Fated is book three in the wonderful Ghosted series by Sarah Ready. This time we have Fiona Abry who is the sister of Daniel from book one but it takes place before Ghosted so can be read as a standalone. The story is based around the myth surrounding the first watch Adolphus Abry ever made and the magical powers it is meant to possess. Can it really make your dreams come true? What happens when she meets the man of her dreams in her dreams. Enjoy Fiona’s journey of enlightenment and discovery in this magical romance as she time travels between her dreams and real life.
Fiona runs the family's watch business with Daniel in Geneva. They have a very strong bond due to her mother abandoning her as a child. They both work long hours and their busy schedules leave little time for finding love. She is also a single mother to Mila and constantly juggles her personal life and work commitments. Her best friend Max wants more to happen between them but she had a bad relationship in the past and is afraid of falling in love again.
A traumatic incident at the Abry Christmas Eve Gala and then her mother suddenly giving her the mythical watch, leads to events that will change Fiona’s life. She grew up hearing the stories about how the watch can make dreams come true and show you your heart’s desire but was sceptical, however, with an open mind she falls asleep holding the watch and wakes up on an idyllic island. This is the first of some shocking revelations as she finds herself married to Aaron McCormick and mother to Amy and Sean.
Never has a dream felt so real and Aaron is just the type of guy she would fall for in real life. However, her life on the island is more complicated than she first realised. Will she find what has been missing in her life especially when the attraction and magnetic pull to Aaron is so strong. The story develops as she flits between her real life during the day and island life at night. Will she choose reality or her dream life? Should she believe and act on her dreams? Should she settle with Max or fight for Aaron?
It took me a little time to get into the story but it is so beautiful written that it wasn’t long before I was totally captivated. Sarah’s wonderful descriptions of both Geneva and the island make you feel as if you are there. Both are such romantic settings for this transcendental story. I loved all the characters on the island as they brought so much to her dream life and made her question her what she really wanted. Aaron was lovely and my heart broke for him a couple of times. I am glad the next book is about Max as he deserves a HEA. All the twists where unexpected and the ending a total delight.

Fiona, Daniel’s sister from Ghosted, has been abandoned one too many times, starting from when her mom dropped her off at her dad’s doorstep when she was 6 and ending with her boyfriend of two years leaving her pregnant after telling her he has a whole family on the side. That left her unwilling to open her heart up to any potential new relationships. But when her mom gives her a lost family heirloom that lets her find her dreams, she may not have a choice in the matter anymore!

Before you start reading this book, brace yourself for a rollercoaster of emotions! It took me from slight indifference, to attachment, to desperation, to hope, to heartbreak, and finally to healing!

I wasn’t too excited to see how Fiona found her happily ever after. Having read Ghosted last week, it was fresh in my memory that Daniel mentioned the competition he had with his sister that ended up with her getting married. But also having been scared of Fiona (even fully knowing her older-sister protective instincts towards Daniel), I didn’t think I would like her too much.

But boy was I wrong!

I loved the dream setting of the book! It allowed Fiona to willingly choose to go into her dreams to be with Aaron every night. Her instinct at knowing that there was something off with Becca calling him McCormick was a sure sign that their connection was inevitable. And this was confirmed by his ability to tell when it was her instead of Becca talking to him.

As an admirer of watches, it was fun to read the parts about the company, the watches, and the designs. And if Abry was a real company, I would have started saving to get myself a McCormick!

As with the other books in this series, the characters in the book outside of the main couple cannot be ignored. Mila and Amy (and Sean, too) brought out the best in Fiona! Seeing her think of the daughter she has and the daughter who needed a loving mother was absolutely heartwarming. Memorizing poetry to recite to Amy is the epitome of love!

I was hesitant to like Max, fearing that he would not keep to his word and stay friends with Fiona should she turn him down, but I loved seeing their friendship survive. And it broke my heart that he has resigned himself to a loveless life. I am happy he will have his happily ever after soon, too!

Wow, I am so impressed with the epicness of this story. The amount of story telling, love, adventure, urgency and character development that was packed into this book in the confines of 400-ish pages is wild. Truly- this book almost felt like a fantasy-romance series. Somehow Sarah Ready was able to pack a huge punch without having to drag us along. Her prose is vivid, without being too flowery. Her characters have such depth and emotion. Each book in this “Ghosted” series has been so fun to read, and so impactful.

Here we follow Fiona, a wealthy heiress and businesswoman, who runs her family’s Swiss watch making company. The story unfolds after Fiona is shot by a madwoman at the family’s famously grand NYE party. She’s left with questions no one can seem to answer. Later, Fiona begins to dream of a sultry tropical beach and a fantasy man, who must be too good to be true. She spends her days trying to decide how to move forward, and make the best choices for her and her young daughter, but yearns to be able to sleep, where she is finding herself at her most contended. But what if her fantasy world could actually be reality? And what if everything she has fallen in love with is put in mortal danger? Is it possible to go back into time? To change your fate?
…..perhaps being part of a clock making family holds the secret to time that can save everything and everyone she fallen in love with.

I can’t rave about this story enough! There is a reminiscence of The Nutcracker in the setting and through one of the plot devices, a gift, that I especially loved. I will admit that the book developed slowly, which a bit of action in the beginning, followed by a large chunk of slow relationship building and internal conflict that at times made me put the book down. But once I began to sink into the romance and the conflict circled back, I could not put it down. The ending had me in an absolute chokehold. 4 ⭐️

*I was lucky enough to receive both the digital and audio arcs of this work and really recommend the audiobook version. The accents specifically really transported me into the story!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for these advanced copies, in exchange for my unbiased review!

Fiona runs her family watchmaking business in Geneva. She was left with her Father when she was young so her mother could find herself. She is busy and doesn't have time for life outside the business. Her Mother reappears and gives her a watch that has been missing for years It is supposed to grant your heart's desire. She is transported to an island where she is married and has children. It is a dream or is it.?
Two lives, two stories, a dream man. This has twists turns and is a rollercoaster ride. It is well written and well handled as a dream story can be tricky to pull off.
I really enjoyed this book.
Enjoy!
Thanks Netgallery.

I did enjoy this one but it's my least favorite so far in the series.

The romance didn't seem amazing to me and there were a lot of time travel stuff happening which confused so much.
Looking forward to the next book though!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me about two days to get through Fated because I couldn’t wait to read more. This book made me so nostalgic and happy because at first, it reminded me of certain romcom movies I watched with my mother when I was little. I am talking about these mid-afternoon movies that are characterised as clichés for old women (I love to watch them). Anyway, I have loved reading Fated so much because of the familiarity that sprung out of it, and yet I never got bored because the plot took a turn I had not expected. I was a bit skeptical at first vis-a-vis the magical realism and how it would fold in the story but Sarah Ready managed to integrate it very nicely. I am definitely adding more of her books to my next reads, so I obviously recommend this one to all the dreamers out there who are looking for a fun, warmhearted and easy to read romance.

Every book in this series surpasses the rest, and I loved living in this little dream world with Fiona! AND I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!!

Loved it! Sarah Ready is new to me, so I didn’t realize Fated is the third book in the Ghosted series. It seems as though several of the main characters in this book are in earlier books. When I started reading Fated, I could tell that I was missing some information based on conversations between Daniel and Fiona. I would have preferred that the author briefly provide the necessary history at the beginning. Despite that, I was able to get engrossed in the story and didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed the authors descriptions of the places that Fiona traveled and the relationships that Fiona had with the men in her life and her daughter. The author highlights the importance of the quality of relationships rather than quantity of relationships. Fiona’s dream man, Aaron McCormick, is now one of my favorite characters. Happy dreaming!

4🌟
I requested this as an ARC on NetGalley because the premise of the story was very intriguing.
Fated is the third book in the Ghosted series but you can read it as a standalone like I did. I’m not going to lie the first few chapters were a little slow for my liking but than BAM, I was sucked into the story. The characters are well written and I loved the character development. The side characters were equally interesting and they added to the story. The ending/ climax really kept me on my toes, I was literally biting my nails as I was reading the last 30% of the book. I like books with a little bit more spice in them but the romance in this book more than made up for it. This book is for everyone who loves a well written romance and I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to read it. 🤍✨
Thank you to Swift and Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story centers on Fiona Abry and Aaron McCormick. Fiona is a single mother, successful CEO of a watch company in Geneva. She has sworn off love after her last relationship ended poorly, and now is consumed with motherhood and work. Fiona was an easy protagonist to like -- she loves her child, she was born into a family with an abundance of wealth but the story doesn't really read as a person who isn't like the rest of us. The one thing that Fiona is missing is love. On the Summer Solstice, Fiona's mother gives her a long lost family heirloom that will help her find what she truly desires (in her dreams). That night, Fiona goes to bed and meets McCormick. Each night she goes back to see McCormick and you get to watch as their love grows on the page.

There were lots of things that I thought were so cute about this book. I smiled so much while reading it, as it all felt so sweet. However, the pacing of the story felt like it dragged at times, and while there wasn't cheating, it occasionally felt like cheating (everything is just a dream). There were some plot points that were left unresolved that are minorly frustrating as I don't believe that in any of the future books will those loops be closed. However, I would definitely read the rest of this series and the future books to come.

If you're in the mood for a fun beach/summer read (or just a cute romance), I would highly recommend.

This. THIS. This book has my heart.

I received an arc of this book thanks to NetGalley. I hadn't heard of the author before and, although this is part of a series, it is the first one of the bunch that I read. Let me preface my review by saying that you can absolutely read this book without having read the other two. While some characters that appear in this book also appear in Ghosted (I haven't read Switched yet), I can tell you that you are not missing any vital information by starting with this one. (I am sure you will run to read the other two afterwards anyway because that is certainly what I did.)

Fiona is a hard working woman in desperate need of a break. After receiving a family heirloom that is supposed to let you dream your greatest desire, Fiona does just that. She dreams and dreams of a tropical island with a husband she falls in love with, two very nice kids and a broken life that she is happy to fix. I loved Fi as a character. She seemed very real, in a way. Because let's be real. If you were to meet the man of your dreams in a ... dream ... you would not believe it to be real instantly either, right? I loved to read about her company, her relationship with her brother Daniel (the main LI of book one, everyone!), her thoughts on her family life and her growing feelings towards Aaron.

And this is the only complaint that I have. Aaron felt...not entirely human? I don't know how else to explain it, but it felt like he was not a finished character. While I understood his motivations, I couldn't quite connect to his lack of feelings? Especially in the first few dreams, he seemed like a pushover who would just let everything happen to him, come what may. His life wasn't really his in a way. This changed for the better the more often Fi visited him, he really received more of a personality. I do have to say though that while reading the book, this didn't bother me all that much. So I don't feel like it warrants subtracting a star. It is just something that I noticed once I started thinking about it for this review.

I especially enjoyed the last 20% of the book. The way that events started happening more and more quickly, the rising stakes, the plot twists that revealed themselves. I don't want to add any spoilers into this, so just know, I couldn't put the book down. :)

This story centers on Fiona, single mother and CEO of a successful watch company in Geneva, who has chosen to focus on her daughter and her career as opposed to looking for love. When she comes into the possession of a family heirloom that lets you dream your greatest desires, she begins to wonder if she should change her outlook and perhaps redirect her life. When she really begins to fall in love with the specific life she experiences in her dreams, it complicates things when she's awake. I love that this romance revolves around main characters in their 30s and real themes of found family and hope. This book really makes you think about whether it's better to protect your heart by giving up on love versus seeking something potentially amazing with the risk of experiencing hurt. There are some really poignant moments in this book--I teared up twice. My heart broke once. My mind changed multiple times on who I wanted Fiona to end up with. The mystical element of this book was interesting. I was intrigued the entire time I was reading this book and still have a hard time really articulating why I like it, but I did like this book very much.

Fated by Sarah Ready is a meet cute rom-com that is book 3 in the Ghosted Series, but can be read as a stand alone as all the characters are new. Meet Moonbeam Clover Fiona Abry, or Fi for short. Fiona and her brother Daniel inherited Abry Watch Co Ltd. when it was almost bankrupt and spent the next years working to bring it back to the success it is today. Unfortunately, it also meant sacrificing their personal lives and never finding the one person they were meant to be with.

*Fiona's mom is a hippy-type, free spirit who wants to see her daughter be happy. She steals the Adolphus Abry's pocket watch from Fiona's father's great-uncle Leopold. This watch was create by Adolphus Abry and "Family legend says the first watch he crafted on his own held all his dreams". This watch is said to "make all your dreams come true". So, Fi decides to fall asleep with the watch and see what happens. In comes Aaron and his family Amy and Sean who live on a far off island with no internet or phones. Soon Fi and Aaron form a connection, but it is only in her dreams. What are they telling her?

This book was based on a cute premise and I did enjoy it. It took me on several twists that I didn't actually see coming, which given it was a rom-com that is not typical for me. I felt that the book at times was a bit tiresome at times and it just kept dragging out. I did like that there wasn't the typical machoism that is found in many of the rom-coms that I have read. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the tagged publisher for my copy of Fated by Sarah Ready, the third book in the Ghosted series.

A captivating tale of love and the supernatural in Fated by Sarah Ready.

I liked how Fiona Abry's journey to find love was portrayed in this book, although it did have a slower pace compared to the previous instalment of the series. The connections to the last book, especially the part about the bet, were fantastic. The story explores the romance between Aaron and Fi, revealing that things are not as perfect as they seem when Fi enters Aaron’s life. It has a great premise and a fresh, sweet feel, delving deeply into paranormal themes. Fiona, a busy working person, Fiona dreams of a different life with Aaron and the children by the beach, adding an intriguing twist to the plot. Aaron is a particularly compelling character, and Fiona's relationships with her brother, Daniel and her best friend, Max, truly add depth to the story. I'm eagerly anticipating the fourth book in this series.

#ParanormalRomance #BookReview #LoveStory
Hashtags: #Fated #SarahReady #GhostedSeries #RomanceNovel #BookLovers #Supernatural #Relationships #ExcitingReads #Bookworms

I should have learned after Ghosted what I’d be getting into with this book of the series. But, WOW! I was not prepared but full heartedly loved every bit of this! I was so into finding out how things would play out and I was ugly crying so hard I scared my entire family. Absolutely devoured this book and highly recommend it, but don’t forget the tissues. I LOVED this story!

Ahead of the release day tomorrow, July 16th, I am delighted to share my thoughts on Sarah Ready's latest book Fated. Delighted may be an understatement. Throughout this book I couldn't help myself from smiling away at my kindle and hoping beyond hope that McCormick (Aaron) and Fi could find a way to make the stars align for them.


Thanks to Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the advance copy through NetGalley.


Synopsis:

Fiona Abry is a high-powered business exec at the family Swiss watch company, Abry, a high-powered mom to her eight year old daughter, Mila, and a high-powered friend and sister. The only thing her high-powered life is missing is love. Her mother comes out of the woodwork to gift her a family heirloom that causes you to dream your heart's deepest desire.


Spoiler Alert!


She does.


What I Loved:

The Mystery of the Watch: Ready kept me on the edge of my seat for the near entirety of the book to understand what happens to Fi when she enters the dream world and what her role is in their lives. Though Fi initially assumes that the people in her dreams are not real, they are written with such a complexity and are distinctly impacted by the character that Fi takes over in her dreams ("Becca"). From the introduction of the island, I felt torn between outcomes. I wanted Aaron, Amy, and Sean to maintain their lives on the Island (with Fi!) and I wanted Fi to maintain her life with Mila in Geneva running Abry (with Aaron, Amy, and Sean!). It didn't seem like it was possible for these two realities to coexist.


The uncertainty of how the two timelines would co-exist in the non-dream world was a juicy mango for me to sink my teeth into and a snapper I wanted to pull the guts out.


The Connection Between the Characters: Aaron and Fi have a connection when she first wakes up on her dream island. Initially, it is the connection of having been married for 15 years and grown up together on an island with no internet and limited access to the outside world. Over dreams, the connection between the two grows beyond the reality of their experiences. It transpires time and space and defies the odds. At the risk of sharing too much, I have to restrain myself.

What I Wanted More From:

Development of the Secondary Characters: When I say this, it is not a criticism of the development or plot decisions of Fated. Moreover, I am looking forward to the direction Ready will chose to go in future books to develop the stories of Max and Daniel. After Fi's story, I feel like I have lived her experiences (in Switzerland and Frying Pan Island) and I wait with anticipation for when I can read what twists might befall them as they search for their own happily-ever-afters (Tsunamis? Hurricanes? Am I stuck thinking too far within the confines of Fated?).

Fiona Abry leads a busy and full life in Geneva as a single mom who is also the CEO of luxury watch brand Abry Watches. When her mother gifts her a family heirloom pocket watch said to show you your wildest dreams, Fiona is skeptical. But then she begins dreaming of being on a tropical island with a husband and two children. Fiona knows her dreams aren’t real since she wakes each morning back in Geneva, so why does it feel like she’s really falling for her dream husband?

Fated is book 3 of the Ghosted series and has the same heart and charm of the first two with an adventure wholly its own! I love this series and find the way that Sarah Ready weaves magical realism with romance to be so ✨dreamy✨

My heart ached for Aaron McCormick throughout this love story. It was easy to see why Fi fell so hard for him. It truly felt like the hands of fate at work getting them to each other in the dream world and real life. The resolution to the story was so beautiful and perfect for these two! I highly recommend this for readers who enjoy magical realism and romance!

4.5 stars
Content warnings: gunshot and subsequent trauma, cheating, mentioned past unplanned pregnancies, toxic relationship with a side character, parental abandonment, parental and friend deaths talked about, a natural disaster described

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

I've been a huge fan of the Ghosted series, and Fated didn't disappoint - though I was scared it was going to in the beginning. I liked Fiona's setup as a career-focused single mother. We're instantly given the image of someone who has good standing in society now, but has had to work for it, and doesn't know how to relax as a result. That, along with the shooting incident at the start of the book had me invested in her character. But then we enter the dream world, and everything's really messy in comparison. Fiona, now in the body of another woman called Becca, is left to navigate a 15 year old marriage of convenience, her body's counterpart has been cheating with someone close to said husband, and every time she's transported to her dreams, she has to restart her journey at Aaron's side. Now, I'm not someone who likes reading about cheating, and thankfully Fiona isn't a fan of it either after her past love experience. But I did find myself dragging my toes a little and really hating Becca (and Robert). I get what this setup did for the overall storyline, and I accept it now that I'm finished, but my annoyance at Becca and her lack of empathy and very self-absorbed personality - along with how everyone let her do whatever without consequence - had me wondering if I would come out the other end of this book not a fan.

But it was actually this setup, Fiona's way of dealing with it all, and how she comes up with her codeword with Aaron that morphed this into a great read for me. I liked that she didn't allow Becca's toxic traits to infiltrate her time with Aaron and his children in her dreams, and unlike some reviewers, I liked that the dreams followed her back into her living life, and the way she invested time into finding things to learn and take back into the dream world for Amy or thinking of Aaron when it came to her standards of love.

Of course, the nature of this world is fantastical, so you have to come to the dream state with a bit of an open mind since this does end with an HEA outside of the dream world. I enjoyed the plot twists and how the dream world worked around the events in Fiona and Aaron's lives. I would have liked to spend more time with their relationship and see Fiona and her daughter's initial actions around Aaron's children outside of the dream space, but it was a really cute ending and a very believable romance between Aaron and Fiona. I liked their passion just as much as their emotional connection, which isn't always something I find balanced in a romance these days.

I did drop half a star because I struggled to get past some of the story's setup, mostly with Becca, and the completely unnecessary strained romantic storyline with best friends Fiona and Max. However, I am glad to see that he will get his own book because I didn't enjoy him enough as a side character in this one. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Ready has me utterly captivated with these romantic tales with supernatural/fantastical elements.

After finding out her fiance was already married and living a double life, Fiona is left pregnant and jaded. Now, years later, her daughter and her family's watch company are her life with no chance at romance and broken hearts. Then she's given a family heirloom watch that's rumored to make her dreams come true. That night she's dropped onto a paradise island and a life with a husband and two children. How can this dream world feel so real? How can life here go on even when Fi's not dreaming it? And how is it that she's fallen for a man that doesn't exist?
This story was so unique and I was pulled into Fi's dreamworld and all its wonderful characters. The fact that her real life was so unemotional and flat made the dream even more magical. When the dream ended I felt just as bereft and confused as Fi, just as anxious to see Aaron again and live the dream in her real life. Their HEA was everything I hoped for!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This is book #3 in Sarah Ready’s Ghosted series. I think this might be my favourite in the series and I can’t wait to read book #4! I love Sarah’s writing style and find her books hard to put down.

I love the bond Fiona has with her brother Daniel, and her best friend Max. There are some beautiful, tender, heartwarming moments along with some heartbreaking moments that will shatter your heart before you have it stitched back together again. Such a roller coaster of emotions! The subject matter is relevant – loss, betrayal, grief, emotional trauma, family bonds. The characters are well developed and relatable, I felt their joy and their pain. There are the occasional ‘intimate’ references, but they aren’t out of place and not what I consider to be too steamy... easy to gloss over those parts if that's not your thing. Each of the books in the series offers something different, and this book feels more serious and emotional than Ghosted & Switched. It’s missing some of the humour that I loved in the first 2 books, but in saying that, I loved it and highly recommend it if you enjoy this genre.

This can be read as a stand-alone novel. If Fated is your first in the series and you decide to read the others, make sure you read Ghosted before you read Switched, as characters from Ghosted appear in Switched and there are spoilers. While Daniel is a main character in Ghosted, there aren’t any spoilers in Fated, so it's safe to read Fated before reading Ghosted.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for a free digital arc in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.