Dreams of 18

You don’t go around kissing your best friend’s dad, do you?

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1. DREAMS OF 18 by Saffron A. Kent

SYNOPSIS

Violet Moore is in love with a man who hates her. Well, to be fair, she kinda deserves it. On her eighteenth birthday, she got drunk and threw herself at him, causing a huge scandal in their sleepy suburban town. Now everyone thinks she’s a slut and he has disappeared. Rumor has it that he’s been living up in the mountains of Colorado, all alone and in isolation. But Violet is going to make it right. She’s going to find him and bring him back. No matter how cruel and mean he is, how much he hurts her with his cold-hearted and abrasive ways, she won’t give up. And neither will she think about his tempting lips or his sculpted muscles or his strong hands. The hands that she wants on her body, touching her, feeling her skin… The hands that make her want to forget everything and kiss Graham Edwards – Mr. Edwards, actually – again.

Because you don’t go around kissing your best friend’s dad, do you? Even though that’s all you ever dream about.

BOOK REVIEW

“It was just that: a kiss. A lonely, filled with longing and overflowing with dreams kiss.”

Violet was such a damaged heroine. She spent the first 18 years of her life being neglected, ignored, and void of love. Can you imagine the surprise that she had when she developed a strong crush on her neighbor who happened to be her best friend’s father, totally off-limits? Violet wasn’t necessarily bad, manipulative, or impulsive, she was just young, naive, and extremely lonely. Her feelings toward Graham, the man who invaded her dreams and consumed her thoughts, were always meant to be her harmless secret until it wasn’t, and her little mistake cost both Violet and Graham too much, and unjustly so.

“Love isn’t about asking someone to love you back. It’s about loving. It’s about finding that thing you love and letting it kill you because you’re going to die anyway. And what better way to go than at the hands of someone you love.”

Saffron A. Kent definitely got me there when I realized that Violet wasn’t the only one who was holding his own secrets. And once again, as Graham’s truths were revealed, the obstacles for the couple being together emerged on the surface with new full force, and with so much on the line for both Violet and Graham, certain oh not so easy choices had to be made in order to get them through.

Aside from socially-imposed problems Violet and Graham faced, their chemistry was so scandalously intense and just provocative. The sex scenes were filthy and hot (Graham’s dirty talk though)! It was fascinating to witness two flawed, imperfect people that were perfect for each other fighting their inner feelings and basic desires but helplessly failing along the way.

Overall, the author handled the age-gap romance aspect quite well. The feelings between Violet and Graham were portrayed as genuine and made the story feel less taboo than it actually was. However, the way Violet’s mental health was approached was… unconvincing. To be completely honest, it made me feel very uncomfortable to see her struggle to stand her ground and give in to sexual frustration on the border with desperation. Overall, Dreams of 18 was an extremely smutty (the lollipop scene was… dirty to an extreme), quick and casual read.