved the premise - a scientist, who is dying from cancer, studies sleep deprivation and accidentally discovers the path to time travel. It could be her escape, if she believed her findings. This book holds adventure and romance and has plenty of twists. I highly recommend it.
October 1, 2012
Read this review in InD'Tale magazine!
http://indtale.com/reviews/dreamspell
http://indtale.com/reviews/dreamspell
August 30, 2016
Very well written time travel romance. Had a little of everything.
July 9, 2019
I dragged myself to finish this book!! And that’s rarely happens when it comes to time travel-romance. The concept of “how to time travel” here is quite original with “sleep deprivation” kinda reminds me of the movie Flatliners though. However, I don’t like the concept being able to get back to “present day” when the body wakes up. And from there it gets REALLY confusing. At first I thought Kennedy jumped into fiction world kinda like kdrama W, but then it’s a reality of the past?!? Ehmmm.. NOPE I don’t like to think when it comes to trashy romance, yes I categorize this as trashy romance.
PS: I might missed A LOT of details since I skimmed a lot of pages.
PS: I might missed A LOT of details since I skimmed a lot of pages.
August 21, 2018
In the present day, Dr. Kennedy Plain is a sleep disorder researcher who is dying of a brain tumor. One of her patients, Mac (Arthur) claims to be able to dream himself back in time after long periods of sleeplessness, and in the past, he is free of his disability and completely whole. He also suspects that if he could be allowed to die, in the present, while in one of his dreams, he'd be allowed to stay in the past permanently. Nedy thinks he's lost his grasp of reality, but when he dies and she's put on medical leave, she continues the research by attempting to dream herself back into the past, in the same history story that Mac has been involved in. She's surprised to find herself in medieval England with Fulke Wynland, who history proved had murdered his young nephews in order to claim their title of Earl and who had also apparently murdered Lady Lark, the woman he believes Nedy to be. At first, Nedy honestly believes that Fulke is the villain in this story, but as she and Fulke become closer, she realizes that history has it wrong and tries to figure out who the real villain is. But Nedy's constant disappearances and interference between Fulke and his adversary, Arthur (Mac), lose her much of Fulke's trust. And when he learns that she is only pretending to be Lady Lark, he becomes convinced she is a villain. And so, Nedy has to do what she can to save Fulke, now that history has changed and he will die, to save his nephews and to stay in the past to claim her love.
I really liked this story as a whole. I liked the time travel theory of being able to dream your way back in time through sleep deprivation, having never seen that one before. I also liked the mystery story in the past, as Fulke and Nedy/Lark try to figure out who the villain is and how they interact together. There is some time-travel humor that Nedy uses to keep things light hearted, but I wasn't a huge fan of that. But a great deal of that came from Nedy's refusal to believe that she was actually in the past and not just dreaming. And I struggled quite a bit with this refusal to believe, since nothing she was experiencing was remotely dream like, all the characters had very in-depth personalities and lived, existed and experienced realities while she was away from them and she even noted that the story (as she had it in the present) kept changing everytime she went back.
I don't understand why it was so dificult for her to grasp that reality, and besides, what did she have to lose in believing in it? Where this book really shines is with the emotional aspect - particularly with the relationship between Fulke and Nedy and the relationship between Nedy and her mother. Goodness, but that final sleep scene was enough to get me teary-eyed. So kudos to the other for infusing quite a bit of emotion and even passion in this story (despite it being a clean romance).
Now I should note that I have an overly analytical mind that almost always latches on to some small detail and won't let it go. As much as I love time travel stories, this is one genre that almost always has an event or happening that makes me sit up and go "No! That's against the rules of time travel!" For example, a character goes back in time, changes something and then returns to the present with absolutely no change to the present. That's kinda/sorta what happened here. In this story, there's the question of actual action vs. intent - when Nedy intends to return to the past to save the nephews, shouldn't that have automatically changed the course of history since she's then already done it (in the past)? For that matter, since the only reason she went to the past was to save Fulke's life, once she'd already done that she'd then eliminated her reason for going to the past and then all should have been null and void. Unless we're working with the theory of alternate versions of reality and she simply time traveled to a different reality (in which case, Fulke wouldn't be able to sense the previous version having happened, which he did). You see what happens to me when I read time travel? Finally, there's the big, mother kahuna mistake in my book. The last time that Nedy travels back to the past, she aims to arrive BEFORE she originally left. This means that there should have been two of her there at the same time...because she hadn't yet left for the present. But when Fulke goes to see her (where she'd been before she left), she's no longer there. And Mac is all, "she returned to the present" and knew exactly what she'd done before they ever had the conversation about what she was going to do. But how was that possible? Originally she hadn't left until after the fire, so she should still be sitting in that cell until after the fire, even as her future self gallivants around the castle. Yes, I know, most people will tell me to stop taking this stuff so seriously or lighten up or to even stop reading time travel romance, but sometimes it's done right and I'm not left with those questions. And sometimes the mistakes are so small that I can let them go, but this was a lot for me to think on and this kind of mistake takes me out of the story quite quickly.
So overall a good story and these time travel issues do not stop me wanting to read more of Tamara Leigh's stories. She seems to be an excellent writer and I'll look for more from her.
I really liked this story as a whole. I liked the time travel theory of being able to dream your way back in time through sleep deprivation, having never seen that one before. I also liked the mystery story in the past, as Fulke and Nedy/Lark try to figure out who the villain is and how they interact together. There is some time-travel humor that Nedy uses to keep things light hearted, but I wasn't a huge fan of that. But a great deal of that came from Nedy's refusal to believe that she was actually in the past and not just dreaming. And I struggled quite a bit with this refusal to believe, since nothing she was experiencing was remotely dream like, all the characters had very in-depth personalities and lived, existed and experienced realities while she was away from them and she even noted that the story (as she had it in the present) kept changing everytime she went back.
I don't understand why it was so dificult for her to grasp that reality, and besides, what did she have to lose in believing in it? Where this book really shines is with the emotional aspect - particularly with the relationship between Fulke and Nedy and the relationship between Nedy and her mother. Goodness, but that final sleep scene was enough to get me teary-eyed. So kudos to the other for infusing quite a bit of emotion and even passion in this story (despite it being a clean romance).
Now I should note that I have an overly analytical mind that almost always latches on to some small detail and won't let it go. As much as I love time travel stories, this is one genre that almost always has an event or happening that makes me sit up and go "No! That's against the rules of time travel!" For example, a character goes back in time, changes something and then returns to the present with absolutely no change to the present. That's kinda/sorta what happened here. In this story, there's the question of actual action vs. intent - when Nedy intends to return to the past to save the nephews, shouldn't that have automatically changed the course of history since she's then already done it (in the past)? For that matter, since the only reason she went to the past was to save Fulke's life, once she'd already done that she'd then eliminated her reason for going to the past and then all should have been null and void. Unless we're working with the theory of alternate versions of reality and she simply time traveled to a different reality (in which case, Fulke wouldn't be able to sense the previous version having happened, which he did). You see what happens to me when I read time travel? Finally, there's the big, mother kahuna mistake in my book. The last time that Nedy travels back to the past, she aims to arrive BEFORE she originally left. This means that there should have been two of her there at the same time...because she hadn't yet left for the present. But when Fulke goes to see her (where she'd been before she left), she's no longer there. And Mac is all, "she returned to the present" and knew exactly what she'd done before they ever had the conversation about what she was going to do. But how was that possible? Originally she hadn't left until after the fire, so she should still be sitting in that cell until after the fire, even as her future self gallivants around the castle. Yes, I know, most people will tell me to stop taking this stuff so seriously or lighten up or to even stop reading time travel romance, but sometimes it's done right and I'm not left with those questions. And sometimes the mistakes are so small that I can let them go, but this was a lot for me to think on and this kind of mistake takes me out of the story quite quickly.
So overall a good story and these time travel issues do not stop me wanting to read more of Tamara Leigh's stories. She seems to be an excellent writer and I'll look for more from her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2020
It’s a rare thing for a kindle freebie to be not only good but great and this one was all that. The time travel, the romance, the second chances were all captivating and engaging far beyond my expectations. I enjoyed every bit.
March 16, 2024
This was my first but not my last by Tamara Leigh
I met Tamara at a book conference and all the readers were talking about how great her books are so I had to give them a try. I started with this one and I loved it. I read it first in KU and then bought it because I will be re-reading it.
I was so invested in their stories. This was time travel done well!
I have already purchased two more books by Tamara.
I highly recommend this one. Might just be my favorite.
I met Tamara at a book conference and all the readers were talking about how great her books are so I had to give them a try. I started with this one and I loved it. I read it first in KU and then bought it because I will be re-reading it.
I was so invested in their stories. This was time travel done well!
I have already purchased two more books by Tamara.
I highly recommend this one. Might just be my favorite.
July 29, 2022
I rather enjoyed this time traveling adventure. It brought everything to the table that you'd expect from a Tamara Leigh novel. Knights, swords, mystery, angst, and romance. I just love this author! Her stories never disappoint!
Want to read
December 2, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/2/2019)! 🎁
October 16, 2021
Actually I liked this book.
Not some extraordinary story, but good enough. It's mix of time travel and romantic story. Time travel books are my books, but romantic - not exactly. That's why 3.5 stars.
In fact, what I liked the most, is the hope at the end.
Because of that, I would like to believe.
Not some extraordinary story, but good enough. It's mix of time travel and romantic story. Time travel books are my books, but romantic - not exactly. That's why 3.5 stars.
In fact, what I liked the most, is the hope at the end.
Because of that, I would like to believe.
June 11, 2020
4.5
I love the new cover for this one. I grabbed a copy of this a couple years ago when it was on sale, I started it but for some reason didn't connect with it and put it aside to try another time. Now that I have read Ms. Leigh's other medieval stories I had to give this a try again and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed it so much more this time around.
Kennedy Plain is a doctor who studies dreams and sleep patterns. One of her patients comes to her and tells her he is able to travel back through time in his dreams. The time-travel aspect I had a hard time wrapping my mind around. In this case, they were able to travel through time after they had deprived themselves of sleep for so long and then I guess went into an extremely deep sleep, awakening in the past. Not only did they travel back in time, but they physically went from our present Las Angeles to Medieval England. I can suspend belief enough to accept time travel, but I usually like it if the traveler comes and goes from the same location (i.e. leaves LA our time and arrives in LA in the past). Not sure why it matters to me, but it makes it easier for me to buy into I guess.
Anyway, I ended up really enjoying this one. I liked Kennedy's story and how the past and present worked into the story. I loved the ending. Kennedy arrives in the past and takes on the identity of Lady Lark, it takes her a long time to realize she wasn't just dreaming. She is rescued by Baron Fulke Wynland, who she thinks is a bad guy from things she read in our present time. I thought Fulke and Lark/Nedy had a fun relationship. I liked how it progressed from "enemies" to friends to true love. There is a mystery going on, took me a little while to figure out who the "bad guy" was.
I had a hard time putting this one down and stayed up way too late to finish it. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. As usual, Ms. Leigh was able to weave in the historical details without making it feel like a history lesson. I do wonder about some of their practices though A fun read and one I would recommend.
Content
Romance: Clean, mild innuendo
Violence: Mild-Moderate
Religious: None-mild, nothing preachy just true to the time period
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I love the new cover for this one. I grabbed a copy of this a couple years ago when it was on sale, I started it but for some reason didn't connect with it and put it aside to try another time. Now that I have read Ms. Leigh's other medieval stories I had to give this a try again and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed it so much more this time around.
Kennedy Plain is a doctor who studies dreams and sleep patterns. One of her patients comes to her and tells her he is able to travel back through time in his dreams. The time-travel aspect I had a hard time wrapping my mind around. In this case, they were able to travel through time after they had deprived themselves of sleep for so long and then I guess went into an extremely deep sleep, awakening in the past. Not only did they travel back in time, but they physically went from our present Las Angeles to Medieval England. I can suspend belief enough to accept time travel, but I usually like it if the traveler comes and goes from the same location (i.e. leaves LA our time and arrives in LA in the past). Not sure why it matters to me, but it makes it easier for me to buy into I guess.
Anyway, I ended up really enjoying this one. I liked Kennedy's story and how the past and present worked into the story. I loved the ending. Kennedy arrives in the past and takes on the identity of Lady Lark, it takes her a long time to realize she wasn't just dreaming. She is rescued by Baron Fulke Wynland, who she thinks is a bad guy from things she read in our present time. I thought Fulke and Lark/Nedy had a fun relationship. I liked how it progressed from "enemies" to friends to true love. There is a mystery going on, took me a little while to figure out who the "bad guy" was.
I had a hard time putting this one down and stayed up way too late to finish it. I had to keep reading to find out what would happen next. As usual, Ms. Leigh was able to weave in the historical details without making it feel like a history lesson. I do wonder about some of their practices though A fun read and one I would recommend.
Content
Romance: Clean, mild innuendo
Violence: Mild-Moderate
Religious: None-mild, nothing preachy just true to the time period
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Read
May 8, 2025While it wasn’t my favorite ever, I still was very entertained and read this one quickly once I got into it.
November 30, 2017
This book had a lot going for it in many ways. It was a good story, romantic and exciting with an original concept, but there was just a lot that I could not get on with in it as well.
One major complaint was the historical inaccuracies, myths and wrong assumptions about the Middle Ages. Many were the usual ones: almost everyone had rotten teeth (despite the fact that most people's diet was largely free of the major cause of tooth decay: processed sugar) were superstious, ignorant and terrified of witches; so terrified they would tie anyone to the stake who wore funny clothes or spoke stangely.
Yet there were no laws against witchcraft un England until the mid-16th century, and even before that a person could only be convicted for heresy (which is what people were actually burned for: though not often).
Other aspects were just annoying for their implausibilty or condascension: arranged marriages are always unhappy, and so the true love of Edward III's life was some random made-up scullery maid: and not Philippa of Hainault, his Queen whom he met and my all accounts, fell in love with when they were teenagers.
Also, the part where the hero was basically touching 'Nedy up in her sleep was just creepy: and weird. Sorry, but there you have it. For most of the rest of the book he was OK, attractive even, but that part kind of sours the pot.
Finally, there was one point about the mechanics of time travel that I found inconsistent, but it was a minor niggle. Nedy disappeared from the past when she woke up and returned to to present: but why did she not disappear in the present when she was transported back to the past? It would imply she was in two places and times simultanesouly, or that her experiences were actually no more than a dream, and not physical travel through time.
I probably will read this book again at some point, but I don't know: I suppose I'd like to see less depicting Medieval people as if they were stupid barbarian savages. They invented spectacles, the Mechanical clock, the blast furnace, and the heavy plough; I think they deserve a little more credit.
One major complaint was the historical inaccuracies, myths and wrong assumptions about the Middle Ages. Many were the usual ones: almost everyone had rotten teeth (despite the fact that most people's diet was largely free of the major cause of tooth decay: processed sugar) were superstious, ignorant and terrified of witches; so terrified they would tie anyone to the stake who wore funny clothes or spoke stangely.
Yet there were no laws against witchcraft un England until the mid-16th century, and even before that a person could only be convicted for heresy (which is what people were actually burned for: though not often).
Other aspects were just annoying for their implausibilty or condascension: arranged marriages are always unhappy, and so the true love of Edward III's life was some random made-up scullery maid: and not Philippa of Hainault, his Queen whom he met and my all accounts, fell in love with when they were teenagers.
Also, the part where the hero was basically touching 'Nedy up in her sleep was just creepy: and weird. Sorry, but there you have it. For most of the rest of the book he was OK, attractive even, but that part kind of sours the pot.
Finally, there was one point about the mechanics of time travel that I found inconsistent, but it was a minor niggle. Nedy disappeared from the past when she woke up and returned to to present: but why did she not disappear in the present when she was transported back to the past? It would imply she was in two places and times simultanesouly, or that her experiences were actually no more than a dream, and not physical travel through time.
I probably will read this book again at some point, but I don't know: I suppose I'd like to see less depicting Medieval people as if they were stupid barbarian savages. They invented spectacles, the Mechanical clock, the blast furnace, and the heavy plough; I think they deserve a little more credit.
April 19, 2012
Time travel? Oh, yes! I love a good time travel story, and Tamara Leigh has managed to seamlessly blend the 21st and 14th centuries in Dreamspell. The form of travel was unique and creative, and I liked how it didn't revolve around a machine or sophisticated science. The sheer simplicity of it very much added to the "meant to be" feeling.
Often times medieval stories can be slightly over-whelming for me with their huge casts of characters and many confusingly similar locations, however that was mostly not a problem in Dreamspell. The cast of characters is just the right size, big enough for lots of interaction yet small enough so you don't find yourself losing track of people. I enjoyed seeing the vast differences between the time periods, and watching Kennedy have trouble fitting into a 600 year old culture was particularly entertaining. Even showing just a small part of her lower leg was considered scandalous!
I was blown away by how incredibly perfect the ending and epilogue were. Often times epilogues don't really thrill me, however this one is just awesome; I could so clearly and vividly see the events unfolding on the "movie screen" inside my head. (Speaking of movies, Dreamspell would be an excellent candidate for a movie, and I hope someday we have the opportunity to see Kennedy and Fulke on the big screen!) In the meantime, if you're a fan of time travel, make sure to pick this one up... I think you'll enjoy it.
(Though Tamara Leigh has gained popularity in recent years for her inspirational novels, Dreamspell is actually more of a mainstream title. For those concerned with content, be assured that even though the characters aren't religious, the story and language do stay clean and within boundaries of acceptability.)
Often times medieval stories can be slightly over-whelming for me with their huge casts of characters and many confusingly similar locations, however that was mostly not a problem in Dreamspell. The cast of characters is just the right size, big enough for lots of interaction yet small enough so you don't find yourself losing track of people. I enjoyed seeing the vast differences between the time periods, and watching Kennedy have trouble fitting into a 600 year old culture was particularly entertaining. Even showing just a small part of her lower leg was considered scandalous!
I was blown away by how incredibly perfect the ending and epilogue were. Often times epilogues don't really thrill me, however this one is just awesome; I could so clearly and vividly see the events unfolding on the "movie screen" inside my head. (Speaking of movies, Dreamspell would be an excellent candidate for a movie, and I hope someday we have the opportunity to see Kennedy and Fulke on the big screen!) In the meantime, if you're a fan of time travel, make sure to pick this one up... I think you'll enjoy it.
(Though Tamara Leigh has gained popularity in recent years for her inspirational novels, Dreamspell is actually more of a mainstream title. For those concerned with content, be assured that even though the characters aren't religious, the story and language do stay clean and within boundaries of acceptability.)
November 6, 2012
Dreamspell is a wonderful novel from beginning to end and one that I didn't want to put down! I was a little worried at first that I might not like the book, but I enjoyed reading it much more than I thought I would. The idea of dream-induced time travel was unique and amazing! I have read others novels about time travel, but for people to be able to travel through time they always needed either a time-machine or the person had a genetic condition that allowed them to time travel. So the idea of it being something that anyone could do, if they had the willpower to deprive themselves of sleep for the amount of time required, was refreshing. Even though I hated it when I reached the last page, the ending was fantastic! I definitely recommend Dreamspell to anyone who loves historical fiction or time travel books.
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