Marie-Nicole Ryan Reviews

Added January 6, 2004

See You in My Dreams

Author: Marie-Nicole Ryan
Publisher: Wings ePress, Inc
Available At: www.wings-press.com
Publishing Date: Available Now
Genre: Romance: Suspense/Paranormal
Format: Trade Paperback and Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT
Price: $12.95 paperback, $6.00 ebook
ISBN: 1-59088-832-4 paperback, 1-59088-040-4
Author Email/Website: www.marie-nicoleryan.com
Reviewer: Melissa Parcel

Sixteen-year-old Nikki Prentice has been living on the streets of New York for three months, dodging pimps and drug dealers who want to take advantage of her. By chance, she meets Maxim Devereaux, the owner of a modeling agency, and he sees great potential for her future in modeling. After a rocky beginning, Nikki finally opens up and begins to trust Max's generosity. She goes to live with his mother, Reneé, who tutors and trains Nikki, turning her into the up-and-coming star of the modeling world.

Max is definitely attracted to Nikki, but being sixteen years her senior, he knows he must put those feelings on the back burner until she is older. Nikki too, is lost in the love she feels for Max, but assumes he feels only the protection of an uncle or older brother. They pine for one another over the next ten years, each hoping that the other will develop feelings.

Nikki tolerates her modeling career and all it provides, but insider politics and her age leave her fired at twenty-six. She decides to sell some of her antiques, but cannot part with her collection of vintage masks. A new one arrives from Max, and as she places it on her face, she finds herself transported to another time, another country. This vision is similar to many dreams she has experienced over the years, ones where she is with Max in different time periods, their love affairs intense and sometimes ending tragically. Is she exploring her past lives? Are she and Max destined to be together?

I must admit, stories about past lives are not at the top of my interest list. But See You in My Dreams is a fantastic ride through the present and the past. The reader will be fascinated watching as the plot is woven together into a seamless tapestry. The characters are believable and well-detailed. Nikki draws sympathy and the reader really gets to know her over the years covered in the novel, so that she begins to seem like a real person. The romantic tension between Max and Nikki is strong, and readers will root for the two to succumb to their attraction. Nikki's mother, Jessie, got on my last nerve. She's a whiny user, but it's good to have a character that you just love to hate.

There are elements of mystery included that will keep you turning pages to find out the solution. The writing style and voice of Ms Ryan are unique and didn't follow a typical romantic suspense formula. Portions of many different genres are all wrapped together, which provide for an intriguing and fascinating character-driven story. Many surprising twists create an air of mystery, keeping me entranced until the final pages.

See You in My Dreams is a definite fairly tale with heroes, villains, far off countries and dramatic rescues. Romance lovers will be in for an absolute treat with this book.

Return to top of page.

This page was last updated on January 1, 2008

This page and all its contents are Copyright© 2002-2008 In the Library Reviews and the individual reviewers. Except where noted, all graphics are Copyright© Eos Development and are used with permission. All book covers are Copyright© their respective publishers and are used with permission. The In the Library Reviews logo is Copyright© 2002 by In the Library Reviews/Sharyn McGinty. Site maintained by In the Library Reviews.