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.

Fiona has been avoiding love for years. Ever since her fiancé broke her heart and left her pregnant, she has closed herself off to the idea of romance and forever. She has focused on her business, her daughter, and her brother. And that has been enough. Until it isn't. A near-death experience realigns her feelings about the future. She can no longer avoid it. She's lonely and wants to fall in love. Her family's antique pocket watch comes into her life and shows her a man that she simply cannot resist. But he's only in her dreams, right?

I loved this book! I adored Switched, but this.....this is something else. My jaw dropped at some of the parts of this book. It broke my heart. It made me happy. It had it all. The audio was also very well done and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4.5⭐
Spice: 0.5🌶️

Since reading Switched (previous book in series), I have been highly anticipating Fiona's story. Sarah delivers once again with a romantic take on magical realism and I could not help but enjoy the ride! ✨

Fiona is an heiress to her family's Swiss watch company, fully committed to running it - meaning all work and no play. Never mind a love life, she doesn't even have time for a holiday!
When her mum presents her with a family heirloom for her "birthday", story has it that the watch will let you dream your hearts true desire. Soon, Fiona is living the life as Becca, on a secluded beach with a husband and two children. Knowing this dream would never become a reality, she decides to fully immerse herself. When Fiona starts falling for her dream husband, she knows she needs to cut her losses before she's in too deep. A dream is a dream... but what happens if it's not one after all?

I was literally left hanging on the edge of my seat with the suspense in this book! Fiona is strong and independent, doesn't do love or attachments because she thinks it makes her vulnerable when the other decides to leave. Meeting McCormick and spending time with him changes all that for her and boy, does she chase after her dreams! McCormick is such a charming character who just wishes the best for everyone (but himself) due to guilt he still holds from many years ago. My heart really felt for him!

There was seriously times when I thought 'this could never work' but Sarah proved me wrong! I loved how the ending came to be (my heart, gahhhh🩷🫠) and cannot wait for Max's story, next in 'Wished'.

Thank you to Sarah and Netgalley for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏻

Upon initially delving into this novel, I encountered a reading slump that hindered my immediate immersion in the narrative. However, as I gradually became absorbed in the story, I found myself truly captivated. In fact, I was so engrossed that I ended up devouring the entire second half of the book in one uninterrupted session. Unlike its preceding installments, this latest addition to the series adopts a more somber and reflective tone. It ventures into the complex themes and emotional intricacies inherent in time travel romance, rendering it a riveting choice for enthusiasts of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Fated is part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Fiona lives in Geneva, Switzerland and runs her family's watch company with her brother, Daniel. Her mother visits and gives her a watch that is a family heirloom and will make her dreams come true. She soon starts dreaming about a man who lives on a tiny island and sees Fiona as his wife, Becca. In the real world, she has to decide whether she could see her best friend, Max, as more than a friend.

I loved the chemistry between Fiona and Aaron but I thought the book was a bit too long. I want to read the previous books in the series though because I like the magical realism aspect of the series. The final 20-30% was well worth it. Sarah Ready is going on to my list of must read authors.

Wow. They are really for each other. Soulmates through and through.

I honestly don't usually read fantasy-romance but this one nailed at the fated/soulmates trope. The element of fantasy here is really magical. The storytelling is very interesting though I feel like some parts are dragging. I also liked the world-building done by the author, the descriptions of the magical island and the way of living there, it is very detailed and you can easily imagine it.

The romance has its highs and lows and the fmc has some questionable ideas/decisions at first but she has great character development. I also loved the children of both MC's (they are both parents) they made the story more interesting to me. The climax was so good and that plot twist? Well, I didn't see that coming, honestly. Also tw: cheating (not of the heroine but an importsnt character) now this cheating might really bother you cause' well...you have to read the book to find out but it has its purpose.

I found the ending a bit too rushed and the epilogue a bit too short however I think that's because the MC's here might still appear for the next book in this series (which is about the FMC's bff). Buttt oh my the reunion! Loved it. I also found the craftsmanship of watches/clocks a lot more fascinating because of this book. I also think it was so creative of the author to be able to make clocks/watches and time to have a huge symbolism or connection to the story. A very fresh take on an old concept really. I loved how these two are just fated.

Thank you so much for netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this latest addition to Sarah Ready’s Ghosted trilogy, although this can absolutely be read as a standalone. Magical realism is so well done in these books, each one with its own unique situation that feels absolutely believable and well executed.

I found the magic system very compelling here. Although I normally gravitate towards shorter/faster paced romances, the slower pace here worked fantastically well for this story. I was really able to sink into the characters and the world, all of which felt very well-developed. The cast of characters was great, and all of them felt fleshed out.

This would be a fantastic choice for a summer read!

Hopeful romance about what happens when you find love, but only in your dreams.

“Falling in love was always my fear”

📚 dream world
📚 magical realism
📚 single mum
📚 standalone in a series

🌶️

|Thoughts|
This is my second dive into the Ghosted series, and its such a beautiful written and though evoking series. I intend to go back and read the first book in the series.

“If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I’ll be here. I’ll be here loving you”

I was a little skeptical at first, as I hardly come across stories that are able to tie together a dream world/ fake family with reality. But this story was able to come to a highly satisfying ending, that didn’t diminish the character growth.

“McCormick can’t leave me - he isn’t real”

An additional bonus were the quirks of the story being set in Geneva. Also, I feel like this could be counted as a Christmas story as the story is bookended by the festive season.

”In dreaming we do all the magical, wondrous things we are afraid to do in waking life”

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher & author for this arc in exchange for this honest review.

🟢 For more bookish content follow me instagram.com/read_watch_crochet

‘In dreams, we experience everything we’re afraid to in real life. In dreams we can fly, we can defeat dragons, we can go back in time, we can see our loved ones who are dead and gone, we can talk to a crowd while naked on a stage, and we can even fall in love. But then we forget our dreams and we’re left with only a feeling.’

Oh, how we love the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready! We honestly feel giddy with excitement every time she releases a new book in this ‘suspend all belief’ series of pure romance with a dashing of suspense, angst, broken hearts, and ultimate dreams of ‘the one’!

Every book so far has won our hearts and Fated has now completed the perfect trifecta by this Author in the Ghosted series. If you’ve not jumped on the Sarah Ready -fan train- yet you simply must, we implore you. She can write anything, and it’s guaranteed that we fall in utter book love. If you ask us, the Ghosted series is quite different, oh so romantic, emotional, and funny as well as wonderfully unique and, whilst others have written in a similar vein, this magnificent Author is definitely a favourite!

‘Dream. Dream. Dream. Let me dream of him. One more time.’

Fated is another interconnected standalone in the Ghosted series and we’re back in beautiful Geneva, by Lac Leman, taking in the fresh mountain air and the wonderful flower scents of the Jardin Anglais, flower clock. Fated is the story of Fiona Abry who, alongside her brother Daniel (who we met in Ghosted book #1), runs the family Swiss watch company. Fiona is a dreamer at heart, though is you ask her she’ll deny it. She guards her heart fiercely whilst living a very self-controlled organised life that’s focused on her business as well as her daughter. Fiona has not been lucky in love, in fact she stays well away from it, as people who are meant to love you always leave you.

‘How is it that you can be in the arms of someone you love, yet feel so lonely?’

Now, what Sarah Ready excels at is showing just what will happen if you’re helped along the way to seek your heart’s desire. Your soulmate. What Fiona desires most is a fervent love that’s pure, honest, and unselfish. And as things would have it, sometimes the path to wondrous love turns out to be incredibly unconventional and instigated by the person we least expect.

‘If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I’ll be here. I’ll be here loving you.’

Fated is beautiful, agonisingly emotional, just pretty perfect. We had tears in our eyes as we read with gigantic smiles on our faces. Our hearts raced and our hearts broke. What an immensely beautiful story with such lovable characters. To be honest, our expectations were high when we started Fated but unsurprisingly Sarah Ready matched and exceeded them in a heartbeat!

“When I kiss you, I always think you smell like a butterfly.”
“Butterflies don’t have a smell.”
“They do. Every day butterflies visit hundreds of flowers. Over their lifetime they land on millions of blooms, dancing in the pollen, drinking the nectar. I think butterflies smell like the perfume of a million flowers dusted on their wings. Like you.”

loved this book so so so SO much!!! I will be thinking about it for months. I loved the unpredictability of it all. I had no idea where it was going or what to expect and I loved every second of the wild ride.

Sarah had me in stitches with laughter and wheezing through tears. I don’t know how she does it. She’s a MASTER!! I will read every word this amazing author writes!

Read this now!!! Just trust me, thank me later. Your heart will burst with joy and you’ll be squealing in glee you’ll love it so much.

Another wonderful addition to the series ‘Ghosted’ with Fiona Abry, finding love with a man in her dreams. Fiona is consumed with keeping herself busy by running her family’s Swiss watch company and taking care of her young daughter. Keeping busy means that her heart will be protected. However, in her dreams, she lives on an island, married to Aaron and they have two kids. The more time she spends in her dreams with Aaron, the more she does not want to leave her dreams.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as Sarah Ready explores the romance between Aaron and Fi. When Fi enters Aaron’s life, life is not quite as perfect as it seems and gradually Fi uncovers the true story of their life. This paranormal story worked even though it is so very far-fetched from reality. The relationship between Fiona and her brother, Daniel and her best friend Max, made this a more rounded story. Whilst this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone but I encourage any reader who has not read the earlier books, to do so. They are amazing reads, particularly book 1. I so look forward to reading the fourth book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Contemporary romance with magical realism. This is a standalone book in an interconnected series. Poetic writing and interesting premise but a bit slow for my taste. I will definitely give the first two books a try as the reviews on those look positive.

Fated (Ghosted Book#3)-Fiona the heroine is Daniel's sister from book 1, but it can be read as a standalone

By Sarah Ready-I've read Ghosted & Switched 4 & 5 ⭐ reads

Setting: Geneva, Switzerland

Publication date: 7/16/24, Read 7/12/24

Format: 437 pgs. & Audio length ~ 13 hours 36 minutes

🗣️Narrator: Shakira Shute

I thought Shute did a great job of bringing a voice to each character. They fit the characters with standouts from Fiona, Buttercup, and Daniel. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

POV: 1st person h

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Paranormal

Tropes: Christmas, magical dreams, time travel, cheating, right person/wrong time

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley & Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for the E-ARC and ALC🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

💭Summary: Fiona Abry is a single mother who works for the family's Swiss watch business. She's given a pocket watch family heirloom that transports her into a dream world where she's married with two children living on a tropical island.

I loved the idea of a magical watch that makes dreams feel like a reality. The description of the island was an Internet- free utopia. Fiona/Becca's husband Aaron McCormick was a loving father and husband that didn't deserve what Becca and Robert did to him.

I enjoyed Fiona and Daniel's sibling bond. They worked together and helped raise Mila. They also held each other accountable trying to have a life outside of work.


Maximillian "Max" Barone was Fiona's BFF in the present while McCormick and Robert were in her dream. He was in love with Fiona, but was willing to marry her without love. I hope the next book gives him a HEA.

Rating : 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read some other books from Sarah Ready and enjoyed them. This was a fun beach read for me. The cover is very eye catching!

Fate?

This book had such a great premise. Very fresh and sweet and wish fulfillment.
Definitely paranormal. Fiona is a busy working person but when she dreams, she gets lost in her dreams with Aaron and kids and a beachy life very different from her waking one.
There's a twist, of course. I really liked Aaron and thought he was the perfect foil for Fiona.
Recommend.

I loved reading this, the plot felt new to me and this kept me reading especially when I was going through so many emotions,