#AudiobookReview: Dream Kisses by Verna Clay

Title:  Dream Kissed

Series:  Romance on the Ranch, #1

Author:  Verna Clay

Unabridged Audiobook

Length:  4 hours and 22 minutes

Narrator:  Wendy Rich Stetson

Release Day:  July 28, 2015

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for review from Audiobook Jukebox and the author.  I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising".

Blurb:

Dream Kisses kicks off the series when Sarah Carter, a.k.a Mims Murphy, meets Sage Tanner at Imaginings Publishing while he's posing for the cover of her soon-to-be-released romance novel. After being bulldozed into a coffee break with him at Jet Setters Java Junction by her publisher, an embarrassing incident upsets Sarah and she walks out. Of course, fate has a wonderful way of intervening in matters of the heart. Deciding her book needs realism, she signs up for "dude" lessons at Lazy M Dude Ranch. Imagine her chagrin when she discovers the owner of the ranch is none other than Mr. Tanner himself! Yup.

Excerpt:

The hostess handed them menus. Menus to order a damn cup of coffee.Sage laid his on the table and didn't even glance at it.

Mims looked her menu over, front and back, and so did the others. The hostess returned and he listened to Chuck, because he couldn't bring himself to call him Chuckie, order a Muddy Mocha Miracle.

Sissy ordered a double shot Hammerhead Bottom Feeder and Sage was curious about what the author would order. Very politely, she said, "I'd like a Latin Lover Latte, with lite whipped cream, please." He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

The hostess turned to him. "And for you, sir?" She batted her false eyelashes.

"Black coffee." 

My Thoughts:

It was a toss up as to whom my favorite character was but Sarah Carter won out. She's a little shy and wants to find love.  This is what made this story so believable. She's also a little older then the male character. Women would be able to identify with her.  Sage Tanner is a single dad who just may get Sarah out of her comfort zone.

I'm hard to impress when a female narrator tries to sound like a man but Wendy Rich Stetson does a pretty good job with the male characters in this book- she has just the right tone in her voice. She was also very easy to listen to and I had no trouble following along to the story.  I would check out more work by this author and would also look to see what other books Ms. Stetson has narrated. 

What I loved most about this book was how the author has you feeling as if you are a part of the story. It will have the reader wishing to find the ranch that is owned by Sage Tanner. It just adds another dimension to this great story - take on a road trip to and experience a Dude Ranch. 

Listening to an audio version of this is a book had me looking forward to listening to it again.  Especially if more of the author's Romance on the Ranch series comes out in audio. The sad part is that I haven’t been able to find that other titles will be coming out as an audiobook.  Besides listening to the book, this is one of those books that I would enjoy in any medium.  I could read the book myself, enjoy having someone tell me a story, or read along as they tell me Sarah Carter’s story.

About the Author:

I love losing myself in a book that makes me forget everything except what I'm reading. As a preteen, I devoured Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys' Mysteries. When I reached my teen years, I discovered romance novels and they became my favorite genre. Many, many years later, I decided to try my hand at writing and I've been doing so with a passion ever since. My endeavors have resulted in several series. One of the first was a contemporary western series titled "Romance on the Ranch." The initial book, "Dream Kisses," started out being a single novel, but turned into an ongoing saga when secondary characters cried out for their own stories. There are now seven books in that collection. I also wrote an historical western series titled "Unconventional," and enjoyed it so much that I wrote another collection titled "Finding Home." After that I returned to contemporary romance with the unlikely setting of a trailer park in the Arizona Desert. Believe it or not, romance abounds at Desert Princess Trailer and RV Park in Oasis, Arizona. There are three books in that series.