CASTAWAY DREAMS by Darlene Marshall

Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC
Date published: May 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61124-274-4
Historical Fiction
E-Book
Reviewed by Lynne

http://www.amazon.com/Castaway-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0080VAL82/ref=tmm_kin_title_0

Obtained via publisher.

Daphne Farnham disapproved of the man her father chose for her to marry. Instead, she runs off to Jamaica with someone else, only to be disillusioned by her own poor choice for a husband.

While returning home to Portsmouth, England, Daphne finds herself suddenly alone aboard the Magpie when her companion and chaperone unexpectedly dies. Immediately thrust into the care of a dour surgeon, Alexander Murray, who has little use for her, she finds herself facing the truth about herself. Having only known about bonnets, frills, butterflies, and other fashion accoutrements her entire life, Daphne is soon challenged by Dr. Murray to step from her comfort zone, into a new world of learning and usefulness.

When their ship sinks, and the two find themselves stranded together alone on a desert island, it is there Daphne learns how to become more useful and self-sufficient than she ever could have imagined. And it is there, Daphne discovers there is much more to life and love than she had ever dared believe possible.

CASTAWAY DREAMS by Darlene Marshall is a delightful read. Humorous and well-written, Marshall exceeds the reader’s expectations with her imaginative plotting, twists and turns that keep the reader snagged from start to finish. I absolutely loved it, and it is easy to see why Ms. Marshall has won so many awards. Her skill at writing historical romance is superb.

Daphne Farnham is a uniquely different sort of heroine. Completely human, ditzy, and enough to try any man’s patience, she is just a pleasure to read about. Marshall does a wonderful job in maturing Daphne from a very useless person, in the hero’s eyes, into a woman of substance and usefulness.

Dr. Murray is a surprise as well. A completely original hero, in my opinion, he is not the sort of person one would expect to win over Daphne’s affections, considering her great beauty and wealth. Marshall did another great job here, turning Murray from a strait-laced, dour person, into a more mature, passionate, happy person than he originally appears.

I loved the minor characters in CASTAWAY DREAMS that helped mature our hero and heroine. The beautiful pirate helped challenge Murray’s unspoken resolve to claim Daphne for his own, and the fluffy dog, Pompom, seemingly ridiculous to some, added a lot of interesting humor to the story.

CASTAWAY DREAMS is a definite summer read for anyone who enjoys romantic adventures, puppies, and pirates. Kudos to Ms. Marshall. CASTAWAY DREAMS is the first book I have read by this author, and I look forward to reading both her past and future works. It is not to be missed.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.