Summer of Dreams A From This Moment Novella - edition by Elizabeth Camden. Religion & Spirituality eBooks @ .
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The daughter of a powerful army general, Evelyn White dreams of attending college and vows she will never marry a man in uniform. . . . which is why West Point cadet Clyde Brixton presents a problem. Clyde's brilliance in the new field of electrical power has him poised for a promising career in the Army's Corps of Engineers, but his penchant for racking up demerits threatens his chances for graduation.
Evelyn and Clyde feel instant attraction toward one another as they spend one magical summer together. As their lives become more entwined, their friend Romulus's begins to come undone. When faced with helping Romulus at the expense of his own future, which one will Clyde choose? And when nothing turns out the way Evelyn planned, where will that leave her own future?
Summer of Dreams A From This Moment Novella - edition by Elizabeth Camden. Religion & Spirituality eBooks @ .
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Summer of Dreams A From This Moment Novella - edition by Elizabeth Camden. Religion & Spirituality eBooks @ . Reviews
It seems to be the fashion for free or very cheap kindle novellas to lure us into a series, and it works for me.
This one is all about three turn-of-the-century buddies having a good time using their talents to pursue their passions. Evelyn is a rich girl with a bent for engineering but no way to pursue it, since she lives in a male-dominated society with a bossy, patriarchal father. Clyde is a poor boy with a load of demerit points to work off before he can graduate from West Point Academy. Romulus is Evelyn's cousin, a good-looking and flamboyant Harvard student studying natural science. Together, they build a magnificent greenhouse with an artificial environment capable of sustaining nesting hummingbirds and a variety of delicate butterflies, fish and plants.
It's fun when modern authors, like Elizabeth Camden, get a chance to let their experience of contemporary times embellish their historical fiction. For example, Clyde's poor father crashed and burned while he was working on a project which might have turned out to be the predecessor of the kitchen fridge. There's no way the characters could have known that he might have been onto something, but we readers do. There's also a good sense that what goes around comes around. While I sensed Clyde's excitement as he talked about the fascinating technological changes which seemed to be accelerating before his eyes, I couldn't help but think of several young men his age I know personally, who get similarly excited over advances in computer technology.
One main theme is that sometimes limits just can't be pushed through, but that shouldn't stop anyone channeling their passion elsewhere. When we can't pursue our ultimate dreams, we just do what we can. Evelyn finds it impossible to push through society's expectations and her father's resistance to pursue a tertiary degree, but she can pour all her enthusiasm and knowledge into creating the dream greenhouse in her backyard. She admits that her self-taught knowledge is full of gaps, but won't let that stop her.
The trio never work from a bitter, 'Let's show them,' sort of attitude, but it's just what they do. If the world doesn't want your offerings, don't let them push you down just the same. Well, maybe there is a bit of cockiness from Romulus, who says, 'This greenhouse is mankind's war against mediocrity and acquiescence.' Even though nobody else would see or enjoy it, it was still true for them. And of course there's a strong romance thread, which many ladies will enjoy.
This book leads on to 'From this Moment', which I'll review very soon.
In order to rid himself of some West Point demerits, Clyde Baxter is assigned to help a general's daughter install a waterfall in her greenhouse. Clyde has always kept his mind on his career and helping his impoverished mother, but Evelyn White is the most amazing woman he's ever met. She's perfect for him. Even her cousin and best friend becomes his best friend too. But when Clyde drops everything to go to the cousin's aid, he may just lose it all.
I loved the story and the writing was good. But it ended so abruptly that I looked to see if there was a second part. The next book in the series seems to be about Romulus White, Evelyn's cousin, and not a continuation of this one. Clyde and Evelyn's story ended at 67% and there's an excerpt from the one about Romulus that follows to complete the book. I'm very disappointed.
Left without a mother at a young age, Evelyn White spent her childhood bouncing among the households of her extended family while her father pursued his army career. As a result, Evelyn vows to never marry a man in uniform. When Clyde Baxter-- a cadet at nearby West Point Academy-- enters her life for one blissful summer, she begins to wonder if this determined and talented young man can make her dearest dreams come true after all.
In her talented way, Elizabeth Camden does a beautiful job telling a fun love story against a fascinating historical backdrop in Summer of Dreams. A quick and entertaining read, the novella does what it is meant to convince readers to pre-order Camden's next full-length novel From This Moment.
As the daughter of a Navy pilot who would forcefully swear to never even date anyone in the military... and is now marking my husband's tenth year as an Air Force pilot, much of this love story resonated with me on a personal level! Camden does an excellent job chronicling Evelyn's inner struggle to trust Clyde's ability to give her the home and family she has always longed for.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the novella, I desperately wish I had not read the included excerpt of From This Moment. In it, Camden reveals some disturbing news about Clyde and Evelyn's future that I desperately hope she addresses in the novel, even though Evelyn's cousin Romulus is the
protagonist.
The writing was good. I always love Elizabeth Camden's characters. She can always make a great story out of such a simple situation.
SPOILERS
I did feel a bit uncomfortable with the ending. I applaud people who will sacrifice for their friends, but I think you also have responsibilities to yourself as well and your previous committments. Clyde decides not to return to school on time, knowing there will be severe consequences, so he can help Romulus with passing his exams. Again, I'm all happy for helping friends. But what about his own duties to his commitments? What about his commitment to securing a good future with Evelyn? It just came across as more irresponsible than heroic and sacrificial to me. He gets expelled from school when he had a bright future and makes life much more challenging for him and Evelyn.
And...the "sneak peek" afterward. Who wants to read a novella about a romance to learn that their marriage collapses after a few years in the next book? Hoping that reparation of their marriage is part of the plot in From this Moment. Call me old-fashioned, but I like my happy endings to stay happy. Debating if I should read the next book or not. If they aren't reconciled, I'll hate it. If they are...I can come back and change the rating on here.
Update I read the following book and loved it. Made this one better, so I changed my rating to a 4 for a 3.
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