Quick Summary: A "hand of fate" romance

My Review: Fated by Sarah Ready is book #3 in the Ghosted series.

About the Book: Fiona Abry's life is not perfect. Truth be told, it had never been. Once, she thought things were going well for her, where her heart was concerned, but after a devastating truth changed the course of her life, things were never quite the same. When a peculiar series of events happens upon her, a glimpse into the dreams and desires of her heart changes everything. Should she dare hope for a precious love with the man of her dreams?

About the Characters: This novel was filled with characters of interest. Fi, Max, Aaron, and Becca were my favorites. They were so colorful and layered. They brought a host of considerations and thoughts that I was totally feeling. As I dug further into the story, I became invested in their lives. I wanted to understand why they each presented themselves how they did, and I also wanted to watch their evolution of change.

About the Conflict: Where do I start, regarding the points of conflict? Do I start with the shooting? Do I start with the transition from one life to another? Should I start with the connection force between Fi and her dream man? Do I mention the horrible tragedies? Should I discuss the deeply moving scenes? Those are just a few of the things that caused this story to keep my attention . As far as I am concerned, it existed on another plane. This novel was non stop from beginning to end.

About the Audiobook: Shakira Shute provided narration for this title. I enjoyed her cadence and style. Her vocal efforts provided the emotional tone I like, which made the characters easy to connect with. The notable distinctions added to the experience.

* Quick Note: I enjoyed reading the e-book just as much as I loved the audiobook feature. Both the reading and the listening experiences were excellent. With that said, I really appreciated hearing the characters with the accents. Somehow, it made the story come alive in a different way.

My Final Say: I cannot say enough good things about this book. It was so well done. It is a book that makes readers think and to see beyond the obvious. To dream or not to dream, to believe in the impossible, to want something more for self, to accept substitutes or to lay claim to the happiness and love that await you - it's all in there!

Other: This series is incredible. Honestly, I cannot think of another series of books quite like it. The fantastical element that weaves its way into the romances is so appealing. I also really like the symbolism that Ready so effortlessly injects. Her stories are beautifully complex and non-linear.

* My advice to potential readers... expect the unexpected. This book and this series will make you rethink the idea of what love, family, dreams, and desires are all about.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💖
Narration: +

Heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation are extended to the author, to the publishers (Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks), and to NetGalley. Thank you so much for granting access to this title in exchange for an honest review. The words and sentiment I have expressed are my own thoughts and opinions and have been voluntarily offered. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to read this author's work.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but this was just a train wreck. I didn't feel connected to the characters at all, nor did I feel our main characters had a connection. I forced myself through it, but it should have been a DNF.



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

📣Book Review📣
Fated

I was able to not only read this book but also listen to the audiobook! The narrator is Shakira Shute. She has a very soothing voice and is very easy to listen to. She adjusts her voice for the various characters and voices throughout the book so you can follow along as the conversation progresses.

Fated is book 3 in the Ghosted collection. I have both Ghosted and Switched as TBR and I didn’t feel behind or struggle with starting with book 3. There are character connections but nothing to prevent you from following along.

What would you do to remember your dreams? What about live your dreams???⏱️
Is it that our dreams allow us to actually experience life and feel alive or is it that we live a life dreams are made of?💫

Fiona’s busy life meets its match when she meets the man of her dreams, in her dreams! Now she can’t wait to visit the sandman.💘

The descriptive language in this book had me in a dreamy state. Everything was so picturesque☁️
There was hope and love, healing and growth and the impeding sense of want to crawl into bed.😴


Fated favorite line “Cats to pet 🐈 books to buy 📚 and ice cream to devour🍨”

Thank you to the author, Sarah Ready, NetGalley and the publisher, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, for the opportunity to read AND listen to this book. I received these advance review copies for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The book and audiobook are set to publish July 16, 2024.

#Fated #NetGalley

Fiona Abry has been running her family’s Swiss watch company, and guarding her heart due to being burned in the past, but then she inherits a family heirloom rumoured to let you dream your greatest desire.

This book wasn’t what I had come to expect from this series — this book could be read as a stand-alone as it seems to be a prequel to the first two books of the series. I read this book in tandem with the ebook and audiobook - I started with the ebook and finished with the audiobook. 

I was struggling to connect with this story to enjoy the characters / get invested in them while reading the ebook — I then switched over to the audiobook which helped to move the story forward for me. The narrator did a good job with the voicing and bringing the characters, the romance and the love scenes to life for me.

I was disappointed that there wasn’t as much wit and comedy in this book as in the previous two in the series — and I felt bad for both men in her two worlds Max and Aaron they both seem to love her but it’s like torture for everyone. On the other hand, the writing is very beautiful and poetic throughout— and very full of gushing romance. The ending --OMG -- get the tissue box ready! The ending brought up my rating from 3/5 to 4/5.

Thank you Netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members titles and audiobooks.

A tender series wtih many lessons within the pages of the story. Pursuit of happiness, believing in dreams and following your heart. Fiona Abry is the CEO of Abry Watch Company, a family owned Swiss watch company she and Daniel inherited from their late father. Fiona closed herself off from love after being abandoned by people she trusted the most. When Fiona’s mom gives her a family heirloom that has been missing for years and tells her that not only did she steal the watch but that it can make dreams come true and show what your hearts desire. Skeptical but curious, Fiona decides to use it one night after recounting her family members telling her to find herself and to open herself up to love again. There in her dreams, Fiona comes in contact with a man named Aaron who is apparently her husband and they have two children together. As Fiona grapples between reality and fiction, she has to decide which life she’s willing to choose. The magic of love and finding the one that makes your heart soar, don't settle look, dream and believe.

Thank you so much NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

Sadly, because I haven't read the first two books, I was left beyond confused. It felt like I was dumped in at the middle of a story rather than the beginning. I really enjoy the writing style, though, but I will have to read the first two books first FOR SURE.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+⭐️
Fated by Sarah Ready an audiobook narrated by Shakira Shute was.... OMG!!! I could scream how much I loved it! First, when I saw that Kelsey Navarro Foster is not a narrator for this book I was a bit sad but to be honest, Shakira Shute did great narration! She managed to make this story alive, she managed to connect me with the story so deeply that I literally was losing myself!

The storyline blew my mind, broke my heart - twice, and made me feel for the characters. I believe that this is the first book where I loved all the characters! I can't express how I feel but I will tell you one - as much as I loved Ghosted and Switched - this book is phenomenal! This book deserved to be a stand-alone with a sequel coming soon!

It's mad how much I grow with characters! I reduced my listening speed to make the book last longer! Usually, with an audiobook, I can manage to do so much at home - today I sat frozen on my sofa and was scared to miss any single tiny detail!

The same as the previous two books this story is set in a world that swings on the edge of reality and fantasy. Two worlds that somehow must come together in one and it's hard to predict how this would happen.

Then I got so confused about Daniel! Why is Daniel single? Where is Jillian? And then I read that this story takes place before book 1 so left out that breath that I didn't realise I was holding! :D

Anyway, back to this book:

Fiona, left by her mother at an early age has incredibly close relationships with her younger brother Daniel and her long-term best friend Max. Both Daniel and Max are great supporters of Fiona and her daughter Mila. In some twisted way, they are like a family of four! But... what about the love? What about the sparkle? Fiona has closed herself off to love and buried herself in work and other commitments so she is not ready to risk breaking her heart - again... But then she fell asleep and met her dream husband Aaron McCormick and her dream life on a small tropical island.
Unfortunitelly not all dreams can come true so how do we find a balance between the dream world and reality?

Seriously... I can't stop thinking about this book! Usually, I easily switch to the next book but not today... My brain is still with Fiona and everyone else... I can't connect with the next book at all... I want to live in this book, I need a next book - now!

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this unbelievable copy!

I was going to start this review by saying that I had. It realized that this was the third book in a series and I had not read the others but it was still a great stand alone. That was until I came to review it and same the subtitle here on Goodreads that indicated it was number 3.

I went to see what the others were called and folks ravers about them. Some didn’t like this one as much as the first two and others realized that this was great but not until the last 20% of the book. So I looked up the author on NetGalley and realized that I had indeed read book two “Switched” and it all
Came together!

I want to thank NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review. I seem to be a bit different than others in that I liked this book much better than Switched. I have not read book 1 called Ghosted nor did I realize back when I read Switched that it was a sequel. So I guess I’m going to go back to the beginning after this.

Anyway, this was such an interesting concept. Like other the first part of the book didn’t exactly grab me but the last 30% made it so worth it! I do think that not remembering book 2 helped as I had no preconceived standards for the characters. Apparently this story takes place before book 1 so it’s fitting.

The audio reader was delightful to listen to. She added to the story without going overboard. I enjoyed how she did the different voices, especially the male voices.

So if you’re looking for a different concept for a romance that’s well written and fully of imagery, this is the book for you!

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Amazing voice, the audio is fenomenal. The story was so beautiful, and gorgeously written. The unique premises makes is a very interesting book. And definitely enjoy it a lot