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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I am a huge age-gap Forbidden love romance fan! I have read all of this authors books and she never disappoints!
As soon as I read the blurb of Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent, I knew I wanted to read it. An age-gap taboo romance full of angst. The attraction between Violet and Graham was undeniable. But when at 18, Violet decides to act on that attraction, their lives are changed in one moment. Now Graham is gone and Violet needs to make things right. Graham was not an easy man. He was grouchy and burly. Violet is young and a bit of a loner. She is drawn to Graham, but can he ever truly be hers. Their chemistry was intense and undeniable. Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent was quite the emotional and angst-filled read.
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading!
Standing ovation for Saffron A Kent’s beautiful story Dreams of 18!! This forbidden, age gap story completely tears at your heart right from the start! Violet has an incredible desire for her mature and handsome neighbour Graham (Mr Edwards). She’s a loner, different from the rest of the girls. Loves to watch the moon and write in her journal as she dreams of days to come. Dealing with her mental issues makes it difficult for Violet to after her dreams. The chemistry is sizzling, the push and pull excruciating, the passion and desire is off the charts. JUST WOW!!!! I’ve read all of Saffron’s glorious books and honestly they just keep me in awe! A definite MUST READ!!!
TROPES: FATHERS BEST FRIEND FORBIDDEN ROMANCE. AGE GAP.
Saffron A. Kent is the master of writing forbidden romances. When I saw that she was writing a best friends father romance I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it… For the most part, Dreams of 18 was everything I wanted and expected from the author. The book takes on forbidden in the best of ways and it truly felt taboo. Then you get the angst. Oh gosh, the angst (especially in the beginning) was OFF THE CHARTS. I feel like I was sweating the whole time! I drove me WILD! And the age gap? You can actually TELL that these two are years apart in age not just when it comes to their looks (Graham being described as a brawny, corded, mountain man with chest hair and a beard to DIE for) but they way they react to their environments. You can tell how naive Violet is and Saffron writes her in the exact way one would expect from a girl her age. Sure there were a few moments here and there that I had to roll my eyes at her reaction and ACTIONS to things, but I could tell she was young and immature. Therefore, the age gap was ON POINT.
When it comes to Graham and Violet’s actual relationship I definitely saw it as a slow burn. I also didn’t quite believe it in some circumstances (hence the 4 stars) but I knew it was there. It took a lot of time to build and there were many things that kept them “apart” in an emotional sense, bu t when it finally came together- FIREWORKS.
Now, I don’t want to be nit picky but I also have to admit that there were some cringe worthy moments within Dreams of 18. What were those moments? THE SEX SCENES. Don’t get me wrong they were SCORCHING hot, but some of the descriptions made me shudder. I am not really a fan of the word “cream” and I think you can guess that it is used quite often when it comes to Violets arousal. Blech! That’s a me thing though and not something I am holding against the author, I just didn’t care for it. There were some other things thrown in their as well when describing their sexual escapades that made me cringe, but I don’t need to go over them in detail as readers can figure it out for themselves when they are reading.
Other than this, Dreams of 18 is a GREAT book and I know readers who enjoy the age gap/forbidden romance trope are going to go crazy for this one! Saffron knows how to write a book (clearly) and I am so excited to see what she brings to us next! There was a tiny sneak peak at the end of this one and I am THRILLED for it!
Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent
I am voluntarily reviewing this ARC.
I have been anxiously waiting for this book to be released. Saffron A. Kent writes books that come to life and leave you breathless. This book…no different. It’s about a girl, age sixteen, invisible to her family, forgotten but not broken. She is funny and quirky and sassy. One day, gazing out her window, she sees a moving van then her new neighbors, and her life will never be the same. It’s a father and son. The son becomes her best friend, her only friend, and his father becomes the star of all her fantasies. One drunkin night, on her eighteenth birthday, everything changes. That’s it. I’m not giving anything else away. Seriously this read is just, delicious is the word that comes to mind! The chemistry is unreal, and the love story is nothing short of epic. This was hands down a one of my favorite reads this year, and to say it’s steamy? Well that would be the biggest understatement of the century. Get it. Read it. Your welcome.
Five beautiful moon beam stars!
Darling, a good age gap never killed anyone.
No, it only made us fall in love even more with the concept of this book.
Dreams of 18 gives you all the juicy things about an age gap and a crush on your best friend’s dad.
Mr Edwards stole my heart and I had the desire to look for someone who fitted his picture exactly.
Saffron A. Kent gives us another man to lust after and the story she wrote was just the right fit for the alpha hero.
Dreams of 18 is a fantastic book that will get your imagination running wild.
My attention was captured the second I read the blurb and saw the cover. That cover! I can’t stop looking at it. I need to frame it and hang it above my bed. Or I could make a cushion of it. I bet I’ll have sweet dreams. Maybe my dreams will be about Mr Edwards. That cold, brooding man with his plaid shirt and his beard.
Yes, those would be amazing dreams.
But, obviously, he belongs in another story. One where he is matched with our sweet Violet who only wants the bad things in life. And the moment the new neighbours move in next door her lonely life might have changed forever. Not only did she gain a man to crush over, but she also became friends with the son of the man she can’t get out of her mind. Maybe it was more than just a crush. At the night of her 18th birthday, she makes the drunken mistake (not so much) of kissing that man.
And everything changes after that.
And ten months later Violet is ready to repair the broken pieces and that also includes Graham Edwards. It pushed them just close enough to give us all the good things about this taboo topic. The development of a relationship between a very young girl and an older man, the awesome sex scenes and the love that grows.
These two were a match made in heaven. Both very observant people that were afraid to let the heart make the decisions. But once in a while, you need to listen to it! And that made this is story wonderful.
But it isn’t only just about love and the age gap. It’s about loneliness, family issues and feeling the backlash of loving someone older/younger. Saffron A. Kent never wrote a dull moment in this book. I loved every minute of the reading experience. She did awesome!
Dreams of 18 is a book about a woman and man that just were meant to fall in love, but let there be a huge age gap between. It only made this story that much interesting, dirty and juicy. And on top of that, you can enjoy amazing writing by Saffron A. Kent. Dreams of 18 can become your dreams.
DREAMS OF 18 by Saffron A Kent is another tear-jerking, deep, emotional, and steamy as heck read. Saffron is simply amazing in the way she tells a story. The fact that they are of a “taboo” subject is not lost on me but they are fundamentally human. I will happily read whatever she writes and look forward to more of HER kind of romance. Violet and Graham are both lonely souls with their own sadness and darkness. Violet is overcome by her attraction to Graham and he hides from the feelings she evokes in him. She’s too young. Theirs is a journey to self acceptance, learning to love and trust and be brave. Highly Recommend!
This was another angst-filled, biting my nails kinda book. I was having a nervous breakdown every time he pushed her away. But she kept coming back for more. I’m not sure how this would work in real life but considering this is fiction it was really fun to see how she kept coming back and breaking his armor peace by peace and finally receiving what she wanted since the first time she saw Mr. Edwards – him.
I adore Saffron A. Kent and her ability to make me love reading about stuff that I normally skip. This book pushed some of my buttons and maybe that had me wishing they were more age-appropriate couple but othere than that is was a good read for sure.
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
This book made me remember high school. It made me remember dreaming about growing up, and wondering where that would take you. I felt Violet’s anxiety. How she retreated instead of living. She was a girl that felt like no one saw her. Graham was closed off and just going thru the motions of life. Violet woke him up. Together, they made their own world. I loved this book!
3.5 Stars
One of my favourite genres is taboo age gap stories so when I saw the synopsis for Graham and Violets story I was excited.
Violet was a different kind of heroine, she’s a quirky loner who because of her interested family spends alot of time in her own head. Her strange habits and even her stalkerish tendencies towards Mr Edwards endeared her to me. The reader doesn’t learn much about Graham/Mr Edwards until the second part of the book and I wanted more from him.
The sex scenes didn’t seem to fit with the Violet we had previously met. I know she is young but some of the language used like ”pussy sloshing” and “It makes me messier and sloppier, both my kiss that I can’t stop giving him and my pussy. My pussy is running like a river” I just found icky weird and immature.
On balance I liked the book but not as much as I expected to
I love forbidden romance and this one did not disappoint!
Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent is the story of Graham Edwards and Violet Moore.
Violet is several years younger that Graham who was a single father. Violet was fascinated by Graham and used to watch him. Then one day she kissed him which of course because of her age set in motion for him to end up leaving. But when Violet turned 18 she feels she wants to go forward to my things right with them. Graham is a harden male lead that does say hurtful things at first until he gives into his feelings. Violet is a young women in mind and age so it does have some young sided scene from her. Overall I enjoyed this book. I like a age gap story line.
* A review copy was provided by the author *
Dreams of 18 is a book I was so excited to read!! I am always looking for new authors to read and I have never read a book by Saffron A. Kent. I was intrigued after reading the blurb. I love an age gap romance. I also was intrigued by the taboo factor of the story.
I enjoyed this story, but I have to say I wasn’t WOW’d. I was completely sucked in to the first half of the story, but then the second half, something fell flat for me. I felt that the heroine of the story changed as the story progressed.
In the beginning I felt she was teenager that was wise beyond her years, but in the second half while interacting with Graham, I felt she was acting more like an immature teenager. It’s really hard to explain with our spoiling the story. I guess I lost my connection with the heroine and also the connection between Graham and Violet was not believable in the second half of the book. I think this is just a case of it’s me not you type thing.
Dream of 18 is a standalone novel and is told primarily from Violet’s POV, but we do get some of Graham’s. This book was definitely a slow burn and I felt it was a little longer than it needed to be. The pace is on the slower side, a little to slow for my liking.
In this book we follow Graham and Violet’s story. This is angst filled taboo/forbidden romance with a large age gap. When the story starts we meet a 16 year old Violet who has just caught a glimpse of her older neighbor and the connection is instant. Over the next two year that attraction grows until she is tipsy on her 18th birthday and decides to kiss Graham…her older neighbor and best friend’s dad. That didn’t go over to well. Now 10 months later and we see what the fall out of that kiss is and how Graham and Violet handle the situation. Like I said I really liked Violet in the beginning, but that changed as the story went on. I also had a hard time connecting to Graham. He was a little too surly for me. I thought his abrasive behavior was a little over the top. It made the ending and their connection not believable….in my opinion.
I know I am probably in the minority here with my rating and review. I think this is a book many will love. Just because it wasn’t a 5 star read for me doesn’t mean anyone who likes an age gap romance shouldn’t give this book a try.
I look forward to trying out other books by this author in the future.
Age gap romance. A very modern Beauty and the Beast vibe. The relationship was sometimes portrayed as Daddy/little girl-ish – especially in the bedroom. Overall, a good age gap story.
“This is us.”
“Wild and savage and filthy and beautiful.”
“Beauty and The Beast.”
Ooooh Graham. You have a way with words. Boy, do I love a dirty mouth. I want to make you go bad too. How can you not love Violet? Her persistence had me laughing and swooning. Yeah, I said swooning! This is definitely a first.
Dreams of 18 is a standalone. Age gap and forbidden. My favorite genre to read and Saffron’s best book to date. Graham and Violet will tug at your heartstrings. Their chemistry will have your lady parts tingling.
As soon as I started, I didn’t want to put it down. I stayed up until 3:00 am struggling to keep my eyes open then finished the next day. I don’t know what it was with this book in particular but it was like reading poetry for me. I soaked up all the words and fell in love.
Saffron Kent is an automatic one-click author for me. You don’t want to miss this beautiful story. One of my top favorite reads this year!
This was a book that astounded me with it’s beauty, crushed my heart with it’s emotion and had my temperature spiking with it’s intense heat. As a big fan of the forbidden romance trope, I was very excited to read this book and trust me it did not disappoint. In fact it really blew me away. I found the complexity of the characters, their thoughts and the situation they find themselves in to be immensly involving and gripping. So much so that, I was stealing every single second I could to read from my work, my family and my sleep. Violet and Mr Edwards are flawed, imperfect people that are perfect for each other. There was never one single doubt in my mind about that. My heart truly ached for both of these characters. The roads that they traveled were painful and hard going and they had earned many scars and wounds along the way. For me, this couple’s relationship was about so much more than physical intimacy. Don’t get me wrong there is plenty of that and it is all scorching steam and dirty talk; but I thought the other things they shared were just so much more important. The deep emotional connection, the powerful need they had for each other, the strength that he brought out in her, the confidence he gave her and the softness, sweetness and the ability to dream she brought out in him. In all fairness, I will say that this is one of those books that you are going to swoon for or be turned off by. For me it worked, for others I’m sure it won’t. It is a age gap romance that has that spark of unrequited attraction flare between sixteen year old Violet and her best friend’s thirty-four year old father. Just as a note: there are no interactions of ANY kind that happen between these two until Violet is eighteen. I loved every second of this wonderful read that is in my opinion so much more than you would expect. This angst filled read simply stole my heart.
Dreams of 18 by Saffron A. Kent was a heart crushing, lust fuelled and deep love filled journey. It was taboo. It was forbidden. It was dirty , filthy and sexy as hell. And it was also insanely angsty and heartbreaking. Violet and Graham called to the deepest and most intimate parts of my heart. And the effect was mindblowing.
A kiss in backyard under the moonlight has changed Violet forever. Because she kissed her best friend’s father. On her 18th birthday. After longing and craving him for two years. The scandal and the gossip and the lashing out by judgemental people forced her mind to crumble and break. Now she hides from everything. Pathologically. But she has to face Mr. Graham Edwards again. She has to repair the damage. And she will face all the anger, bitterness, rudeness, guilt and demeaning behavior. Because at the other end , there are dreams and rose garden and moon and magic.
Violet is so different from typical teenage girls. Her birth and upbringing made her feel unworthy and invisible. But she is a dreamer. She is brave beyond her insecurities, fear and shame. She is actually fiercely loyal and compassionate. It is proved by the way she sacrificed for Mr. Edwards and did every impossible thing imaginable. She is pure and full of life and dedicated. The precise reason Mr. Edwards tried to push her. Because he is a rough, lonely and bitter man. Because Violet makes him lose control and turn into this crazy, desperate, needy and dominating man. And he thinks Violet deserves better. This man is undoubtedly the dirtiest and hottest hero Saffron has ever written. I was full on blushing and sweating while reading sex scenes. These two set my kindle on fire. The dirty talk and explosive sex scenes are definitely highlights of this book. It is almost cruel, brutal and way too much sinful. But what attracted me even more is the evolution of the relationship.
Saffron A. Kent portrayed every emotional turn with painful clarity and vivid tortuous details. The highs and lows were equally heartbreaking. The angst and intensity of difficult emotions shattered my heart. Violet and Graham’s struggles, their hesitations, their ecstasy, their pain, their undying attraction and their soul deep bond made this story something really special.I was right there in middle of the emotional chaos and storm of passion. And the feeling was exceptional.
Received ARC for Honest review
***5 Stars***
Soooo
I wasn’t expecting ALL of that and I fricking loved it!
Now, to be honest, I wasn’t thinking beyond the whole age gap/taboo/angsty things that were stated in the description, so everything else that came with it was a surprise, a pleasant one which kept me turning the pages until the very end.
I adored Violet. Truly adored her. Yes, she had her moments as most teen girls evolving into young adults do, but she came by them honestly. I loved her determination, her heart and how she owned everything that made her unique. Graham. Graham is a hard nut to crack, but once you do, well, the man is a mass of emotions that he has a hard time coming to terms with and yet still has a pretty damn good heart. As for their journey. It was an interesting one that kept me on my toes. The push/pull was real, but the chemistry between them ~ regardless of the age gap ~ was there and burned brighter the more time they spent together.
This is my first read by the author and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The writing was engaging, the pacing good and the dual first person POV’s were done very well. There are a couple of triggers in here, but they were handled well. As for the supporting cast of characters, they were a mixed bag of ones I liked, one’s I liked but wanted to Gibbs smack and one that I kinda wanted to gut with a spoon, but they all gave the story depth and definitely kept things interesting. So, if you have a thing for age gap romances, then this is a must read for you!
~ Copy provided by Wildfire Marketing Solutions & voluntarily reviewed ~
O . M . G ! ! !
Where do I start praising this epic retelling of Beauty and the Beast?
I love Violet with all her insecurities and anxieties, with all her brokenness and rambling, the way she looks at life, all naïve and innocent yet wise beyond her years.
I love Mr. Edward/ Graham / Mr. Strawberry Man with all his brawny, growling, beastly sexiness, his selflessness, his caring for everyone else except himself…
I love these characters more than I can say. They are so deep, struggling so hard for a slice of happiness. They are so real and vivid, they seem so much taken from real life… They are so perfect for each other, banishing the loneliness they feel, and complement each other so perfectly…
I loved how carefully and thoroughly Ms. Kent researched the topic of anxiety and panic attacks, and how amazingly and gingerly she intertwined and addressed it in this novel… one of the filthiest and yet most romantic novels I have ever read.
This book is pure perfection and another testimony to the extraordinary talent of Ms. Kent!
5 moon magic stars!!!
“In the end the only thing that matters is that I love him. I loved him from the first moment I saw him and I’ll love him until the moment I close my eyes. ”
I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! This lady right here, Saffron A. Kent knows how to write a legit age gap romance (18 year difference between H&H). Graham and Violet’s love is forbidden, super steamy and sexy, angsty and emotional. I would have finished this story sooner but I wanted to savor every word and feeling this book brought out in me. The turmoil and heartache and love in every chapter had me savoring Graham and Violet’s life.
Simply SUPERB!