Audio Review: If Only in My Dreams by Wendy Markham

Posted July 17, 2020 by Lillian in Reviews / 3 Comments

Audio Review: If Only in My Dreams by Wendy MarkhamIf Only in My Dreams by Wendy Markham
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Published by Brilliance Audio on 2013-11-19
Length: 9hrs and 49min
Reviewing Audiobook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating:

Actress Clara McCallum just got her big break. She’s thrilled about landing the lead role in a big WWII film. But her dream-come-true excitement is short-lived. She’s just received devastating news and has been reeling ever since. The last thing Clara wants is to spend Christmas alone in New York City, but she’s determined to stay on location for the movie. Anything for her craft, right? Which is perfect since she’s playing a woman who’ll do anything for the love of doomed soldier Jed Landry.

But Clara’s resolve turns to astonishment when she steps off an old-fashioned locomotive from the set and finds herself whisked back in time—and into the arms of the real-life Jed. She’s convinced it’s some sort of hallucination. But before long she finds herself swept away by the handsome soldier and wondering if her plunge into the past could change the course of the future...and turn out to be the best Christmas present ever.

I really enjoyed this book! If Only In My Dreams by Wendy Markham is about an actress starring in a movie about a small-town WWII hero who finds herself transported back in time to 1941 where she meets the real man behind the story. I am a sucker for historical fiction. Y’all I cannot stress enough though that while this is technically set back in time, it is NOT historically accurate. If you like your historical fictions to be accurate to the time period they are referencing, skip this one. If Only In My Dreams is a sweet romance that will tug at your heart strings and make you wish for a better world. 

Clara McCallum just got her big break landing a leading role, but her excitement is short-lived. She receives news a few days before filming begins that she has aggressive breast cancer. When she arrives for her first day of filming, she is still reeling from the news. Clara hasn’t confided in anyone yet, the news still too fresh for her mind to comprehend. When a twist of fate sends her back in time, Clara is clearly confused, but quickly realizes that she has a chance to meet the man her film is about. 

Jed Landry is a quiet man. With the death of his father, he is struggling financially to provide for his younger siblings. With the war looming, he sees a way to provide for them. Then he meets the mysterious young woman who would change his life forever. 

I both like and dislike Clara. The story is told mainly from her perspective. She is whiny, for lack of a better term, and hyper-focused on her cancer. I tried to empathize with her, but eventually it does wear on you. I loved Jed. I didn’t want to, knowing his fate, but I loved him all the same. The story focuses on Clara and her sudden arrival in the past. She has the power to warn Jed, but will he listen? 

Overall I enjoyed If Only In My Dreams. I listened to it in one sitting! Justine Eyre does a fabulous job bringing Clara to life, and I’ll admit I shed a tear or several towards the end of the story. If you enjoy fated romance, I highly recommend it.

About Wendy Markham

Author Wendy Markham

Wendy Markham is a pseudonym for award-winning New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub, who has published nearly eighty novels during a career that spans two decades. Best known for the suspense novels she publishes under her her own name, she has also published twenty novels under the USA Today bestselling Markham pseudonym including this month's IF ONLY IN MY DREAMS (Montlake, 10/13), which marks the digital debut of a Christmas Time Travel romance originally published in 2006 by NAL Signet.

Her latest suspense title, THE GOOD SISTER (HarperCollins, 10/13), launches a trio of social networking suburban noir thrillers and was optioned by Fox Studios. Wendy was a 2011 and 2013 finalist for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Past honors include an RWA Rita award, five Washington Irvings, the RWA-NYC Golden Apple for Lifetime Achievement, and the RT Bookreviews Career Achievement Award in Suspense. She was recognized as one of WLA's Millennial Authors in 2000. Her Wendy Markham novel SLIGHTLY SINGLE was named one of Waldenbooks' 100 Best Fiction titles of 2002. Her novels SLIGHTLY SUBURBAN, THE LAST TO KNOW, and ASK ME AGAIN were nominated for RT Reviewers Choice awards, and five of her novels, DON'T SCREAM; THE LAST TO KNOW; MIKE, MIKE AND ME; HELLO, IT'S ME; and BRIDE NEEDS GROOM, were awarded a month's top pick review by the RT BOOK club magazine.

Her work has been translated into more than a dozen languages worldwide and her titles are regularly selected as features for Mystery Guild, Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Large Print Book Club, and Rhapsody Book Club. She lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband of 22 years and their sons.

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3 responses to “Audio Review: If Only in My Dreams by Wendy Markham

  1. Great review, Lillian! I really enjoyed reading it. I also appreciate the warning about the historical inaccuracies in the book. I am a fan of historical fiction but I understand the importance of accuracy in these types of stories. Your insight on the characters of Clara and Jed is interesting and I can definitely see where you’re coming from. I also appreciate the nod to Justine Eyre’s narration, I’ll definitely keep that in mind when considering listening to the audiobook. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on If Only In My Dreams, it’s definitely on my list now.

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