![Land of Dreams by [St.John, Cheryl]](https://images-fe.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51RnG0qQrXL._SY346_.jpg)
I remember the day that I was given this book. I was 14 and my Grandma saw that I was reading just about every book I could get my hands on, she also noticed that my preferred genre was Romance. I remember her sliding this book over to me and I laughed at the cover. The cover originally on this book was a cheesy Harlequin one. My first thought being how embarrassing it will be to be seen reading this because well, I was 14, and only adults read them. I asked her why she wanted me to read it. She told me that she has noticed how much I love Romance books and she thought I might really enjoy a grown up version. She also told me that after she finished the book, I reminded her of the Heroine Thea. I gave in and took the book from her.
I think it took me about two months to finally give in and read it. I fell in LOVE! I had read this book about 150 plus times, it was to the point the poor paperback needed to be retired. Thea was a woman of so many insecurities. She is taller then most women and most men. This is not something that men find attractive, they want a petite woman which is not Thea. This book is set in the late 1800's where women are married off at a young age and if they get past 25 without a husband, they are considered Old Maids. Thea is a 29 year old woman, living at home with her Father. She takes care of their farm and their home. She has all but given up hope that she will ever find a companion. When Thea takes in a little girl named Zoey as a temporary placement for foster care, she falls in love with her. She brings Zoey back from the dark place she has been living. Thea's fear is that someone is going to want Zoey and she will lose her. That day arrives when Booker comes to town looking for Zoey because she is his Niece and he feels it's his duty to take her in to his care. Thea is crushed. When Booker can't seem to get Zoey to come around, he asks for Thea's aide while he builds his house.
"I've watched your family, the townspeople, the church members— everyone— ignore your needs. You look after everybody else while you're neglected . It angers me how you're taken advantage of. "I've watched you with them, and I can't understand— can't fathom how they can overlook your femininity, your sensuality, your beauty and charm."
When Booker has Thea help him with Zoey he doesn't see her as a potential wife, he is too fixed on making a home for the little girl. That changes through time as he starts to really see Thea. She's selfless, she cares for the people around her without expectation and to him she's beautiful. When Booker finally realizes what he wants he goes after it but not without a fight from Thea. He has to fight her to make her believe he wants her for her and not as a mother for Zoey. The build to Booker and Thea's love for each other is and was wonderful to read.
This book is more then just a love story to me. When my Grandma passed away when I was 24, the first thought I had was that I wanted to read this book. I guess maybe because her giving me Land of Dreams was a fond memory of her and I wanted any connection I could get. The problem that I had, was that I couldn't find it in my belongings. Somewhere in my life I had lost it, I searched everywhere for it. I couldn't remember the name of the book or the author but I could remember everything else, what the cover looked like, who the characters were and where they lived. Google wasn't much help to me and so for a long time I was lost. That's when I began reading again. I started reading other Romance books and made my way in to the Goodreads community and then in to blogging. Then, one day I was scouring Amazon for something and I came across a book that sounded so familiar to me. I couldn't put my finger on why I felt that I knew this book, I looked on Goodreads to see if anything would jog my memory and I saw the old cover. I wanted to cry. I found it!
To me books have always been more then just words on paper. They are like music to me, they create memories. I can remember who I was talking to when I read a book, I can tell you who I met or what I was doing while I was reading a book. Most of my references are "Oh yeah I was reading (this book) when that happened." I'm pretty sure only a book lover like myself could understand that. This book is proof of that. 18 years after I read it I still remember everything about it, I still remember what I was doing, who gave it to me, why they gave it to me. I don't know if Cheryl St. John will even read this review but I want to Thank her for writing this book. I want to Thank her for creating a memory, for sparking my interest in reading Romance novels. For making a story my Grandma felt I needed to read that inevitably brought me here. If that would have never happened I wouldn't have met these amazing women that I blog with and these amazing authors I read now. So, Thank You Cheryl for writing Booker and Thea's story!
Product Description
Western historical romance:
In this tale of hope and love, too-tall spinster Thea Coulson wants to be a mother to a child who arrives in Nebraska on an orphan train. When Booker Hayes shows up to take his niece, a marriage of convenience suits them both. Thea’s nights are filled with dreams of the tall, dark army major, but she guards her heart. Booker’s first taste of home and hearth has him longing for more, but first he must win the trust of his niece..and the heart of the sun-kissed farmer's daughter.
In this tale of hope and love, too-tall spinster Thea Coulson wants to be a mother to a child who arrives in Nebraska on an orphan train. When Booker Hayes shows up to take his niece, a marriage of convenience suits them both. Thea’s nights are filled with dreams of the tall, dark army major, but she guards her heart. Booker’s first taste of home and hearth has him longing for more, but first he must win the trust of his niece..and the heart of the sun-kissed farmer's daughter.
