To Dream Again

by Laura Lee Guhrke

Lovely widow Mara Elliot has little time for dreams or passion as she struggles to save her small London factory, until the arrival of handsome inventor Nathaniel Chase, her unwanted new business partner. Original.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Victorian, Adult, Regency

453 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

About the author

From the publication of her very first historical romance, Laura Lee Guhrke has received numerous honors and critical acclaim for her novels and her writing style. She has been honored with the most prestigious award of romance fiction, the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, and she has received additional awards from Romantic Times and All About Romance. Romantic Times has proclaimed her, “One of the most natural voices in historical romance to be found today”. Her books routinely hit the USA Today Bestseller List, and Guilty Pleasures has been honored with the Romantic Times Award for Best European Historical Romance of 2004. Among her publishing credits are twelve historical romances, including her latest, And Then He Kissed Her, now available from Avon Books.

Laura is currently hard at work on her thirteenth historical romance for Avon Books. She has also written articles for various publications, including the Romance Writers Report, The British Weekly , and the Irish-American Press.

Reviews

[Tammy Walton Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading historical romance novels for more than 30 years (not counting a 10 year hiatus when I thought they were silly) and by now have gotten to know the standard heroine types quite well.

There's the Mary Sue, TSTL, feisty spitfire, spinster, bluestocking, ugly duckling, the beatific one, the ditsy one, and on, and on, and on. That's not even counting all the little sub-types -- there are endless combinations and permutations of them.

Normally, this works quite well for me - it means you can almost always find something in a heroine to identify with. The problem starts when the main trait shown by the heroine is the thing you like least about yourself. That is not a comfortable feeling. It makes what would normally be an entertaining read into something quite angsty. While I can completely understand the heroine's motivation, it's cringe-inducing to see the worst part of yourself front and centre. And while you love the Hero for trying to get past her bullshit to wonderful person beneath (because, of course, it's your bullshit and the wonderful person beneath is you) on the other hand it's hard to not to want to yell at him for putting up with it.

That's where I sit with To Dream Again, one of the first books by Laura Lee Guhrke.

It's the story of Mara Elliott, owner of a small factory. She was married to an inveterate dreamer - she spent years left holding the bag and cleaning up his messes as he flitted about from one scheme to another. Shortly after he left for his last flight of fancy their daughter died in a fire and Mara was left completely alone. She is closed up, shut down and shoulders responsibility for everything - terrified of being alone, yet at the same time even more afraid to reach out to anyone. At the same time she gets notice that her husband has died in a mine cave-in in California, Nathaniel Chase arrives from America and appears on her doorstep, fresh from meeting with her husband. He's ready to become partners in her factory and begin making toys.

The rest of the book is a battle of wills between Mara and Nathaniel, as he tries to get past her bullshit (and there is a LOT of it, including a cruel streak) and she struggles not to fall in love with yet another version of her husband, the dreamer. Throw in a big bad villain and a neglected little boy who melts Mara's heart and brings the protagonists together and call it done. The story itself was interesting and kept me reading but it suffered from "throw-all-the-conflict-and-the-kitchen-sink-and-showdown-with-the-villian-and-wrap-up-all-loose-ends-and-have-an-HEA-into-the-last-20-pages" syndrome.

For anyone who has read Lavyrle Spencer's book The Gamble (published 7 or 8 years before this one) they will recognize this story almost immediately, down to the almost-orphan boy hanging around the factory. Unfortunately, I think Spencer did it better. Her heroine was way more likeable than this one and the Hero was a gambler with a southern accent (yum).

So at the end of the day, would I recommend this? Probably not. I doubt LLG would recommend it either, I think it's OOP for a reason. The only reason I did read it was because of my ridiculous tendency to want to read an author's back list chronologically. I obviously didn't learn a thing from Scandalous.

If you're looking to read Laura Lee Guhrke, go read And Then He Kissed Her. Much, much better. :D

(Or The Gamble if you want a repressed, uptight heroine.)

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give it a 4 because Laura Lee is a gifted writer and I liked the book.

*Minor spoilers*

I can see how some people might have been annoyed by the heroines stubbornness, but I thought LLG did a great job with her development. Our heroine had been burned, literally and figuratively. She lost a child to fire, lost a husband to wanderlust and lost her chance to succeed in business to sexism. She had every damn right to be angry at the world. Our hero pissed me off with his laissez faire attitude. I agreed with our heroines judgment of him- because he was a man, he could stand to lose. He could take chances. He could laugh off losses because behind the next corner was another opportunity for him. He didn't understand her anger or her

and well...




The romance was sweet, no complaints there. The villain was OTT...but it worked well.

[SuperWendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this back in 2005 - and this was my first reread of it. I still loved it, but the pacing issues were a bit more "in my face" this go around. It does sag in spots but the emotional heft of this story more than makes up for those quibbles. I loved how Gurhke addressed the heroine's fears. She's a woman, in the late 19th century - at the mercy of men, with little agency. She's all out of f*cks when this story opens - her young daughter killed in a fire, her husband with itchy feet who keeps breaking promises and chasing get-rich-quick schemes. Now her husband is dead, the factory she's kept afloat in his absence is going to go under because the bank is calling in the loan - ironically because her husband is dead. Never mind she's been the one running the business. Enter stage left the hero, who pulls her factory back from the brink only to tell her they're going to build children's toys. Another dreamer. Another man with his head in the clouds.

Is it perfect? No. But it's emotionally challenging with a prickly heroine written back in the day when prickly heroines were nearly unheard of.

Note: published originally in 1995 the hero's Chinese mistress has not aged well. She's off-page and blessedly the word "exotic" isn't used nor is it implied that she "schooled the hero in the sensual arts" - but it's still not great. And frankly the mention of a mistress at all is pretty unnecessary to the story in general. I suspect it was added because back in 1995 a virgin hero wouldn't have been the norm and some throwaway sentences about a mistress would have been code for "Don't worry romance readers - our hero knows what he's doing!"

The villain is a bit over-the-top, but it's 2020 and having seen the things I've seen - what I would once have deemed as "over the top" is now? Well, not so much.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

To Dream Again felt very thoroughly original for a historical romance, and it will absolutely be the perfect read for many. In fact, my friend reviews are overwhelmingly positive. For me, this was a bit too sad and dark and stressful for what I want out of a romance novel. The heroine is grieving the loss of her daughter, and her self-esteem is so low. The hero is a sweet optimist, and he's good for her, but he's also exactly the kind of chaotic to be really stress-inducing for her as well. I also didn't like the whole sabotage plot; even though I knew how it would essentially resolve, it really got to me, which is good writing, but also just not for me. So basically, I did struggle with this one, but if you like the sound of a slow burn with a more melancholy and dramatic plot, then this might be perfection.

[ᑭᑌᑎƳᗩ [Punya Reviews...] · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review contains spoilers and they're mostly my thoughts as I went with the book...

To Dream Again by LLG had a little slower pace for my liking but overall, it was an honest, heartfelt read. The hero, Nathaniel was a whimsical inventor with a brilliant mind. No rake or bad boy but an eager, good man. The heroine, Mara had her heartaches and trust-issues, and even though at times, I was quite frustrated with her, I still liked her.

Mara’s husband, James has died recently while he was chasing rainbows in America. She had been married to him for more than a decade, but James had been not much of a husband to her. He was a charming guy, a dream chaser but without the substance. The dreams a very young and orphaned Mara had while she married him died painful deaths long time ago. James would find new ‘dreams’, borrow money to chase that and when he found he can’t really make it happen, he’d pack up and leave, leaving Mara to clean up his mess. Paying off his creditors however she can manage had become her ‘life’. Mara is smart with a good head for finance. She’s also a person ruled by her conscience, so she has strict morals and a little conservative. Mara has learned the hard way not to take risks. So when James left 4 yrs ago, again, leaving her and their only daughter Helen, Mara gave up on him. Nothing could hold him back; neither her pleas, tears, nor the talks of a stable life for Helen. Mara even wrote a letter telling him never to return. She took control of the last thing he left to her, an electrical company and had been trying hard to keep it going, scrimping to be afloat with minimal profit. Then tragedy occurred when Helen died in a fire in the small and dingy apartment they were living at that time. Mara’s life has never been the same. She has scars to bear, inside out but to survive, she’d made the company her life, until she hears of James’s death and that her company is going bankrupt very soon!

Mara is speechless when she gets the news but then, she never expected any less from James! He mortgaged the company for a hefty amount before he left. Now that he’s dead, the bank thinks there’s no one to take care of it, and so, they’ll put it on auction; unless Mara can pay them back in 3 days, which is virtually impossible. The bank won’t listen to her, a mere woman, so no concessions were made. Mara doesn’t have anything or anyone to rely on. She feels so very helpless and I could feel her despair. It made me sad for her. But she won’t give up. Mara has leaned to take care of herself from an early age and will find a way. But how? When Mara is desperate for a way to save her little company, help finds her totally unexpectedly in the form of inventor Nathaniel Chase.

Nathaniel is the second son of an Earl. He has always been deemed as a failure by his father, who preferred his arrogant and snobbish eldest son, Adrian, the heir to the famous Chase Toy Company. Nathaniel used to stammer when he was younger. He was also physically weak, so no one tried discovering for his brilliance. The poor baby did his little inventions himself, working on the already invented toys, trying to improve them. No one had the patience to listen to him since he stammered very badly. Adrian made things worse by bullying him whenever he could. I couldn’t believe that an elder brother would be so cruel to his own little brother, but there it was! One day, Nathaniel’s life changed when his grandfather, who is the real owner of the company, found him working. He was amazed by little Nathaniel’s ideas and listened to him. His grandfather was the one who realized his potentials and made sure that he gets his share in the company. Nathaniel’s father was not happy about it but after working with a grownup Nathaniel for some times, he understood that his younger son is not the useless thing he thought him to be. By then Nathaniel has grown out of his stammers too. Adrian was studying, grooming to become the heir and take control of the company when the time comes. But he has never been interested in anything but the profits and as soon as their father died, Adrian fired Nathaniel. He was that jealous of his position in the company! And then, Adrian made it his life’s work to degrade, defeat and disgrace his brother however he can.

Nathaniel didn’t have any money, but for the little he could earn by selling his ideas to other companies. He tried to his best to fight back, but without the sufficient amount, there was no way he could’ve won. He tried in America, even there he failed. So, Nathaniel was sure that he has nothing to give to the world and was floating around when he met James Elliot. His words gave Nathaniel the succor he needed to start all over again. As planned, Nathaniel returned to England very recently. He’s supposed to meet James here, who talked about transforming his own company to work on Nathaniel’s improved toy train-set ideas. But James is yet to return, and when Nathaniel visits the company, his personal secretary arranges a meeting with his wife instead, who has been taking care of the company on James’s behalf.

I really loved the way they first met. Nathaniel rented rooms in the same apartment as Mara, having no idea about each-other. Mara’s mind was filled with despair about how to save her company, and then, with the news of James’s death. After a dejected day, Mara returns and lays her weary head on the small table of her one room apartment. She’d fallen asleep, keeping the door open. Nathaniel was on his way out to run some errand when he sees her like that; a sight that instantly fascinates him. Something about this woman got to him. Then Mara wakes up and finds this very handsome, blonde and tall gentleman staring at her unabashedly, something that makes her blush. She didn’t think she could blush anymore. Mara’s a little annoyed but taken aback when he quotes something from Shakespeare.

Throughout the story, one thing I really appreciated was Nathaniel’s little quirks; be it quoting Shakespeare or thinking aloud about one of his inventions. He was sometimes living in his own mind, a brilliant mind which was always clicking and whirling. He had ideas aplenty, but money was in short, something that proves to be a hindrance for them in the later parts of the story, creating conflicts between him and a strict Mara.

On the day of the meeting, Nathaniel finds the factory closed, along with the news of James’s death. He felt that his dream is crashing down on him, all over again. When he was about to leave, he finds Finch, Mara’s solicitor, who just might have a plan. It’s going to be difficult but not unattainable. On the other hand, Mara returned from some other investors, sick at heart, because no one wanted to help ‘a woman.’ She was feeling her company slipping through her hands, when she finds Nathaniel and Finch waiting for her on her doorstep. At first she doesn’t understand, but soon things being to fall into place. So, this is the gentleman who came to see James! When they sit to talk about his proposal, Mara is instinctively on the defense. She has enough of charming guys in her life and Nathaniel is making things too easy for her. He wants to buy her company with the bigger percentage; in return he’ll pay back the debt. She can continue to work here as his partner, something that takes her aback. Mara is stunned yet skeptical. He doesn’t explain what he wants to do with the company. But Finch reminds her that she has no other option to save it. After the deal was sighed (much to Nathaniel’s relief, who was finding it difficult to convince this woman), Mara finally talks about her yearly plans. But Nathaniel breaks the news to her; they’ll make toy train-sets!

Mara is shocked speechless for a while, then vehemently objecting this venture. To her, this is a sure way to loss and bankruptcy. Mara has no intentions of going to the poorhouse when (as she’s sure) his plan fails. But Nathaniel is determined, and with the bigger percentage, he is the decision-maker. This keeps happening almost the entire story; Mara putting up objection to almost every step Nathaniel took towards his dream. But she couldn’t be blamed entirely. Mara has known losses and the scare of living on the street all her life. I could feel her bone deep fear, though she tried keeping up that strong and emotionless façade. The men in Mara’s life have never been responsible. She can’t take it that the control of her living (as the company has come to mean to her) is, yet again, in the hands of a man. She hates losing this control and over an illution that is surely going to break her this time. But for Nathaniel it was a battle of sort. He increasingly begins to feel like an outsider, but tries his best to keep Mara involved in all the decision-making. It was SO sweet of him to think of her, especially after slowly learning of James’s real character and his treatment of Mara. He disliked the man now for making her this way; so vulnerable, a person with such strong trust-issue.

Nathaniel hires his engineer friend Michael, as the supervisor. They start planning about how to start and improve the company. Mara, reluctantly, also begins to get involve, one, because she has no other choice and two (the most important), Nathaniel’s method of convincing her. He has a way about him that assures that everything’s going to be alright. Mara fell for it. She hated that she’s falling for his charm (and him), but it was there. She tried her best to be the partner, working diligently on the financial side of the matter that Nathaniel said should be completely her area. You could see how much Nathaniel wanted her respect and acknowledgement. You heart would go out to him because Nathaniel craved that understanding from Mara, for the more he was getting to know her, the more he wanted her. Everything about her. But, sadly, the attraction they might’ve felt for each-other was being greatly interrupted by their constant disagreement and word exchange. It was frustrating because I wanted Mara to get out of her safety cocoon (as did Nathaniel) and work with him. He needed her acknowledgement, damn it! After reading about his life, about how he was bullied and how he felt unwanted, I couldn’t but want him to be happy.

Nathaniel was an overall good guy, and I already said, his quirks were sexy to read. How Mara could have pushed him away, even after he was pouring his heart out to her, I don’t know. Not only he admired her for her diligence and brilliance in finance, he also made sure to build a fire-escape in the remodeled factory after learning how Helen had died. The trauma of that fire still haunted Mara who couldn’t stand any kid inside the factory. He insisted on escorting Mara to their apartment every day, though it was very close to the factory, because he was concerned about her safety. Nathaniel was very considerate about everything, but she wasn’t. It took him some long-months of painstaking persuasion to gain a fragile measure of her trust and her subsequent cooperation. Mara made a big fuss about loaning money again from the bank. When they were somewhat in agreement of it, the banker, who previously denied Mara any help, did everything he could, very enthusiastically, finding Nathaniel with her. It pissed Mara off but such was the ‘station’ of women back then!

In between, there are some other developments. One was, Adrian hearing the news of Nathaniel’s return and planning his downfall again. He assigns a detective on Nathaniel, to find out what he’s been up to this time. Adrian was such a loser. At times, I thought his resentment was a little exaggerated, but still, a loser. There were some troubles brewing at the factory as well. Although most workers liked Nathaniel, some didn’t want to take orders from a woman now that there is a man in charge, or so to speak. Mara had a problem with this burly workman, who tries pushing her around, only to find himself flattened by Nathaniel in the next moment. He gets fired for his impudence.

This guy was another sore loser who didn’t take care of his motherless little boy. Billy was always being bullied by some street kids for an ugly birthmark on his face but no one to come to his help. Only Nathaniel observed that a few times since those occurrences took place on the back alley. One day, Nathaniel finds Billy beaten down on the street and brings him inside the factory. After knowing Nathaniel’s kindness and Mara’s strong yet soft touch, the boy begins to feel at home in the factory. He becomes a regular feature there, as did the cat, Algernon, which made Mara its reluctant guardian.

After the whirlwind of push and pull, and spending time together, Mara and Nathaniel both come closer. Nathaniel was open and honest but Mara became a closed book whenever he’s ask her something she didn’t want to talk about. It frustrated him to no end, but his coaxing and teasing, sometimes even flirtation softened Mara to some extent. At one point, she begins to open up about her life with James. Nathaniel kept urging her to take a leap, not to be afraid, even though inside he was as vulnerable as Mara. Maybe more so. He still didn’t know that the disaster in America was Adrian’s doing so he makes sure Mara doesn’t know about it. He knew Mara wouldn’t make his life any easier if she’s made aware of this incident.

I liked Nathaniel immensely; his kisses, his exuberance for life, his flirtation (nothing over the top but very sweet) and finally, his open admission of falling in love with Mara. It came out of nowhere, stunning Mara into speechlessness. But she hurts him by denying her feelings outright. She wanted Nathaniel, and yet that step towards happiness was something she couldn’t take without the thoughts of heartbreak and disillusionment. This triggered her iciness, something of self-preservation. I was frustrated, to say the least. Nathaniel wanted her to take that step… which she does after a while. The sex should’ve brought them closer but Nathaniel’s words of marriage made her push him away, again. Gosh, I just wanted to scream! This time, Nathaniel’s patience wears off. He distances himself from her. He won’t even talk to her unless it’s absolutely necessary. But Nathaniel’s reluctance in walking her home is what strikes Mara the hardest. Mara could feel how much she has hurt him; she wasn’t a ninny after all. She tries to take steps to amend this but Nathaniel this time, pushes her efforts away.

After a burglary attempt at the factory (something that was done by Adrian’s hired goon), Nathaniel starts staying the night at the factory, making the gap between them even broader. Billy could understand that something was wrong. He worked as their messenger to each-other. When, one day, Billy’s father dies a very unsavory death, Mara decides to adopt Billy because the boy had no one to turn to. This helps bridging the gap a little, though Nathaniel still preferred to keep his distance.

In time, Mara becomes desperate to do something about it. She realizes, albeit a little late, that her life would never be the same without Nathaniel, or Billy or even Algernon in it. Nathaniel learns more about Adrian’s nefarious plans to ruin him, his actions in America. Now he only needs a way to stop him. Adrian makes more trouble for them. When Nathaniel confronts Adrian finally, he had every intention to fight for his dreams. But then, Adrian threatens to harm Mara. He wants Nathaniel to leave England, never to return again. But when it came down to Mara, Nathaniel bowed out. His love for her was so strong that he was willing to give up everything so that Mara remains safe. He even plans to leave without telling her...

But Mara surprises me by doing something when she later finds out about it. For the first time, she takes a big risk; all for keeping Nathaniel’s dreams alive because only with Nathaniel, she can dream too, of a better life. There was no epilogue, another abrupt finish. 4 stars, mainly for Nathaniel. I thought the storyline could’ve been better if there were more steam and intensity and less frustrating moments.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early one of Ms. Guhrke--not as good as her present work, but an okay read.

Nathaniel is a younger brother hero--one who was greatly mistreated at home, especially by his older brother, a heinous character. Somehow Nathaniel still develops into a kind, loving man.

Mara had a similar difficult childhood, being the eldest of a large family and having to work hard to help her family get by. She chose to escape by making an unfortunate marriage at age 16.

The book opens as Mara receives word that she is a widow, although she has not seen her husband for several years, and she has been operating his factory alone. Then she learns that her husband took on a business partner before he died and sold 51% of the company to the new partner. Enter Nathaniel.

The two have to work together and overcome the evil brother's schemes.

[Kim H · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ultimately a just (barely) readable early effort by Guhrke, but nothing worth spending a lot of time & effort to find a copy of (it's out of print & somewhat rare). I found it cliched and melodramatic, and never quite warmed to the heroine. The hero was great; very understanding of her fears and mistrust, but I think Guhrke just dragged the internal conflict out a little too far & for too long to make the romance truly satisfying. The villain is of the typical cardboard cutout variety, which makes the external conflict pretty predictable and boring as well. Overall, I'd say it's worth a few hours of your time, but it's not LLG's best work.

Grade: C
Sensuality Rating: PG-13

[Diane Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5 stars. I really liked the characters. The emotional and social conflicts were unusual and interesting. Great historical period info. However, it was a little slow and not very steamy at all.

[Reggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4'5 estrellas

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I begin? The story had promise yet I felt like pulling my hair out the entire time. A widowed businesswoman with a company on the verge of bankruptcy is saved by a last minute partnership with a handsome, brilliant toy maker. Easy enough.

Except let’s start with Mara, our heroine. Poor, woe is me, disillusioned with the entire world Mara. She is infuriating. Trusts nobody, not even our hero even though she agrees to go into business with him. She’s thwarting his ideas at every turn. Always finding Nathaniel to be stupid and ridiculous just because he has a dream and enjoys life. She’s constantly comparing everyone to her dead husband who liked to cut and run when the going got tough, because you know, men are all the same right? She says some downright cruel things to Nathaniel even after he expresses his love, multiple times mind you. She even hates kittens! Wtf Mara!? What he sees in this cynical, depressing, mistrusting, cold hearted woman I do not know.

But then there is our hero Nathaniel. Sweet, whimsical Nathaniel. He’s really the only good part of this book. After becoming bored with all the money lender, toy making business explanations, there he is being an all around good man with an upbeat, energizing attitude despite dealing with dull as dirt Mara and having an evil sibling trying to ruin his dreams. He’s handsome, he’s intelligent, determined, and not afraid to express his feelings. He takes care of orphans, stray kitty’s, and ailing costermongers whom he owes nothing but does it anyway out of the goodness of his heart. He has a boyish charm and inquisitiveness that makes him a perfect toy inventor. And frankly he’s flat out too good for Mara.

Somehow in the last couple of pages Mara realizes the error of her ways and sees that Nathaniel really is a keeper and that she should support his dreams no matter the risk. But it was too late for me. I was rooting for him to move on to brighter things and leave Mara to her cold, pessimistic world all by her lonesome. But alas there was a HEA. Oh well.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.

My book club chose this for December's read as something of a nostalgic trip back to happy reading times. I hadn't read the book before, but the ladies how had raved about it - with the caveat that they'd read it some 10-15 years ago.

I enjoyed the story, though both characters frustrated me at times. Nathanial's heavy-handedness in the beginning was annoying, but it was Mara who made me angry time and again throughout the book. She was so stubborn, and so unwilling to compromise I had a hard time with her. Conversely, I understood completely why she felt as she did, and I was sympathetic to her plight. I think what frustrated me was how long she kept her head in the sand. I also didn't love the parts that featured Aiden, Nathaniel's brother. Though I did enjoy seeing him get his comeuppance in the end.

Still, I enjoyed the romance. I liked how Nathaniel worked to get Mara out of her own head, and break down her walls. I liked the additional of Billy, a street-kid from the area.

Although this wasn't a perfect story, I did enjoy it. Especially considering its age.

[Nina Jarrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book from this author. It’s one of her older books and an outlier, but it is a beautiful story I have read many times. He is an inventor, she is a pragmatist, it’s a match made in heaven if they will let their guards down. It really touched me and I think of this tale frequently as I found it so inspiring and encouraging to discover one’s true potential through the pursuit of one’s dreams.

[Rowena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid historical romance with a hero that melted me at every turn. I thought that Nathaniel and Mara were a great couple and I loved seeing Nathaniel win Mara over. I also adored Billy so I'm glad that I gave this one a read.

[Kitt]

Encroyable. Every time in thought the plot had settle, something new was thrown in that brought me closer to the storyline and the characters. The author makes such a good attempt at understanding the historical context of toy making

[Starry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, enjoyable story of an emotionally scarred widow and the toy inventor dreamer who helps her believe in love again.

[CJ Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is was an interesting book that I'm not quite sure about. Ms. Guhrke's writing is excellent and the plot is definitely inventive. I found the detail of starting a new business and keeping that business running fascinating. In fact, the business almost overshadowed the entire romance, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Nathanial was stereotypical beta hero who just wants to build toys. Mara is a tough cookie who has pulled herself through life with sheer determination. As you can imagine, Nathanial was easier to like, but it was Mara who truly shined as she fought her distrust and fears to embrace Nathanial's vision. In a movie, it would be the actress who played Mara who would be nominated for an Oscar because it would take a truly stellar performance to pull her off as likeable and sympathetic.

I think the inclusion of the secondary characters really help this plot from becoming too intense. Billy and the kitten give Mara emotion, while the incredibly unlikeable brother gives Nathanial a chance to show some alphaness. I really didn't like the way he caved at the end only to be saved by Mara, but I guess it moved the plot along. Personally, it would have been more interesting to see him beat his brother up and then rat him out to his fiancee.

So I am giving this a three star rating, but I think it is probably better than that. I will save it and read it again next year to see how I feel. BTW, the period this story takes place in (1899) is as much a character in this story. It kind of reminds me of North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I hope a screenwriter finds this story because I really think it would translate well onto the big screen.

[babyfishmouth · Rating 1 out of 5]

My least favorite book by this author who I normally really enjoy. Nothing in this book appealed to me. The plot was a big yawn. The heroine was dry and dull. The hero was ridiculously sincere and earnest. I felt no sparks between them and was probaly more surprised than the heroine when he professed his undying love.

At about the 50% mark I gave up and skimmed to the end.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would put my grade between 3 stars and 4: I did very much like it -- especially the time period (l899). I thought the villain was a trifle over-the-top but I so enjoyed the hero.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I found the heroine more interesting and the hero a tad too perfect. The villain was rather over the top, but it certainly did add suspense.

[Sfz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize it was one of her early works. But its a good read!