Sailing in a Sea of Words

Book: Daring to Dream

Author: Nora Roberts

Genre: Fiction/Romance/Family

Summary: Margo, Kate, and Laura were brought up like sisters amidst the peerless grandeur of Templeton House. But it was Margo whose dreams first took her far away... Margo Sullivan had everything a young woman could ask for. But while growing up along the rocky cliffs of Monterey, she couldn't help but dream of bigger things. The daughter of the Templetons' stern Irish housekeeper, Margo had been treated like a member of the family. Deep down, she knew that money could not buy the thing she craved most - her mother's acceptance. Maybe things would be different if she could be sweet like Laura, or had Kate's shrewd head for business. But all Margo knew how to do was be Margo, and that meant doing things her own way - no matter what the consequences. . . -Penguin, 1996.

After my last Nora Roberts book encounter, I was cautiously excited. After all, the covers of these books were beautiful and I was interested in the stories. Still, after being burned by The Villa, I was hoping beyond hope that it was just a one time snag. I'm happy to report that, so far, it might just have been a snag.

Margo, Kate, and Laura have been friends since girlhood and now, as adults, they learn that dreams aren't always what you make of them, and that you can always make new dreams should the old ones fall through.

In the first book, Margo Sullivan is the daughter of the Templeton family housekeeper, though she has been treated like a family member for all of her life. Yearning for bigger and better things, Margo takes off from home and becomes the star she's always wanted to be. After a bad decision costs her everything, Margo returns to the Templetons and is forced to reevaluate her dreams. Luckily for her, her family and her love life are both waiting for her.

Let me tell you this right now. If you're a realist or prefer logic to emotion, this series is not for you. The world of the Templetons and their allies comes straight from fairy tales and Hallmark specials. In spite of that, the relationship between Margo, Kate, and Laura is the soul of the series. It's fun, witty, and admirable. I love the banter between the three of them and it's always a joy to read about their interactions.

Focusing on Margo, I can see her as being the most difficult one to read in the series. She's spunky, feisty, and sensual. She was born with a killer body and all the men want her. However, she doesn't have an innocent princess-type personality. She's brash, stubborn, and combative. She can also be quite violent on occasion. By no means is she the perfect woman. Fortunately, her love interest isn't the perfect man either. He can be pretty abrasive and some of his behavior is over the line too. He's an alpha male and Margo is an alpha female so they're perfect for each other.

I think the pacing of both Margo's growth and romance was very well done. Even if you don't like her (or begrudgingly like her) at the beginning of the book, I think you'll like her by the end.

It was a fantastic beginning to the series and when I finished, I immediately snatched up the next one.

I give Daring to Dream an A.

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