Review: Dreamweek by Viviane Brentanos

Dreamweek by Viviane Brentanos

Publisher: Red Rose Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Heat Rated: 1

Blurb

Twenty-three-year-old Isabella Stevens is too young to be tired of life. Her job as a holiday representative for the prestigious Dream Villas located on the beautiful Greek island of Kuros has provided her nothing but grief. Demanding, unreasonable guests and a cantankerous boss pale in comparison to the problems she has with her love life. After 12 years as Paul's childhood sweetheart, she's learned the hard way he's moved on.

Charismatic, handsome actor, David Wells is a man on top of the world. At least that's what the casual observer would think. When he escapes his crumbling marriage on a Kuros vacation, he's no idea what's in store. A rocky first meeting does nothing to dissuade him from his attraction to the beautiful Izzie Stevens, a young woman with a mysterious air of pain in her eyes. For David, the emotional battle is equally daunting. Finally free of his wife's hold on him, he is frightened by his new vulnerability and love for Izzie. But can David open the door to Izzie's heart when tragedy shakes her world apart?



Desmond’s Review

Viviane Brentanos creates an entire world around an exclusive, vacation spot in the Greek Isles, Dream Villas. She brings you into this world, introduces you to the staff and they come alive in her more than capable writing.

In Dreamweek, we follow Izzie (Isabella), a naive, 23-year-old woman, as she struggles with her feelings for Paul, a childhood friend and meets a Hollywood movie star David Wells. All of Ms. Brentanos cast of characters, the staff of Dream Villas, as well as the Nurse Cratchit manager, Katlyn, are fully realized, not just the leads, Izzie and David. Each character has a distinct personality, allowing the reader to see these as three dimensional people and not cardboard cutouts.

What makes Dreamweek work, are the various plot points, woven in a delicious tapestry, where they hold the readers interest and drive towards the book’s conclusion. At the core, this is a sweet story about a world weary, well traveled 33-year-old movie star and a sweet, sometimes confused about her feelings, ingenue. The main character arc is in Izzie as she grows from a rather mature girl into a woman, understanding, for the first time in her young life, the difference between love and friendship. She has to come to terms with her feelings for all those around her, including her friend and roommate, Nat, the voice of religion and especially Paul.

Ms. Brentanos’ writing is crisp and forgoes, thankfully, a lot of the purple prose found in so many romance novels, delivering concise narrative and believable dialog, carrying the reader through a short time in a group of people’s lives, as if watching it all unfold from a privileged window into their lives.

Dreamweek is a sweet story, a wonderful summer read, where you can take this book on vacation and imagine yourself walking the same roads as Izzie in the Greek Isles.

4 Tea Cups!