Saturday, April 7, 2012

When Dreams Come True by Cathy Maxwell


When Dreams Come True. Cathy Maxwell. Harper Collins Publishers: Avon Books. August 1998. 384 Pages. ISBN #: 9780380797097.

The Widow, with the help of several village woman, calls forth a spell to bring a future bride for their Cornish earl, a woman who will grant an heir to this noble family on whom everyone in the area depends. None who participate doubt the event will soon bring forth the promised bride!!!

Meanwhile, the "promised one" is in London hearing words meant to give her strength as she has been told she will embark on a trip to the Middle East to be one of many concubines to a rich Sultan. Eden's one and only friend says words that prove to be the core of this story, "I will pray that God gives you the courage to free yourself." So begins a journey for Eden in which she will draw on that courage to start a new life, one the reader is not sure she will initially survive.

Pierce, Lord Penhollow, has more people trying to arrange a wedding for him than he can stand. Yet he also wonders what would it be like to actually marry a woman for love? A friend warns him that's a dream that drastically changes after the "knot is tied," yet Pierce still dreams. Imagine his surprise on finding a shipwrecked woman whose first look at him with magical green eyes turns his life into a whirlwind of desire and dreams! It also inflames quite a few characters who had their own plans lined up for the Lord!

The plot continues with several challenges to Pierce and Eden's love because of the secret Eden holds to herself. But it turns out that there are many secrets waiting to be revealed and resolved in this well-told romance story. Every romance reader loves a passionate love story, but it's so much better when there is a tangible mystery story tied into it. When Dreams Come True is a tale with plenty of conflict, misunderstandings, and passion! Well done, Cathy Maxwell!