In Your Dreams (Blue Heron, #4) by Kristan Higgins
Romance Contemporary
Paperback
September 30, 2014
Harlequin HQN

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: Maybe she’d even get a tattoo on each thigh— Jack Holland’s head was here.

Jack Holland, prince of the Blue Heron winery and Holland family is a genuinely nice guy who enjoys life but when he rescues a group of teenagers who drive into a lake, the town’s reaction scares him. He doesn’t consider himself to be a hero, especially since one of the teenagers may not make it. When a friend, Emmaline Neal, invites him to a wedding in Malibu, he jumps at the chance to escape the cold New York weather and the stifling adoration of the town.

Emmaline Neal needs a date for a wedding. Her ex fiance is marrying the woman he dumped her for and she has been invited to their wedding. She has to go to otherwise she looks like she is still pining for him. Jack Holland seems the perfect choice as there is no way this unfairly handsome man would ever assume the trip would lead to anything more…no matter how much Emmaline secretly hopes it will.

Jack’s attention and defense of Emmaline in the face of her oblivious parents and her ex fiance’s mean spirited bride and friends only serves to make Emmaline fall even harder for Jack. When their friendship takes an unexpected passionate turn, Emmaline and Jack decide to see where this relationship can go. But obstacles such as an ex wife who wants to reunite, a slew of malicious vandalism, and a bad case of survivors guilt and PSTD strive to keep them apart. Soon, Emmaline wonders if the only way her and Jack will ever be happy is in her dreams.

Kristan Higgins takes us back to the small town of Manningsport and it’s eccentric rambunctious residents with her newest installment, In Your Dreams. Though Jack is the presumed star of the book, Emmaline steals the show. Following the predictable plot lines of this series, we already know what will happen; the appeal of the story is how Ms. Higgins will get us there. This engaging romantic contemporary brings together two adorable and sweet characters whose emotional journey is filled with love, laughter, some growing pains, and forgiveness.

Well written humorous and heartfelt scenes bring together two people who find themselves in a relationship neither looking for. These delightfully quirky and wonderfully flawed characters all have a deep vein of realism running through them, reacting and engaging the same as we might.  Higgins always does well with writing dual povs; adding a layer of understanding to the story. Written in an enjoyable conversational style, this town and it’s residents will have you laughing out loud all the way to the end.

Emmaline is a pretty, laid back, self assured woman with a wonderful sense of humor that belays some deep seated abandonment issues. As a child her parents sent her to live with grandmother, hoping it would help Emma’s stuttering problem. While Emma was away, her parents adopted a young girl who is perfect in everyway Emma was not, making Emma feel like she was being replaced. Emma then meets Kevin, her ex fiance, and thought she had found someone who loved her despite her ‘flaws’ though his own self hatred causes him to betray her in the worse fashion and then he too replaces her with a presumed better model. Emma recovers but it leaves a deep chink in her armor.

I’ve adored Jack since first meeting him in the first book of this series-The Best Man. Brother, friend, and local heartthrob, Jack is the type of person who is there for everyone. No matter the task at hand, Jack is your ‘go to guy.’ A master of emotional deflection, Jack only shows what he wants the world to see, hiding a complex nature that only reveals as the story progresses. Though he pretends all is well, he too has some serious issues. So used to being thought of as perfect, he’s unable to handle it when he’s not. From his ex wife’s betrayal to the guilt he feels from not being able to save all the kids who drove into the lake, his past shows him to have a strong white knight hero complex that causes problems, especially when the one woman he wants doesn’t need saving.

Higgins balances the growth of their relationship against growth in their lives. We get an intimate view at their hopes, dreams, and ambitions while watching them attempt to build something that requires them to do the hardest thing they can think of-be honest with their feelings. I liked that Higgins doesn’t turn Emma into a blathering idiot once she falls in love with Jack. Her love doesn’t make her want to change herself into something she’s not. She will never be the damsel in distress and has enough pride in herself to not even attempt it. And Jack never makes her feel as if she has too. Their time together is sweet and steamy, highlighted by wonderful chemistry and dialogue that solidifies the feeling they belong together.

“Don’t go,” he murmured.

Then he leaned in closer, and rubbed his cheek against hers, and she felt the scrape of five o’clock shadow, the heat from his body.  His lips brushed her jaw, and her legs went weak and hot, and a nearly painful throbbing began in her girl parts.

“Jack,” she managed.

“There’s chocolate cake for dessert.”

She swallowed. “Is that your idea of foreplay?”

“Yes.”

Wonderfully strange and eccentric secondary characters round out the story, adding depth and intensity and takes it beyond a simple romantic contemporary. Nosy, curious, and without boundaries, these people love Emma and Jack though some of the ways they show that love is hysterical. Emma’s parents are curiously obtuse for being therapists and the unintentional pain they cause her is regrettable. The Hollands are in fine form and they all try their best to help these lovers along with plenty of unsolicited advice and the silliness they are famous for. Jack’s ex-wife is unbelievable; a poster child for over the top dramatics. My favorite characters were Emma’s sister, Angela, and Levi (Faith’s husband and Emma’s boss). Supportive and uniquely intuitive, they have always had Emma’s back.

The ending for me was a little rushed and I got a similar feeling in here that I had with Waiting On You. Though I enjoyed the story overall there were some issues that were brushed aside in order to facilitate the ending. Jack and Emmaline both used humor to deflect but while Emmaline learns to deal with her problems head on, I don’t feel Jack really did.  Higgins’s barely scratched the surface of Jack’s and Emmaline’s relationship issues. They discuss the issues that were affecting their relationship but there was no real resolution. It’s as if each said their peace and that was it. Regardless, In Your Dreams is a delightful romantic romp that is sure to appeal to fans of Higgins and the Holland family.

RATING: B

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