Dreams Rekindled

 

Amanda Cabot is usually fun to read if you don't want a heavy, thought-provoking novel.  I remember being in a now-defunct bookstore chain looking for a new author to read because I had read all of the books available by my favorite authors.  Amanda was one of the ones I picked up and thoroughly enjoyed.  It was because of her previous novels I decided to read her newest offering, Dreams Rekindled. 

As I looked back on other books by Amanda that I have read and reviewed before, I found that I had enjoyed her previous books much more than I enjoyed this one.  According to the author's notes at the end of the book, there will be one more book in this series in Mesquite Springs, Texas, which I will gladly read when it becomes available.  

The problem I found with this book is that there is a level of predictability I had not encountered previously.  From the very beginning, the bad guy is set up and takes a lot of the reading real estate in the story.  There is a satisfying conclusion to him, which redeems some of the difficulties I had with him early on in the novel.  

Dorothy is running Polly's Place, the restaurant her sister-in-law owns, but really wants to be able to write.  Brandon Holloway has moved to town to set up a newspaper and Dorothy offers to help him with finding information for the articles to go in the paper.  What she delivers to him are not just notes, but finished articles that require very little editing.  

Phil Blakeslee is in town trying to find land for his boss to buy.  Why his boss wants the land is unknown, except for the vague reference to a development.  But his boss wants no newspaper in town to report on his activities.  Phil makes it his mission to run Brandon out of town.  He does things like destroy the type, and brings in a charlatan preacher to bilk people out of their money and stir up trouble for Brandon and his paper. 

Brandon is falling for Dorothy who appears to be the perfect helpmeet for him, but as much as Dorothy likes Brandon, she is reluctant to marry because of the depression her mother went into after her father died.  Dorothy is not a risk-taker where matters of the heart are concerned.  It takes the intervention of her brother, her mother, and her best friend to change her mind. 

This was an enjoyable read, albeit a bit too predictable for me.  This could be a matter of my own mood, as I have been reading some heavier themed novels lately and the contrast was not as satisfying.  Amanda writes well and presents a complete story for the enjoyment of her readers. I would give this four stars. 

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.