"A touch of the paranormal, bold fantasy, and humor"
They met on the airwaves, they met in their dreams, little
knowing that the answer to what ailed them was right next
door. Alex Simon, botany professor, newly moved from his native
England to the lone star state is a fish out of water in
more ways than one. Somehow he'd never quite made a
relationship work. He was a learned man, a kind man, even a
handsome man in a ruffled sort of way. Yet the women in his
life from his own mother to his erstwhile ex-fianc�e had
wanted to make him into someone completely different. Oh he had tried to please them for a time, but the
adage "to thine own self be true" had won out in the end.
He was through with women, he no longer trusted that there
was one out there who could love him for the man he was. It
was true that he wasn't trendy and had an occasional moment
of awkwardness, but was he really that pathetic? Feeling a
little foolish Alex confesses his feelings to Dr. Dave, a
radio therapist about his concerns. More meaningful than
the Dr.'s advise, are the words of the next caller. Right next door and listening to Dr. Dave, Robin Wise feels
a deep sympathy for the unknown caller. She too has a deep
seated fear that was having a terrible effect on her life.
Overwhelmed by the need to let the caller know that he
isn't alone, she calls to sympathize and make a confession
of her own. Robin believes her life is cursed. Four generations of her
female ancestors have died tragically between their twenty-
ninth and thirtieth birthday. Only two weeks remain before
her thirtieth birthday. Alex takes solace in an adventure series featuring a masked
hero on the cover. Robin takes solace in painting a western
town, one that she has only seen in her dreams.
Interestingly enough the hero of her dreams wears a mask.
You guessed it Alex is having the same dreams. Imagine the shock when these two neighbors finally meet. It
is love at first sight, but unbeknownst to Alex, Robin is
the girl on the radio as well as the heroine of his dreams.
Over the past year the fear of the family curse has
paralyzed her. She is unable to even leave the confines of
her own yard. Sure that she has little time to live, Robin
pushes Alex away, unwilling to see him hurt. But her rejection does hurt, Robin is the one woman who has
cared for him exactly as he is. He isn't ready to give that
up. The dreams seem to be trying to tell him something, and
Robin's painting is hauntingly familiar. As Robin and Alex
While Alex and Robin struggle with their very real
problems, "The Gambler" and his lady boldly explore the
dream realm for the answers. A near tragedy pulls all the pieces together. But is love
enough to break the curse and free his beloved from her
horrible fear, or are she destined only to share his
passion in her dreams? The reader will enjoy the hilarious by-play of the
secondary characters who have the best interests of the
lovers at heart, but who employ radically different methods
to aid them. And you may never look at a butterfly the same
way again! I believe Once Upon a Dream has all the elements for appeal
to a wide range of romance readers, a touch of the
paranormal, bold fantasy, humor, and characters with an
equal measure of strength and vulnerability, and richly
deserving of love. This tale will send the reader
searching for Ms. Archer's debut paranormal romance
novel "Body and Soul" (Love Spell, Sept. 1999). Copyright 2001
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted January 31, 2002
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