Dreamtime

by Anne Hampson

When Jane left America for the Australian Outback, she left with high hopes for a happy new life. But there she met the handsome and domineering Scott Farnham and instead found herself in a heartbreaking trap.

Even though it was assumed that Scott would marry the wealthy Daphne Woolcott, he asked Jane to become his wife. Though passionately in love with him, she pulled back. Did he really want her? Could he really love her? Or was it simply a plot to make his haughty lover jealous?

186 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Anne Hampson was born on 28 November 1928 in England. At age six she had two ambitions: to teach and to write. Poverty after WWI deprived her of an education and at 14 she was making Marks & Spencer's blouses at one shilling (5p) each.

She retired when she married. Later, when her marriage broke up, she was homeless with £40 in her purse. She went back to the rag trade and lived in a tiny caravan. But she never forgot her two ambitions, and when Manchester University decided to trial older women she applied, and three years later had achieved one ambition, so set her thoughts on number two.

In 1969, her first novel, Eternal Summer, was accepted five days from posting and she soon had a contract for 12 more. From the caravan she went to a small stately home, drove a Mercedes and sailed on the QE2. From the first book, came over 125 more written for Mills & Boon, Harlequin and Silhouette. Alan Boon (the Boon of Mills & Boon) and she came up with the title for 'Harlequin Presents' over lunch at the Ritz. She suggested to Alan that they have a historical series. He told her to write one - it was done in a month, entitled Eleanor and the Marquis under the pseudonym Jane Wilby. She has the distinction of being number one in Harlequin Presents, Masquerade and Silhouette. Many of "Presents" have been reprinted many times (some as many as 16) and are now fetching up to $55, being classed as "rare" books.

She has had 3 awards, one at the World Trade Centre where she received a standing ovation from her American fans, who had come from many states just to meet her.

She was retired, but in 2005 she wrote two romance and crime novels, both of which were published by Severn House.

She passed away on 25 September 2014. She has been written her autobiography, entitled Fate Was My Friend.

Reviews

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites of La Hampson. To escape a forbidden love, the h gets a job on the cattle station owned by the H. She wants to make a fresh start, but is immediately attracted to him, and he to her. The old fake engagement trope is activated, and things proceed.

I liked this one because the H is pretty clearly in love with the h and he doesn't make her miserable. (Yes, there is a serious shaking, a mild shaking, and a lot of threatened shakings, and several incidents where he forces her to pick something up that she threw at him, but for Hampson, that's nothing.) He's a job-based super alpha -- tough as nails from running the cattle station and completely no-nonsense -- but he's definitely vulnerable.

There is also a lot of sensuality in it for AH, although the language is so breathless and OTT that it's hard not to laugh:

"The heavens opened and fulfillment was complete; she floated into the realm of paradise, carried on the wings of ecstasy." (Dude, she was totally faking it.)

Also, there's a brumbie and in Hampson's books, brumbies are practically unicorns in their ability to unite people, so bonus.

[Live2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adding another review in favor of the next possible reader… First and foremost, I don't believe there was chemistry between the leads. I attempted to delude myself into believing that something of the sort might be at play, forcing myself to ‘see' it but I truly can't. Secondly, this Jane is strange. She has inconsistent ways. A tad bit contradictory in her behaviors & habits. She went from one guy to another in a matter of days. It was poorly done so, too. As one moment she was made up to look sensible then the next she starts to behave like one’s worse employee. She was, at times, a bit rude to the Boss aka the hero. Ongoing she tries to make herself look respectful but she was never up to par! Beginning with the almost making love scene as she ultimately came up, switching off, declaring she’s not easy. Just to behaved in such manner again, just to tell the hero once more that she’s not that kind of girl. Well, girl, you better check yo self twice! Because your actions had already deemed you otherwise!

Jane, I honestly believe, is the real OW here. By all means she’s not evil but she was definitely the third party to an already established relationship (or at least from what we know about the hero and his lady-love, Daphne). Everyone seems to understands that one day the hero would marry Daphne, but of course we have Jane mingling with the hero at the party and dancing closely to him on the dance floor while completely disregarding Daphne’s feelings. At one point, she starts to anticipate Daphne’s angry stares & jealousy. Oh, Jane! Where are your sense & sensibilities? Coming up fast, we have Daphne’s father warning Jane off; the Father-of-the-year indeed told the heroine to keep away from the hero. That the hero was was only dancing with her to make Daphne jealous so now Jane is all butthurt. She then took off into the night, searching for fresh air just to find herself almost attacked by some bull or some outback animal. The hero certainly saved her…TBC. Too bad, DNF.

Frankly, Jane has no reason to antagonize Daphne in the first place. Just because no one else seems to like the woman does not mean Jane shouldn’t either. For one thing, she doesn't even know Daphne at the time. And two, she completely deserves Daphne's hatred because, among other things, she is interested in the other woman's prospective husband, so...what did she expect? And so what? If the hero was to utilize her to make Daphne jealous? It is only so because you had willingly inserted yourself into an other person's relationship. To sum it up, Jane is strange!