Memories Schmemories Part III, Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas

Published in 1994
http://www.lisakleypas.com/
All I have to say is two words: Derek Craven!!!

If you have never read a Lisa Kleypas book, you're in for a treat with Dreaming of You. In my humble opinion, this one is her best. This is a sequel to Then Came You and the characters from that book make an appearance in this one. However, Dreaming of You is most definitely a stand alone book.

This book has a delightful, well-bred heroine, Sara Felding, who in the process of doing some research for a book that she is writing, stumbles across a violent assault in the making. Well, it's Sara to the rescue and with the handy-dandy little gun she carries around she accidentally kills one of the perpetrators and scares away the other. And who has she saved? You guessed it - Derek Craven.

Ah, Derek Craven. If I had a list of favorite romantic heroes, Mr. Craven would be there amongst the top ten. Now, Derek isn't your typical hero, no siree. He's had some pretty hard knocks in his life. He's a bastard who was raised by prostitutes (and by the way, at the end of the story he doesn't magically find out that he is the missing heir to a dukedom). He is a man who grew up in the underworld of London, doing all kinds of nasty, unsavory things just to survive... from chimney sweeping, body snatching and some things he just doesn't talk about. And, never once does he apologize for any of this. He does feel unworthy of the love that Sara brings to him, which is why he pushes her away. There is a short separation in this book, but don't worry.

There is plenty of sexual tension, and some very touching moments as these two remarkable characters struggle to find their HEA. Sara and Derek make a wonderful earthy couple and Dreaming of You is a must-read for people who love romance books.

So, get yourself a cup of hot chocolate, put your feet up and indulge in a tremendous, absorbing book. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.

Lisa Kleypas has been published since 1987, and most of her books are in a series. She just recently expanded into the contemporary romance field, but hasn't stopped writing historicals. I've included a list of some of her other books that you might enjoy: Devil in Winter, Worth Any Price, Lady Sophia's Lover, Then Came You, It Happened One Autumn, Where Dreams Begin, Seduce me at Sunset. It is also my understanding that the contemporary books Sugar Daddy and Blue Eyed Stranger are good, but I've never read them so I really don't know.

Time/Place Regency England
Rating:
Sensuality Rating: Hot