Where Dreams Begin
By Lisa Kleypas
Fiction, romance, historical fiction, humor (fiction)
Audiobook 13 hours (approx.)
Narrator – Rosalyn Landor
Expectations – I know this author can write a good romance. I don’t love all of her books but like most of them.
This one has a lot of elements I recognize from her other books. They happen to be my favorite books of hers and the elements work well together.
The leading female is a young widow with a small child. Her first relationship was a good one. She has life experience but still sheltered by family and society. The leading male came from the lower class and worked hard to rise in status.
The ending circles back to significant events with leading ladies first husband. This makes for a complete wonderful story. Tears were shed.
Stranger in My Arms
By – Lisa Kleypas
Fiction, romance, historical fiction
Audiobook 11 hours (approx.)
Narrator Rosalyn Landor
This one was a miss for me. The identity of the returned lost husband is kept a secret for most of the book. This makes it difficult to understand and trust him. The relationship between the leading male and female is awkward and not in a cute way.
The book highlights the culture of a wife being a possession of a husband and the vulnerability of being a woman. This is an unpleasant reality that can still be found today in some circles. I don’t enjoy reading about it. I don’t enjoy the injustice and helplessness.
I want a stronger female lead that can problem solve and think for herself.
There is a whole orphanage thread that just drops in and out of the story that doesn’t really mesh well with the rest of the book.