Theresa Beharrie is a new-to-me author and I was so excited to dive into this as the cover is so gorgeous!

Gaia Anders is a successful romance author with a secret: when she writes, she dreams that same material. This has never posed a problem for her until one night when she shares an incredible kiss with Jacob Scott, the younger brother of her long time BFF Seth. Now Jacob has a starring role AND a front row seat in Gaia's dreams.. how will he handle finding out the truth and can Gaia get her own HEA?

This had so much heart and the perfect amount of steam while also tackling some more serious topics: grief/loss, mental health and foster care/abandonment. Gaia lost her parents very young and when remaining family members failed to take her in, she entered the foster care system. Because of this, she (understandably) struggles to open up and connect with others but Jacob just clicks with her in a way that up until now, only his brother Seth has been able to. Jacob is at the head of his family's company after his mother's dying wish, resulting in strained relationships with his father and brother and no time to pursue any interests or relationships outside of the job.

This isn't quite fade to black as we do have Gaia & Jacob's steamy first kiss and several other brief moments between the two but it's certainly more tame than some other rom-coms out there right now. However the buildup and the tension between these two is so well done, I didn't even miss any of the more explicit scenes. Also hello to Jacob, the consent king! He's so patient with Gaia as she struggles through handing intimacy outside of her dreams.

At first I wasn't quite certain of Gemma, a character we're introduced to in the beginning of the book, and how I felt about her - she was a little all over the place and I couldn't figure out what she was up to. However after reading the end of the book, I was excited to see that she is getting her own book so hopefully we'll get some more information about her 'relationship' that we got a glimpse of!

*I received an early digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Here’s the funny thing about reading this book: even though I didn’t find the writing super compelling and rolled my eyes a little at the dialogue, the actual plot was so interesting that I had to power through to the ending.

So, Gaia is a successful romance novelist with magical abilities - when she writes down a scene, she gets to live it out in her dreams as the main female character, and no character but her can deviate from the storyline she wrote. I mean, how is that not everyone’s fantasy??

But it gets crazier! She goes to her best friend’s party one night and ends up hiding in his bedroom because of her social anxiety, where she finds his very hot younger brother, Jacob, dressed in only a towel. They spend a couple chapters flirting and eventually making out, and, when she gets home, Gaia starts plotting a new book, envisioning Jacob as the male lead.

So that night, as she’s living out the first scene in her dreams, as she does, she spots the character she imagined as Jacob - except it’s actually Jacob, who’s dreaming himself, and is not following along to the scene as Gaia wrote it. How is he invading her magical dream? What does this mean for her ability?

Like I said, the writing didn’t really do it for me and I felt like the scenes dragged on too much at times, but I was super charmed and engaged by the story.

A romance author with magical powers -- anything she dreams about at night appears in her manuscript the next morning -- falls for her best friend's brother. Complications arise when he starts showing up in her dreams and altering her stories, but doesn't believe in magic. Both characters were appealing, and their past issues (anxiety, childhood trauma, difficult family dynamics) were sensitively handled. The insights into the heroine's writing process were fun, and I enjoyed the South African setting. However, the rules of Gaia's magic were hard to follow, and while the subplots were interesting, they seemed to slow down the pacing until the last third of the book, when they finally helped propel the characters' emotional journeys.

Gaia grew up in foster homes and is now a successful romance writer. However, she is socially inept, has only one friend, and has fantasy dreams that result in her stories. Seth, her best friend of 12 years, has a brother, Jacob. Jacob is struggling with trying to save the family business after his dad let it fail and Seth refused to work to save it. Jacob and Gaia meet at Seth’s party and there is an instant connection. He is someone she can share her anxieties and fears with, and he can vent his frustrations about the business and how it is consuming his life. I thought the emotions shared by both Gaia and Jacob were realistic. Their relationship was shared with love and demonstrated the desire to put someone else above yourself. I felt the dreams and their interpretations interrupted the story for me, but I enjoyed the book.

i will start my review by saying that i did not have high expectations for this book. after seeing it’s low rating on goodreads i was sure it was not going to impact me in any way and that i would not enjoy it. and i was very, very wrong.

it’s really sad that this book have not only low rating, but also only few reviews. this really could discourage someone from reading it and that would be a shame, because this book is really great and has much to offer. in this situation, i will say a few things about it and (maybe) spur someone to give it a chance.

it was not the best story i have ever read or the one that will make me think about itself for a long time, but it was really, really decent and i would recommend it with no hesitation. the writing style is easy and pleasant and the story flows gently. it has truly amazing characters, especially the heroine, gaia, who completely stole my heart somewhere between the pages. she was a fascinating protagonist; her history, her struggles, what she have been through and what made her a person she was today: all of it was incredibly gripping, which made the book impossible to put down. the hero, jacob, was also a fine character. he was very caring, thoughtful and supporting towards gaia and with his charm, humour and mindfulness he was a perfect partner for her. they had great chemistry and i could feel the sparks between them flying around during their interactions. besides that, i really liked their conversations; they felt real, which is something i always pay attention to, because i believe a good conversation is the base of the relationship. besides being real, they were also funny, witty and considerate.

the book also talks about many difficult subjects, such as parental death, growing up in foster care, anxiety and many, many others.

in conclusion, it’s a really great book. it’s engaging and enjoyable, with characters that you quickly become fond of and interesting storyline, where you can expect a mix of love, magic and every-day troubles. it really deserves a chance.

3.5 stars.

I. Loved. This. Book. I loved everything about it. I loved the supernatural aspect of writing (now I’m going to assume all my favorite authors experience this while writing) and the love story and the mental health issues and dealing with trauma and ALL OF IT!! I literally don’t want to start another book yet because I want to savor this story. And now I can’t wait for the next one in the series!!! New favorite author y’all!!!

Between 3 and 3 1/2.

This was an interesting read with an original premise, but I do agree with some of the other reviewers about having too many things taking away from the main story.

It's light and it's deep, sometimes being too deep in the issues it carries, and other times being too distracting with the magical angle. The magic is how Gaia copes with her reality and her trauma of being raised in the foster system, so it does serve a purpose, but it's also distracting.

Jacob has problems in his life and with his brother and father and as his relationship with Gaia progresses, he needs to face those too.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

This was a cute fast paced romane. The characters were lovable and the anxiety disorder representation was very well portrayed however, I would have liked for the magical part of the story to be more in depth. I also think that all the societal comments about what's expected from women could have been either excluded from the story all together as they didn't bring anything of value to it, or integrated better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 3/5 stars

The concept of the paranormal (dream/reality) and romance was really unique. However, it was all over the place. and it made a lot of confusion while reading it.
The romance, for me was a bit forced and happened too fast.
The main character is not too bad, Jacob is smart, and charming. While Gaia pretty much relatable at some point.

"There's a world outside of your books, Gaia. You can't live inside them. Gaia bit her lip. She didn't want to feel guilty for living inside her books. Seth just didn't understand how safe it was.

Overall, it's not so bad considering this is my first time reading this author's book!

FULL RTC.

Fun light hearted, fast paced, anxiety rep, a little all over the place, beautiful cover, and fun!

The cover instantly drew me in with this one. It had a beautiful dream like quality to it and I figured the story tied in somewhat to that as well and I was right.

Premise
One unexpected kiss . . .
Successful romance author Gaia Anders has a secret: anything she dreams at night is magically written into her bestselling novels. After a lonely childhood in foster care, her dream life is the only one she trusts. Gaia’s waking life just can’t compare—until she gets caught in one utterly surprising, crazy-passionate, real-life kiss . . .

One near-perfect guy . . .
Workaholic businessman Jacob Scott has had a crush on his brother’s best friend, Gaia, since forever—but he never expected to literally share her dreams. Living out their magical nighttime fantasies is explosive, but it’s their waking desire turning his single-minded ways upside down. It’s making him want a future he didn’t think was possible . . .

One dream that could come true . . .
But Gaia has secrets from her past she won't reveal. And Jacob's attempts to keep the peace in his own fractured family puts him up against her deepest fears. Soon, they’re facing hard truths about who they are and what they’re running from. And the only way to break this curse is realizing true love's real-life power . . .

It was neat seeing how Gaia’s and Jacobs dreams worked into each other’s lives in this unique concept novel, but very satisfying to see how real life gives this couple their own happy ending.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and I’m reviewing it voluntarily. This is the first book I have read by Therese Beharrie and I really wanted to love this book. I actually enjoyed the writing and will probably read another book by her, but there is so much that just doesn’t work with this story. Gaia Anderson is an author of romance novels who does not believe in love but has a unique gift that has helped propel her books to popularity. She also has debilitating anxiety from childhood trauma, a possible obsessed fan/stalker, and comes a cross a bit delusional and out of touch with reality. Jacob is her best friend’s younger brother and dealing with his own trauma and guilt working for his family business that he hates.

This story is quite frankly all over the place and not in a good way, it attempts to be a story within a story as we get a glimpse onto Gaia’s writing of one of her books, but it is so clunky and poorly navigated. I forced myself to finish this and give it two stars.

This is a love story that mingles lightheartedness with deep issues and a touch of fantasy.
I loved that the story was based in Cape Town. It was quite refreshing to read a book happening in that lovely city.
However, this was not the right book for me. It just didn't work. I found the writing a bit ... strange. The development of the situations and scenes was unsettling. It wasn't smooth. Plus, I found the female MC hard to like. I know and understand that she has lots of issues, and it's not because of that that I don't like her. I've read lots of complex characters, but she's just hard to like. As for the male MC, he was more likeable.

I like the instant attraction trope, and we see it ALL the time, and I love it. But here, it was a bit too much for my liking. It was way too fast, and it felt a bit forced.

It was nice to see a fantasy element in a contemporary romance, but I think it should've had more development, a bit more foundation. I know it's fantasy, and it's not going to be logical. It doesn't have to. But it just needed more development.


I think the story has potential, and it's a good premise, but there are things that just didn't work for me.

Thank you Netgally for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

I thought it was a cute story.

"And They Lived Happily Ever After," is a lot of story rolled up into one book. Gaia is an author who has the magical ability to dream about what she wrote during the day, which helps her workshop her books. After a flirtatious moment with her best friend's brother, he suddenly appears and is very aware that he is in her dreams.

Like I said, there are a lot of storylines in this book, and sometimes it was a bit much. Sometimes the characters would have dialogues and I felt like I was missing something, not understanding what they seemed to be understanding. I also wished there had been more magic, or learning how Gaia got the magic. Overall, it was an interesting premise, but had too much going on for me to be able to enjoy it fully.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an e-ARC.

Overall I enjoyed this book. I love magical realism in romance books, it breaks up the genre nicely.

The story was interesting and unique although at times it was hard to follow with having so many different things to keep track of.

Thank you Net Galley, Therese Beharrie & Kensington Books Zebra for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will be published on November 30th.

Romance books are my go to and my absolute favorite. I just love reading about love. But this book - I struggled.

I am not sure if it was just there was so much going on between the love interests, her best friend, long lost family member, magic and then the book within. a book element. It just felt like it was a lot. Items kept dragging out when I think the author could have shorten it up.

I was so frustrated with Gaia and Jacob. I kept waiting for them to realize their feelings and sexual tensions and then things would start to happen but then fizzle. And by the end we never got to read about them having romantic relations after waiting for it all book.

Things that I did like was the trope of falling for her best friend's brother as well as the addition of mental health. It is important now more than ever to talk about the different types of mental health and what it may look like. Also I thought having Gaia be a virgin was a new concept for a romance for me (even though as stated above they teased about having sex all book but then nothing).

I did like the magic element but I wish that it was not incorporated with her writing/books because it made things confusing. I also liked that the end was left on a slight cliffhanger to lead into the 2nd book.

Also Levi?! I am so confused. But I think the 2nd book may answer the questions of who/what they are?!

It was enjoyable but most of it fell flat for me.

This is a beautifully written romance novel and I am thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me this review copy in exchange of an honest opinion.

The character were lovable all throughout the book, only occasionally I found them frustrating. The thing that didn't work for me was the multiple storylines of the MC's backstories. The relationship of Gaia and Jacob was not really in depth and the conflict of the story was silly.

3 stars for beautiful writing and the fast pace of the book!

If you are looking for a sweet and fluffy romance with a fast pace and are looking for a book to help you get out of a reading slump this book is for you!

I want to fist say thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me the eARC. Me gusto la historia mucho y el libro se lee súper rápido. Pero en varias partes del libro fue un poco difícil de saber que estaba pasando, el libro es literalmente único nunca había leído algo así pero es un chin difícil de entender aveces por todas las historias. Me gusto mucho el crecimiento de Giada en el libro, y me gusto mucho el romance.

This story embodies the perfect Contemporary romance. It was a fast-paced and the characters were absolutely swoony. We get diversity and great #ownvoices representation (social anxiety, panic attacks). This is a new-to-me author and definitely won't be the last book I will read by Beharrie.

To begin, this plot. WOW. It was incredibly unique and I felt very well executed. It almost had a hint of fantasy undertone but not quite enough that it didn't feel like a romance. I loved it.

There is humor though I don't know if I'd classify it as romantic comedy. More com than rom.

I felt the characters were relatable in their own right. They were no way written to be cookie cutter which I appreciate. There was a lot of self-love involved.

There was a lot going on with this story which may be why I loved it so much but it is definitely worth the read.