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Land of Dreams
by
Jewel of the Prairie
Ex-Major Booker Hayes had seen how much love this sun-kissed farmer's daughter had to give. And he wanted her in his life. As a mother to his orphaned niece, and much more. For Thea was the first woman to ever make him long for home and hearth.
Tall and dark as midnight, Booker Hayes had come across the plains and moved right into Thea's lonely heart. Of ...more
Ex-Major Booker Hayes had seen how much love this sun-kissed farmer's daughter had to give. And he wanted her in his life. As a mother to his orphaned niece, and much more. For Thea was the first woman to ever make him long for home and hearth.
Tall and dark as midnight, Booker Hayes had come across the plains and moved right into Thea's lonely heart. Of ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, Harlequin Historical, No 265, 304 pages
Published
February 22nd 1995
by Harlequin Historical
(first published 1995)
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Start your review of Land of Dreams
This one came out in eBook in January, 2013!
a) Neligh Mills in Neligh, Nebraska.
An old flour mill along the Elkhorn River,
beautifully preserved.
b) A Danish immigrant built this wind-powered grist mill
near Boelus.
c) Map of the Great Plains State
d) Pastoral Nebraska.
a)
b)*
c)
d)
★★★★✩ Too Tall Thea has been passed over for love. . . or has she? Enter a man statuesque enough to see eye-to-eye with Thea on the welfare of his niece. Add his obvious appreciation of Thea’s giving natur ...more
a) Neligh Mills in Neligh, Nebraska.
An old flour mill along the Elkhorn River,
beautifully preserved.
b) A Danish immigrant built this wind-powered grist mill
near Boelus.
c) Map of the Great Plains State
d) Pastoral Nebraska.
a)
b)*
c)
d)
★★★★✩ Too Tall Thea has been passed over for love. . . or has she? Enter a man statuesque enough to see eye-to-eye with Thea on the welfare of his niece. Add his obvious appreciation of Thea’s giving natur ...more
I remember the day that I was given this book. I was 14 and my Grandma saw that I was reading just about every book I could get my hands on, she also noticed that my preferred genre was Romance. I remember her sliding this book over to me and I laughed at the cover. The cover originally on this book was a cheesy Harlequin one. My first thought being how embarrassing it will be to be seen reading this because well, I was 14, and only adults read them. I asked her why she wanted me to read it. She
...more
3.5 stars
This book had a pretty slow start, but after the 20% mark it took off and became so much better. Our tall freckled heroine is firmly on the shelf and spends her days taking care of her father, half-sisters and the community. When she rescues a deaf, disabled orphan her life is enriched but then the hero, the said orphan's uncle comes for her turning her life upside down. The hero needs her help to get through to a niece who doesn't know him. I really liked the h/H and how the hero saw t ...more
This book had a pretty slow start, but after the 20% mark it took off and became so much better. Our tall freckled heroine is firmly on the shelf and spends her days taking care of her father, half-sisters and the community. When she rescues a deaf, disabled orphan her life is enriched but then the hero, the said orphan's uncle comes for her turning her life upside down. The hero needs her help to get through to a niece who doesn't know him. I really liked the h/H and how the hero saw t ...more
May 30, 2016
Erin
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance-western
I picked this one up before realizing I had read it before. Upon rereading, I am demoting it from three ("liked it") stars to two ("it was okay"). The first half of the book was great. I really liked all the characters and seeing how they were building their lives. The last half was where I started having some problems with the story.
1) I didn't like the conflict between Booker and Thea over lack of communication (view spoiler) ...more
1) I didn't like the conflict between Booker and Thea over lack of communication (view spoiler) ...more
4.7 stars, I absolutely loved it.
I cannot describe how much I admire and love Cheryl as an author. I love the way she describes, the way she SHOWS the readers instead of telling them. Her writing style is beautiful.
As for the story itself, I loved it. So simply, without words. It cut out a large chunk of my heart somewhere in the middle and is never going to return it. I loved Booker, his goodness, the way he cares and my heart wept for how others misunderstood him. I loved how much he loves his ...more
I cannot describe how much I admire and love Cheryl as an author. I love the way she describes, the way she SHOWS the readers instead of telling them. Her writing style is beautiful.
As for the story itself, I loved it. So simply, without words. It cut out a large chunk of my heart somewhere in the middle and is never going to return it. I loved Booker, his goodness, the way he cares and my heart wept for how others misunderstood him. I loved how much he loves his ...more
With St. John's vivid writing we transpose ourselves into the story of love and romance. You are drawn into the lives of Booker, the hard gruff bachelor and the innocent Thea. The story comes alive and you can picture the land and the characters she is telling about. You want to tell Booker to lighten up and let his soft side show. And with Thea, you want to hug and love her. Most of all you want the two to find love with Zoe and be a family. When they do, you rejoice with them.
...more
The first half was quite good, I would give it 3-4 stars, but then the book flagged quite a bit during the second half. Toward the end, I mostly skipped through it and the epilogue was allright but too sugar sweet for me.
Loved the heroine in this book.
This was a wonderful story that I really enjoyed. The setting is Nebraska 1875, the main characters Thea and Booker felt like real people with real emotions. I especially loved Thea, being a tall woman myself at 5’11 and how I endured years of teasing because I was so tall and skinny, part of the storyline really hit me.
Thea lacks confidence in her looks and at 29 and on the shelf feels that her dreams of having a husband and family will never come true. She puts all of her energy into taking c ...more
Thea lacks confidence in her looks and at 29 and on the shelf feels that her dreams of having a husband and family will never come true. She puts all of her energy into taking c ...more
Sep 11, 2019
SSShafiq
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
romance,
owned-electronically
A sweet romance, quite similar to The Tenderfoot Bride, with a frontier romance, a hard working heroine, a gruff hero and cute kid. Unfortunately, some unnecessary OTT drama near the last third of the book dragged it into melodrama instead of a simple love story. This was still sweet and I enjoyed my time with it but I would recommend the Tenderfoot Bride over this one.
There are a few odd pacing choices here which confused me. (view spoiler) ...more
There are a few odd pacing choices here which confused me. (view spoiler) ...more
Nov 15, 2020
A.M.G. ☮Hippie/Fantasia☮
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone who needs a lighter romance read and doesn't want to deal with any angst or heavy subjects
Rating: 5 / 5
About as cheesy-sweet as you'd expect, Land of Dreams is a lighthearted romance story with only a few minor problems that are solved quickly and without angst. Most of these problems are cliched and a typical for a harlequin romance, but...well, just based on the cover, title, and summary of everything, a reader should know what to expect going into this. And the truth is that sometimes we need those cheesy and predictable romances with few to no problems just...get us through the d ...more
About as cheesy-sweet as you'd expect, Land of Dreams is a lighthearted romance story with only a few minor problems that are solved quickly and without angst. Most of these problems are cliched and a typical for a harlequin romance, but...well, just based on the cover, title, and summary of everything, a reader should know what to expect going into this. And the truth is that sometimes we need those cheesy and predictable romances with few to no problems just...get us through the d ...more
It’s so sweet I’m my toes curl
I love this sweet story from Cheryl St James, a first-time author to me. The heroine is exactly the heroine that I like in romance novels- strong, beautiful but unassuming, isn’t coy, and so tender and loving.
The hero is also perfect. The book had its predictable parts, but I didn’t care. This is one of those sweet stories I can read again from time to time.
I love this sweet story from Cheryl St James, a first-time author to me. The heroine is exactly the heroine that I like in romance novels- strong, beautiful but unassuming, isn’t coy, and so tender and loving.
The hero is also perfect. The book had its predictable parts, but I didn’t care. This is one of those sweet stories I can read again from time to time.
– Land of Dreams is a very sweet, homespun romance with charming characters and a Plain-Jane theme. While parts of the story were predictable, the heroine is so well-drawn and compelling that its easy to overlook the minor shortcomings. Author, Cheryl St. John, knows how to tell a story and its easy to lose yourself in one of her novels. ~ Ana, http://www.ireadromance.com
...more
I could not put this bok down. It only took me a few hours to read and I was almost sad by how fast I read it. I love when the story unfolds and you go away wanting more, but not because you are left behind. This author did a great job of ending this story.
It's a rare romance novel that doesn't have a 'happily ever after' ending, but this was an enjoyable story even if it was somewhat predictable with it's ending. If you like reading romance, you will probably like reading this one.
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
First time read from this author
Story was interesting, kept you guessing what would happen next. Enjoyed the characters development. Have to admit I was surprised at the seal scenes, very descriptive, more involved than I would guess for a story in the 1800's. Overall good read and keeps your attention. ...more
Story was interesting, kept you guessing what would happen next. Enjoyed the characters development. Have to admit I was surprised at the seal scenes, very descriptive, more involved than I would guess for a story in the 1800's. Overall good read and keeps your attention. ...more
Lovely story with a disappointing ending. I really dislike the “big event” plot points that do very little other than to try and make the end more exciting. What’s wrong with a lovely story where they just work together rather than big arguments and suspense?
3.5 stars. I feel like if I have read this at another time, I'd like it even more.
...more
This is one of my go to feel good reads.
This is what I want in my life.. what a beautiful story.. crying over and over again..
3.5 stars
I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as The Doctor's Wife, mostly because I found the heroine, Thea Coulson-Hayes, incredibly annoying. She has no self-esteem, has been taken for granted for all of her life, and the moment a man shows her a shred of respect as a woman, she rejects him outright and stirs up all this angst and drama between them. It's just stupid, and makes for the sorts of misunderstandings that are eye-rollingly irritating.
This book also contains some melodrama beyond the mai ...more
This book also contains some melodrama beyond the mai ...more
Lately, I've been on a historical "western" reading frenzy, but I prefer those that are more down to earth, real to life, and not the kind that it's just because he rides a horse and a Stetson. I like the historical aspect of them, details that will make you feel that you are there. So I found Cheryl St. John. I downloaded it to my kindle, so the book cover does not look the same, so I have no idea if there is anything new in the kindle version.
I really enjoyed Thea, the 29 year old spinster, w ...more
I really enjoyed Thea, the 29 year old spinster, w ...more
I picked this one up before realizing I had read it before. Upon rereading, I am demoting it from three ("liked it") stars to two ("it was okay"). The first half of the book was great. I really liked all the characters and seeing how they were building their lives. The last half was where I started having some problems with the story.
1) I didn't like the conflict between Booker and Thea over lack of communication (view spoiler) ...more
1) I didn't like the conflict between Booker and Thea over lack of communication (view spoiler) ...more
3.5 actually.
I started reading this and quickly realized I'd read it before. When, I don't know, and it was either a library book or from a book swap my husband's grandmother used to participate in. I'd guess at the time I was still at that stage where a character had to really piss me off for me not to like a book.
It's...a different approach I guess. The h is 29, the H's age not given. His sister and her husband have died, their little girl dropped in an orphanage, and carted off on an adoption ...more
I started reading this and quickly realized I'd read it before. When, I don't know, and it was either a library book or from a book swap my husband's grandmother used to participate in. I'd guess at the time I was still at that stage where a character had to really piss me off for me not to like a book.
It's...a different approach I guess. The h is 29, the H's age not given. His sister and her husband have died, their little girl dropped in an orphanage, and carted off on an adoption ...more
This is a historical romance that has a little bit of everything. Frontier land, indian prejudice, and of course love.
with every st.john book I read, my love for her increases.
There are so many books out there that deal with no substantial plot, that don't address any real world issues. And while we do need to read 'light' books in order to let go of our lives for a bit, we have to read about the hardships of others so we never take what we have for granted ever again. So we learn to sympathize with people.
This book talks about something that hits me deep. In my home country, a country torn apart by war, orph ...more
There are so many books out there that deal with no substantial plot, that don't address any real world issues. And while we do need to read 'light' books in order to let go of our lives for a bit, we have to read about the hardships of others so we never take what we have for granted ever again. So we learn to sympathize with people.
This book talks about something that hits me deep. In my home country, a country torn apart by war, orph ...more
I enjoyed this read and never considered abandoning it, but I thought it was good, not great.
What I loved about it was the giving natures of the heroine and hero and their desire to adopt and help older children and wanting to be a family.
But I didn't really feel the romance part and I didn't buy the reasons the heroine was a "spinster" - supposedly she was too tall. I guess this was before people noticed "you can never be too tall, too rich, or too thin..." But seriously, a lot of romance novel ...more
What I loved about it was the giving natures of the heroine and hero and their desire to adopt and help older children and wanting to be a family.
But I didn't really feel the romance part and I didn't buy the reasons the heroine was a "spinster" - supposedly she was too tall. I guess this was before people noticed "you can never be too tall, too rich, or too thin..." But seriously, a lot of romance novel ...more
Still perfect two decades later.
This story is a classic! A classic in terms of the taming-the-west romance plot and characters, and a classic in terms of the author's deft skill. Fellow fans of Carla Kelly's books would love this one.
It's a poignant tale of a good-hearted, too-tall spinster who builds a loving family with her handsome soldier, and a haven for some battered and neglected orphans. It's a lovely story, sensual, vivid, terrific main and secondary characters, some nice suspense, and ...more
This story is a classic! A classic in terms of the taming-the-west romance plot and characters, and a classic in terms of the author's deft skill. Fellow fans of Carla Kelly's books would love this one.
It's a poignant tale of a good-hearted, too-tall spinster who builds a loving family with her handsome soldier, and a haven for some battered and neglected orphans. It's a lovely story, sensual, vivid, terrific main and secondary characters, some nice suspense, and ...more
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Readers also enjoyed
Cheryl is the author of more than fifty historical and contemporary romances. Her stories have earned numerous RITA nominations, Romantic Times awards and are published in over a dozen languages.
In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real-life situations.”
With a 4.9 s ...more
In describing her stories of second chances and redemption, readers and reviewers use words like, “emotional punch, hometown feel, core values, believable characters and real-life situations.”
With a 4.9 s ...more
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