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| WILDEST DREAMS – Robyn Carr Small and geeky, fourteen-year-old Charlie Simmons has been picked on by other, larger kids most of his life. Charlie's health has never been good; his asthma controls his activities, so he stays busy by learning and studying on an old laptop his mother, Su Lin, was given. Charlie loves TED talks (learning videos that focus around the subjects of technology, entertainment, and design), and he spends a lot of time searching the Internet. Now that Su Lin, a home health care nurse, is caring for wealthy ALS patient, Winnie Banks, Charlie can spend his days hanging out on the beach, or visiting with Winnie's neighbors. When Charlie sees the moving truck next door to Winnie's house, and the man who's moving in, he's over the moon with excitement! First, because of the new neighbor's very expensive road bike, and secondly, his name. Blake Smiley is a 37 year old very famous triathlete. He competes on the Ironman circuit; each race an intense blend of bike racing, then running and swimming. The minute Charlie learns Blake's name, he's immediately on his computer, researching. All Charlie has ever dreamed of is living normally: running, playing, and swimming like the other kids his age. But Su Lin will not allow such activities. She wants Charlie to stay quiet every minute to forestall the next asthma attack that might be just around the corner. Blake and Charlie hit it off right away. Charlie sees a hero, a man who can do anything. Blake sees a smart young man who needs guidance. Charlie reminds Blake of himself. He too was smaller than other kids, and spent his youth running away and defending himself. Blake was determined to lift himself out of poverty, and he did so by teaching himself to stand strong in a neighborhood of gang members and drug addicted strangers, one of them his own mother. Then, following years in the foster system and on the streets, his resolve to lift himself up and make a better life didn't waver. Now, Blake strives to help other disadvantaged kids, and so, he begins to instruct and encourage Charlie by teaching him to exercise so he can build his stamina. Su Lin Simmons grew up in a wealthy Boston family, but when she became pregnant, her adoptive mother threw her out of the house. After Charlie's birth, Su Lin never returned home. She has worked and struggled to provide a good life for her child. Her job caring for Winnie has been a life-saver, offering Su Lin the chance to save a little money. But still, she and Charlie live where Su Lin can afford, in an old, run-down RV inside a disreputable trailer park. It is not a good environment for either of them, but it's all she can afford, and she refuses. Su Lin is quite attracted to Blake Smiley, but she won't allow him to work with Charlie. She's spent too many years watching and protecting her son from another near-death trip to the ER. Even so, Blake is determined to help Charlie, which means showing Su Lin that her son can become stronger by a proper exercise regimen that will, in the future, prevent debilitating asthma attacks. Su Lin's WILDEST DREAMS can't compare with the feelings she has for Blake. She wants to ignore him, but his close proximity to Winnie's home means he's always under foot and becoming fast friends with the others in Winnie's household. Finally, she has no choice but to listen to Blake. Can he really help Charlie? WILDEST DREAMS is the latest in Robyn Carr's Thunder Point S eries, and it's a great novel! Su Lin and Blake are meant to be, if Blake can persuade Su Lin to look beyond the needs of her child and see her own happiness. He knows from experience that he can help Charlie, and he is determined to break down Su Lin's stubborn wall of refusal. The ninth novel in the Thunder Point Series , WILDEST DREAMS stands alone, but if you haven't read the rest of the series, you don't want to miss it! Check out the author's website ( www.robyncarr.com ) for a complete list of the other books. WILDEST DREAMS is so much fun! It's a novel filled with passion, love, excitement and dynamic characters that highlight the pages until the very end! I don't have any information on the next book in the series, but WILDEST DREAMS ends with a bit of a cliffhanger that has me hungrily waiting for the new book! WILDEST DREAMS is a book for that timeless collection on your keeper shelf! Diana Risso |
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