What do you think?
Rate this book
Pacific Waterfront #11
So Much For Dreams
So Much For Dreams by Vanessa Grant released on Oct 25, 1990 is available now for purchase.
190 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
27 people want to read
About the author
Vanessa Grant
89 books43 followers"I love writing fiction - it's the perfect occupation for someone who can't decide what they want to be when they grow up. With each new story, I get to explore a new world."
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
Vanessa Grant's love affair with writing fiction began during a protracted illness at the age of 12 when she decided to write a novel of her own, sitting up in bed using the typewriter she'd been given for her birthday. Not a computer, not an electric typewriter, but a then-state-of-the-art manual typewriter. The story ground to a halt on page 50 but Vanessa never forgot the excitement of bringing her own characters to life.
In 1985 Vanessa's novel Pacific Disturbance was published in hardcover by Mills and Boon. She now has over 10 million books sold and has been translated into 15 languages. She also has written what one critic described as, "by far the best writing book I've ever read." Writing Romance, published by Self Counsel Press, won the Under the Covers Best Writing Book Award, and is currently in its third edition.
Over the years her love of storytelling and curiosity about people led Vanessa to study psychology, volunteer on a crisis line, complete individual and relationship counselor training, volunteer as a peer counselor for a family life organization, and tell stories about life, love, and secrets. Vanessa is also a university professor, a publisher of educational materials and eBooks, and has given workshops to writers' groups in Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada.
Vanessa and her husband live on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest with their two Australian Shepherd dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 22, 2017
Re So Much For Dreams - Vanessa Grant is back with number 11 of her Pacific Waterfront series. The h in this one is the replacement assistant to Jake from Jenny's Turn and tho we don't see J & J in this one, VG assures us they are totally lurved up and happy. VG has been steadily pushing us further south with each book in this series and this one takes place almost entirely in Mexico's Baja peninsula, with a few moments in Canada for the look of the thing.
The h is 26 and a commercial artist. She was also a foster kid from 12 years on and after a difficult year of being on the streets on her own, she called the number of a social worker named Leo who offered her a basement apartment and the chance to get through school at 16. He has recently passed away from a heart attack, but he left his house and his "kids" to the h and she does her best to be a mentor for those kids, just like Leo was for her. She gets a two month old letter at the start of the story. One of Leo's kids is in Mexico, pregnant, alone and at seventeen, she is in a spot of trouble. She needs help and the h is ready to give it, she just has to go to Mexico and find her.
The h doesn't hesitate. When her boyfriend, whom she is thinking about getting serious about, throws a fit about her going cause they are supposed to go to Hawaii together, the h dumps him right quick. The airlines to Mexico are all on strike, so she jumps into her big old gas guzzler clunker of an Oldsmobile and it is off to the Baja we go.
The h's car seriously overheats on the way and the roads are bad, small and very curvy with sharp, no guardrail turns. She is going through the mountains and a lot of trucks don't want to share the road, even with a big ole' clunker of a car. So went the car starts spitting steam, the h pulls over as far as she can on the side of a mountain and waits for the car to cool off.
Enter the H. He is first seen coming through the border checkpoint. He is on his way to La Paz in Baja, where he has his boat. We know he is a drifter and running from some unnamed tragedy in his past. He hitches a ride from a friendly local and both of them stop when they come upon the h and her car. Through a comedy of errors as the h doesn't speak the language and the friendly local's machismo is dependent upon helping the h, the H and a bunch of local people push the h's car off the road and the H decides to ride with her to La Paz, with the car overheating all the way.
The h is attracted and doesn't know what to do about it. She tries to dislodge the H from her life, rather unsuccessfully. But they end up traveling together and roofie kisses happen under the hot desert sun - tho the H delays any more gratification as no one wants a desert tarantula bite at an intimate moment of love in the sand.
Over the course of the journey, the h's backstory comes out. She was an orphan, she was raped on a beach at 16 after a year of living on her own, broke the guy's arm and then called Leo and got her life together. She has had one affair at twenty and has just dated chastely since then. The H is empathetic about her trauma and desperately wants to get to know her better, but his losses and his devastation over the last three years keep him from getting any closer to the h - or anybody really.
The h decides that the H is the one for her, but when the get to La Paz, they part ways after getting the h into an English speaking hotel. The h does some fruitless searching for the missing teen and then tracks down the H on his boat, she desperately needs his help and he speaks the language.
They become lovers in the quest for the missing girl and we find out what the H is trying to move on from. The H is a doctor, he was married and had two kids. They were all in the car and a lorry went out of control and killed his entire family. The H was devastated, but tried to go back to his hospital job to get on with things.
Then one of his pregnant patients had to have a C-section birth and all went well until her hidden brain tumor killed her the next day. In both cases the H wasn't responsible for what happened, but it badly shook his belief in life and his ability to be a good bedside doctor. He took off on his boat for three years and now that he has met the h, he is uncomfortably coming back to valuing a more intimate relationship in his life. (VG gives us lots of H pov in this one, so there isn't any question of what he is thinking.)
Unfortunately, the H isn't SAYING any of this, except for the family and patient loss part, to the h. She has her own intimate relationship insecurities to deal with and she thinks the H is only offering a two week affair. But she figures the pain will be worth the chance to love a man, tho she can't help but worry about the H loving her back.
Finally they find the pregnant teen, she has met up with another young traveler who is having a bit of a gap year after college and before he goes to start a job. He is on his parent's boat for the season and met the young lady and couldn't abandon her. VB deftly slides a little young love secondary romance in, with this kind young man who isn't the baby's father, but is totally entranced and supportive of the teen girl.
The h offers the girl the basement apartment of Leo's house and the same deal that Leo had given her all those years ago. If the young lady will do some cooking and housework and go back to school, the h will give her a place to live and raise her baby. Since the baby's arrival is imminent, the girl agrees to the proposition and it is a great thing that the H is an actual MD, cause he has to catch the baby. It is a little girl and the h knows that her time is over with the H - he is talking about moving on to the South Pacific and he even has a girl to crew for him. (The girl is just that, boat crew. She isn't an OW, but the h had a moment of wonder until the H clarifies that he only wants her since his wife died.)
The h decides to fly herself and the new mother back to Canada, as a long hot car journey in La Bombe ( the local name for the h's car,) wouldn't be good for either the new mum or the baby. The airline strike that made the h drive to Mexico in the first place is over, so she and the H once again part ways. Tho the H does promise to get her car back to her.
So we all go back to Canada and the h has to have a worry mopey moment. But she did her best and told the H she loved him and the rest is up to him. She does decide that if the H wants her, she would even sail to Tahiti with him.
Several weeks go by and the h is getting back into her life. The new mum and the baby and the young man who rescued her are all getting along famously and the mum is going to school to complete her education. Her young man is more knowledgeable about the baby care than the mum is, but they are both pretty cute as they slowly ease into a more romantic relationship. The h is trying to paint, she has a chance for a gallery showing, but it isn't going well, she can't seem to get past her inner artistic reserve barriers. Then the H returns, with her car as promised.
The h is shocked to see him, he is in a suit and has applied for a research job he wants to take in the same city as the h. They are both uncomfortable at first, the h thinks he is just being kind and returning her car and the H thinks that she doesn't want him anymore cause she is so reserved.
They go out to dinner and the h blurts out that he can come live with her when he starts his new job. Then she panics and has a weepy ladies' room moment. But when she returns to the H, he tells her he does want to move in and he is mentally thinking that he will just court her very slowly, as he can't be without her. Finally the H just blurts out that he loves her and is going to woo her back and the h is joyously happy, cause she loves him too and they will live in Leo's house, have some kids, paint some pictures and help other troubled youth for the big HEA.
This is a typical VG HP outing. Everyone is nice and does good things for other people, there is low key drama and a nice amount of tension with a big believable HEA declaration at the end. VG is never the flashiest, most dramatic HP author, but she is consistently enjoyable in a more laid back, excellent Canadian kinda way and always worth a stop in the varied shores of HPlandia.
The h is 26 and a commercial artist. She was also a foster kid from 12 years on and after a difficult year of being on the streets on her own, she called the number of a social worker named Leo who offered her a basement apartment and the chance to get through school at 16. He has recently passed away from a heart attack, but he left his house and his "kids" to the h and she does her best to be a mentor for those kids, just like Leo was for her. She gets a two month old letter at the start of the story. One of Leo's kids is in Mexico, pregnant, alone and at seventeen, she is in a spot of trouble. She needs help and the h is ready to give it, she just has to go to Mexico and find her.
The h doesn't hesitate. When her boyfriend, whom she is thinking about getting serious about, throws a fit about her going cause they are supposed to go to Hawaii together, the h dumps him right quick. The airlines to Mexico are all on strike, so she jumps into her big old gas guzzler clunker of an Oldsmobile and it is off to the Baja we go.
The h's car seriously overheats on the way and the roads are bad, small and very curvy with sharp, no guardrail turns. She is going through the mountains and a lot of trucks don't want to share the road, even with a big ole' clunker of a car. So went the car starts spitting steam, the h pulls over as far as she can on the side of a mountain and waits for the car to cool off.
Enter the H. He is first seen coming through the border checkpoint. He is on his way to La Paz in Baja, where he has his boat. We know he is a drifter and running from some unnamed tragedy in his past. He hitches a ride from a friendly local and both of them stop when they come upon the h and her car. Through a comedy of errors as the h doesn't speak the language and the friendly local's machismo is dependent upon helping the h, the H and a bunch of local people push the h's car off the road and the H decides to ride with her to La Paz, with the car overheating all the way.
The h is attracted and doesn't know what to do about it. She tries to dislodge the H from her life, rather unsuccessfully. But they end up traveling together and roofie kisses happen under the hot desert sun - tho the H delays any more gratification as no one wants a desert tarantula bite at an intimate moment of love in the sand.
Over the course of the journey, the h's backstory comes out. She was an orphan, she was raped on a beach at 16 after a year of living on her own, broke the guy's arm and then called Leo and got her life together. She has had one affair at twenty and has just dated chastely since then. The H is empathetic about her trauma and desperately wants to get to know her better, but his losses and his devastation over the last three years keep him from getting any closer to the h - or anybody really.
The h decides that the H is the one for her, but when the get to La Paz, they part ways after getting the h into an English speaking hotel. The h does some fruitless searching for the missing teen and then tracks down the H on his boat, she desperately needs his help and he speaks the language.
They become lovers in the quest for the missing girl and we find out what the H is trying to move on from. The H is a doctor, he was married and had two kids. They were all in the car and a lorry went out of control and killed his entire family. The H was devastated, but tried to go back to his hospital job to get on with things.
Then one of his pregnant patients had to have a C-section birth and all went well until her hidden brain tumor killed her the next day. In both cases the H wasn't responsible for what happened, but it badly shook his belief in life and his ability to be a good bedside doctor. He took off on his boat for three years and now that he has met the h, he is uncomfortably coming back to valuing a more intimate relationship in his life. (VG gives us lots of H pov in this one, so there isn't any question of what he is thinking.)
Unfortunately, the H isn't SAYING any of this, except for the family and patient loss part, to the h. She has her own intimate relationship insecurities to deal with and she thinks the H is only offering a two week affair. But she figures the pain will be worth the chance to love a man, tho she can't help but worry about the H loving her back.
Finally they find the pregnant teen, she has met up with another young traveler who is having a bit of a gap year after college and before he goes to start a job. He is on his parent's boat for the season and met the young lady and couldn't abandon her. VB deftly slides a little young love secondary romance in, with this kind young man who isn't the baby's father, but is totally entranced and supportive of the teen girl.
The h offers the girl the basement apartment of Leo's house and the same deal that Leo had given her all those years ago. If the young lady will do some cooking and housework and go back to school, the h will give her a place to live and raise her baby. Since the baby's arrival is imminent, the girl agrees to the proposition and it is a great thing that the H is an actual MD, cause he has to catch the baby. It is a little girl and the h knows that her time is over with the H - he is talking about moving on to the South Pacific and he even has a girl to crew for him. (The girl is just that, boat crew. She isn't an OW, but the h had a moment of wonder until the H clarifies that he only wants her since his wife died.)
The h decides to fly herself and the new mother back to Canada, as a long hot car journey in La Bombe ( the local name for the h's car,) wouldn't be good for either the new mum or the baby. The airline strike that made the h drive to Mexico in the first place is over, so she and the H once again part ways. Tho the H does promise to get her car back to her.
So we all go back to Canada and the h has to have a worry mopey moment. But she did her best and told the H she loved him and the rest is up to him. She does decide that if the H wants her, she would even sail to Tahiti with him.
Several weeks go by and the h is getting back into her life. The new mum and the baby and the young man who rescued her are all getting along famously and the mum is going to school to complete her education. Her young man is more knowledgeable about the baby care than the mum is, but they are both pretty cute as they slowly ease into a more romantic relationship. The h is trying to paint, she has a chance for a gallery showing, but it isn't going well, she can't seem to get past her inner artistic reserve barriers. Then the H returns, with her car as promised.
The h is shocked to see him, he is in a suit and has applied for a research job he wants to take in the same city as the h. They are both uncomfortable at first, the h thinks he is just being kind and returning her car and the H thinks that she doesn't want him anymore cause she is so reserved.
They go out to dinner and the h blurts out that he can come live with her when he starts his new job. Then she panics and has a weepy ladies' room moment. But when she returns to the H, he tells her he does want to move in and he is mentally thinking that he will just court her very slowly, as he can't be without her. Finally the H just blurts out that he loves her and is going to woo her back and the h is joyously happy, cause she loves him too and they will live in Leo's house, have some kids, paint some pictures and help other troubled youth for the big HEA.
This is a typical VG HP outing. Everyone is nice and does good things for other people, there is low key drama and a nice amount of tension with a big believable HEA declaration at the end. VG is never the flashiest, most dramatic HP author, but she is consistently enjoyable in a more laid back, excellent Canadian kinda way and always worth a stop in the varied shores of HPlandia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2020
HAIKU BOOK REVIEW: So Much for Dreams, by Vanessa Grant.
Two canucks look for
love in La Paz, also a
pregnant runaway.
Two canucks look for
love in La Paz, also a
pregnant runaway.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews