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Book Review of Dreaming of You (Gamblers, Bk 2)

Dreaming of You (Gamblers, Bk 2)
Dreaming of You (Gamblers, Bk 2)
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Paperback
Corie avatar reviewed on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7


I was seduced by the hype on this book. It boasts an impressive 2nd place on AAR's top 100 romance novels poll, so perhaps I was expecting an epic rather than simple brain candy. Don't get me wrong, the story was enjoyable in a trite sort of way - but it was no "second best bodice ripper ever". No sir.

I'll go ahead and state up front that I absolutely abhor plot lines that flow around a plain jane mouse who couldn't catch the eye of any man on the planet, much less the attention of the delicious rake with the fabulous abs and brooding eyes. But then suddenly, her spectacles are removed, her hair is unbound and lo and behold, what have we here? A goddess of breathtaking proportions! Paaa leezz.
Anywho.....If that's what makes your socks go up and down, by all means - delve right in.
Onto my review....(as I remove my glasses and take out my hair clip...)
Although as I stated above, this sort of plot line grates against me, I thought there were some redeeming qualities. Couple things I liked: For one, the heroine wasn't all: "Oh darling, you've got loads of money, of course I'll help you spend it!" I like that she felt a bit awkward when it came to suddenly being ridiculously loaded. Also, the reformation of the hero was touching in it's own sweet way. So was every moment with the heroines parents. Very cute. The heroine was a bit of a Holly Hobby, going around winning everyone on the blessed earth over with her cheery optimism and sunny disposition. Excuse me while I choke on that overused character spin. Her one good quality was that she insisted on being an independent working woman instead of barefoot and pregnant,but ahem...if that's the only thing you got going for you... Just sayin.
Meanwhile, the blackheart hero was delightfully flawed and fabulously emotional, keeping the pages somewhat turnable. The plot twists and turns were rather predictable and I didn't warm up to the heroine until about three quarters of the way through the book. I wouldn't go so far as to recommend this book to a friend. Unless I knew that this sort of story line was their "thing".

Overall, I would have given the story a paltry two out of six stars, but since the ending turned out to be rather smashing with the characters finally endearing themselves a smidge, I'll bump it up to 3 stars.