I read Dreams Rekindled by Amanda Cabot. Set in the 1850’s in Mesquite Springs, Texas, this novel is about a woman reaching for her ultimate goal and the challenges she faces.

Dorothy Clark has always dreamed of writing something that will challenge people, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Her chance comes when the town welcomes a newspaper editor. Mesquite Springs is happy to have a newspaper in town. However, the editor, Brandon Holloway, is coming off a bad experience in the previous town where he owned the paper. It seems that one of his editorials caused a great divide in the town and he does not want to have that happen again.

Someone is trying to buy up property and is determined to get rid of the newspaper. Brandon hesitates to address the division that has gripped the town in fear that he will incite the citizens to riot. Together with Dorothy, Brandon finds out who is inciting the citizens to look upon the paper as a nuisance and causing them to stop their subscriptions and their advertising.

Although I found this book to be a little too long in exposing the plot, Ms. Cabot does give her characters integrity, fortitude, and bravery.

Take a trip back to the Hill Country and Mesquite Springs.

This is the follow-up book to Out of the Embers with the focus on Dorothy Clark and her dreams of becoming a serious writer. She has been influenced by many authors and we saw a little of what she could do in the previous book. She doesn't realize it, but her words inspired Brandon Holloway to set up a newspaper in Mesquite Springs after leaving Xavier. Brandon arrives in town with his own baggage from recent events in Xavier including the death of his father. It will take him time to comes to grips with the events that happened were not his fault.

Mesquite Springs is mostly a congenial town until a mysterious Mr. K decides that he wants to build a hotel and own land in this sleepy little town. For some reason, he doesn't want a town with a newspaper or possibly even a church/minister. Possibly because it would be easier to manipulate people into doing what he wants instead of what is best for them or the town.  Mr. K sends a man to town, Phil Blakeslee, to create friction among the citizens. Mr. K is determined to upset the town and pull them in multiple directions to his benefit. Phil does a bang-up job of causing dissent but hopefully, the town will realize this and come together.

The relationship between Dorothy and Brandon is slow to mature, but I think this is a good thing because they have the opportunity to work together and learn more about each other. There are some miscommunications that hinder their relationship from growing at times. It is obvious to everyone but these two that they belong together, at least in the beginning.

The character that steals the show (in my opinion) is Nutmeg. Nutmeg is a pregnant mutt that is very clever until discovered by Dorothy. But this bond they have will save Dorothy in the end (you will have to read the book to find out how!)

"...if a kingdom is divided against itself, it cannot stand. Mesquite Springs isn't a kingdom, but I'm afraid this division will destroy it."

The issues we see in today's world are not unique to our times. I appreciated how the author brought to light multiple issues that affected people even in the 1800s from slavery/racial issues to mental issues such as depression. It was amazing how fast a few false rumors could affect a person's wellbeing and is no different than life today with the advent of social media and the internet.

The book does leave you hanging regarding Mr. K but the author addresses this in the Author's Notes and what we can expect in the last book in this trilogy. I'm curious how this issue will be resolved and look forward to reading this installment.

My favorite line from the book is this one because it says so much:

"You can choose happiness or fear." 

Overall, this is a fun read and while you don't have to read the first book in order to enjoy this one, you might want to pick it up first to get a feel for the town and the residents.

We give this book 5 paws up.

"Don’t abandon your dreams. Life is too short to waste a single minute.”
With quotes like this reflecting one of the central themes of the book (and my personal motto), Dreams Rekindled earned top marks for me as early as ten percent into it. That Ms. Cabot crafted a sweet, engaging, faith-centered, suspenseful story solidified my first impression at the end.

The characters are well-developed and, while numerous, are distinct from one another. Nutmeg is my personal favorite and I suspect, loved by many readers as well. Dorothy resonated with me, especially her desire to become a writer. I liked that once she was presented an opportunity to fulfill that dream, she grabbed it with enthusiasm. I adore Brandon for giving her that chance and for treating her as his partner in his fledgling newspaper from the start. I appreciate the highlighting of family, friendship, and community in this story, a signature of Ms. Cabot’s writing. The relationship between Dorothy and her mother is particularly poignant as it’s essential to Dorothy’s reasoning behind her reluctance to fall in love and marry.

While there’s a clear delineation of good and evil in the book, there’s also shades of gray in the form of Phil Blakeslee. It’s a testament to Ms. Cabot’s talent that his character elicited my sympathy despite his duplicity and misguided beliefs. The end of his arc both satisfied and saddened me.

"Love is a precious gift. Don’t squander it, or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
The romance between Dorothy and Brandon started with friendship and built slowly through open communication and shared values. I loved that once Brandon realized his feelings for Dorothy, he declared it right away. She took longer to get there, but Dorothy didn’t draw out the suspense after she realized she returned his love.

I’m glad to see Evelyn, Wyatt, and Polly in this book. I’ll be going back to read their story Out of the Embers next while I wait for the third book in the series.

"You can choose happiness or fear."

Dreams Rekindled by Amanda Cabot is Book 2 in the Mesquite Springs series. While each book can be enjoyed as a standalone, reading them in sequence is advised because Dreams Rekindled definitely follows on the heels of Book 1, Out of the Embers. Plus, Amanda Cabot's books are a true Texas delight that most certainly should not be missed.

In Dreams Rekindled, Dorothy Clark is the star of the show, and when Brandon Holloway arrives in Mesquite Springs with a printing press in tow and a sad secret tucked away in his heart, Dorothy finally sees her chance to fulfill her dream to be a writer, even if it is for a weekly newspaper. Dorothy is firm in her desire to stay single to avoid the same heartache as her widowed mother, and she tries hard to remain immune to Brandon’s good looks and equally good personality. Besides infatuation, however, other pressing issues are on the horizon in peaceful Mesquite Springs, Texas. Someone else has arrived in town and is secretly setting the stage and preparing the town and townspeople for another man’s scheme. The troublesome and even dangerous events that plague Brandon, the preacher and his wife, and eventually the town at large provide quite a bit of high drama and a chilling charade.

On the lighter side, Amanda Cabot once again delivers a story that engulfs the reader in the positive message that love always finds a way and that  forgiving oneself  and asking for forgiveness are just as important as forgiving others. The added mystery and danger provide the right amount of contrast to all the love floating around in the air, making Dreams Rekindled the perfect mix of sweet and serious; enchanting and enigmatic. While the reader knows who is behind the destruction and mayhem in the town, the characters do not, contributing some entertaining dramatic irony in an already enjoyable story.

Amanda’s writing is uncomplicated and cozy, allowing the reader to melt into the story and feel like a cherished resident of Mesquite Springs and a friend to Dorothy, Brandon, and the other main characters. The addition of a cute pup named Nutmeg pushes the story to an even higher level of perfection. Animals have a way of stealing both a reader’s heart and the hearts of fictional characters, and Nutmeg and her puppies do just that.

As a romance/mystery, Dreams Rekindled will appeal to a wide reader audience because it includes fantastic characterization and a diverting plot that picks up speed with each chapter before clattering to a rousing and romantic halt, with a perplexing loose end that the author addresses in her letter to her readers. Anticipation is high for the next in the Mesquite Springs series!

"Dreams Rekindled" is a Christian romance set in 1856 in Texas. This book is the second in a series, but it can be read as a standalone and didn't spoil events from the first book. Someone's buying property around town and spreading discontent to force the preacher and the newspaperman to leave. Dorothy and Brandon tried to discover who's doing this and to unite the townspeople through the stories they printed in the newspaper. Even though it's painful to endure untrue rumors, Brandon's reluctant to take a stand in his newspaper due to painful events in his past when he took a stand.

Brandon and Dorothy built each other up and worked well as a team, even when their opinions differed. As their friendship grew, Dorothy appreciated how he respected her and supported her writing. But she's afraid to marry because of the deep mourning she witnessed her mother go through when her husband died. The characters acted realistically, had depth, and I cared about what happened to them. Suspense built as someone tried to destroy the reputations and livelihood of good people and escalated in violence as time passed. The Christian themes were about trusting God and forgiveness. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.

Amanda Cabot is usually fun to read if you don't want a heavy, thought-provoking novel. I remember being in a now-defunct bookstore chain looking for a new author to read because I had read all of the books available by my favorite authors. Amanda was one of the ones I picked up and thoroughly enjoyed. It was because of her previous novels I decided to read her newest offering, Dreams Rekindled.

As I looked back on other books by Amanda that I have read and reviewed before, I found that I had enjoyed her previous books much more than I enjoyed this one. According to the author's notes at the end of the book, there will be one more book in this series in Mesquite Springs, Texas, which I will gladly read when it becomes available.

The problem I found with this book is that there is a level of predictability I had not encountered previously. From the very beginning, the bad guy is set up and takes a lot of the reading real estate in the story. There is a satisfying conclusion to him, which redeems some of the difficulties I had with him early on in the novel.

Dorothy is running Polly's Place, the restaurant her sister-in-law owns, but really wants to be able to write. Brandon Holloway has moved to town to set up a newspaper and Dorothy offers to help him with finding information for the articles to go in the paper. What she delivers to him are not just notes, but finished articles that require very little editing.

Phil Blakeslee is in town trying to find land for his boss to buy. Why his boss wants the land is unknown, except for the vague reference to a development. But his boss wants no newspaper in town to report on his activities. Phil makes it his mission to run Brandon out of town. He does things like destroy the type, and brings in a charlatan preacher to bilk people out of their money and stir up trouble for Brandon and his paper.

Brandon is falling for Dorothy who appears to be the perfect helpmeet for him, but as much as Dorothy likes Brandon, she is reluctant to marry because of the depression her mother went into after her father died. Dorothy is not a risk-taker where matters of the heart are concerned. It takes the intervention of her brother, her mother, and her best friend to change her mind.

This was an enjoyable read, albeit a bit too predictable for me. This could be a matter of my own mood, as I have been reading some heavier themed novels lately and the contrast was not as satisfying. Amanda writes well and presents a complete story for the enjoyment of her readers. I would give this four stars.

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Mesquite Springs is a nice village.
in year 1856, Dorothy Clark has a big dream: write.
But in the village there isn't a newspaper and.. she is a woman.
"I'm angry, sad, and hopeful, all at the same time. Doesn't that sound crazy?"
Two new men came to town.. trouble, love, lies..?
"He had been trapped by the shadow of his past, but now he was free..".
The author tells a fiction story to the readers, but the story and the happenings
could be realistic, restaurants and bars are places of gossip and to hear the news of the village,
bad people can serious harm both with words and hands, ignorant people believe all what others tell,..
Thank you to let me read this book to: author, editor, Interview&Review, Netgalley