Garden of Dreams

by Valerie King

Turn a neglected garden into a flowering paradise? Exactly the sort of challenge that Lucinda Stiles loves Some might say that trimming shrubs and digging in the dirt are not proper pursuits for a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0821778463
• ISBN13: 9780821778463
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Zebra Books
• Length: 253 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

a near perfect read in spite of a few "niggles"

Valerie King's "Garden of Dreams" proved to be the kind of Regency-era romance novel that made for a very enjoyable and engrossing read. And if it were not for the few niggles that I had, I think that this probably would have been the near-perfect read. In order to satisfy the terms of her father's will, Miss Lucinda Stiles finds herself once again at Aldershaw, the home of close family friends, the Sandifort family. But the lovely Aldershaw estate of her childhood is no more: the house and grounds have become sadly neglected, and the once happy Sandifort children (still grieving over the death of their father, Sir Henry Sandifort) seems to be under the cruel rule of Sir Henry's second and much younger wife, the beautiful Lady Celeste. Somehow, and Lucy is not sure how, Lady Celeste has a hold over everyone, and uses her power to venomously belittle and punish her stepchildren at every turn, while callously ignoring her own young children. And while Lucy is flabbergasted at how much Lady Celeste has been allowed to get away with, she's nevertheless determined to do all she can to make life a little better, easier and happier for her friends. Her ways may seem interfering and duplicitous, but Lucy is sure that she's doing the right thing. Never mind if Sir Robert Sandifort, the eldest son and current head of the family thinks that she's "ridiculous, vulgar and interferring!" Except that Lucy finds that she does care about Sir Robert's good opinion. For she has nursed a tendre for Sir Robert for the longest time, and the very thought that he should think so badly of her is causing her a great deal of pain... "Garden of Dreams" is a very well written romance novel of the more conventional type -- the hero & heroine don't anticipate their marriage bed, and spend some time quarreling and not always being on the same page. And I'll confess I do enjoy these more conventional Regencies quite a bit. This novel in particular makes use of a much used plot device, the beautiful and self-centered stepmother. But how well the author depicts the cruel joy with which Lady Celeste wields her staff, juxtaposing it with Lucy's intelligent and soft approach. Some readers may not enjoy Lucy's slightly duplicitous approach, but just think how much easier Cinderella's or Snow White's lives may have been if they'd used guile and charm to get around their respective stepmothers! Compared to Lucy however, Sir Robert's frequent outbursts of anger makes him seem a little peevish and churlish. But since he figures out, about halfway through the book that Lucy knows what she's doing, it does become easier for the reader to sit back and enjoy the novel. Only two things niggled at me: the ending where the Sandiforts are finally able to rid themselves of Lady Celeste's presence seemed completely anticlimactic, and made you wonder why no one ever thought of doing it sooner; and the fact that it takes Lucy another 8 pages to resolve her feelings. Other than that, "Garden of