Laguna Dreams, Laguna Beach Book 5

by Kaira Rouda

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own

Laguna Dreams the 5th book in the Laguna Beach series was a short and quick read. This instalment tells the story of Phillip Kensington and Amanda Crown. I met Amanda briefly in the previous instalment and at the time I was curious to know if a story would be written about her.

Phillip owns a winery and is on the verge of getting married. When I saw this, I thought that the story would be centred on a love triangle theme; however, this was not the case. There was no cheating involved. Phillip has been having second thoughts about his upcoming nuptials long before he met Amanda, but did not have the guts to end his engagement. That changed, however, when he met Amanda. This does not mean that things went smoothly after that.

The scene involving their initial meeting was funny and sweet. When he first met Amanda, he believed her to be homeless. This, however, did not put a damper on his attraction to her. His actions at the time demonstrated that he was a compassionate man; however, his compassion would prove to be his weakness. I surmised this from the way he handled the situation with his fiancée. I also found him to be inflexible. He planned everything in his life even the age when he would get married and it is for that reason he found himself in his current situation. He was willing to accept his fiancee's behaviour just to ensure his life went has how he planned it.

Amanda is the daughter of Alexa Crown, star of the soap opera Days and Nights. Anna’s heart is not into acting; however, her mother had other ideas. She kept forcing her to take on inconsequential roles, and Amanda being the dutiful daughter gave in to her demands. This went on for some time until an unfortunate scene on set had her rethinking her decision to give into her mother's demands. At that moment she realised that she needed to take charge of her life. What she did not know was that decision would lead to a major change in her life. I enjoyed seeing Amanda taking charge of her life and doing what she wanted, and not what her mother expected.

The chemistry between Amanda and Phillip was evident from the first meeting and was undeniable by their second encounter. These two were perfect for each other, but circumstances in the form of Phillip’s ex-fiancée was determined to keep them apart. I have seen and read about crazy women but she beat them all. She refused to accept the truth even when it was staring her in the face. Who keeps planning a wedding after the man you were supposed to marry ended the relationship, well she did. Crazy does not even begin to describe her.

I enjoyed the romance and the drama, which kept me turning the pages, as I needed to know how it all would unfold. What I did not like, however, was the speed at which the story ended. The situation involving Phillip’s fiancée did not sit well with me. I thought that aspect of the story lacked development. She never answered for what she did, providing her with the opportunity to do it to someone else. Another issue I had was how quickly Phillip developed a bond with Amanda's friends. This took place over one weekend. I also had issues with how her mother was so quick to accept Phillip after her many attempts to get her to hook up with a particular soap opera star. I believe that these issues took away from the authenticity of the story.

Verdict:
Laguna Dreams is a sweet romance that demonstrates that at times we need to move out of our comfort zone so that we can cease the opportunities that this great big universe has to offer. Despite the issues mentioned, I found this to be an ok read and one I would recommend to fans of contemporary romance. There is no need to read the previous books prior to reading this installment.