Dream a Little Dream

by Melinda Curtis

After some mysteries and nonfiction, I knew needed to cleanse my reading palate and what better way to do it than with a light, clean, humorous romance by Melinda Curtis. It was a no-brainer to take a trip to Sunshine Valley where the board of the Widows Club is ready to decide on the couple they thought should be romantically linked and provide what they called “nudges.” The diverse group of friends are known for their meddling, and their antics and dialogue are the fun part of Dream a Little Dream.

Romance comes in the form of three-time world champion bull rider Jason whose friendship with Darcy goes way back and developed years ago into a romance. Darcy’s family has a history of falling on the wrong side of the law, but Darcy’s goal is to become a lawyer and leave her family’s reputation behind her as she moves out of town. Her long-time mentor Judge George Harper has other plans for Darcy, but when he dies, he leaves a mess of personal and professional issues for Darcy and his family to sort out. Meanwhile, Jason has been recuperating from a rodeo calamity and wants to restore his relationship with Darcy.

There are problems on all sides. Darcy doesn’t think she is capable of jumping into a judgeship and isn’t sure she can trust Jason. Jason needs to make decisions about what he really wants in the future and what his body can withstand. Both have loyal friends and some opposers in the town. Jason’s final effort to win Darcy comes down to the Widows Club Bachelor Auction for charity. I’m sure you can guess the outcome, but I enjoyed the journey. It was a fun and relaxing read, and I’m looking forward to my next visit to Sunshine Valley.

I would like to extend my thanks to NetGalley and to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance

Notes: #3 in the Sunshine Valley Series, but is great as a standalone.

Publication: February 23, 2021—Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

Memorable Lines:

Pearl’s voice shook the way a person’s did when they were holding all the smashed inside parts together. It felt like Pearl was one tear shy of a complete collapse.

Darcy smiled at her stepsons. She smiled the way generations of Joneses had when threatened—like she held a royal flush. No one need know it was more like a pair of twos.

“Does he sit at home and watch sports? Don’t laugh. He’s a grown man. It’s not like he goes to bed right after dinner. And he’s too cranky to be bingeing movies every night on the Hallmark Channel.”