A Dream to Trust - Stella Jane Phillips, reviewed by Diane Scott Lewis

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Tara Wilson checks into an old hotel in Creekside with her two young children. She hides the fact she's running from an abusive ex-husband just released from prison. New home, new schools, Tara can barely hold it together for her kids. She meets Patrick, a divorced man with a grown son. Both are damaged people. Tara especially doesn't know if she can ever trust again. The hotel is haunted with ghosts from its past. Ghosts who take an interest in the new residents.

Patrick is a lawyer who invites Tara to open her own office in his building. They become friends, but can it ever develop into more?

Ghosts flit in and out of the story. And Tara is not disturbed or frightened. Her background touches on abusive relationships and the plight of a single mom. A woman who must run to protect her children. Her oldest son is wary, her daughter too young to know what is happening. Tara is a gentle, caring mother who is braver than she realizes.

Patrick is lonely and a decent guy, reluctant to push his interest on Tara. He strives to form a closer relationship with his son.

Can Tara ever trust Patrick, or any man after her experience with her ex? And will her children accept a stepdad? The romance is sweet, and develops at a believable rate, but the tension is light. What you think might happen never does.

Sometimes the ghosts' actions parallel what is happening with the main characters, but a hundred years earlier. Often this leads to Tara and Patrick reconsidering their decisions.

Recommended for those who like sweet romance with a sprinkle of fantasy.

Book 3 of 3 in the Creekside Dreams series; reading the others should give you more background on the ghosts.

Diane lives in Western Pennsylvania with her husband and one naughty dachshund. 

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