Everyone thinks Dean Collins is too old for Fallon Blackwood. Her parents, her friends, even Dean himself. In fact, he wants her to date guys her own age.But Fallon doesn’t care about that. All she cares about is that she can’t take her eyes off Dean, her neighbor, her best friend, the guy who taught her to ride a bike and to climb trees.And sometimes Dean can’t take his eyes off her, either. And … either. And sometimes he looks at her like he wants to kiss her.So it doesn’t matter that he’s thirty-two and she’s eighteen.
All that matters is that they belong with each other, and she needs to convince him of that. Good thing they’re taking a cross-country road trip together, right?
California to New York; three thousand miles and a love story in the making…
Featuring Simon Blackwood and Graham Edwards from the ‘Heartstone Series.’*This is a STANDALONE NOVELLA. This was released as a part of Mixtape Anthology. Since then, it has been revised, expanded and re-titled.
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WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ by Saffron Kent was Beautifully Written!!
Fallon and Dean Storytelling started where we First met them in “Medicine Man.” Saffron always has the right amount of WORDS to HOOK in and Never let’s you go! There is So Much History between the two characters and the Love they share for one another but shone in different ways.
Fallon has a bright idea to bring Dean around on a Road Trip across the country from California to New York back home. But she plans on telling Dean how she feels about him but she feels he still thinks she is just a child.
Oh! And Did I mention there is a Huge Age Difference between the two….Like a 14yr gap?!
Not Going to Spoil anything for you since it is So Differently Unique in its own way.
A MUST READ BOOK THAT YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!
If you haven’t Read any Of Saffron’s Books…You Are DEFINITELY Missing Out!!
This is a fast paced age gap romance novella, I guess I’m finally opening up to the age gap troop.
So Fallon prepares a road trip from California to New York so that she could spend more time with Dean and confess her feelings to him. Crazy right? I know But that girl was determined and was not giving up until she got what she wanted. Lmao I was rooting for Fallon from the very start I was literally like “JUMP ON HIM GIRL”. And Dean, he OBVIOUSLY had feelings for her, like you can tell from the very start. He just needed a little convincing to act up on those feelings.
But that wasn’t the only obstacle Fallon had to face, her biggest challenge was to convince the hypocrite Simon Blackwood. Don’t even @ me at. When he was like “He is too old for her” I was like “EXCUSEEEEEE ME!! Willow please come and collect your husband.”
We get to meet the Heartstone gang again, including two additional characters one being Rosie, Graham’s daughter who he is EXTREMELY possessive about. And Brendan l, Simon’s son who is in LOOOOOVE with Rose.
So if you are looking for a little taboo, fast paced, hot chemistry mixed with an overly possessive father drama? Then this is the book for you.
Also Saffron, I mean I’m open to Rosie and Brendan’s book you know if you ever want to give those two their own story… I’ll read it…
This was a short story in an anthology and I’m so glad we got the full story! I needed resolution and the drama of telling her parents she loved an older man. Was there drama? Just enough to please and not engulf the whole book. It was sexy, emotional, and satisfying. We got to catch up with characters from her books and that was a treat! Dean and Fallon give you all the feels you want in a romance.
I love Fallon and Dean! No matter the age, love is love. Age Gap is one of my favorite genres and this book was incredible! Fight for love. Don’t let it go no matter what anyone else thinks. A beautiful story that shares their life together.
California Dreamin’ by Saffron A. Kent is steamy, angsty and wonderfully addictive.
The book is short and sweet. It jumps in pretty quickly and it was delicious! Fallon and Dean were angst and passion personified, and I was all for it.
We get to see some of our favourites, and they are as broody and as angsty as ever. It was nice to see their adorable faces again.
I loved this read. It was the perfect little treat with the chaos around me. Angst, Steam and drama all mixed into one. The perfect read!
What a treat it was to read about Dean and Fallon! I’ve been wanting a story for them since I read the ending of Medicine Man (MM) so this was a special read for me. It is a novella so it doesn’t have a super deep story but nevertheless I still felt their deep connection to each other. I love the age gap trope and in this particular one I especially loved the parallel’s between Dean and Fallon’s romance and Simon and Willow’s (from MM). It was delightful to see the latter couple again, as well as Vi and Graham from Dreams of 18. It’s not necessary to read those books first but this story meant to much more to me because I have. It definitely made my heart glow with love for these characters. As always, Ms. Kent’s words just speak to me, and I remain ever eager for what she gifts us with next.
Originally written as Guys My Age – Novella in Mixtape Anthology, now renamed California Dreamin’ in an extended version. This forbidden, friends to lovers story pushes the boundaries and keeps you guessing and completely immersed from start to finish!! Totally loved this delightful story of Fallon & Dean!! Fallon is Simon and Willow Blackwood’s daughter from Medicine Man. I recommend you read Medicine Man to get the full background, I loved it!! In true fashion Saffron gives well developed characters that bring us all the feels. No one does age-gap romances quite like Saffron There is no shortage of up and downs and some extremely sizzling scenes! Grab your copy today!!
Overall Grade:
If I had to characterize Saffron A. Kent, I would call her one of the queens of the forbidden romance. Honestly, if you’ve read any of her books, then you know that she loves to toe the line of relationships that might make the average reader quirk their eyebrow. One of my favorite Saffron A. Kent romances is Medicine Man, which tells the story of a psychiatrist and his young patient. In that book, we are introduced to their daughter, Fallon, who at 3 years old, has eyes for Dean, their surrogate 17-year-old son. When you read this moment in Simon and Willow’s epilogue, you chuckle at it and think “awww…that’s cute.”
Then, being one of the queens of the forbidden romance, Kent decides to write a novella for the Mixtape Anthology and she imagines a future where an 18-year-old Fallon decides to confess her love for a now thirty-two-year-old Dean, while road-tripping from California to the East Coast. I waited patiently for that anthology because I wanted a future for this seemingly forbidden relationship, and Kent did not disappoint in its creation. In fact, she did such a wonderful job that we, her loyal readers, wanted more of their story. Hence, California Dreamin’ was born, and the parts of her storytelling that you love are found in this fleshed out story.
Should you read Medicine Man first before reading California Dreamin’? Probably. You might also want to read Dreams of 18 too because the surprise of this newest book (it is my favorite part) is Kent brought back many of our favorite characters while introducing us to new character voices from the Heartstone world. For this reader, I love when writers build universes for their characters to exist together, and the revised and expanded California Dreamin’ gives us a bit of Fallon and Dean’s story (Kent offers up a more concrete happy ending for them), but she also provides the voices from the other stories. I won’t divulge who’s included, but, if you’re a devoted Kent reader, you’ll be overjoyed with her choices.
Additionally, through this revised story, Kent revisits the truths of Medicine Man: the idea that one person can advocate for themselves while also wanting to be loved and cherished by a lover. Without giving too much away, Fallon and Dean’s story runs parallel to Fallon’s parents. They have many of the same struggles, yet now Willow and Simon must negotiate this new relationship from an advisor and parental position. I loved this added aspect to their story because, being a parent, I too would worry over this relationship. This shows Kent’s prowess at anticipating her readers’ questions about this May-December relationship.
If I had to give a final conclusion about California Dreamin’, I would say that this book is simply an ode to Saffron A. Kent’s readers. There is still depth and gravity to Dean and Fallon’s story, but this book reads like a love letter sent from Kent to us. When you finish this book, you feel settled. However, she also opens some windows of opportunity for future stories. I, for one, would love to read those too. So, thank you, Saffron, for bringing us more of this world. It was one of the highlights of my reading this week.
This book was originally a novella Called Guys My Age from the MixedTape Anthology. I loved it then but now that it has been revamped with additional chapters and a new extended epilogue it is even better. I don’t hide the fact that I love everything that this author writes. EVERYTHING. Yet, giving me a story like this one where she puts her taboo on something so beautiful and then with a bonus surprise of who these characters really are had me GIDDY.
This author can put a spin on the taboo like few other authors without it seeming creepy. I typically shy away from age-gap in romance because Older men have never done it for me (I have always been the older woman in the relationships) but if this author writes it then I am all on board. Her skill with creating an image or articulating her thoughts in such a poetic way is truly mindboggling which is just one of the many reasons I savor each word as if it was caviar. If you are a fan of this author and have read everything that she has written then this is a must-read. Trust me. These characters are special. Getting to see older much-loved characters and also seeing where this author intends to go in the future is exciting.
This book is a diorama of stories; one part taboo romance, other parts vignettes of fiction dedicated to the fans of Saffron a Kent’s novels.
At the heart of the novella is Fallon, the daughter of Simon and Willow (previously from Medicine Man), a young adult in love with her much older childhood friend, Dean. On first glance it may appears to be a straightforward plot, but as I followed the journey of this free spirit deeper I discovered that nothing is really ostensibly simple about her story. There was tragedy, parental and social hurdles, mental health issue that had to be overcome before she and Dean can be together, before every character in the book found their other half actually.
More importantly at the heart of California Dreamin’ I’ve found women who are warriors, who fight quietly to be happy every single day, and who experience love and life always full to the brim. The world might chastise them for the idealism of youth, for choosing the road less traveled. But at the end they live their truth despite the nay sayers. By choosing to say “I’m going to love who I want despite the age gap” they saved themselves and this person who needed them the most.
Other thoughts;
The novella from what I noticed reads like a manifesto of what the author believes. This is evident in every conversation the characters have, in every mental monologue. And you know what I happen to agree with Kent’s message; love is love, it is powerful and we are powerless as it takes in its undertow, all we can do is sink into it with no hope of being saved or cured. It does not have to make sense to world as long as it real to the individuals living it.
Anyways read it people—-the writing is vivid and animated (*talking about the sex scenes here), and the characters are the three b’s —broken, beautiful, and brave.
The beautiful words this book…sigh.
Dean and Falcons story is sweet and so incredibly swoon worthy. Fallon has loved him for years, she even proposed to him when she was little. Their story is fairy tale like in its beauty but with modern day dilemmas and roadblocks.
Saffron pens such remarkable tales, giving the reader the perfect amount of love and hope to satisfy their hunger for romance.
I absolutely loved Dean and Fallon so much. When I first read their little story in Guys my Age in the Mixtape Anthology I definitely wanted more. The chemistry between them is intense. I’m hoping we can get more stories from that little surprise she through in the back of the book.
California Dreamin’ by Saffron A. Kent is a whole lot of things that I love:
It’s an OM/YW Forbidden Romance – Fallon has loved Dean for a long time, even going so far as proposing to him when she was 3 and he was 17.
Dean has adored Fallon since she was a child, taking care of her and being her friend until he begins to develop other feelings for her. Ashamed of himself he physically distances himself from her by relocating to California.
At 18, Fallon decides to go for broke and follows him there to attend college. Desperate to connect with him she comes up with a plan.
A cross country road trip forces them to be in close proximity and to finally admit their feelings for one another.
Their happily ever after is deliciously sweet and well deserved.
TBR this great novella length read and enjoy.
Fallon has loved Dean nearly all her life and now she’s determined to get her man, even if he’s off limits.
I love a brooding, tortured— by the guilt of loving someone he shouldn’t —hero, and that’s definitely Dean in this wonderful Age Gap, must read novella.
Saffron Kent writes such beautiful and haunting words that take you on a heartwarming journey of forbidden love. With exciting cameos from previous books this (can be read as a standalone) sequel to Medicine Man is an absolute must read!
Expanded from the short story in a previous anthology, this is Dean and Fallon’s story, where we get to see more of their much awaited, adorable HEA. This is a feel good, googly eyed, age gap story, which also serves like a sort of extended epilogue for past couples in the series. It has the author’s trademark emotional, sexy touch, and leaves a happy cry smile on your face. This from the person who bawled through most of the book, and read through her tears.
Fallon and Dean have history and oodles of chemistry, which is immediately and thoroughly evident in their heart warming little story. The way Dean loves and protects and cares for Fallon made me all gooey, and had me swooning non stop.
Fans of the Heartstone crew got a peek at the long awaited Dean and Fallon love story in the previously published novella in the Mixtape Anthology (“Guys My Age). This is a revised and expanded version of that story. I did not read the original novella, so I can’t juxtapose content since this version is the only once I’ve read.
If you’ve read other stories (Medicine Man, Dreams of 18) this story focuses on the 18 year old daughter of our Iceman Simon and his queen Willow from Medicine Man. We got a glimpse of her in the end of their book- and this explores the little nugget of foreshadowing we saw in their story- the 3 year old Fallon’s obsession with the 17 year old boy, Dean, her parents had taken under their wings. Now 18 and in college, she’s struggled and pined after Dean, and she’s engineered a 5 day road trip home to NY alone with Dean, now 32, in hopes of leveling about her feelings and convincing him to love her back. Steamy age gap taboo ensues, delicious and sigh-inducing romantic proclamations, and family tensions as Dean and Fallon begin to explore and confront their emotions for each other.
I wish we’d gotten to know Fallon and Dean a bit more- unlike our other couples, they have a long and deep backstory, one that we’re just forced to accept- this dives in with love and proclamations pretty fast, and outside of their interest to each other and a bit of their character history, I’m not sure I fully got to know their complexities in the way I felt like we knew Willow and Vi. The romance is sweet, however- even though we have very little resistance and push pull since the story is an expanded novella. Dean is protective and caring, and I think I might love him the most of the Heartstone men (sh, don’t tell Graham)- but again, we get less time with him. There are some deeply beautiful romantic lines in here- Fallon and Dean have some very poetic proclamations of love, and as always Saffron has some shrewd observations subverting our conceptions of love- “SOmetimes love hurts because it’s bursting at the seams.”
Not only is this a novella but a good chunk of our story is devoted to other characters- we get a much appreciated POV from both Willow and Vi, which let’s us check-in on our last couples. Willow’s moves the plot- Vi’s does not and feels unnecessary but I liked it because their my favorite couple. We also have some end of book focus on Brendan, Fallon’s little brother, and his interest, Rosie, Vi’s daughter. All these tidbits are great but take what already little time we have in a novella length from Willow and Dean- and we only really get to explore them coming together and not at all them being together. Even though what we have is adorable, charming, emotional, and HOT.
I know some will say Saffron’s age gap stories are starting to feel formulaic- in fact, I think she subversively calls it out here- Fallon and Deans’s relationships is deeply similar to her parents, which Willow herself calls out: same age gap difference, Fallon suffers from clinical depression and has to manage her mental illness, Dean seems icey and cold and resistant at first and then is on fire for his lady. Dreams of 18 had some similar devices-all involve young (innocent) girls struggling with trauma and mental health challenges pining for and then declaring love for a much older man that is stoic and closed off, aggressively pursuing him, him folding pretty easily, and then much of the focus on is on letting the dust settle. But, she’s perfected this formula and this trope- it draws me in every time- the taboo, the seemingly fragile woman finding her inner strength and sense of self through the exploration of love, and the hardened older guy crumbling for a petite little teen. I am here for it- and at least you know what you’re gonna get. I love the age gap trope, and while I think there might be some complexities to explore, it is refreshing to see characters openly struggling with their mental health- and the men aren’t the “cure” but rather supports as the women find their footing. And, seems like she’s setting us up for Rosie/Brendan coupling in the future- not an age gap, should be interesting if she tells that story.
Overall 3.5 stars- enjoyed it, just still want more!
I love Saffron Kent’s writing. The way it’s almost lyrical and makes you feel everything she’s writing. I don’t know what witchcraft she uses, but I love it.
I love her characters. They want what and who they want and they are not perfect. I love it.
I loved Dean. And Fallon. And Violet. And Graham. Simon and Willow too.
I didn’t love that this left me wanting. More. More of Dean and Fallon. More of Violet and Graham. More of Rosie and Brendan.
Saffron Kent writes a “taboo” age gap like rarely anyone I’ve ever read.
My only problems with this book was it wasn’t long enough and I don’t know when I’ll be getting more of this world or any other.
**I received an ARC of this from Wildfire marketing on behalf of the publisher. I volunteered to leave an unbiased review**
So excited to revisit Fallon Blackwood and Dean Collins.
Their love story is written in the stars.
Forbidden
Age gap
Steamy
“You were born for me,” he whispers…
“I was.” He leans down and presses his mouth on my forehead, whispering on my skin, writing the words with his lips. “And I was born for you.”
Not only do we get their final love story, we also get to revisit Willow and Simon and Violet and Graham.
Absolutely loved this slightly expanded version of Guys my age from the Mixtape anthology! It was perfect but also made me want more from Dean and Fallon but also Brendan her brother. Still enjoyed it and loved seeing past characters!
This novella is everything is Saffron Kent.
Sweet, sexy, angst. But because it’s novella, it’s all compress story.
Fallon and Dean deserved a one big book. And novella only proving it more. But I get more of Willow+Simon, Graham+Violet and Brendan+Rosie in this little book.
Definitly HEA on steroid