Books › Dark Dream
Dark Dream
285 pages
A delicious, vintage marriage-of-convenience tale where a desperate lie to save face blossoms into unexpected, hard-won passion.
What it feels like
Reading this vintage romance feels like stepping into a delightfully angsty time capsule of domestic tension and hidden desires. The narrative moves at a brisk, dialogue-heavy clip, plunging the reader straight into the emotional fallout of a sudden betrayal and the desperate, pride-saving lie that follows. The mood is thick with the unspoken history between the characters, balancing the cozy familiarity of a childhood connection with the sharp, unpredictable sparks of adult attraction. Its prose is straightforward but emotionally emphatic, capturing every flush of embarrassment and flare of jealousy with earnest intensity. It is a perfect, satisfying escape for readers who love the delicious slow-burn of a marriage of convenience, where defensive walls gradually crumble to reveal a deep, enduring love.
- Mood
- emotionally charged
- tense
- domestic
- nostalgic
- Tone
- earnest
- angsty
- melodramatic
- defensive
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · saving face · childhood crushes · hidden desires · pride and vulnerability
- The writing
- The prose is straightforward and dialogue-driven, leaning heavily into the internal emotional turbulence and emphatic declarations characteristic of vintage category romance.
- The arc
- The protagonist journeys from the sting of sudden betrayal and defensive pride to the vulnerable surrender of a long-held, secret love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who devour classic, angsty marriage-of-convenience stories where a fake relationship slowly uncovers deep-seated, genuine passion.
Content notes
- vintage gender dynamics
- emotional infidelity
About the book
The engagement shocked them all
Meredith had been Michael's girlfriend for years, and although he hadn't formally proposed, she'd always understood they would marry. She was stunned speechless, then, to meet his fiancee!
Simon, who'd known Meredith all her life, was quick to intervene. "Congratulations!" he ventured heartily. "Not ten minutes ago Meredith consented to be my wife, too."
It was a believable enough lie. Everyone had hoped that Simon would marry again to make a proper home for his son--and Merry'd had a crush on him once. But that was no basis for marriage!
Description from Open Library.
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