Dream Lake (Friday Harbor, #3) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Mar 02, 2012 Lisa Kay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-l, challenge-krazy-klepas, genre-magical-realism, genre-romance-contemporary, authors-k, m-audible-dot-com, vocation-chef, theme-small-town-lovin, 2012-in-2012-group-challenge, xyzcover-sea-lake-water

Dream Lake, Washington

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Dream Lake is narrated by Jeff Cummings who does NOT seem to be the right fit for this one. Not a great job, but not a disaster, either. An “okay” performance. I’d probably like him better reading something else, as he has a nice voice. Here he falls a little short due to making Zoe sound a bit too “wispy” – a common trait among male narrators trying to do female voices; though, he does a fair job on Zoe’s grandmother, “Upsie.” Whi Dream Lake, Washington

★★★★½ (This is a review of the audiobook.) Dream Lake is narrated by Jeff Cummings who does NOT seem to be the right fit for this one. Not a great job, but not a disaster, either. An “okay” performance. I’d probably like him better reading something else, as he has a nice voice. Here he falls a little short due to making Zoe sound a bit too “wispy” – a common trait among male narrators trying to do female voices; though, he does a fair job on Zoe’s grandmother, “Upsie.” While I liked his Alex, I didn’t care for his Sam, who is the hero of book #2 in the Friday Harbor series. I also felt that later in the book he began to make Alex sound like Sam at times. He also didn’t differentiate the voice of the Ghost enough for me.

As far as storyline, I just loved this one! The talented Ms. Kleypas does an excellent job of making me like Alex Nolan – who is not only an alcoholic, but the child of two hard-core alcoholics, and therefore a bit of an a$$hat – which is a pretty hefty feat. He is visited by a ghost, who only he can see; their interactions made me smile more than once and out right laugh several times. For those readers who did NOT like the magical realism in Rainshadow Road, this ghostly manifestation blends in quite effortlessly with the main plot.

Zoe was easy to like, as I enjoy gentle, kind-hearted heroines, not to mention all the yummy things she cooks. Here Ms. Kleypas shines, you see her brilliance as she carefully picks just the right descriptive, sensuous word to convey something that is a very visceral experience. While Alex’s sobriety was relatively pain free compared to Real Life, it was believable that tender Zoe could pierce his “bulletproof reserve.” I also liked that this story runs parallel in time to parts of Sam and Lucy’s story; we get to see Sam falling in love from another perspective.

The only thing I had to laugh at was that Zoe decides to remodel her grandmother’s lake cabin, which is what brings Alex back into the picture after their first disastrous meeting. I happen to be remodeling my house right now and Zoe’s demolition and modernization goes a lot smoother than what I’m experiencing – or ever heard tell. Where is delicious Alex Nolan when I need him?

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Jul 23, 2012 Lisarenee rated it it was amazing

My synopsis:

Just about everyone comes to a crossroads at some point in their lives. For some it might be which job to take. For others it might be which college to choose. Still others might have to choose between doing the right thing or the wrong. But for some, the biggest crossroad they will ever face is whether or not to entrust someone with their heart and take a chance on love. If they make the wrong choice the 'What ifs" can haunt them for life and sometimes beyond...

Before Mark and Maggi ...more

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Dec 20, 2012 lia rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance

So, it's Zoe and Alex. Alex the youngest, the divorcee, the drunkard with Zoe the shy and kind-hearted.

As usual, there's a bit mix of magic in the book. This time it comes in form of a ghost who doesn't remember who he is and for some reason only Alex can see.

To nudge the relationship along, Lisa Kleypas brings the connection between the mysterious ghost and Zoe's grandmother, Emma. Of course the relationship is predictable, but as in every romance book, it is not the end but the journey that ...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing

I just adore this series!! Looking so forward to the next book! I loved this book and couldn't put it down!! So many people just came up to me and discussed it while reading!! ...more

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