Violet Moore is in love with a man who hates her. Well, to be fair, she kinda deserves it. On her eighteenth birthday, she got drunk and threw herself at him, causing a huge scandal in their sleepy suburban town.Now everyone thinks she’s a slut and he has disappeared. Rumor has it that he’s been living up in the mountains of Colorado, all alone and in isolation. But Violet is going to make it … isolation.
But Violet is going to make it right.
She’s going to find him and bring him back.
No matter how cruel and mean he is, how much he hurts her with his cold-hearted and abrasive ways, she won’t give up.
And neither will she think about his tempting lips or his sculpted muscles or his strong hands. The hands that she wants on her body, touching her, feeling her skin…
The hands that make her want to forget everything and kiss Graham Edwards – Mr. Edwards, actually – again.
Because you don’t go around kissing your best friend’s dad, do you?
Even though that’s all you ever dream about.
NOTE: A STANDALONE novel set in the world of Heartstone.
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Saffron Kent is one of my all time forbidden queens! Forbidden Romances are my jam, Y’all, and she never fails to deliver a book that’s slap full of angst, heat and forbidden frustration like no other. This book was the naughty nugget of a tale about Mr. Edwards “Graham” and Violet Moore.
Violet first saw Mr. Edwards in the night he moved in next door. She accidentally thought he was one of the movers and so drooling over him the way she was, wasn’t actually hurting anyone. However, she soon learns that he is indeed her new and much older neighbor. If that didn’t make it enough of a no,no then add in the fact that he is also the father of her new BFF, Brian. TOTAL NO NO!
For two years Violet journals about her secret feelings and harbors silent lustful thoughts of Mr. Edwards.
Violet is used to spending so much of her life with no one paying her any attention. She’s the forgotten one, the unwanted one. For once she wants to be the wanted, the beautiful girl who takes a chance on what she wants. She acts on that and kisses Mr. Edwards in his garden on her eighteenth birthday. The consequences for this rock her small town, and her, Graham and his son Brian suffer the fallout in ways she could have never imagined. Ten months later Violet is plagued by guilt and must find Mr. Edwards and see how he is doing after the scandal. How will Violet handle the repercussions of her actions? Just how far will Violet go to make amends? Will Graham be respective or will her attempts at an apology blow up in her face?
Graham Edwards is the super sexy and hot single dad. When he moves to a new town to be the football coach and raise his teenage son. He is a NO relationship kind of guy and he had no idea the gorgeous girl next door had been harboring feelings for him. He knows of Violet Moore, he had even noticed Violet. He also knows she is way too young for him and a
He shouldn’t even notice that she is beautiful. When she catches him off guard and kisses him in his garden late one night, it brings a scandal he could have never Imagined. He packs up and leaves town back to where he came from.
He is dealing with so many emotions surrounding the “incident”. When Violet shows up out of the blue he is NOT prepared for the emotions and the anger it unleashes in him. He wants her GONE! He could not have imagined the persistence this girl had in her, or how he would find himself opening up to her. Will Violet be able to break down the walls he so carefully constructed to keep people out? How would society feel if they knew he was opening up to this young woman?
This is a fantastic book on people struggling with guilt for different reasons. People who inevitably are meant for one another, but society and even themselves at times would question that. This is a book about forgiveness and overcoming obstacles and personal growth.
*I voluntarily reviewed an advanced complimentary copy of this book!
My cr8zysockbookblock blog wrap up for this book!
– Once again Saffron my forbidden queen crushed it with this one. It was forbidden deliciousness that hit me in the feels too. It had some real life issues in it and you got to see these characters journey down those paths. So good!
– This book is Delicious Forbiddenness at it’s finest! Holy Heck it was hot! Him teaching her. Good GAH!
Cliffhanger Warning-NO CLIFFHANGER. I loved this ending.
Dream of 18.. a sinful dreamy romance.. An age-gap romance between Violet and Graham. It wasnt simple as it described. This love story was daring and hot melting. The obssesion between them were crazy and imperfect..
When it comes to the Saffron A. Kent book, I know I’m going to enjoy every moment.
Especially if it’s a taboo book.
What happens when the object of your love is the father of your best friend?
It sounds delusional, so for me not so much.
Why? Because love has no age, true love is not measured whether one is older or the other way around.
True love comes from the heart and that is exactly what this book was for me.
Of course, Saffron brings us her twists in the book, and not everything goes smoothly because how can you at the age of sixteen falls in love and say, this is the man of my life?
And you wonder how you look at your immediate surroundings, the family, friends the people you meet on the street.
And what happens when one kiss, a forbidden kiss shatters your dream?
You will read all in this amazing book, Dreams of 18.
Dreams of 18 was my first book by Saffron A. Kent. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy after hearing so much about it on social media. First off I’d like to say that this book was not an easy read for me and that’s okay. I wasn’t prepared for the level of intensity in each and every page especially when reading from the POV of Violet. She is a troubled young girl living in her own world. Suffering from an as yet diagnosed anxiety disorder. Reading her thoughts, her voice is not easy. The way the author unravels Violet’s feelings for her sexy older neighbor throughout the beginning of this book is nerve wracking. Graham, the object of Violet’s affection is a single dad, football coach and the father of a promising son who is Violet’s best friend. He is sexy and strong and we soon discover that he to is fighting his unexplainable and unsettling feelings for his young neighbor. In a moment of temporary insanity on both their parts, their lives and that of their families, as they know it is forever changed. The resulting consequences of that one moment will define the very fabric of their existence and their future together.
I will say that Saffron Kent certainly knows how to write about forbidden love stories. Particularly with those that have an age gap. With Dreams of 18, we are finally getting Violet’s story (having come to know her a bit in Medicine Man) and it’s full of angst, raw emotion and a love for a certain Mr. Edwards that is exemplifies the word taboo.
I feel as this story went from zero to sixty as we get a glimpse of the confusing albeit strong feelings Violet has for her new next door neighbor. She goes from 16 at the first sight of him to 18 when her world literally turned upside down as her pent up feelings for the 36 year old Graham Edwards come to light. It’s then when the story truly gets going and the aftermath of a reckless kiss changes both of their existences. Both of their lives. And most importantly, both of their hearts.
I liked both characters and the vulnerability they possess both with each other and the rest of the outside world. Violet’s determination to fix what she broke in not only herself but within Graham is for sure, admirable. That determination is the primary focus of most of the book and she’ll stop at nothing to penetrate the hardened walls of Graham’s psyche and show just how remorseful she is at what she caused a year prior.
I enjoyed how Violet never wavered in her quest to make things right and watching Graham’s resistance start to crumble piece by piece was beyond intense at times. There is a very puzzling kind of attraction on both of their parts yet they can’t seem to stop the flooding of emotion that is harder to ignore as the days go on.
Although their lust and eventual deep love for one another is evident and practically leapt off the pages of this book, something fell amiss for me. The fact that they didn’t have any and I mean none at all, kind of interaction before Violet’s 18th birthday, yet seemed to yearn for the other in a desperate way, felt off. I think I would have liked a bit more of them before the dreaded incident in Graham’s rose garden to show just how much they wanted each other. But this is fiction and the author certainly can choose to make them hot for one another despite never really knowing the other at all.
Overall it’s a good read and for those who love an illicit older man/ younger woman kind of story, then this book is for you. It’s easy to read, has the requisite amount of sexy scenes together with an HEA that is more than well-deserved. For both of them.
3.5 stars
Dreams of 18 is forbidden story where age gap is the culprit.
Now… we are talking about legal age action here, so keep in mind that NOTHING happens before Violet’s 18 birthday.
The huge crush Violet has for her neighbor since she was 16 grows until she’s 18 and after some liquid courage she decides to act on it. This turns their lives upside down almost destroying his.
After some time and a lot of suffering she decides to go after him and try to make things better.
There’s a lot of angst in it. Her medical situation is real and you can see how much she suffers with it, feeling only safe in his presence. Which turns this story seriously hot, the sexual tension between the characters builds and grows into a frenzy and when finally happens is explosive!
So, if you like age gaps in your story I recommend reading this book.
Asking a romance reader to pick a favorite Saffron A Kent novel is like demanding a serial romantic tell you their favorite lover, an astronomer their favorite star… The reader may equivocate while lovers and astronomers will hem and haw saying they adore their favorite things all the same just differently. However deep down they all have one book, affair, mistress, star, constellation that changed them forever.
I’m not going to beat around the rose bush but I will tell you that this is the best book I have ever encountered in 2019, by this author period, since I first started devouring novels ever, and when I am 90 years old I will demand and insist that if you read only one book in your life, definitely make it Dreams of 18— a story that is hopelessly romantic, thrilling, and dark, and beautiful, standing out as edgy taboo in the juggernaut of contemporary fiction.
About the book and characters:
Violet Moore: is a teenager who on the surface has a privileged childhood complete with a brittle and distracted mother and a sister who needs to be the center of attention at any cost. This is just the stucco exterior though, inside Violet is an old soul, a lover of vintage music and the moon, lollipop eater, dear diary keeper, tree climber, star seeker from on roof tops at 2 am….. sadly all these qualities that make her wonderfully strange and uniquely human are seen as nuisance to her mother and sister alike. Violet tires her best and with complete sincerity to navigate a world with sharp edges keeping her own desires dormant, her wants lost in the shuffle until she sees the next door neighbor Mr. Edwards…and that is when need starts to perchlorate and bloom. (oh also He is a bit older— just a minor detail)
The next two years are a mixture of stolen glances, stolen roses, Violet even steals the scent of Mr. E’s T-shirts. Her disguise to hide her obsession is heart achingly frail and eventually a scandal breaks when she and Mr. Edwards are discovered sharing an accidental kiss the night of her 18th birthday.
The events that follow are what happens when one digital moment (as opposed to the 34 million things you did but no one cared about), ruins your entire life, dismantling it piece by pieces and ultimately defines how society sees you.
Sticks and stones can break your bones but words and spun rumors will forever curse you. In the aftermath Violet develops horrible panic attacks, crippling social anxiety and Mr. Edwards in turn leaves his job, the town, and goes into hiding becoming a reclusive, self destructive curmudgeon (seclusion only makes him hotter more fine like wine so fret not).
A bunch of stuff that happens next:
I’m not going to spoil the book but to sum it up the middle and end the story is about breaking that curse, finding beauty, and making the world feel like a safe place again for both Violet and Mr. Edwards.
Reflections:
Kent’s books have always been a play of classic works and fairy tales. In this case Dreams of 18 is an amalgam of Beauty and the Beast, the Plaid Shirted Phantom of the Opera (*wags eye brows*), and the soul of Lolita (with all the delectable guilt minus the breaking the law part) oh and Little Red Riding-hood (trust me you’ll get that impression and the essence ‘oh Mr. Wolf what big eyes you have and mouth and hands and everything else).
What I loved the most:
All of Kent’s characters are radically honest and vulnerable; this is a strength not a weakness in a world we become distorted, muted, voiceless by other people’s judgment especially when it comes to being women navigating our sexuality between the two choices of A- “slutty” or B- “prude”. Saffron’s Violet and Willow and Layla (see her other works) are who you want to be when you transcend as a female and leave all these notions behind becoming just you, a woman with wants and needs.
The prose in the book is also nearly lyrical and this author really know how to takes the simplest of words like “honey”, “baby” “bad”, ”red” “rose”, and just unravel the ordinary into something sacred, magical, captivity as a drop of ink blooming in a glass of water. Kent claims not be a poet but I don’t know I still consider her writing a kind of word sorcery.
There is as well this amazing human intimacy between Violet and Mr. Edwards. It’s kind of savage, insane, but oh so cathartic…(hint hint I’m not so vaguely trying to tell you the book is super hot)
Favorite line:
“I’m hopeless and I’m a romantic. I’m a masochist. I’m addicted to less. I’m addicted to the pain. I’m addicted to him.”
To end, I highly recommend reading Dreams of 18. It’s a book about two people reclaiming something taken from them; their safety, their dreams, and needs and love because age is really just a number. So while Violet and Graham go looking for their souls in the lines of each other’s bodies, in the roses they bloomed, you might find a little missing part of your own soul right there with them. I sure did.
Dreams of 18 was just the book my forbidden and angsty romance loving heart was craving. This intense age gap love story grabbed my attention from the moment Violet spotted her new next door neighbor and left me with a silly grin plastered on my face in the end.
I loved Violet with all her shy quirks that she used in an attempt to hide from the world. Sassy, funny and more courageous than she even realized Violet wasn’t afraid to dance to the beat of her own drummer all while dealing with her daily struggles.
Graham Edward’s completely captivated me from early on. Fierce, broody and a touch beastly Graham couldn’t help but be intrigued by Violet and her bright world. The push and pull between them as they danced around one another kept me hooked and constantly craving more.
I loved watching Violet and Graham’s growth throughout their story even in the moments where they frustrated me and made me want to rage a bit or growl in frustration. Then like a moth to flame these two would squeeze my heart and draw me right back in. Dreams of 18 was a beautifully poignant story full of amazing characters that stole my heart and left me wishing for more in the future from the Heartstone Sisters.
4.7 Moonbeams and Magic Stars
If there was ever an author that continually morphs into a butterfly it is most definitely this author. Every book is different and always has a message for her audience. Even if the message doesn’t pertain to every reader it is still powerful and something can, and should be, learned from it. There was definitely the angst and the touch of forbidden or taboo in this book that she is known for but it was so much more than that. It was beauty, grace, and joy personified. The way that she crafts her sentences or paints a picture is truly mesmerizing. She took me on a journey with a maelstrom of emotions and feelings. She made me think and more importantly, feel.
The characters in this story were complex. Violet, like many women, felt invisible and didn’t know the power that she had and often just stayed in the shadows; in her mind, with her family, and with those around her. Her journey showed us that she wasn’t as invisible as she thought and that she didn’t need to be crippled by silly disguises or those limitations. Instead, she just needed someone to show her that she wasn’t invisible and that she was seen and important.
Graham was just that man. Even though he was old enough to be her father, albeit a young one, he still saw her and was in fact mesmerized by her magic, because that is in truth what she was. She was magic and moonbeams– a gypsy soul that the world in which she lived didn’t know how to process or accept. He had his own issues which will be shown in the book but nothing that didn’t make me appreciate him even more. He struggled with the feelings he had regarding Violet, and how wouldn’t in a world where it would seem wrong for liking someone your son’s age? It posits the question of whether love truly doesn’t know any limitations including age. I felt his agony as he tried to fight his feelings because of how it would be perceived. Yet, the heart is fickle and knows what it wants. Every decision that he made concerning Violet was carefully considered. Even if I didn’t agree with them I still understood them.
The growth in the characters in this story was fascinating. I liked watching Violet’s journey into being a strong confident woman, through not only her own means but in having the support of the other part of her soul. The steam in this book… sweet holy titfire. Some of the most drawn-out scenes that had my iPad almost melting. Normally, this many pages to describe one scene would have me fighting my urge to skim because it would feel overdone. However, as I mentioned above, she paints such a picture with her words and I was along for every word as she helped these two discover their connection.
This book started out a little slow for me but once I got to Part I I was all in and then appreciated the prologue as it gave more meaning to the rest of the story. There were a couple of issues, Richard primarily, that I wanted further information on but other than that this story was remarkable. There were a few Easter eggs in the story that made me chuckle and brief appearances by previous characters from this author’s other works. None of those appearances will make it feel like you are starting in the middle of a series, because unless you have read them and knew them from before there is nothing to make it seem like the story is missing. This is definitely a standalone. I highly recommend this book.
This was an age gap forbidden read.
With some triggers.
So go in knowing that some things may not be for everyone. And that is what Kent is known for. Straddling the lines with her writing and pushing those boundaries. And that this is fiction.
For me at times this was a hard read. One of the harder reads I think I’ve read to date because of the age gap. And certain things that happened in the book didn’t sit well with me. There were somethings in the book I wish would have been handled or said differently.
I do love Kent’s writing. Vi did have a strength and a sass to her that I loved. And Mr. Edwards was sexy and as always had a dirty mouth.
Looking forward to what comes next from this author.
Well done Saffron A. Kent this book was everything that I was expecting. I wanted to get the story from this shy girl named Violet who we first met in the book “Medicine Man” when she was with Willow and the rest of the girls at Heartstone Mental Hospital. Violet was this shy girl who though she was invisible to the world, who never tough people understand her, who never felt loved by her family. Everything change for her on her sixteen birthday when she saw for the first time her strawberry man (aka Mr. Edwards, aka the beast, aka her forbidden crush). She found a best friend in Mr. Edward’s son and she didn’t feel that lonely anymore. But two years later she makes a mistake that costed Mr. Edwards everything making him leave. Saffron always bring us the best taboo stories and this forbidden romance between Mr. Edwards and Violet (aka jailbait, aka princess but prefers Diva)its not different. My hearth really goes for Mr. Edwards because he wants to denied the attraction that he feels for Violet, he tries so hard that he becomes this monster, this ugly soul that its waisting his life away, that in reality blames himself for everything that happened. 9but of this Violet has no idea). So there is a lot of angst , lots of moments where I felt so many emotions but at the same time Saffron always makes me understand a little better how people with mental illnesses go through life. Violet and Graham become alive and visible to each other, their connection its undeniable don’t matter the age gap difference , no matter what society thinks of them because really who are we to judge? . <"First of all, age is just a number. You're not what your age is. You are what you've gone through. Mark Twain said that age is just mind over matter."
Heartbreaking…haunting…definitely naughty…and at times deeply touching.
So this book is more than just an age gap book gone “wrong.” It really didn’t go in any of the directions that I thought it would when I read the blurb. Yes – Violet kisses her best friend’s dad and yes he now lives in isolation, but how we get to that point is unexpected.
What could be a taboo and a little “creepy” kind of story turned into a beautiful one at times. Watching the pain that Violet and Graham have gone through over such an innocent moment is heartbreakingly sad. Seeing the fallout of that moment in several different ways is heartbreakingly sad. Watching these two come together…beautiful.
This book was definitely on the naughty side and really didn’t sugarcoat the angst these two went through. It was a fascinating read and my first Saffron Kent book. I couldn’t put it down near the end.
I voluntarily requested and read an uncorrected advance reader copy.
Good Lord Saffron Kent absolutely blew me away with this heartbreaking, epic and moving story! This deliciously forbidden, slow burn romance was AMAZING and held me spellbound from start to finish. Violet and Graham were both so emotionally damaged and tortured, but so completely perfect for one another. I’m not usually one to read an age gap trope, but Kent is such a stellar storyteller that I simply could not pass this one up. Violet and Graham were EVERYTHING! This is hands down one of my favorite reads of the year!
Without giving too much away, Dreams of 18 was a brilliantly written masterpiece. This deeply poignant and engrossing tale gives us a glimpse into the life of Violet, who is living her life with a mental illness and more importantly, the daily struggles this illness brings. While on this journey, we see that she has very little self worth due to a terrible home life. She feels invisible, and that she isn’t seen or important. But what she doesn’t know is that Graham sees her and is mesmerized by her beauty and magic. But he also struggles with these feelings for her because she is the same age as his teenage son. He is worried about how this will be perceived. Therefore every decision concerning Violet had to be carefully considered, and while I didn’t always agree with his actions, I definitely understood them.
Graham and Violet were two very complex characters. I really enjoyed seeing their growth throughout the story, and their relationship blossom into something so beautiful. Violet was incredibly brave and formidable when it came to Graham. She was amazing and so different from the usual heroines I read about. And Graham, despite being moody and tortured, was absolutely incredible. And holy hell… his dirty talk and the sex scenes will melt the panties right off of you. All in all, I could not get enough of this wonderfully powerful and moving story. Kent completely slayed this story about a man and a women who conquered their demons and found their much deserved happily ever after.
4.5
Yet again. Saffron has done it yet again. As soon as she announced she was writing an age gap romance I was all here for it.
To date this is definitely her dirtiest book, and it’s SOO good!
Graham is damn hot and I love Violet and all of her little quirks. I love how feisty she gets with Graham. And how he is with her? *swoon*
This isn’t just your typical, hot, age gap romance, even though it is all of that and more. One thing I love about Saffron and her writing is that she never shies away form difficult aspects about mental health. And she always executes it so well.
It’s a topic that not many authors bring into books often, but Saffron does and she does it well.
Other than that this book is everything you’re expecting. It’s hot, it’s meaningful, it’s even funny at times.
I found myself smiling a lot while reading this book.
It was so enjoyable. I love that Saffron can have some more serious themes throughout the book and have it be so meaningful and at the same time incorporate the lighter moments that will have you smiling.
Dreams of 18 is everything and more than I was expecting.
Graham & Violet
Oh this book draws you in! There isn’t a lot of time in the story to find out what little things Graham and Violet have in common. This doesn’t draw you away from the story though, because it’s centered around the more emotional side of the relationship. You find yourself yelling at Graham and Violet to just give in to each other lol. The story is so so hot and emotional.
It will draw you in and make you fall in love with them! Still thinking about roses and beards a day later.
Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent is the story of Graham Edwards and Violet Moore.
Their love story started when Violet was 16, she was quite obsessed with Graham who is about 35 and then an innocent kiss ruined everything for Violet and Graham.
This is such a beautiful, complex, unique, forbidden, age-age, taboo romance that will take you on a journey of discovery and in the process, shred your emotions and deliver with the delicious feels and steam. I loved how obsessed Violet was with Graham and how that (almost) destroyed her life yet she didn’t care. I liked how Graham pretended that he hated Violet but deep down he craved her, wanted her and under those feelings there were stronger feelings which the story gets into. I enjoyed the push/pull relationship that they had. Overall this was such a beautiful emotional read and Violet was everything I expected after her character introduced in Medicine Man. Such a Good Read!!!
My Rating: 4.5 stars ****
Violet had no idea that her whole world would be turned upside down on her 16th birthday. None of her family ever remember but her sister remembers the new neighbors moving in today. Graham and his teenage son moved to Connecticut so he can go to better schools. Violet definitely notices her neighbors and when she turns 18 everything changes. Is this move good for Graham? Violet has a crush but does other person feel same way?
Graham Edwards and Violet Moore heat things up in this edgy, dark, and very taboo age-gap romance.
While this one didn’t break the 20 year gap barrier, it came darn close so those who really like to push the envelope with age-gap comfort zones, will have plenty to wag their tongues over. I think this is one of those books that will either be right up your alley, and the edgy nature of the material will scream your name, or it won’t. I just don’t see many grey areas with this one.
Graham Edwards is a dark, rough, surly character who honestly is not easy to like in my opinion. He is the quintessential bad boy wrapped in manly clothing. He knows the feelings he has for his underage neighbor are inappropriate in polite society, so he tries to keep his distance. Too bad for him, that his “bad girl” neighbor plans to do no such thing, despite the fact that the object of her affection is her best friend’s dad. This made for some interesting taboo romance to say the least!
In this book, Saffron did what she does best…offers us a book that is sure to polarize readers. You will either feel it’s scandalous to its core, or you’ll be salivating and repenting your sinful ways through much of the book. Despite the slow burn pace towards maturely intimate scenes between Graham and Violet, the book has a very lustful vibe throughout. The large age-gap certainly gave the book a sort of seedy feel to it in my opinion. One moment in time between Graham Edwards and Violet Moore became their undoing. They could run, but they could never go back in time to the way things had been before. The band-aid had been ripped off, and lives would be torn apart. The question is: did one small kiss ruin both of their lives and cause damage that was irreparable, or would they be one another’s redemption?
Definitely a must read for anyone who likes to explore the far reaches of taboo romance and dabble with a bit of the dark side. Saffron came to play and she will shake you out of that comfort zone, no doubt about it! Buckle. Up!
5 FORBIDDEN ROMANCE STARS!! Wow, Saffron A. Kent gives us another breathtaking romance that you can’t put down. Violet and Graham give us a beautiful forbidden romance with all the feels. This author knows how to keep us readers turning pages and never looking back. This is one book you need to 1-Click.
Dreams of 18 was one of my most anticipated reads and it definitely lived up to my expectations. I knew that Saffron would deliver something unconventionally beautiful, and even though I’m not a huge fan of age-gap romance, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Graham and Violet’s angsty, slow-burn story. There’s something so raw and vulnerable about all of Saffron’s characters that ignites an emotional fire whenever I read her words. I passionately like or dislike their thoughts and actions, endure their struggle, feel the heaviness of every single word. I embrace their quirks and flaws and to me, their imperfection is what makes them perfect. It’s what makes Saffron’s books perfect. So if you’re in for an out of the ordinary forbidden romance, this is the one.