Wishing on a Dream

by Julie Cannon

Tobin Parks has been described as a cross between Janice Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Joan Baez, Reba McIntyre, and a little bit of Elvis thrown in for balance. She’s at the top of every chart, and with her sultry voice and bad girl image, she has no trouble attracting screaming fans to her concerts, women to her bed, and paparazzi to her doorstep.

Kiersten Bradley is riding the wave of her dream. The inventor and CEO of JOLT, a popular energy drink, Kiersten is having a phenomenal year of success. When Tobin Parks comes knocking on her door asking JOLT to be the sponsor of her next guaranteed blockbuster tour, Kiersten passes. Linking her company’s name to Tobin’s is a public relations nightmare waiting to happen. Both professional and personal sparks fly when the two strong-willed, very public women meet. Kiersten will not risk everything she has worked for, even for the chance to make millions, and Tobin is determined to have JOLT has her sponsor.

Genres: LGBT, Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Romance, Lesbian Fiction, Audiobook

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Julie Cannon is a native sun goddess born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. She is a corporate stiff by day and dreamer by night. She has nine romance novels and five short stories published by Bold Strokes Books. A recent transplant to Houston, Julie and her partner Laura live on the lake with their two kids, two dogs and a cat.

Reviews

[Pin · Rating 3 out of 5]

What might have been but is not...

Wishing on a Dream could have been a great romance, instead it is just average. All the elements are there -- an interesting premise, intriguing protagonists with a well thought out age gap in their relationship, their chemistry palpable, very sensual intimate scenes, great dialogue...

But Cannon, very surprisingly for such an experienced writer, wavered and stumbled in too many scenes. Closer to the end of the book, I thought she would be able to pull off at least a fine, strong ending, but unfortunately she finished lacking depth, lacking great emotions, too short in everything. She missed her chance for an awesome love story, and ended with just a mediocre one.

Despite my disappointment entitled what-might-have-been-but-is-not, this book is a good way to spend a couple of hours.

3 stars

Jan 12, 2017

*eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars. I've been a fan of Cannon for a long time. Some of her latest books, have been a bit up and down for me. The beginning of this book had me worried, but I definitely warmed up to the story more, as the book continued.

The book is about Kiersten, the CEO of the popular energy drink JOLT. While growing up wealthy, Kiersten did not have the most loving parents or a great childhood. Shes worked hard to transform herself and her business into a success. When she gets the news that famous rock star and out lesbian, Tobin, wants to be sponsored by JOLT, Kiersten thinks it's a horrible idea. Tobin has a bad reputation as a player. Not too mention Kiersten has a bit of a crush on her. And business and pleasure can never mix for Kiersten. Tobin decides to have Kiersten spend a month on tour with her, to see the real Tobin. Will Kiersten take the chance? And if she does, can business and pleasure stay separate?

At first I was having a real problem with Tobin. She was the kind of character that picked a new girl or girls to sleep with every night on tour. It just was not too appealing to me, and I kept thinking about STD's, which I'm sure Cannon did not have in mind when writing this. As the book wore on, I started to soften up to Tobin. How much was really her, or what she thought she was suppose to be. After that I started to enjoy the book more. Kiersten could be a little stiff, but I liked her character. There was absolutely chemistry between Tobin and Kiersten, and I found myself hoping for a HEA. I found some of the angst to be a little blah and predictable, but I still enjoyed the book.

If you are a fan of Cannon and like a younger/older romance, this book might be right up your alley. It has a few small issues, but overall it was a good read.

An ARC was given to me by Bold Strokes Books, for a honest review.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been in an odd reading mood. All I've been feeling like for the last week has been romance and short stories. This was one of a couple of romance novels I'd pulled off my queue between SpecFic anthologies and it was probably the better of the two.

Kiersten Bradley is a self-made millionaire in her mid-30s and CEO of an energy drink company. Tobin Parks is a hit pop singer in her mid-20s. Both have success in life beyond expectations, and both have conquered difficult childhoods to get where they are. When Tobin wants to become associated with Kiersten's company as a spokesperson, the two are pushed together with some interesting chemistry.

The best romance novels give good backgrounds and full lives to their characters as well as showing the characters growing through their relationships and how their lives change accordingly. This book pretty much nails that. The romance is also quite believable even though both these characters have serious insecurities.

A very minor quibble, but after all that drama in the middle of the book, I would have loved to see Kiersten's horrible family's reaction to the end of the book.

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this book was just okay..both character were too contradictory..all the issues and flaws written about in this story was very confusing and did not make any sense what-so-ever. As far as the supporting cast goes,they popped up to provide nudges in the action part of the writing then the author put a little teaser here and there for readers at least to enjoy. The thing that i did not like about this book was the author making implication about one of the character missing out on sex as if that's what everyone lives for (having sex)....surprise ending...

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Wishing on a Dream” is narrated wonderfully by Paige McKinney. I open my review with this comment because I’ve recently been listening to many books via VoiceDream, instead of by human narrators (thanks, Amazon….for your huge audible price increases!). Paige reminds me that (1) human narrators are far superior to robo-voices, and (2) even a terrific narration can’t really save a dull book.

MCs Tobin and Kiersten are both annoying throughout the book, and their slow-burn relationship is also annoying. Both are financially hugely successful, but there is a bit of the rich-girl/poor-girl trope because of their very disparrent family backgrounds.

Why 25yo Tobin is determined to get 36yo Kiersten to sponsor her music tour isn’t clear….sponsors must be lining up based on Tobin’s success. Tobin isn’t looking to modify her player behavior, and even as she begins to like Kiersten as a friend and person, she recognizes that she treats her shabbily with her base attempts at seduction over romance.

Kiersten is both attracted to Tobin, and repelled by her promiscuity. The book makes sure we know of her conflicted feelings. Over. And. Over. Again. And Again.

I just never felt the slow-burn romance was anything more than a lesfic romance….I never got that feeling that I was listening to a love story between two “real” women. The ending felt artificial, given the characters, but I always wish fictional characters well with their HEA. I rate “Wishing on a Dream” 2.8*, and I’m rounding up because of the narration to an overall 3* - meh.

ps - there is a little steaminess, but not nearly as hot as with many other first-time-lesbian stories.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Was this story perfect? Not exactly, but what story is? Did it give me the feels? Hell yes, and that’s what makes this story a winner for me.

A 36-year-old virgin who was an overweight and insecure teenager with a picture perfect mother, and a 25-year-old who grew up in a trailer park with parents who couldn't give a crap about her, made for unique and engaging characters. Be still my heart!

Kiersten and Tobin took their sweet time getting their act together. More than once I wanted to bang their heads together, but I also understood they had a lot of issues, together and individually, to deal with first.

Despite the slow start to this story, by the mid-point I was hooked and the ending left me sated and happy!

Copy generously provided by the publisher, via NetGalley.

[Les Rêveur · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly before i write this review i have to say that i love Julie Cannon Novel normally so this its unusual to write a review less that 4 stars for her novel.

From the beginning i couldn't get into the story. I felt the synopsis gave so much potential and promise but i was left feeling disappointed. Firstly I wasn't keen on Tobin's attitude about her 'Our Tour' Persona. She defended her lifestyle more than once by saying it's a image she has to portray. I just couldn't get my head around how sleeping with a her groupies/fans each night something any decent person would do just for a image. Which made me question her as a person? now if she was sleeping around for fun and/or trying to get over someone i think i would have been more on board with her sudden change of heart when it came to Kirsten but unfortunately it made me feel she was a little fake.

If i could forget the above i actually think the relationship between Kirsten and Tobin could have been something special. The built up to the HEA to a little long but when it got there it was well received. I think the book needed a epilogue or a least another chapter to round it off.

All in all i was left feeling a little underwhelmed. But i still love the author and will be checking out whatever comes next. 2 stars.

[Danni Mladenovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

*The copy provided by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc. in exchange for an honest review.*

Tobin Parks is famous, mega-popular, mega hot music star. Wherever she goes, whatever she does, dozens of girls and women want to be around her, want to be with her; Kirsten Fellows, CEO of a multi-million dollar company producing energy drinks, want to roll her eyes whenever someone mentions the name Tobin Parks. She's not thrilled about Tobin's lifestyle, about rumors going around, and she's definitely not thrilled about doing business with her, even though Tobin wants her to. Their lives couldn't be more different, considering the fact they come from very different background, but they are unusually and inexplicably drawn to each other.
Kirsten is something Tobin doesn't usually have around - she's mature, responsible, has developed her own business, and she's very hard working and grounded. She also hopes there is more to Tobin than her Lothario image media created. Is there more or is it just her hope and belief?
The book practically reads itself. Its written skillfully, has a great development, both characters have dept to them; each of them has a background story they want to hide and never talk about it in their life, but in spite of their effort, it comes to the surface. I loved reading this book, and loved every part of it!

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC provided by Netgalley and the Publisher for an honest review*

I have read some of this authors earlier works and really enjoyed them so I was looking forward to reading this book because I know that I enjoy Julie Cannons style of writing.

This book is about two successful women, who have come from different walks of life and have faced their own challenges in order to achieve that success.

At first I thought the author would go in the direction of making Tobin into the spoilt diva who Kiersten has to put in her place but as I read further into the book I really started to like the storyline that she gave her characters.

My problem with this book lies not in the story line or the characters, instead it lies in the telling of the story. I found that the author dragged the story on for far too long and tended to over explain certain things which took away from the intimacy of a moment between the reader and the character.

I think there is room for this book to be tightened up and if it were, I think it would definitely be a favourite but as it stands ;the end wasn't worth the wait, for me.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the audiobook, it left me blushing at times at work.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This was a good book, but it had a lot more potential than what I could see. The book was moving along steadily; it wasn't until the last chapter or so that I was disappointed, and my rating went down a star. The movement and backstory of both characters made the reading and movement of the book very worthwhile. Though I felt as we progressed we lacked on the emotional state of Tobin, I wanted more. This was a great simple read; you won't be disappointed if you want a quick romantic journey.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this is a little shocking, but this is only my 3rd book read written by Julie Cannon. So far all three have been kind of meh for me. I am not overly impressed with this book. I think it is a decent read, but not a book I will remember reading. I enjoy age gap books. This one really came down to characters for me. I didn’t enjoy Tobin, and while I liked her more by the end of the book I just found her kind of gross in the beginning. The majority of the time I felt Kirsten deserved better. By the end I was happy, but the beginning really left me wanting more. I think if you are a Cannon fan you should give it a go, or if you are looking for a simple book but not expecting too much this could be the book for you. I doubt I will reread in the future, but by far not a bad read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be good. I think it could have been great....but lacked some depth. The premise was good. The characters started off being well-developed but then fell flat toward the end. I liked the first person narrative from both viewpoints.

I received a ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Pippa D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiersten Bradley is the creator and CEO of an energy drink that is competing in a tough market. Keeping ICE popular in the market, and managing a large and growing enterprise, Kiersten doesn’t have time for a personal life.

Tobin Parks, is just as focused on her career. A singer/songwriter on the top of the charts for the last few years, Tobin’s hard work and fantastic talent have really paid off. An out and proud lesbian, with a huge group of screaming fans wanting to be in her bed, Tobin has no trouble finding a different woman every night to release the high after thousands of adoring fans have enjoyed a high energy concert.

Tobin is convinced that having her next tour sponsored by ICE is a great idea, and the two will compliment each other and both parties will make millions. However, the public only know the astonishing public performer, and the speculation about Tobin’s sexual antics while on tour, both of which is such great fodder for the paparazzi and the gossip magazines. Kiersten isn’t sure that the public persona of Tobin Parks will work for ICE, but there is more to Tobin than the brand she has so carefully constructed. Is that something Tobin is willing to share, and how will they manage the blistering hot attraction they have to one another?

Kiersten is likeable and capable. She’s a go-getter in her business life, but a complete wallflower when it comes to a social life. Tobin is very different, with a different woman every night and a determination never to let anyone get close enough to hurt her. The two characters have an interesting dynamic, and the tension between the two kept me turning the pages to see how they would resolve it.

I enjoyed the ebb and flow as they gradually became closer to one another, and there was a lot of heat between the two, which came across really well on the page. This was well handled by Cannon, and her experience as a writer showed clearly in this part of the story.

This book took a while to get going, but the pace increased and the story developed into something much more compelling. There was a lovely build up throughout the middle of the book, introducing other characters to help expand the story a little, and encompass a bit more of the background from each of the main characters. It gave them a bit more depth, which I liked.

Many of these celebrity romances have a lot of external influences from the media and how that impacts on the characters in profound ways. This book has some of those elements, but they seemed to be more tempered and Cannon was more concerned with how the characters dealt with their internal struggles rather than the impact of external pressures. I think it was more interesting for me as a result.

I found the book easy to keep reading, and I liked the ebb and flow of the building relationship of the main characters. This is a diverting romance between strong women at the top of their game.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two main characters come from totally different backgrounds, but it was totally believable that they would be attracted to each other and eventually find a way to make it work

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story that had me totally hooked. Loved the continual chit-chat that told both stories. Reduced me to tears - ending sharp, but otherwise perfection.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big fan of Julie Cannon! Love this author.

I just didn't like this book. The book is from two different perspectives so it felt like scenes just repeated themselves. The book is too long and it's also a slow start. The story had potential, I like the dialogue at times between the two characters. It's not a bad read; for myself the way the Julie Cannon 'told' the story is the problem. It has a lot of magic in the characters, it's I never found it in the pages.

ARC provided by Publisher for an honest review.

[M.E. Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a reread. I had the ebook but wanted the hard copy. Very sensual writing. Good character development, likable characters who are both strong women from different worlds.

[A Shrimp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook version, which is very well narrated. So the audiobook definitely has that part down.

Overall, it's an okay story, but I felt like it should've been half the length - if that.

The audiobook is about 9 hours, but there is so much unnecessary and often repeating inner monologue, it felt like a drag to me. Sometimes, the inner monologue starts with one topic and then goes on to explain what seems to be half of the character's backstory. Often these monologues spend minutes at a time just droning on about this and that, while I really just want to get back to the story.

And for the sheer amount of unnecessary information dumped on the reader, I really couldn't build a connection to any of the characters. It's a classic example of "Show, don't tell": I would rather learn about the characters organically through their behaviour and choices than through those constant, interrupting inner monologues. Especially when it's basically the same inner monologue that happened 10 minutes earlier, about the exact same topic.

While I expect some exposition at the start of a book, it just never stops. The story is constantly getting interrupted for another long winded piece of background information, memory from the character's past, unnecessary dream sequence or just rambling that often goes nowhere. It's way too much of that, while there is very little actual story.

For example, I really don't care what kind of lawnmower the character is using every Saturday... Especially when it's not currently Saturday: so why exactly do we need this information now? When the book literally stated the make and model of a lawnmower, I knew this wouldn't get better. Instead of spending 2 minutes talking about a lawn, you could just state it smells of freshly cut grass from the recently mown lawn and move on. The reader doesn't need to know about every little detail.

Other than that, there are a few unfortunate issues with phrases like "could care less...", where it should be "couldn't care less", or "not hardly" instead of just "hardly", an experienced writer shouldn't make.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age is but a number. Communication is essential. Opposites do attract, but so does common ground. Image is sometimes based on perception rather than reality. Communication is still essential. Peeling back the layers, being true to yourself and allowing the vulnerability to show is a gift that opens doors into the hearts of others. This was a great book!

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

This was a beautiful story! The characters were so well developed. The story line was a well scripted and smoothly developed plot! I enjoyed every bit of it and could not put it down till the very end! Well done!

[Becky Rosenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little predictable, but still an entertaining story.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was emotional with both characters having issues which they solved together.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy a good romance, but this is not one of Ms. Cannon’s best books. The plot of the story was good. The two main characters are Kiersten Bradley, a self-made business entrepreneur, and Tobin Parks, a pop-music star at the top of her career. These characters were well developed.

There is a lot of chemistry between the two main characters. Ms. Cannon brings out the characters’ positive and negative personalities. Kiersten is one who is successful and charitable but is inexperienced with women. Tobin is also successful and creative but has a reputation of being a womanizer. As the story progresses, the reader is provided with the opportunity to learn more about the individuals’ personalities.

What I did not like was the transition between the chapters. Instead of having a smooth transference, I found it to be extremely choppy. Often, I would complete a chapter and there would be a big jump to another scene thus forcing me to figure out what was happening. In addition, the story jumped back and forth between Tobin and Kiersten which caused confusion as to who was carrying that thread of the story.

I can only give this book 3 out of 5 stars because of the disjointed manner in which the book was written. The story and characters were good but could not carry the book enough to get a better rating.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books in return for an honest review.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.*

3.5 stars

I've read quite a few of Julie Cannon's books, so I was excited to have the opportunity to review Wishing on a Dream. Cannon is an experienced author and her practice in this craft shows. This was a fun read.

I think that my favorite aspects of this plot line was the attention to detail about Tobin's life. From her relationships with her neighbors, to life as a performing artist Cannon did a wonderful job presenting what felt like a realistic depiction of the life of a famous musician. The same level of detail was paid to Keirsten's life, and her professional and personal experiences/relationships also felt believable.

Unfortunately this is where believable ends. I just couldn't quite figure out the chemistry between these two women. I wanted to believe their connection, but it just didn't have the spark the author wanted it to have. There was a ton of time spent on Keirsten's status as a virgin and the time she spent thinking about sex. It was ridiculous and sadly not believable. Not because the plot couldn't be possible, but just because of the way it was presented. She sounded like a whining 18 year old rather than a mature CEO in her 30s.

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

The buildup for the two MC's characters/background and their chemistry was very good.

Had to DNF when the romance was precipitated by an unnecessary and uncharacteristic action taken by one of the MCs. This tainted my view of her strength of character and made the romance unbelievable. Sigh.

[JF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed . The book pulled me in I was enjoying it until the last couple of chapters . It just fell flat for me and the end was blah .