The time has come for Eden, groomed from childhood to be a knowledgeable virgin for the right bidder, is sold to a Kurdufan prince. Only a long ocean voyage separates her from her life at the Abbey (a successful London brothel) and a new life of slavery she can just barely imagine and wishes with all her heart she could escape. Unfortunately the price for escape is death. All hope seems lost until a violent storm at sea leaves her with the choice of staying safe in her cabin or risking all to providence for the chance at a new life.

The tiny town of Hobbles Moore is in a quandary. Their own Pierce, Lord Penhollow is reaching the age he should be contemplating marriage and his London-bred mother is certain to thrust a London bride upon him, one who will not take the well-being of the village into account. For years the villagers have taken it in turn to guide the young lord and teach him what he must know to keep his land and the village viable and prospering into the future. Not only their future is at risk, they cannot bear to think of Lord Penhollow tied to a woman who can never make him happy. So they decide to call upon the gifts and arts of the old ways. Led by Widow Haskell at the edge of a stormy sea, they call upon strange powers to bring their Lord a wife worthy of him. When a boat drifts near their shore with a beautiful and unconscious woman with richly bejeweled gowns, they know their workings have received an answer.

Pierce Kirrier is confused and enthralled. The beautiful stranger he rescued from the ocean claims amnesia. She kisses like a virgin but is as seductive as the most experienced courtesan, and somehow has won the hearts of the villagers and inspired a violent antipathy in his mother who has no cause to vilify a woman she has never previously met.

Eden is caught between wonder at the freedom she has found and the fear that it may all be taken from her should some visiting London dandy recognize her. To give herself time she feigns a loss of memory but is soon caught up in her feelings for Pierce, this man who treats her with care and respect. By some miracle he seems to return her regard, but how can she dare to reach for what she does not deserve? Her presence in his life could ruin everything for him, and it could only be a matter of time before the Kurdufan Prince's men track her down to drag her back to slavery.

Cathy Maxwell's trademark humor and romance are threaded throughout WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE. The story is thoroughly spiced with danger and deeper conflict that supersedes the initial lie Eden chooses. The story is about a woman's self- worth and the courage it takes to truly love for the very first time. The characters of the villagers add greatly to the entertainment value, between their knowing antics and the real danger threatening Eden I was riveted from first page to last.

Book Summary

Everyone knew the Earl of Penhollow needed a wife, so one thunderous night the villagers gathered together to ask the ocean to deliver a bride to the bachelor lord . . .

When Pierce Kirrier rescues a mysterious beauty from the billowing ocean waves, he has no idea who she is or where she came from. But at first sight of this enchanting maiden, he knows he must claim her for his own. Taking her back to Penhollow Hall, he pampers her like a princess, determined to win her trust and her heart.

For Eden, awakening in an elegant bedchamber in a remote corner of Cornwall is like a perfect dream. In Pierces arms she has discovered true love, true joy, and a passion she never imagined could exist. Yet she knows in her heart that, once her secret past catches up with her, her dreams could be shattered . . . forever.

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