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Dream Walker
Amaryllis Scott, a young artist, falls in love with a man she is convinced is the reincarnation of Captain Henry Bayard de Croix, who was her lover during the Revolutionary War
- GenresRomanceTime Travel
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 28, 2021
I wish, I really do, that I could give this book another star, but In all honesty, I can't. Just like with another novel along the same lines, "Promise Me forever", Ms. Marten took an excellent historical novel and bogged it down with an unnecessary tale of reincarnation, bringing her charming 18thc characters into the contemporary scene, where they weren't even half so charming, nor a third as interesting.
In this novel, more than the other, the h, Rilla, is one neurotic, sexually frustrated mess, despite her talent and ingenuity, at being a successful artist, her own agent (under an assumed name), and an author of children's books. With all that, she should have her head together, shouldn't she? Guess again!!!
Her obsession with a man (Cam, the H, in his contemporary life), her supposed haunting by his past life ghost (which comes off more like a 1960's LSD trip) and her painting portraits in her sleep, of people she knew from her previous life, is accompanied by long, long, LONG AS WELL AS DRAWN OUT, sequences of her childhood, (boring), growing up years (stupid), and a shower-to-floor interrupted love scene with Cam (hot at first, but then stupid) when she's a young and horny woman, just got more and more and MORE tedious! This ran on way too long, and it's with a sigh of relief when those chapters end, and switch over to the past.
As for Cam, what little time is spent on him, makes me conclude the same as the young woman in a British TV com I recently saw, when asked why she was breaking up with the older man she'd been dating: "He's deadly, deadly DULL!"
The 18thc story takes place both in America and England, with the first chapters devoted to the parents of the h (in this time, LadyBeth), Edmond and Deborah, their emigration to America and starting a new life there, as well as LadyBeth's early years, which were a heck of a lot more entertaining than Rilla's mess. Her budding artistic talent blooms into a full blown career (I won't spoil things by giving away details), and as the Revolutionary War begins, she starts using that talent to help the Patriot cause, becoming one of the members George Washington's famous Culper Spy Ring. (Some of the signals she uses as warnings were based on actual ones thought of by a suspected female member of the ring.) Her life gets more than a little complicated when she meets Captain Henry Bayard de Croix, known as Bay (Cam's previous self.) Soon, she's torn between love and duty, finds herself accompanying Cam to England, where, having resigned his commission in the British army, he needs to except his new title and position in society, as well as care for his new ward, who's a year shy of her majority (and who, unbeknownst to her, is LadyBeth!)
Typical of HR novels, sparks fly, stubborn arguments ensue, and passion rages, but the romantic moments are contrasted with LadyBeth's guilt at continuing her spying for her country, as well as her determination to help American political prisoners escape jail and return home. Because of this, she continually puts off marrying Bay, and this ends up with their parting through a misunderstanding, when he finds her with a fellow spy and assumes they're having an affair. Rather than confess the truth, she lets him go on believing this. (It may seem wrong, but she really felt trapped; if she told him the truth, it wouldn't only be herself she'd put in possible jeopardy, but others as well, possibly even Benjamin Franklin!)
Here's where the author swerved off the road. It would have been better to have him discover the real truth, and then have them slowly work their way back to each other, because when they finally do get together, it's all so anti climatic and rushed, especially when it's discovered that subterfuge wasn't necessary after all.
Even with some faults, though, the 18thc part of the story was great entertainment and could have easily stood on its own, without all the past life interference, especially since Cam and Rilla (unlike their previous selves) had zero chemistry, few scenes together (he had to rid himself of his unhappy matrimonial bonds to his cheating, social climbing wife) and when they finally consummate things, it was incomplete as well as BORING! Rilla waited all that time for an orgasm that probably won't happen.
This is twice Ms. Marten goofed things up, by taking what could have been two excellent historical novels and made them a paranormal mess. But read this anyway, skip the modern parts, and enjoy the story.
In this novel, more than the other, the h, Rilla, is one neurotic, sexually frustrated mess, despite her talent and ingenuity, at being a successful artist, her own agent (under an assumed name), and an author of children's books. With all that, she should have her head together, shouldn't she? Guess again!!!
Her obsession with a man (Cam, the H, in his contemporary life), her supposed haunting by his past life ghost (which comes off more like a 1960's LSD trip) and her painting portraits in her sleep, of people she knew from her previous life, is accompanied by long, long, LONG AS WELL AS DRAWN OUT, sequences of her childhood, (boring), growing up years (stupid), and a shower-to-floor interrupted love scene with Cam (hot at first, but then stupid) when she's a young and horny woman, just got more and more and MORE tedious! This ran on way too long, and it's with a sigh of relief when those chapters end, and switch over to the past.
As for Cam, what little time is spent on him, makes me conclude the same as the young woman in a British TV com I recently saw, when asked why she was breaking up with the older man she'd been dating: "He's deadly, deadly DULL!"
The 18thc story takes place both in America and England, with the first chapters devoted to the parents of the h (in this time, LadyBeth), Edmond and Deborah, their emigration to America and starting a new life there, as well as LadyBeth's early years, which were a heck of a lot more entertaining than Rilla's mess. Her budding artistic talent blooms into a full blown career (I won't spoil things by giving away details), and as the Revolutionary War begins, she starts using that talent to help the Patriot cause, becoming one of the members George Washington's famous Culper Spy Ring. (Some of the signals she uses as warnings were based on actual ones thought of by a suspected female member of the ring.) Her life gets more than a little complicated when she meets Captain Henry Bayard de Croix, known as Bay (Cam's previous self.) Soon, she's torn between love and duty, finds herself accompanying Cam to England, where, having resigned his commission in the British army, he needs to except his new title and position in society, as well as care for his new ward, who's a year shy of her majority (and who, unbeknownst to her, is LadyBeth!)
Typical of HR novels, sparks fly, stubborn arguments ensue, and passion rages, but the romantic moments are contrasted with LadyBeth's guilt at continuing her spying for her country, as well as her determination to help American political prisoners escape jail and return home. Because of this, she continually puts off marrying Bay, and this ends up with their parting through a misunderstanding, when he finds her with a fellow spy and assumes they're having an affair. Rather than confess the truth, she lets him go on believing this. (It may seem wrong, but she really felt trapped; if she told him the truth, it wouldn't only be herself she'd put in possible jeopardy, but others as well, possibly even Benjamin Franklin!)
Here's where the author swerved off the road. It would have been better to have him discover the real truth, and then have them slowly work their way back to each other, because when they finally do get together, it's all so anti climatic and rushed, especially when it's discovered that subterfuge wasn't necessary after all.
Even with some faults, though, the 18thc part of the story was great entertainment and could have easily stood on its own, without all the past life interference, especially since Cam and Rilla (unlike their previous selves) had zero chemistry, few scenes together (he had to rid himself of his unhappy matrimonial bonds to his cheating, social climbing wife) and when they finally consummate things, it was incomplete as well as BORING! Rilla waited all that time for an orgasm that probably won't happen.
This is twice Ms. Marten goofed things up, by taking what could have been two excellent historical novels and made them a paranormal mess. But read this anyway, skip the modern parts, and enjoy the story.
September 11, 2026
Have read and reread this book many times. It is one of my all time favorites. The author has several books about past lives. Dream Walker is about a young artist who dreams of a young woman artist in colonial America and then paints what she sees in her dreams/ visions. She has recurring appearances of a man who hints that they are fated to meet again. The story is told through her dreams of the past and her present life.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews