Review: Dreams Change, So Do the Dreamers
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2014
Dr. Charlie Barnett doesn't have time for new commitments.  Between his patient rounds, research project, exams, and his birth mother's sudden reappearance in his life, his life is pretty complicated as it is.  Except he just can't seem to walk away from the beautiful street busker playing her mesmerizing music in front of the hospital every day.  Her music and smile seem to be the only things that can calm his frantic world.  But is it worth adding one more complication to his life?Ramona Garrido-Lopez wants to go home.  Yet, her parents have stubbornly insisted that she not give up her dreams for them.  They want her to stay in New York and make her star burn bright.  The only problem is that her dreams have changed.  She is just a couple of months away from fulfilling her promise to her parents, now is not the time to fall for the Hot Doc who drops coins in her case and gives her secret smiles.  Is there anyway that she can have her new dream and her dream man at the same time?After reading, and loving, The Sweetest Thing, I was excited to hear that Ms. Darcy was going to be releasing a novella to explain Charlie's story.  I loved reading the scenes that corresponded with things happening in The Sweetest Thing.  It was like finally hearing the other end of a phone conversation (which in one scene that is exactly what it was).Charlie is very high octane.  He is driven and fast paced, but is counting the days until he can slow down.  He is concerned about the people around him, but his distraction sometimes makes him come off as a little self-centered and demanding.  He is a complex and enjoyable character.  Focused and highly optimistic, which can be a great combination when grounded in reality.Ramona is a "recovering dreamer".  I say this with snark because there is nothing wrong with being a dreamer as long as those dreams aren't irresponsible.  Unfortunately, some of hers were.  She is a pessimist who wants to be and optimist, but is afraid of becoming an opportunist.  She is prideful and personifies what happens when you spend too much time grounding yourself in reality.With most novellas there is not a lot of time to get to know the characters.  Since readers were already introduced to Charlie in The Sweetest Thing, less time seems to have been devoted to his character than Ramona.  I actually didn't find this a problem, as I really enjoyed both.  However, I really wanted to slap Ramona toward the end because of her inability to make up her mind.  She changed it so many times, there was even one scene that she changed her mind mid sentence.  It was impressive, but still annoying.Overall, this book was a fun, quick read.  I recommend reading the first two River Bend novels first.