Book Magic - Under a spell with every page: BLOG TOUR - REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: DREAM ON by STACEY KEITH

Dream On
Dreams Come True #1

by Stacey Keith

Releasing November 7th, 2017

Lyrical Shine

In Dream On (Dreams Come True #1) by Stacey Keith, there's only one man that Cassidy Roby has ever loved, even though she made the biggest error in judgment of her life after he dumped her. Now though, Mason Hannigan back in town and Cassidy knows that giving her heart to him again could end in disaster, especially as she's got a nine-year-old daughter with another man and has a less-than-glamorous job as a roller-skating waitress that leaves her barely able to support herself and her daughter. But with her reputation already less-than-stellar and her one chance to find happiness in her life, Cassidy decides to take a chance on Mason. However, as they become closer just like old times, Cassidy doesn't know whether she can handle his life of constantly being in the spotlight as an NFL quarterback. Will she be able to push past her fears or will she lose the love of her life for good this time?

Ms. Keith is a new-to-me author, but I really enjoyed this first story of her Dreams Come True series, because of the main characters and their history that should have the heroine disliking the hero for how he hurt her in the past and how that hurt ended up with her making an error in judgment, and yet, which gave her the most important person in her life. The way this story started was very interesting and had me reading quickly, determined to discover what Mason would do to win the heroine's heart, as it's palpable she's never been far from this thoughts, even though he knew he did the right thing by breaking things off with her in the past. However, it was from the moment that Mason and Cassidy come face-to-face for this first time that had me smiling because of the comments from his friends on how attractive Cassidy is; the powerful chemistry between this couple; and the teasing banter that makes it feel as if the slate has been wiped clean and things were as normal as they'd been when the pair dated in the past.

The dialogue was entertaining, and had me enjoying both the main characters due to their past history and how their chemistry is still as strong -- if not stronger -- than it once was. Will Mason and Cassidy get their second chance at forever after? Will Cassidy's daughter's father be able to accept her new relationship and not cause problems for her? Moreover, I liked how strong and brave the heroine was in fighting her own battles when it came to her daughter's father and his family and how they treat her and her daughter. I also liked the tight bond the heroine shares with her family and how willing they were to offer advice, because they want her to be happy and she is that with Mason. Yet, what I liked most of all about the heroine was how good of a mother she was and that she would do anything to protect her daughter, which is proven by how she reacts to a situation involving the media attention Mason receives. Then again, love includes taking risks, so she should have faith in the hero and that he would do anything to protect her from the attention.

While the hero, he's confident; has achieved so much in his life through hard-work and determination; has good friends that love to rib him about his relationship with Cassidy and made me laugh because of their dialogue; and I liked that he would do anything for family, even if they're hard to deal with sometimes. I also liked the growing bond between Mason and the heroine's daughter and that he would do anything to protect the pair from the media attention he receives, even if it doesn't seem to him like he's doing enough. Will he ever be able to go anywhere without being hounded by the press and his fans?

Overall, Ms. Keith has delivered a wonderfully fascinating and riveting read in this book where the chemistry between this couple kept getting stronger with every moment they conversed; and the ending had me totally captivated by how determined Mason was to win back the heroine. However, in saying that, I thought the ending was a tad abrupt and needed an epilogue to tie up what I felt were loose ends with how things are going between Cassidy and her daughter's father and his family as well as discovering how far Cassidy and Mason have come in their relationship. I would recommend Dream On by Stacey Keith, if you enjoy second chance romances or books by authors Kari Lemor, Laura Carter, Nancy Herkness and Sharla Lovelace.

Deep in the heart of Texas is a small town where secret wishes have a funny way of coming true . . .

With a nine-year-old daughter, an overdue light bill, and a job slinging burgers while zooming around on roller skates, Cassidy Roby is not living the glamorous life. But Cuervo, Texas, has its charms: quiet streets, loving family, and the down-home familiarity of knowing which of your neighbors are mean as snakes. With Cassidy’s reputation, she knows what will happen if she steps a foot out of line. But how can she help it now that Mason Hannigan’s back in town?

As Cuervo’s high school quarterback ten years ago, Mason was all rock-hard abs and yes-ma’am manners. Now that he’s living the glitz and glory of the NFL, he’s all that plus a couple million bucks. The desire blazing between them is too hot to hide. Cassidy has some experience getting her heart broken by the hometown hero—and having the whole world watch her try to pick up the pieces. Will adding fame, fortune, and paparazzi be a playbook for disaster—or lead to the biggest adventure of her life?

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“Damn,” Mason’s friend and linebacker, Jasper, said after a low whistle. “That is one sweet little hometown honey.”

In the back seat, Mason’s two other teammates leaned forward expectantly.

“Where?” Temple demanded to know.

“Sit your bitch ass down,” Brian, his seatmate, told him. “I can’t see.”

“I told you Cuervo was the bomb,” Mason said, but then as the honey drew closer—on skates, no less— his hands tightened around the steering wheel.

It was Cassidy Roby.

Mason blinked. Refocused. He’d forgotten how much his type she was. He’d forgotten … well, a lot of things. She hadn’t changed one bit. Same glossy ponytail, all sun-streaked and blonde. Same perfect little body. The skates made her taller, but he knew that without them, she barely reached his shoulder. Why her type had always appealed to him, he didn’t exactly know, but petite and wholesome did a whole different number on him than the women he found himself dating these days—beautiful, yes. Models, yes. But they were all cheekbones and sharp shoulders. Give them a salad and they’d push away the croutons. Yet these were the women who traveled in his circle now. After a while, it seemed they all wore the same hungry look, and it wasn’t a look that warmed a man’s blood.

Stacey Keith is the award-winning author of the Dreams Come True series (Kensington Books), DREAM ON, SWEET DREAMS and DREAM LOVER, in addition to A WEDDING ON BLUEBIRD WAY with New York Times Bestseller authors Janet Dailey, Lori Wilde and the talented Allyson Charles.

Twice a Golden Heart finalist, Stacey has won a Maggie, two Silver Quills, a Jasmine, a Heart of the Rockies, and over fifteen other first-place finishes in Romance Writers of America contests.

An avid writer of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and short stories, Stacey doesn’t own a television, but reads compulsively—and would, in fact, go stark raving bonkers without books, which are crammed into all corners of the house. She now lives in Civita Castellana, a medieval village in Italy that sits atop a cliff, and spends her days writing in a nearby abandoned 12th century church.

The two things she is most proud of are her ability to cook pasta alla genovese without burning down the kitchen and swearing volubly in Italian with all the appropriate hand gestures.

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GUILTY PLEASURES:

If Mason Hannigan from DREAM ON had a dating profile

Back when I was single, I did a fair amount of online dating. Can’t say all the guys I went out with were the Prince Charmings they described themselves to be (with straight faces) on their online dating profiles. But to be fair, I have what folks call a “strong personality”. What that boils down to is a mouth like a trucker, the restless curiosity of a toddler, and the mind of someone who stays up too late, drinks entirely too much coffee, and used to own a full-sized Bob’s Big Boy—you remember, the pudgy, grinning boy with soft-serve ice cream hair who held a hamburger aloft in perpetual invitation. I could always just taste the irony.

Oh, and I write books with sex in them, so I guess there’s that, too.

Since then, I’ve taken a keen interest in other people’s ~~business~~ online dating profiles. Why? Because they perfectly reflect how we want to be seen, which is often in direct opposition to who we really are.

In a small Texas town like Cuervo, which happens to be the location for my contemporary romance, DREAM ON, dating apps aren’t necessary because folks there know everything there is to know about you, including the people you hook up with. Also, my hometown hero, NFL quarterback Mason Hannigan, never lacked for dates. Especially not on prom night, which was when all the trouble started.

But I couldn’t help but wonder … if Mason had dipped a toe in the waters of online dating, what would his dating profile look like? So I took it upon myself to track him down and ask.

Here’s what he told me.

Name: Mason Hannigan.

Age: 28.

Astrological Sign: Libra.

Favorite Movie: Friday Night Lights. Also Carrie (Spacek version)

Favorite Food: Tex-Mex or any good local chili cook-off, the hotter, the better.

Best Quality: The ability to laugh at myself. But I also give myself plenty to laugh at.

Best Feature: I haven’t broken my nose yet, which is kind of cool since I’m a quarterback and get beaten senseless every day out on the field.

One Thing I’m Passionate About: I live, eat, and breathe football. Before every home game in high school, I used to camp out the night before on the football field. I slept better that way, with the smell of the turf and the crickets sawing away in the dark. I would lay there imagining what might happen the next day, the roar of the crowd, the thrill of a touchdown—and the look on my dad’s face when somebody gave him a congratulatory slap on the back.

My Friends Describe Me As: Lame. Dorky. Awkward around women. All you have to do is ask them and they’ll tell you.

Three Things I Can’t Live Without:

1. Football. Obviously. I mean, come on. If I’m not playing it, I’m watching it.

2. I love cars, and might have about a dozen or so. You know the old saying about boys and their toys. Mine are a lot more expensive than they used to be.

3. I would never admit this to their faces, but I couldn’t live without my friends. They can be real jerks sometimes, but they keep me grounded. Some of them play the offensive line pretty well. But if you tell them I said that, I’ll just deny it.

The Most Important Thing I’m Looking for in a Woman: Real. She’s got to be 100% who she is, not one of these girls where you give her a salad and she pushes away the croutons. Some of the qualities I’m attracted to are: kindness, compassion, loyalty, gentleness. I’m a sucker for hometown girls. Do you think I could find somebody who will teach me how to roller-skate?