Reviewed for THC Reviews"4.5 stars" Lately, I've allowed myself to become distracted from some of my favorite authors, so it has been quite a while since I've read a Lisa Kleypas novel. Where Dreams Begin has been on my TBR pile for nearly two years, and I believe that was due in part to it rarely being mentioned as a fan favorite which led me to believe that it probably wasn't one of her stronger efforts. Now that I've finally read it, I'm kicking myself for not picking it up sooner. In my opinion, Where Dreams Begin is every bit as good if not better than Ms. Kleypas' other works (that I've read to date), and I found it to be a real pleasure to read. I thought it embodied her trademark style in both plot and characterizations, and although perhaps not quite as steamy as some of her later books, it was still plenty sensuous. There was also quite a bit of lightly humorous bantering between the hero and heroine that really livened things up, and lots of sweet, tender romance. Where Dreams Begin was an all-around wonderful story about a proper lady who is tasked with making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, only to find out that it's the roughness around the edges which make her hero so attractive to begin with.Zachary was yet another of Lisa Kleypas' heroes who begins as an ordinary low-born man, but uses his intelligence, diligence and determination to work his way into a hard-earned fortune. He is a real diamond in the rough with a heart of gold who has never forgotten his humble roots and is constantly working for the betterment of the lower classes much to the consternation of the upper classes. It is often said that one can tell the measure of a man by how he regards his mother, which to my way of thinking makes Zachary a virtual saint. He has a huge heart behind his enormous bank account and treats his mother like a queen and his sister like a princess, and can't help spoiling both Holly and her daughter, Rose, too, when they come to live with him. Zachary is more of a father-figure to Rose than her blood uncles were after her father died. He absolutely adores this little girl from the moment they meet and the feeling is mutual. Their scenes together positively melted my heart. Zachary may be as sweet as pie and take the utmost care of the women in his life, but he is a completely incorrigible, unrepentant rogue until his love for Holly literally brings him to his knees. In business, Zachary has a take-no-prisoners approach and a reputation for doing anything it takes to get the job done, and he also has a natural knack for bending others to his will to get what he wants without being overly arrogant. Described as an “ape” by a member of the nobility, this hulking man was not considered particularly attractive by the standards of the era, but he certainly was incredibly appealing to Holly, and I'm sure will be to most readers as well, myself included. It might have been nice to have a little deeper insight into the hardships that Zachary endured which made him the man he was in the story, but overall, he was yet another delectable hero to come from Lisa Kleypas' talented pen.Holly was no slouch herself. She was a strong and courageous woman who carried on with life after the death of her beloved husband even though she felt like rolling up in a ball and dying herself. Even though it has been three years, Holly is still grieving her husband's passing when she and Zachary meet and share an accidental but incredibly passionate kiss. I loved how she took a chance and followed the desires of her heart when Zachary offered her employment as a social etiquette tutor to him and his family. It took a lot of spunk to risk becoming a social pariah for living under the roof of a man who was looked down upon by the ton in order to better her daughter's future. Not to mention, the backbone it took to keep a rake like Zachary in line. Holly was incredibly prim and proper, having had an extremely loving marriage with her first husband, albeit a somewhat puritanical one. By comparison, Zachary's dark sexuality is almost overwhelming for her, but I liked that she was up to the challenge. He may have made Holly blush to her toes on occasion, but I admire her for never shying away from his hot-blooded nature and for embracing her own unexplored passions that were lurking beneath the surface right from the start. I also liked that Holly had a sense of humor and was often amused by Zachary's blunt comments rather than being offended by them. I did feel like shaking her a couple of times when I felt like she was taking a little too long to come to her senses and realize that Zachary was perfect for her, but at the same time, I understood her fears and reluctance. Ms. Kleypas did a good job of conveying Holly's continuing grief over the loss of her husband and her confusion over keeping promises that she had made to him on his death bed, but I did get a little impatient while waiting for her to come to terms with everything and accept that she could fall in love again.The secondary characters were great too. Little Rose was just as cute as a button, and in my opinion, rendered in a very age-appropriate way. She really added a lot to every scene she was in. Zachary's sister, Elizabeth was a vivacious young woman looking for a love of her own, but not feeling that she was good enough to land the kind of husband she wanted. Zachary's mother, Paula, also felt unworthy of the station to which she found herself elevated by her son's wealth. She was a very shy woman who found directing servants to be a difficult adjustment after having worked in jobs that were even lower than they were. Holly and her husband, George's best friend, Vardon, ended up being a wonderful man who deserved his own HEA. Ms. Kleypas mentions on her website that she might write a story for him someday if she can find the right one. There was even a surprise cameo by the handsome, young Dr. Jacob Linley who played a strong role in the Bow Street Runners series and has his own little story in Against the Odds, a novella from the Where's My Hero? anthology. All in all, I thought it was a very nice well-rounded cast.There were many memorable elements in Where Dreams Begin. Ms. Kleypas managed to seamlessly weave lots of information on social etiquette into the story which I found to be quite interesting. I really enjoyed the shrewd negotiations that took place between Zachary and Holly for her employment, as well as their bantering in general. Most of all, I loved how Zachary and Holly simply enjoy each others company, while slowly building a friendship, and how Zachary comes to the realization that he would rather spend a quiet evening with Holly than go out carousing in town. The only thing that could have made this better is if the reader had been made privy to more in-depth conversations between them which I thought would have added a more intimate feel to their relationship. The sexual tension was good with several “almost” moments to fill in the long stretch between their initial smoldering kiss in the first chapter and their next which didn't occur until about 2/3 of the way into the book. I'll admit I became somewhat impatient, but the author made up for it with plenty of sensuality in the last third of the story. I've never been a fan of anger turned to passion moments, so I have to commend Ms. Kleypas on her writing of a couple of these scenes. Even when Zachary and Holly had been arguing, their anger never spilled over into their lovemaking. Instead it was every bit as tender as if they had started from a calmer place, which I loved. I don't want to give away too much, but there were some wonderful moments in the final chapters that were both sweet and intense, which really conveyed the depth of love this couple shared. Other than the few minor complaints I've already voiced, Where Dreams Begin was a really lovely book that allowed me a few blissful hours of escape from reality. In my opinion, this is one of Lisa Kleypas' most undervalued works, and one that has certainly earned a place on my keeper shelf.
You’d be hard pressed to find any romance with a fresh/new storyline, and yet Kleypas has had a much higher success rate than many of her contemporaries at breathing new life into otherwise worn out plots. This was another success. And despite the fact that the last 40 or 50 pages of this book were entirely unnecessary (and a bit of a buzz kill from an otherwise fantastic story) I’m still giving this four stars because the first 90% of the book was a joy to read. Romance clichés skillfully brought in to play this time around included:--social climber: Zach Bronson, a nouveau riche hero who was born into poverty and has now taken the London ton by storm with his prizefighter’s physique, his MENSA-like math skills and his proclivity for bling excess.--never had an orgasm: Holly Taylor, a daughter of an earl and now a young widow whose dead husband never gave her an orgasm because he was too much of a gentleman to “debauch” a lady.The premise: Zach wants to introduce his younger sister to high society but because of their family’s humble beginnings, he knows the family is greatly lacking in important social skills. After “meeting” Holly at a ball in the first chapter (he mistook her for a much looser lady and assaulted her with his lips in a dark room), Zach entices her into his employment for a period of one year for an unheard of sum that will allow the otherwise penniless widow financial freedom for the rest of her life and not only that, establish a large dowry for her 4-year-old daughter.Holly then takes scandalous measures by moving herself and her daughter to Zach’s massive estate where she spends the morning teaching etiquette to Zach’s 21-year-old sister, Elizabeth and some afternoons and evenings teaching manners to Zach himself. They cover how to sit, how to stand, how to walk, how to dance, what to say, what not to say and I especially appreciated Holly’s lesson for Zach on English nobility and titles, because I find them equally as confusing as Zach did. Most of the novel takes place in the home, but that is not to its detriment. The sexxin’: Zach and Holly don’t get it on until…oh…the final quarter of the book. And they also spend a lot more time talking than kissing during the “getting to know you phase.” But…that’s not to say there isn’t all sort of unrequited sexual angst described, especially from Zach’s perspective, because even though she isn’t kissing him, he is painfully aware of his growing attraction to her and feelings for her. He realized he was in love with her before they even had sex. How often does that happen? Frankly, I appreciated that the sex wasn’t rushed because Zach and Lady Holly were complete opposites and I appreciated the author investing time into the building of their relationship. The crappy ending: The end was wholly unnecessary. I won’t go into specifics because that would mean spoilers, but I recommend skimming once you get to the part where Holly joins a women’s club that is working to improve factory conditions. If you choose not to skim, I can almost guarantee that you will vomit all over the book when you get to the dream sequence with the dead husband. So yes, aside from that spot of weirdness, this was an all around goodie.
What do You think about Where Dreams Begin (2013)?
One of my favorite books for 2010 and straight into my keepers shelf. Review to come after Christmas!Well, it's after Christmas now but I guess I'm too tired from the festivities to write a complete review so I'll keep it short:Zachary Bronson has become a rich man and has gained all his heart's desires except one thing: admittance in the ton because of his lowly origins. In a ball he meets the beautiful widow Lady Holland and decides he wants her as his tutor in order to polish his manners, and seducing her will be the icing on the cake. However, the more time they spend together, the more attracted they become to each other. But Holly is afraid to ignore the life she's always known and be with someone so different from what her beloved husband was.It sounds simple and perhaps it is, but Kleypas tells the story in such a beautiful way that you can't help but feel for the two of them. Both Zachary and Holly are amazing characters; strong, determined but also loving and tender people. I couldn't help but wish them to end together for good. The thing I liked, is that Holly's reasons for being reluctant to accept Zachary's attraction were realistic and NOT snobish at all (there are more issues than what I've already mentioned here). I loved her for that and I loved Zachary for pursuing her but knowing when to pull off. There were a couple of heartwrenching scenes that even had me misty eyed and I read this book feeling a warmth in my heart during the whole time.It's been a while since I last read a really good romance and this one really made up for all this time:) Definitely recommended!
—Fani
5 stars.I created a new shelf for this called "gorgeous" because it quite simply was from start to finish. Lisa Kleypas is extremely dominant on my favourites shelf because she is obviously one of the most magical romance authors of all time. I can't tell you how much the opening chapter of this book captured my attention but my heart was with both Lady Holly and Zachary from that point forward.Can I just say how refreshing it was to not have any crazy drama or suspense plot in Where Dreams Begin? It was so nice to just read a solid, emotional story like this that felt fresh and original. It made me happy, it made me sad, it made my heart ache. I loved every minute.Such emotion was conveyed from both the heroine and hero with the real winner for me being Zachary's POV - he was absolutely divine.Staring into her smiling, rosy-cheeked face, Zachary experienced a painfully sweet sensation, an ache that had less to do with the body than the spirit. She was the most adorable woman he had ever known. Not for the first time, he felt acute envy for George Taylor for having been loved by her. For having the right to touch and kiss her whenever he had wanted. For having had her turn to him for all of her needs. For being loved by her still.I'm sorry but if you can read that and not fall in love with this guy then you have a serious problem.Zachary is a self-made gazillionaire who requires assistance in trying to fit in with the aristocracy. He stumbles across Holly (who had been in mourning whilst Zach was entering society) and is so intrigued by her that he offers her a position as an aristocratic etiquette guide for him and his family. Little did he know exactly how much Holly would grow to affect him and (as much as Holly would fight it) vice versa.Zach and Holly's relationship was realistic and heartwarming in its beginning as a friendship before moving into something deeper. As per a lot of other reviews I have seen about, the ending was slightly "draggy" but as a romance reader who enjoys seeing the H/h post-HEA, it didn't particularly bother me. I felt like the events leading up to the finale were almost required for the story to come full circle. And also for Zach and particularly Holly to understand how much they meant to each other.There are a thousand other gorgeous quotes - but be warned - I do have to place them under this spoiler... (view spoiler)[His mind sorted busily through a deluge of words, grasping for an apology that would make everything right again. He could tell Holly anything but the truth—that he was jealous of George Taylor, that he wanted her to stop mourning for her husband, when it was clear that she had dedicated the rest of her life to his memory.~~~~~Zachary had never accepted defeat before. He'd tolerated it in small doses, perhaps, always knowing that in the larger scheme of things, he would have what he wanted. But he'd never been truly vanquished, never known a real loss. Until this, the biggest loss of all. It made him feel vicious and a bit crazed. He wanted to kill someone. He wanted to weep. Most of all he wanted to laugh at himself for being a big sodding fool.~~~~~"I had never felt that way before," she said. "I was utterly lost. I had no control over my heart or my thoughts, and so I was frantic to leave you. Ever since then I've tried to step back into my old life, but the fit isn't right anymore. I've changed. Because of you." Suddenly she could barely see him through a scalding rush of tears. "I've finally realized that there is something worse than possibly losing you…and that is never having you at all." Her voice cramped and faltered, and she could only whisper. "Please let me stay, Zachary—on any terms you desire. Don't make me live without you. I love you so desperately."~~~~~Suddenly his fury seemed to evaporate, and he stared at her with an inscrutable gaze. A long moment passed before he spoke again."You wouldn't have taken Rose to such a place, would you?""Of course not! But she is a little girl, and I'm—""My life," he interrupted quietly. "You're my entire life. If anything ever happens to you, Holly, there is nothing left for me." (hide spoiler)]
—Nikki
This is my first Lisa Kleypas book and I loved it.Oh Zachary ♥♥(view spoiler)[You son of a- I THOUGHT SHE WAS GOING TO DIE! I CRIED! (hide spoiler)]
—Brenda
