She stood at danger's threshold—then love beckoned her in.
In the shelter of her country cottage, Sara Fielding puts pen to paper to ...
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reviews
Jul 08, 2010
Shawna
rated it: 
5++ stars – Historical/Regency Romance
This is such a beautiful, heartrending love story that I savored like the finest Vosges chocolate! And it’s no wonder why this is such a sentimental, LK fan favorite...Derek Craven...*dreamy sigh*.
Author Sara Fielding wants to observe the workings of London’s underground gaming halls for her latest novel, including the most famous gambling club of all, Craven’s, and the notorious man who runs it. Derek Craven, the sexy, cynical, har More...
This is such a beautiful, heartrending love story that I savored like the finest Vosges chocolate! And it’s no wonder why this is such a sentimental, LK fan favorite...Derek Craven...*dreamy sigh*.
Author Sara Fielding wants to observe the workings of London’s underground gaming halls for her latest novel, including the most famous gambling club of all, Craven’s, and the notorious man who runs it. Derek Craven, the sexy, cynical, har More...
41 comments
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(34 people liked it)
Sep 25, 2011
Celeste
rated it:
WOW! I loved Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas! I would even go so far as to say it rivals my affections for Devil in Winter,(my all time fav LK book) - no easy feat for sure!
There are many trials and ups and downs Derek and Sara face throught the book; it is non-stop action from the very beginning. They have got the sweetest relationship. The chemistry between them was electrifying and I couldn't get enough of them! I was actually sad for the book to end! Very good romantic read.
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There are many trials and ups and downs Derek and Sara face throught the book; it is non-stop action from the very beginning. They have got the sweetest relationship. The chemistry between them was electrifying and I couldn't get enough of them! I was actually sad for the book to end! Very good romantic read.
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5 comments
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(13 people liked it)
Jun 21, 2011
Crista
rated it:
I read this book at least once a year, and have been doing so for the past 5 years. There really are not enough words for this love story. Each time I read it, I think that I've romanticized it in my mind, and each time I am left with the same amazed, giddy, and warm-fuzzies that I experienced that last time I read it. If you are a romance fan...this is an absolute MUST READ. DEREK CRAVEN is a name that you'll take with you to the grave!
This man is so positively unforgettable that I More...
This man is so positively unforgettable that I More...
10 comments
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(11 people liked it)
Jul 25, 2008
Eastofoz
rated it:
Great story with a very "different" kind of hero.
Derek Craven has lived through every kind of misery and debauchery imaginable which has left him so jaded that he doesn’t even know if he has any real emotions left. Enter Sara Fielding, a famous reclusive author, who decides she wants to take a walk on the wild side at his gaming hall –all in the name of research for her next book ;D
Excellent secondary characters with a special mention for Mrs Kingswood the p More...
Derek Craven has lived through every kind of misery and debauchery imaginable which has left him so jaded that he doesn’t even know if he has any real emotions left. Enter Sara Fielding, a famous reclusive author, who decides she wants to take a walk on the wild side at his gaming hall –all in the name of research for her next book ;D
Excellent secondary characters with a special mention for Mrs Kingswood the p More...
14 comments
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(12 people liked it)
Aug 19, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Excellent! Derek Craven grew up a poor boy who built his wealth from the ground up. He becomes the richest man in London thanks to his successful gambling club. He takes his pleasure in the beds of married women and as soon as they claim their love for him he simply finds another married woman to share his bed. He doesn't know how to love until Sara Fielding, an innocent country girl, saves his life. For his gratitude Derek let's Sara hang around his club so that she can do research for her next
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Feb 03, 2011
Krista (One Love) (Critical)
rated it: 
Okay, I'd like to start off this review by saying that if Lily were alive in this day and age, this would be her fave T-shirt:
She invades this book with her sexist bitchiness, always blabbing on about how men are "useless creatures" and "easy to manage" etc... It's a wonder she actually decided to marry a man, what with the way she loathes them.
Moving on from Lily.
So, Derek. He is my man. I love his guts. Seriously. Lily claime More...
She invades this book with her sexist bitchiness, always blabbing on about how men are "useless creatures" and "easy to manage" etc... It's a wonder she actually decided to marry a man, what with the way she loathes them.
Moving on from Lily.
So, Derek. He is my man. I love his guts. Seriously. Lily claime More...
13 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Aug 05, 2011
Tammy
rated it: 
This is going to be another review where I apologize to every GR friend who loves this book. I'm sorry guys, I just didn't. I tried - I really did!
I didn't connect with either Derek or Sara, I didn't care for the story, and found myself skipping the love scenes. SKIPPING THE LOVE SCENES, folks. (That doesn't happen very often, I'm a bit of a dirty girl.)
The whole book was meh for me, and frankly some parts made me uncomfortable. I dunno what it was, but it was like More...
I didn't connect with either Derek or Sara, I didn't care for the story, and found myself skipping the love scenes. SKIPPING THE LOVE SCENES, folks. (That doesn't happen very often, I'm a bit of a dirty girl.)
The whole book was meh for me, and frankly some parts made me uncomfortable. I dunno what it was, but it was like More...
19 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Apr 30, 2011
Lisa Kay
rated it:
Still today, a full ★★★★★!!!
A GoodReads friend, Amanda, just asked me if Kleypas’ Gamblers series was as good as the Wallflowers series. All I could do was answer with a rhetorical question: Is any series as good as the Wallflowers? However, this book is the best in this series, IMHO, though some people will surely disagree. And they are almost right, as the first in the series, Then Came You, is a close second. Dreaming of You’s Derek Craven has his own fan club in W♥LK group’s Hero Threa More...
9 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Feb 27, 2010
♥ Beth
rated it:
Dreaming of You
Wow!! How yummy is Derek Craven??? Even when he’s bad, he’s good!!!
This is Kleypas at her best and a must read!! Derek and Sara have crept into my heart to stay, their characters are amazing and the passion is intense!! You will fall in love with Derek. His tortured soul will touch you and you can almost feel his pain. Sara is so giving and loves unconditionally, everything Derek’s soul craves but his mind rejects.
A wonderful bitterswe More...
Wow!! How yummy is Derek Craven??? Even when he’s bad, he’s good!!!
This is Kleypas at her best and a must read!! Derek and Sara have crept into my heart to stay, their characters are amazing and the passion is intense!! You will fall in love with Derek. His tortured soul will touch you and you can almost feel his pain. Sara is so giving and loves unconditionally, everything Derek’s soul craves but his mind rejects.
A wonderful bitterswe More...
Jun 10, 2011
Brenda
rated it: 
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor - Narration is a 2*
Never having read this Kleypas favorite, I came into it with open ears and high expectations. It’s a romance built around a self made man who had been born in the gutter, literally, and a country born miss with a hunger for facts and an understanding heart – a heart that sees the good in all people no matter their circumstances. Derek Craven is a unique hero, as is this story, which centers on a gaming club and the lower classes instead of More...
Never having read this Kleypas favorite, I came into it with open ears and high expectations. It’s a romance built around a self made man who had been born in the gutter, literally, and a country born miss with a hunger for facts and an understanding heart – a heart that sees the good in all people no matter their circumstances. Derek Craven is a unique hero, as is this story, which centers on a gaming club and the lower classes instead of More...
7 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 13, 2011
Anna
rated it:
I don't even know how to being to describe how much I liked this book. So, far every book I have read by this author(and there hasn't been too many since I just started reading LK), I've just loved. Besides It Happened One Autumn, Dreaming Of You is my favorite LK book. Our hero Derek Craven is just addicting, and intriguing - even when he's being an ass. I had a hard time putting this one down. Every time I thought of taking a break from reading I'd end up going on to the next chapter, cause I
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0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Jun 22, 2010
Trang
rated it:
"I didn't want to give you the one last part of myself that I couldn't take back. And then you were gone... And I realized it was already yours. It had been since the beginning. Except that I hadn't told you. It drove me mad, the thought that you would never know. "
Wow I LOVED this story. First of all I loved this story because Derek and Sara were not from the ton and it was refreshing to have a story that didn't rely on calling in ones drawing room and having chaperones and More...
Wow I LOVED this story. First of all I loved this story because Derek and Sara were not from the ton and it was refreshing to have a story that didn't rely on calling in ones drawing room and having chaperones and More...
5 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 28, 2011
Carla
rated it:
Just as I was expecting Dreaming of You was an excellent read. I mean, it’s a Lisa Kleypas book, so what were the odds of the contrary? That’s right, negative 1.
Like all the other books by the author, Dreaming of You is smart, intense, funny, sexy, and I just wanted to jump into the heroine’s skin and live the story myself. I really liked Sara, and it helped a lot that she was a nerdy type of heroine, because I love characters like that. To be specific, she is a writer, and she is in Lond More...
Like all the other books by the author, Dreaming of You is smart, intense, funny, sexy, and I just wanted to jump into the heroine’s skin and live the story myself. I really liked Sara, and it helped a lot that she was a nerdy type of heroine, because I love characters like that. To be specific, she is a writer, and she is in Lond More...
15 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 15, 2011
Adrienne Marie
rated it:
This REVIEW contains Many SPOILERS!!!!!!!!
After originally reading this book following the Devil in Winter, I was originally a little disappointed. I wanted at the time a book of great humor and this book didn’t deliver. Also, I was unable to relate to the heroine Sara Fielding.
Sara Fielding is a writer who researches gamblers, whores, and criminals. Her research leads to the meeting of Derek Craven, who was being attacked at the time. She shoots his attackers and More...
After originally reading this book following the Devil in Winter, I was originally a little disappointed. I wanted at the time a book of great humor and this book didn’t deliver. Also, I was unable to relate to the heroine Sara Fielding.
Sara Fielding is a writer who researches gamblers, whores, and criminals. Her research leads to the meeting of Derek Craven, who was being attacked at the time. She shoots his attackers and More...
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Feb 13, 2011
Renee
rated it:
It's always wonderful when a re-read of a favorite holds up well to the test of time. Dreaming of You is as enjoyable as I remembered. It hits all of the right notes: a heroine I can root for, a brooding tortured hero, and a feeling of intense connection between them.
I was very aware of where this book falls in the Kleypas timeline: after Lily's story; pre-Wallflowers with Evie's father Ivo Jenner making an appearance; pre-pre-Hathaways where Cam runs Jenner's. Having all of this cont More...
I was very aware of where this book falls in the Kleypas timeline: after Lily's story; pre-Wallflowers with Evie's father Ivo Jenner making an appearance; pre-pre-Hathaways where Cam runs Jenner's. Having all of this cont More...
3 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 05, 2011
Samina ~ Escapism~
rated it:
Wow, what a touching story. I was blown away by the complexity of the charcaters and their dilemas.
I had heard that Derek was Lisa Klepas's most tortured hero and I was not dissappointed. He was tormented and complex. I absolutely loved him. I daresay he was a lot better than St.Vincent.
I also liked how the story was over a few months and does not take place within a week.Sara was a strong heroine worthy of having derek.
This has been my favourite Lisa Kleypas book More...
I had heard that Derek was Lisa Klepas's most tortured hero and I was not dissappointed. He was tormented and complex. I absolutely loved him. I daresay he was a lot better than St.Vincent.
I also liked how the story was over a few months and does not take place within a week.Sara was a strong heroine worthy of having derek.
This has been my favourite Lisa Kleypas book More...
Feb 07, 2012
Jane
rated it:
Sweet, feel good, historical romance.
STORY BRIEF:
Derek was abandoned by his prostitute mother in the streets. He was cared for by other prostitutes. He survived on the streets by sweeping chimneys, digging up bodies for medical schools, and servicing wealthy ladies. He now owns a gambling club and is wealthy. He was never loved. He doesn’t know what happiness means. He fears attachment and breaks up with any woman who gets too close. He is selfish, secretive, bitter, and More...
STORY BRIEF:
Derek was abandoned by his prostitute mother in the streets. He was cared for by other prostitutes. He survived on the streets by sweeping chimneys, digging up bodies for medical schools, and servicing wealthy ladies. He now owns a gambling club and is wealthy. He was never loved. He doesn’t know what happiness means. He fears attachment and breaks up with any woman who gets too close. He is selfish, secretive, bitter, and More...
6 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 07, 2012
Ljilja
rated it:
Ok, I will say it...I am not a romance girl. I will not fall for baby blue and pink covers with roses and italic title. Not that I have anything against romance; it's just that I prefer other genres more.
So, how did I end up writing this review?
I like to think of myself as open minded; so when I asked people what romance book should I definitely read, Dreaming of You was the book everybody mentioned. And, what a book it is...
I was blown away with main characters in this book. More...
So, how did I end up writing this review?
I like to think of myself as open minded; so when I asked people what romance book should I definitely read, Dreaming of You was the book everybody mentioned. And, what a book it is...
I was blown away with main characters in this book. More...
Sep 25, 2011
Roberta
rated it:
Una ragazza timida e ingenua, un pericoloso e cinico giocatore. Potranno mai amarsi?
Inverosimile ma affascinante questo romanzo ambientato a Londra, dove nella zona più malfamata si incontrano due persone che hanno molto poco in comune. Lui è Derek Craven, nato in un canale di scolo, devoto a una vita dissoluta che però non gli impedisce di costruirsi un impero economico. Lei è Sara Fielding, ingenua e innocente abitante di un piccolo paesino e scrittrice, in cerca di materiale per i s More...
Inverosimile ma affascinante questo romanzo ambientato a Londra, dove nella zona più malfamata si incontrano due persone che hanno molto poco in comune. Lui è Derek Craven, nato in un canale di scolo, devoto a una vita dissoluta che però non gli impedisce di costruirsi un impero economico. Lei è Sara Fielding, ingenua e innocente abitante di un piccolo paesino e scrittrice, in cerca di materiale per i s More...
Aug 30, 2011
Christine
rated it:
3.5 stars
I enjoyed these characters and their situation quite a bit. Derek, the man with no name who doesn't know how old he is (as he was abandoned in a drainpipe at birth) and Sarah, the country girl who writes wonderful, well-researched novels meant to question social norms. She travels to London to visit his gambling hell (research for her latest novel) and sparks fly.
I did feel things got a little slow at times, first in the middle when Sarah returns to her country More...
I enjoyed these characters and their situation quite a bit. Derek, the man with no name who doesn't know how old he is (as he was abandoned in a drainpipe at birth) and Sarah, the country girl who writes wonderful, well-researched novels meant to question social norms. She travels to London to visit his gambling hell (research for her latest novel) and sparks fly.
I did feel things got a little slow at times, first in the middle when Sarah returns to her country More...
Jul 18, 2011
Qtpham85
rated it:
I'm sorry, Lisa Kleypas, for giving you a 3 stars... I agree that Derek Craven is an out-of-this-world hero, but because of how out-of-the-world he was already in Then Came You, I had higher expectations for him. He alone cannot carry this book, and I feel like he deserved better than Sara. I expected her to have more to her personality. I didn't see anything about her that would attract a man like Derek Craven. She just doesn't seem smart enough attract the interest of a man like Derek. I
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(1 person liked it)
Jul 04, 2011
Gerty
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 20, 2010
Ellen
rated it:
No matter how dark, how bad, how kind of a jerk a hero was, I never hated him as much I did for what has Derek Craven did! How dare he use another woman to pretend it was Sara. My god. I’m so mad at him! So what if he was a son of a prostitute and grew up fighting for survival? Does that gave him an exception to be an ass like that?! c’mon, there are just things you shouldn’t do to a woman no matter how desperate you are. <- that’s what I said in the middle of reading the story but after the
More...
Dec 03, 2010
Flourish
rated it:
OK, so, I wouldn't kick this book out of bed for eating crackers, but I still don't think it was as good as her modern romances are.
ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE:
- Hero named "Derek." What is this, 1990? Sure, some names work - Georgette Heyer's Sprig Muslin has a heroine named Amanda, which makes me feel like she's the same age as me, but it's called out for being a bizarre name. The earliest Derek in Wikipedia was born in 1887. So, not for a guttersnipe born c. 1800, no. Also, More...
ON THE NEGATIVE SIDE:
- Hero named "Derek." What is this, 1990? Sure, some names work - Georgette Heyer's Sprig Muslin has a heroine named Amanda, which makes me feel like she's the same age as me, but it's called out for being a bizarre name. The earliest Derek in Wikipedia was born in 1887. So, not for a guttersnipe born c. 1800, no. Also, More...
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(2 people liked it)
Oct 15, 2009
Linds
rated it:
I don't usually gush in my reviews, but I just absoulutely loved everything about this book. It may just be my favorite historical romance (that's not a classic like Pride and Prejudice, etc.) It is definitely my favorite Lisa Kleypas book, and I've read most of them.
Derek is a great hero. Raised by prostitutes in the slums of London, he rose up and by various criminal acts and a quick mind for figures and now owns a successful casino. He's a leader and a survivor by nature. There's More...
Derek is a great hero. Raised by prostitutes in the slums of London, he rose up and by various criminal acts and a quick mind for figures and now owns a successful casino. He's a leader and a survivor by nature. There's More...
Jun 22, 2009
Arlene
rated it:
Lisa Kleypas' novel, "Dreaming of You" is a love story between two very different people.
Sara Fielding is a shy, gentle, and gifted novelist who is raised in the country where she is somewhat sheltered by her parents and suitor of four years. She travels to London to do research on her latest project, a book about gambling. During her research, she encounters Derek Craven, an extremely wealthy owner of an exclusive gambling club in London.
Derek is an extremely More...
Sara Fielding is a shy, gentle, and gifted novelist who is raised in the country where she is somewhat sheltered by her parents and suitor of four years. She travels to London to do research on her latest project, a book about gambling. During her research, she encounters Derek Craven, an extremely wealthy owner of an exclusive gambling club in London.
Derek is an extremely More...
May 29, 2010
Jasmin
rated it:
Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
I love you. Don't lie to either of us by pretending you're leaving for my good. All you'll do is deny us both a chance at happiness. I'll long for you every day and night, but at least my conscience will be clear. I haven't held anything back from you, out of fear, pride or stubbornness. Stay with me. Let me love you.
Dreaming of you is an immaculately romantic book that every romance reader MUST read.
Sara Fielding is an ordinar More...
I love you. Don't lie to either of us by pretending you're leaving for my good. All you'll do is deny us both a chance at happiness. I'll long for you every day and night, but at least my conscience will be clear. I haven't held anything back from you, out of fear, pride or stubbornness. Stay with me. Let me love you.
Dreaming of you is an immaculately romantic book that every romance reader MUST read.
Sara Fielding is an ordinar More...
14 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Mina
rated it:
Dreaming Of You, by Lisa kleypas January 30, 2012
4.5/5 stars
For me this a 4.5 stars novel, but not for the reasons you would normally rate an historical romance as such: not for the love story (which in this case is so challenged and hindered by all kinds of obstacles, including Derek’s refusal to form any emotional attachment with any woman), not for the romance or the sensuality (Derek will resists any emotional or physical connection with Sara for a good part of the book), no More...
4.5/5 stars
For me this a 4.5 stars novel, but not for the reasons you would normally rate an historical romance as such: not for the love story (which in this case is so challenged and hindered by all kinds of obstacles, including Derek’s refusal to form any emotional attachment with any woman), not for the romance or the sensuality (Derek will resists any emotional or physical connection with Sara for a good part of the book), no More...
Oct 04, 2011
Kimberly
rated it:
I liked this story because the author went for it with the romance- yes! Her characters were likable and you wanted them to get together. Sara, the proper country lady who writes novels of the underworld falls for Derek a man who grew up doing anything to survive from chimney sweeping, killing, man-whoring to becoming one of the most wealthiest and unhappiest man. They meet when Sara saves his life and asks to do research of his gambling club for her next novel. Sparks fly, passions rises and
More...
Jul 14, 2010
Mary
rated it:
This is the touching story of Derek Craven who comes from a tarnished past filled with anguish, pain and poverty. He yearns to live in the world of success and he eventually achieves his dreams. But never having experienced the love and compassion of family leaves Derek fearing that any close relationship must be avoided, fearing that it would only be stripped away because he feels he doesn't deserve it.
A chance meeting with the prim and proper Sara Fielding leaves Derek on guard. More...
A chance meeting with the prim and proper Sara Fielding leaves Derek on guard. More...
