Customer Reviews

Dreaming

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is just wonderful, a must-read. Letty is madly in love with Richard and has been since she knocked him into a river on accident when she was eleven. Now, eight years later they get stuck together on a smuggler's ship and have an adventure getting back home. Letty was so cute with her tendancy towards mishaps. Even though on occasion she seems very naive and disgustingly optomistic, she expresses a deep understanding of love and loss. All of these characteristics combined make her see the best of jaded Richard and lead him to change into the hero she beleives him to be. It was a pleasure reading about these two characters. Sometimes (often in fact) I laughed out loud, and sometimes I wanted to cry. Ms. Barnett weaves her tale in such a way that I feel that I am in the story. This book is definetley a must-read, although I recommend reading the prequal first (Bewitching) which I neglected to do. Happy reading!

"Letitia Olive Hornsby believed in fate, in hearts destined, in love at first sight. And she had loved him forever." At age eleven, she met Richard Lennox, her next-door neighbor, and the man of her dreams. She watched him ride his white steed onto the bridge, and knew it was love at first sight. Then she accidentally knocked him into the river.

Richard, now the Earl of Downe, has been the object of Letty's affections for years. He has also been the object of her good intentions, which continually go astray. Like the time she accidentally dislocated his shoulder, or when she drove his curricle over his foot, forcing him to use a cane for two months.

Richard's friends have been concerned about him of late, and finally convince him to return home from London. He's been putting all his effort into running from his mental demons, by indulging in drinking, gambling, dueling, and bedding every willing woman he could find. Now that he's home, things are about to get even worse. Letty, or as Richard refers to her, "the Hornsby hellion", is spying on him from a tree, and has another mishap. This mishap results in their capture by smugglers, who place them together in a cell aboard ship. And to make matters worse for Richard, Letty's "hellhound" dog, Gus, is also captured with them. Being trapped with Letty for days at sea may prompt him to realize his feelings for her...if Letty doesn't sink the ship before they manage to escape.

This is the sequel to "Bewitching" which I accidentally read in the wrong order. I believe this may be the funniest story Ms. Barnett has written. I don't think I've ever laughed so much while reading a book. But it isn't all laughs because the story is also very sweet and touching. You may even shed a tear. I read this book in one day because I absolutely couldn't put it down. Letty is the klutz with a huge heart, who sees the world through rose-colored glasses, and loves Richard unconditionally. Richard is the bad boy who suffers the pain of all her accidents, and tries to chase her away for her own good, but can't help falling in love with her. Normally, I don't read books more than once very often, but I know I will read this one again. This is one of my all-time favorite romance novels, and it will remain on my keeper shelf. I really do recommend you read "Bewitching" first, because characters from that story are brought back here, and I remember feeling there was a history about them unknown to me. "Bewitching" is an extremely good read also. So, read both...you won't be disappointed!!

If you loved "Bewitching", you'll love "Dreaming".

Letitia Olive Hornsby, a curly-haired, blue-eyed hellion thinks that Richard, the dashing, handsome, and totally disreputable son of the Earl of Downe, is the white knight of her dreams.

Letitia's courtship of Richard is full of accidents, and he soon has the bruises to prove it.

When a ring of dangerous smugglers makes them prisoners, Richard falls in love with his insufferable, although unforgettable, cellmate.

Great supporting cast.

Warning: Do not read in public, you'll laugh out loud.

I've been reading romance novels since I was eleven, but this is the first book I've read that has ever seemed to have been written BY an eleven-year-old. Letty's "dreaminess" and hopeless infatuation with Richard made her seem like a cross between a child and a mentally handicapped person. Richard was simply the typical, jaded hero whose opinion of Letty changed inexplicably from her being a pathetic disgrace to a desirable siren. The fiascos and side characters throughout the book were just unrealistic and irritating, and the only genuine scene is thrown in haphazardly on the last few pages. The book was okay for a quick skim, and I think the author shows potential for talent, but clouds the basics with inane attempts at humor. I don't plan to read her other novels.

Lettie is a walking disaster. And her target has changed from her father to her neighbor - the rakish Earl of Downe. She's blackened his eyes, broke his foot, dislocated his shoulder, and all because she truly loves him. He can't seem to get away from the besotted girl... or her dog (who hates him). Lettie's dog accidentally spooks the Earl's horse, sending him over a cliff and into the clutches of three smugglers (clumsy triplets on their first heist). Instead of running, she plunges over the cliff to 'save' her love... and when she's not shooting him, setting him on fire, or blowing holes in the smuggler's ship, she's softening his hardened heart with her innocence and devotion. This book is a hoot - and although you'll miss the shape-changing surprises if you haven't read Bewitching first, you'll still love Lettie and her wicked rogue Earl.

This was a delightful tale, from the extremely talented wordsmith, Jill Barnett. I did read Bewitching first so I was delighted to revisit some very dear and wonderful 'friends'.

Letitia Hornsby was first mentioned in Bewitching but not really introduced, but here we have her story. Letty has been in love with Richard since the first day she met him when she was only eleven and knocked him into a river. The fact that catastrophes follow her like a shadow adds to the outrageous comedy of errors that is her life.

Richard knows that she is in love with him but he is a rake of the worst sort, and Letty just loves him in spite of himself. Fate has managed to get them both caught by smugglers and pirates, and lord help the smugglers! Letty aboard a ship in the middle of the Channel?

This is a delightful tale and marvelous to see Richard being saved from himself by her totally selfless love. Another wonderful read from Jill Barnett. Super funny!

I read bewitching before I read this one and I have to say that this was not quite what I expected. The heroine was PATHETIC!! All that "prone to accidents" mixed with her begging the hero to love her was sickening! The hero wasn't even very likeable- hero my butt, he's a drunk jerk! She gives no real reason for his drinking other than to say he feels giult over his father & brother's deaths. I found myself skimming over pages just to get to the end. This was over the top with regards to a pathetic heroine & a drunk, callous jerk...overall, a real waste.

This is actually on my keeper shelf. I've read it countless times and if you're in the mood for a light, kind of fluffy, careless read that is funny and sweet, this is it.

It's a sequel to Ms. Barnett's Bewitching, which was also a lovely story. I think you should read that first to maybe get a full impact but the book can stand alone if need be.

In this book, Letty, the heroine is a dreamer. Extremely silly and innocent, she contrasts with our hero, Richard who is cynical and jaded. Letty's somewhat accident prone which is often agonizing for Richard since he's often the brunt of her humorous accidents. She loves him and is convinced that he's a hero (really) despite him insisting that he isn't. It's a very amusing and touching story on the way to find out who's actually right.

Almost all the secondary characters from Bewitching are included. Joy, Alec, Joy's Aunt, Seymour and several new characters as well. It's very well written and put together. It is also very imaginative and I can't describe enough just how funny it is.

This has got to be one of the worst books I've read so far. The plot is half decent and could have been great if it weren't for the Letty and her dog. The characters are developed, but their personalities are extremes. Letty is annoying as hell because she just doesn't get the hint. It's cute that she's been in love with Richard since she was young, but it gets to a point where it's just overboard. It's hard to imagine someone SO accident prone that they're a walking hazard. Her dog is unnecessary and just makes Letty's character even more annoying. You just don't know who to hate more the stupid dog or Letty. Richard is basically a drunk suffering from depression.

I didn't see anything in Letty's personality that could have caused Richard to fall in love with her. She was so annoying and caused so much pain and suffering for the guy I'm surprised he didn't end up hating her. I hated her just reading about the accidents she caused and the kinds of situation she creates for poor Richard.

Bewitching was a cute romance novel with the witchcraft and love story. This one was just annoying because everything was so extreme. The witchcraft in this one was random. There was no explanation on why it happened. It seem like someone just decide I'm bored, so I'll go play cupid.

DREAMING, by Jill Barnett is a charming love story between Letitia Hornsby and Richard Lennox. Set in the Regency time period, it is a wonderful story not to be missed.

Letty has loved Richard all her life, and has always tried to express it when ever she is around him. However every time she tries something, it always ends up as a disaster. Now eight years later, Richard returns home from years away at school. He's never forgotten Letty, who has always made his life insufferable, dreaming him to be her knight in shining armor, when he is anything but that. On the day of his return, Letty follows him and accidently knocks him off his horse and into the river. Hitting his head on a rock, Richard is knocked unconscious. When he wakes up again, he realizes that he's on a smuggler's ship, amd tagging with him is - Letty. Stuck together in a terrible condtion, it is up to Richard to get them out of this mess. But being confined so closely together and after eight years of separation, Richard soon notices how beautiful and sensual Letty has become. And if they end up getting out of this situation alive, he just might give himself and Letty a chance for love.

What I loved most about this story is Letty's character. She's innocent and very sweet. She causes trouble, but always looks at it from the bright side. She's not afraid to declare her love for Richard, and at one point Richard gets really mad, because he knows he can't be what Letty believes him to be, and tells her to love someone else. And the most emotional part comes when Letty explains why she loves Richard, and why she always wants to show her love.

This is the first novel I've read by Ms. Barnett, and I can tell you, I look forward to her other books. I hear BEWITCHING is the prequel to DREAMING. So I will give that a try, and I do hope I end up enjoying it as much as I did for this novel.