Original rating: 5 stars
Rating upon reread: 3.75 stars (rounded up to four for nostalgia and pure enjoyment)

I am on a mission this year to reread all of my Nora Roberts books, which I haven't done in a few years. They've just been sitting on my shelves collecting dust. But I think about them often, hence the reread.

The dream series was one of my favorites. I originally read these books (and reread, several times) long before I had a goodreads, so they were never reviewed prior to this point.

Upon reread, I see some things in this book that I don't exactly love. There is a half-assed attempt at creating a mean-girl nemesis for the three main female protagonists that ends up making them look like the real mean girls. There is a sexist and misogynistic side to the male romantic lead (who I mostly like...) where he is hung up on the number of sexual partners our female lead has had. Granted, this is called out as being sexist, misogynistic, and hypocritical, but it's still there. And this is just a personal preference, but I hate that the main character chain smokes. It never bothered me before when I read it (even though I've never been a smoker myself) but this time it really did. She smokes in her place of business...around clothes that she's trying to sell people for thousands of dollars. Makes no sense.

All that said, I still enjoy these characters and this series. I like the found family aspect to most of Nora Roberts books, and this one is no difference. Whether they share common ancestors or not, they are family, and I eat that stuff up.

I like the banter and sexual tension between Margo and Josh, and the fact that they both have power in the relationship and it's not in favor of one over the other.

The next in the series (Holding the Dream) has always been my least favorite of the three. I'm really curious to see if my opinion has changed.