ONCE UPON A DREAM

ONCE UPON A DREAM by Nora Roberts (Editor),
Jill Gregory, Ruth Ryan Langan, Marian Willman, Marianne Willman
Jove – October 31, 2000
ISBN: 051512947X - Paperback
Paranormal

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks, MyShelf.com
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Once Upon a Dream is the third anthology by these same four authors. The last two were Once Upon a Star and Once Upon a Castle. In this one, each story is considered a paranormal romance and has a dream theme in it, hence the title. They range from contemporary, to historical, and fantasy-type fiction. Each has it’s own style and each has just enough passion to steam up the nearest window.

In Dreams by Nora Roberts
Kayleen, who has never experienced true love, travels to Ireland and ends up, in a very unusual way, at a castle. Flynn, who has been cursed and trapped for five hundred years, finds the woman who haunted his dreams. It’s passionate, magical, and mystical. How Roberts is able to create all these characters is beyond me, and the way she writes them is mystical in itself. It’s a romantic lesson in the right kind of love -- another contemporary romance winner, of course.

The Sorcerer’s Daughter by Jill Gregory
Willow of Brinhaven’s father, a sorcerer, has been condemned to a stone dungeon by someone with greater powers than his. The only way he can be freed is if Willow risks her life to find a great treasure. Her father sends help through a dream, but the attempt goes astray and she ends up dealing with Blaine of Kendrick, a mercenary solider who wants the treasure for a future bride. This historical read shows that sometimes mistakes can be a good thing when it comes to romance. This one has a fantasy-like flair to it.

The Enchantment by Ruth Ryan Langan
Annie has a chance to sell a large waterfront estate. The fact that it’s haunted intrigues her all the more. When she drives out to stay the weekend she experiences more than a ghost but was it all just a dream? It’s a contemporary romance about taking the time to smell the roses and love reaching from the great beyond.

The Bridge of Sighs by Marianne Willman
Claire is taking a trip to Venice to procure some art. A haunting dream and an ex-husband named Val follow her to the romantic city. Neither will leave her be until she faces the past and reveals the truth. It’s a contemporary romance about opening one’s soul to purge the pain in order to receive true love.