Dream Bride

Brides of Bradley House #1

by Susan Mallery

According to family legend, Chloe wright was destined to dream of her future groom on her twenty-fifth birthday. The self-proclaimed pragmatist didn't believe in fate, but that very night she dreamt about an enigmatic stranger. And the next day he appeared.

Arizona Smith was everything Chloe had ever wanted in a man. But she wasn't about to fall in love, especially since Arizona never settled anywhere for long. Still, his electrifying kisses and irresistible charm had Chloe suddenly envisioning marriage - and children. Maybe there was something to that legend after all...

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Critics have dubbed Mallery "the new queen of romantic fiction." (Walmart) Booklist says, "Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and RT Book Reviews puts her "in a class by herself!" It's no wonder that her books have spent more than 200 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list.

Although Susan majored in Accounting, she never worked as an accountant because she was published straight out of college with two books the same month. Sixteen prolific years and seventy-four books later, she hit the New York Times bestsellers list for the first time with Accidentally Yours in 2008. She made many appearances in the Top 10 before (finally) hitting #1 in 2015 with Thrill Me, the twentieth book in her most popular series, the Fool's Gold romances, and the fourth of five books released that year.

Susan lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Her heart for animals has led Susan to become an active supporter of the Seattle Humane Society. Visit Susan online at www.SusanMallery.com.

Reviews

[Lyz21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia cortita pero muy agradable, ideal para salir de algún bloqueo literario o superar un final triste. La idea del destino y las almas gemelas siempre me ha llamado la atención, tema que este libro la aborda pero sin abusar; solo tiene el toque adecuado para hacer que toda la trama tenga sentido. Personajes con los que es fácil simpatizar, sin complicaciones ni contradicciones, no vemos un drama con giros innecesarios ni situaciones en las que la protagonista resulte desesperante; algo que es muy común hoy en día. El protagonista creo que fue lo mejor, tanto que podría entrar en mi top de personajes masculinos favoritos (cabe decir que me encantó que la autora no cayera en el cliché de hacerlo un empresario multimillonario amargado por su pasado tormentoso) En general, recomendaría este libro para leerlo en una tarde lluviosa con una buena taza de café, es de esas historias que te dejan una linda sensación luego de terminarlo.

[Kitzya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela para pasar el rato. Me ha gustado, y es fácil de leer en los momentos que nada te llena.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Family nightgown
Worn birthday, dream perfect man
She doesn't believe

Nice romantic tale
Seems like love can't ever work
Three and a half stars

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very predictable romantic novel. Chloe has a dream on her 25th birthday wearing the special family legacy nightgown. She meets the man in her dreams the very next day. His name is Arizona. She doesn't believe in destiny but non-the-less ends up in bed with Arizona. He discovers he is also in love with her and ends up coming back to her and marrying her. I assume they live happily ever after!

[Susan Treat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The girl in this book does not believe in the magic of the nightgown and then on the night of her 25th birthday she had put the nightgown on and dreamed about the man she was supposed to marry... Yes the dream gets very steamy but thats the dream.... The next day she wondered who the guy was.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very difficult book to get into - neither the characters nor the plot hooked me.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun premise: a magical nightgown handed down through the family; when worn by a woman on the night of her 25th birthday, it will reveal her destined true love to her in her dreams.

Older sister Chloe doesn't believe in the magic nightgown yet dreams of a man she meets the very next day, archaeologist/explorer Arizona Smith. After the requisite one step forward, two steps back path to love and romance, the couple get to their happily ever after.

An enjoyable but predictable story. Naming the hero Arizona Smith for a character explicitly modeled after Indiana Jones was incredibly heavy-handed, in my opinion. Every time I got to his name, it made me pause in my reading and shake my head, "no".

[Tawnya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this was the first Susan Mallery book I've read that seemed to start out slow, in my opinion at least. Although like any great Mallery book, Dream Bride drew me in and kept me turning the pages. Who needs sleep?
Arizona was a man determined to stay single because of the way the men in his family behaved towards family and responsibilities. Chloe didn't want to believe in the magic of the nightgown she had to wear the night of her 25th birthday. Together they learned to believe in magic and love.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the idea of destiny. How Chloe met her destiny - loved that. A couple of things bothered me about the book. Hero's name - Arizona. Every time I read it, it pulled me out of the story a little bit. What's with all the 'C' names? It gets very confusing to read about family members whose names all start with the same letter.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the night of her 25th birthday Chloe wears the nightgown that the family legend requires. However, she is not prepared for the erotic dream and to find out that the man featured in her dream is at her dinner table. Whereas Chloe believes in love, but not magic. Arizona finds it easier to believe in magic than love.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit over the top for me, the idea of a magic nightgown and an Indiana Jones-type hero did not grab me. I felt that the author was making up a story to fill the pages rather than being seriously committed to it. Too much talk. Not enough action.

[Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book and made me realize that even opposites that are magic believing and non magic believing can work out. It was a very good first read from Susan Mallery.