Reviewed by Jennifer Joyce
Liza loves her job as a reflexologist at The Stables, an holistic treatment centre within the grounds of an hotel. But she doesn’t love working for The Stables’ manager, Nicolas, nor does she respect him as a businessman. Liza has big ideas for The Stables, to help move it into a more profitable enterprise, but Nicolas refuses to listen to her ideas, never mind implement them.
When it dawns on Nicolas that The Stables is in trouble, he considers selling the lease and handing the business over. When Liza hears his plans, she decides to take action, hoping to buy the lease and run The Stables herself, bringing in her ideas to improve the business. But her dream of running The Stables isn’t as easy as it sounds. There is the question of finance and, even if she somehow manages to raise the money needed to buy the lease, she has Dominic Christy to contend with.
Dominic feels like he has lost everything – the job he loved and his girlfriend, Natalie. To top it all off, he’s crashing at his cousin’s house, taking up her spare bedroom and being subjected to her mothering. When Dominic learns that the lease for The Stables may be going up for sale, his interest is piqued and he sees great potential for The Stables and the surrounding area. However, unfortunately for Liza and the other therapists, a treatment centre doesn’t feature in his plans. As Liza fights Dominic for control of The Stables, she also has to fight her growing attraction to him. Terrible at relationships, Liza has sworn off men completely but she can’t seem to stay away from this particular man.
Dream a Little Dream is a fun read with the odd blush-inducing scene and a bit of back-stabbing, although there is a serious side too. Dominic has recently been diagnosed we narcolepsy, a sleep disorder he is trying to gain control of. I knew very little about narcolepsy, so it was interesting to see, through Dominic, how people cope with the condition and how they manage their day to day lives. Dominic has already lost out on his dream job and relationship through narcolepsy, but he’s determined to live life as normally as possible. He sees The Stables and his new business venture as a way to get his life back on track, so it’s understandable that he is unwilling to back down from his plans.
Dream a Little Dream is the first Sue Moorcroft book I’ve read and I enjoyed both the storyline and the mix of characters, from determined Dominic and Liza, mother hen Miranda, little Ethan and Shona and even Crosswind the dog.
8/10
