Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Winter Dreams

SERIES:  Winter Magic

AUTHOR:  Marie Sexton

NARRATOR:  Nick J. Russo

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  9 hours and 6 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  November 23, 2022

BLURB: 

Sequel to Winter Oranges

What happens when a player gets played?

Actor Dylan Frasier is known as one of the biggest playboys in Hollywood, infamous for seducing men and women alike. He’s also half in love with his two best friends. Unfortunately, Jason and Ben are madly in love with each other, leaving Dylan the odd man out. When Ben suggests an extended Christmas vacation at a resort modeled after his favorite 80s TV show, Dylan reluctantly agrees. Sure, his heart breaks a bit every time he sees them together, but it’s a vacation in the Bahamas. How bad can it be?

At first, the resort seems like any other. Dylan plans to work on his tan, get laid, and hunt for Hollywood’s most in-demand director – not necessarily in that order. Then he meets Connor, a tennis instructor still hurting from a bad breakup. Connor knows Dylan’s reputation and refuses to be seduced. Dylan sees Connor as just another conquest, but this tropical island isn’t as mundane as it appears. It has its own kind of magic, and it’s about to make things interesting.

REVIEW:

Note:  This is a sequel and relies on the relationship that have been built in that book.  I guess technically it could be a standalone, but I think it’s much better enjoyed having read the first book, Winter Oranges.

Dylan is an sort of b-list actor who is best friends with Jason, another actor.  In the previous book in this series Jason meets his boyfriend Ben.  Ben was trapped in a snow globe for 160 years and Jason and Dylan had a hand in freeing him from that globe.  Now both men try to protect Ben from the outside world because of course he has some pretty big gaps in his knowledge after been trapped in a globe with no access to the 20th/21st century and no one for company.  Ben and Jason are headed to an island resort called Fantasy Island for a Christmas getaway and they invite Dylan to join them.

Dylan has been a total player.  He is not picky about who he beds either.   He’s always ready for booze, pills or sex.  It’s not clear immediately why this need for self-medication.  We certainly know the how and it’s obvious that Dylan has a real issues being alone.  He’d rather have half an hour with someone he doesn’t know or even like and will never see again because it’s less time he has to deal with himself.  But there is one person who doesn’t fall at Dylan’s feet.  That is Connor, the tennis instructor at the resort.  He tells Dylan that he’s not going to sleep with him.  Full Stop.  So of course this makes Dylan try all the harder and he’s not even sure why.

Connor also has issues.  He has a boyfriend he’s just broken up with.  He’s a bit cagey with Dylan, but it turns out there has been some cheating.  Some of the details are a bit sketchy, but Connor has definitely been hurt by Tony, the ex.  Connor and Dylan spend more time together and soon things change.  But both are having scary incredibly real dreams about the future.  And let’s just things don’t go well for either of them – and it scares them a lot.  Just as things seem to be taking a turn for the better, the rug is pulled out from under them.  Connor is determined to make things right though, because for the first time in his life, he wants to do the right thing rather than the expedient thing, the comfortable thing or the take the easy way out and disappear for the bad stuff.

Ben and Jason are there for Dylan as he’s spiraling when Connor is ready to call it quits.  They are the best of friends and support him in the ways he needs, particularly after Dylan comes clean about his past and how he’s not dealt the things.  Ben, despite his short time in the “modern” world, is especially helpful to Dylan and wants to be the best friend he can be.  Connor has his own secrets however, and whatever either of them thinks is going on is a bit more complicated.  They will have to negotiate some pretty tough obstacles if they want to really figure out how they can be together.

When I read this book, I struggled with the pacing of this story.  I am a huge fan of Marie Sexton (she’s had to put up with my fangirling on numerous occasions) and in less capable hands I think this story would have been a mess.  Dylan’s story and history take a long time to be revealed in this story and I know that was on purpose.  The redemption is so much better if we don’t know that the character really is redeemable until we’re invested.  I have to say in the audio, it didn’t seem to drag as much – a testament to the performance of Nick J. Russo who imbued all these characters with the right amount of tenderness and fierceness too.  There is much to like in this story and there are some quite surprising twists and turns to the story that I did NOT see coming.  I also did not love the Fantasy Island dreams as much as I liked the magical snow globe from the first book in the series, but as a child of the 70s, I did appreciate the homage to the show here.

The epilogue to this story is still one of the best I’ve ever read   Kind of like the series finale episode of Newhart back in 1990.  It was just kind of perfect.  Because Jason and Ben are so integral to Dylan’s life, their friendship and assistance throughout this story arc can’t be overstated.  That Jason and Dylan are able to maintain their friendship after everything that has gone down between them over the years is a true testament to the real non-romantic love they have for each other.  The love between these four guys was just a great thing to watch evolve and grow over the course of the book.  I enjoyed that aspect of the story almost as much as the love story of Connor and Dylan.  So brava to Ms. Sexton.  Again, Mr. Russo’s performance here elevated the entire story for me.  He is a masterful narrator and has performed some of my alltime favorite stories over the last decade.  I can’t say enough good things about how much he made me care about these characters and wanted them to end up in a happy place.  He made me feel their pain and their joy and their fear and insecurities.  Just a fabulous job that I really enjoyed even more than reading the book.

If you are a fan of second chances, dealing with life’s trauma, overcoming self-destructive behaviors and working for a worthwhile goal and happiness – but not expecting somebody else to provide it, then I think you’ll enjoy this book.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

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