Reclaimed Dreams

by Eva Moore

When the death of her eldest son calls into question a lifetime of choices, Jo Valenti reaches an uncomfortable conclusion. She is through putting her dreams on hold for everyone else’s ambitions. Unfortunately, her husband of forty years, Dom did not get the message. Grasping at straws to restore stability, he signs up the entire family for a home renovation reality show, when his marriage is the real fixer upper in need of attention. Will decades of shared love and memories crumble under the weight of grief and resentment, or will these two figure out how to reclaim their dreams?

Reclaimed Dreams is a family drama, fixer upper romance featuring grown-ass lovers trying to save their marriage after loss. It can be read as a stand-alone, but is best appreciated after reading Opened Up, Stripped Down, and Roughed In.

Genres: Contemporary

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 25, 2022

About the author

As a young woman, Eva Moore loved nothing more than to dive between the pages of a romance and lose herself in the story. They were perfect for avoiding midterms and report cards. She even met her husband while reading a book. About the time the second baby came along though, she found she had little time for diving into anything but laundry. Missing her stories desperately, she began to make up her own. The stories she played with in her mind while she washed dishes and changed diapers eventually made their way onto the page, and she was hooked. Eva now lives in Silicon Valley, after moving around the world and back, with her college sweetheart, her three gorgeous girls, and two Shih Tzus who think they are cats. She can be found most nights hiding in her closet/office, scribbling away, and loves to hear from the outside world.

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

We saw the marriage of Jo and Dom Valenti wobble in the background of the first three books of the Exposed Dreams series. Now we get their story in Reclaimed Dreams. It has flashbacks to when they met, married, had babies, teens, and then an empty nest and grief.

There is so much emotion in this book that spans over 40 years. Their major obstacle is climbing out of their grief and building a new future without Gabe, but Jo and Dom have different ways of doing that which don’t line up well.

This is a beautiful ending to this series. It can be read as a stand alone, but I think it is enhanced by reading the kids’ books first (Opened Up, Stripped Down, and Roughed In plus some novellas).

[Gena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ending to an enjoyable series! Eva Moore loves the Valenti family, and that love pours through onto the page. This was a different sort of second chance romance, one in which the matriarch, Jo, and her husband Dom need to do a great deal of healing after suffering a terrible loss. The reader easily empathizes with the couple, even when their communication skills are less than stellar. Eva Moore’s excellent writing keeps the story on pace while also giving the reader some time with the other familiar Valenti family members. A brief but very good read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year will mark my 35th wedding anniversary and it's like this book was written just for me.

I loved the way Jo and Dom's story was told from the various points in their marriage. Long term relationships are hard and there are a lot of ups and downs. You need to understand those before you can get to the HEA of a good second chance/marriage in trouble takeover.

It was fun to see the kids stories from the parents point of view too.

What a great ending to a fabulous series!

I received and ARC of this book for an honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so impressed with this book. I normally read very "typical" romance, those books with younger characters and a relatively straightforward path to HEA. This was so different and still so satisfying! While this book isnt technically time travel, it has a lot of that feeling because you find yourself jumping through the timeline of this couples courtship and marriage. I cant imagine the hard work that went into keeping not only THIS timeline straight, but the timelines that thread the other books in this series. Eva showed incredible skill in keeping the thread of this marriage, this whole family while telling the story of Dom and Jo and the ebb and flow of a long and loving marriage. I will admit that most of the book I wanted to shake Dom, it was so clear to me what Jo needed, but isnt that the way with relationships? We think we understand the person closest to us, and somehow we still miss the mark sometimes. This book PERFECTLY captures what its like to cultivate and nurture a relationship through years of good and bad times, giving us the well deserved and delightful HEA that we love.
If you love books with interesting and distinct families I highly recommend this amazing series and this book in particular!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved every book in the Exposed Dreams series. Reclaimed Dreams is Jo and Dom's story, the Valenti family parents. Jo and Dom are present in the other books of the series, but here we really get to see just them, instead of their roles in the lives of their children. From their meet cute through the lean years and early marriage to building a business and maybe sharing dreams, through tragedy and how you move forward and will you move forward together. It's the roller coaster of life and Jo and Dom learn along the way that even in the chaos, if you have your person with you, you can do it together.

Using time jumps back and forth, Moore takes us on a complete journey of two people who've spent decades together. And we see these scenes from both perspectives. In many ways this feels more like Jo's story than Dom's, but I think that is reflective of the characters, too. Jo continually made changes to bend herself and her dreams to what her husband and her family needed. Willingly, of course, but eventually she has to ask herself, and her husband, at what cost and where am I? What say do I get in all of this? Dom, on the other hand, is a bulldozer just ploughing through. The more he can control the situation, the more he thinks he must be doing the right thing. It's not malicious control, it is an attempt to make everything alright for his family. Only he forgot to ask anyone else for their opinion. He has forgotten the "partner" part in marriage. Finding that, acknowledging that, nurturing that, that is their story and their journey.

In the near past, there are scenes of utter heartbreak. We know some of their pain from previous book but now we see it from their own perspectives. It is gut wrenching and Moore does a great job of making it all too real.
And there are scenes across all times, of utter chaos and hilarity. Who doesn't remember toddlerhood and the mini dictators of children under the age of five, smeared peanut butter and bananas and kids who are too tired to breath but won't stop spinning in circles? Oh how any parent can relate!

I loved this big bow on the end of the series and read it in less than a day. All the feels.

[Donna Sutay-Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I binged the rest of the ‘Exposed Dreams’ series back in early 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic and fell in love with the Valenti family and all the antics that went into the making of their ‘reality TV show’. It was the perfect escape at the time from the crazy we were facing. So I think it makes sense that the ARC of “Reclaimed Dreams” almost two years later hit me in the feels box so hard. In so many ways, reading about the journey Jo and Dom had faced in their marriage and all the challenges that came along the way of raising 4 children, building a business, and in many ways setting aside personal dreams for the goals of others, mirrors what so many of us have been feeling the last few years. I would be lying if I told you, this book didn’t bring tears to my eyes many times while reading it.
I think this book will resonate with readers who like the second chance romance trope, enjoy having both the hero and heroine be older and wiser, and have been in long term relationships to understand HEA isn’t a moment but a longtime commitment to keep working to build it.
While this book can stand on its own, it is greatly enhanced by having read the rest of the series, or at the minimum reading it will enhance the experience of reading the rest of the series.
I really loved this one and it is a high 4 stars.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reclaimed Dreams is Jo and Dom Valenti’s story. They are the parents of the characters featured in the Exposed Dreams series where their construction company was the basis of a home improvement reality TV show. Jo and Dom have been married 40 years and are trying to save their marriage after tragic loss. (please check your CW) You meet the Valenti family in the other novels in this series, however, this one can be read as a stand alone (but I think you appreciate it more if you read them ALL!)

This book covers the start of their relationship and then marriage in a back and forth time hop narrative that is dual POV. These flashbacks give extra weight to current events and frame them in a way that makes them hit even harder.

It’s a story about love, and loss and continuing to choose your spouse and your family and the work and communication(and sometimes therapy) that it takes to decide that choice the right one. It is about marriage in all it’s stages. There are the early years, the zombie early childhood years, the balancing work and family years, coping with tragedy and hardship years, and the facing the future together years, all while showing the love and strength that come from a love built over time.

I absolutely loved this one! I laughed, and I also cried big tears. Thanks to Eva Moore for an advance copy of this book!

[Celicia Fowlkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I resonated with Jo in many ways. Her life was not her own for so long. She loves her children. She loves her husband too. They suffered a big loss and did not deal with it together. They dealt with things separately for too long. It did not help but it showed them that every couple goes through the seasons. Its how you deal with those seasons that make a big difference. This book was too real to not cry, get angry, shake your head and then put the book down. I felt bad for the couple at first but realized that anyone who has had a long term relationship understands that life will short change you, knock you down and drag you kicking and screaming. They picked it all up and dealt with their problems the right way this time. They loved each other more now than the first time they met. Loved this book so much. Now I need to read the rest of the series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah! I loved this! It was awesome going back to moments from the previous books in the series and seeing them from Dom or Jo's point of view. To see what they have been going through all this time. This book brought tears to my eyes a few times. Sometimes the tears came because I can relate to being in a long marriage and struggling at times. But like Jo and Dom, working through the tough times to stay together is what I want with my marriage too. You don't see a lot of romance with a married couple struggling in their marriage and fixing things to come back to each other. I loved the flashes to different points throughout their lives- from when they first met to dating, to getting married, having kids, building a family business to where they are now after the death of their oldest child, their other children getting married and having babies of their own.

[Shari Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book about love, loss, and growing old together.

As the head contractor for Valentines Brother’s, Dom is in control of his world. He just doesn’t realize he doesn’t have control over everything. When his son Gabe decided to join the military, he couldn’t talk him out of it. When his son died during his service, he also had no control over his emotions or his wife Jo’s reaction. Jo and Dom met when Jo was in college. They fell hard and fast. Through the years they have had their good times and their bad. But can they survive Don’s retirement? This beautifully written story of love will leave you feeling so happy. I loved this story so much and it is a story that will stick with you long after you have finished turning the last page!

[Monica Yeavello · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me the Hallmark of a great book is the author's ability to create such a scene/scenario where you feel each of the MC's emotions deeply even though you have never been in the situation in real life. This book moves through several years of the MCs lives and gives great insite into how a relationship can change and grow to meet the family's needs.
I saw this book as a realistic romance. They are complicated and take constant attention. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I've read written by Eva Moore; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the 4th book in the Exposed Dreams Series; it is a stand-alone book. The story is about Jo & Dom; after the death of their oldest son she decides to stop putting her dreams on hold but he’s still trying to hold to the life they had.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Victoria Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE Jo and Dom Valenti. They remind me so much of my parents and the love I have with my husband.
Family is everything and I'm so happy rhat their grief didn't pull them apart. It was refreshing to read a story that showed a couple that stuck together through the hard times to make their marriage work.and become stronger.

[Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick and easy read. The storyline is well-crafted, intriguing, suspenseful, has drama and steam. The characters are defined, and likable with sizzling chemistry. I liked it.

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the perfect ending to this series. All the feels, and a full heart. For any rom com readers, you will enjoy this series by Eva Moore!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading about Dom and Jo, the original love story. The book should have a higher score for almost any other reader. Personally, for me, my weakness as a reader is my difficulty in reading anything not chronological. This is not an issue for all readers and did get easier as I kept reading. I did find myself "siding" with Jo until we saw Dom's point of view later - and then I still sided with her, but I at least understood Dom just as Jo started to do so. I did absolutely love reading about fully-formed adults with real challenges and then seeing them want to work on their relationship, put the work in and succeed. I found the book hopeful, that anybody can make it through even the most difficult of situations by finding and providing love, understanding and support.