REVIEW: Dreaming August by Terri-Lynne DeFino

Dreaming August by Terri-Lynne DeFino is a good read that deals with grieving and moving on with your life.

This book has a lot going on. First, we’ve got a heroine who can’t get over her dead husband. Normally, I’m more empathetic to stories like this, but Benny lost her husband six years ago and the guilt she feels over having feelings for someone else is a little too much. There is no specific time limit for matters like this and I can’t possibly understand losing my husband but it felt that Benny was more scared than anything.

The man Benny has feelings for is Dan. Dan was her husband’s best friend and he really has deep feelings for Benny. When Benny and Dan sleep together, a pregnancy occurs. This is Benny’s first pregnancy and her feelings are all over the place. Obviously, there is going to be some guilt involved but I felt that the emotions were too much. I felt like Benny and Dan were younger characters and not in their forties as the author made them out to be.

We’ve also got a ghost, Auggie, who Benny talks to every time she goes to the cemetery to mourn her dead husband. With Auggie, Benny eventually learns to move on. I actually liked Auggie’s part in this story and enjoyed reading about his history.

I would have enjoyed more interactions with Benny and Dan but overall, this is a good read about moving on and finding out that it’s okay to love again.
 

Book Info:

Publication: April 12th 2016 | Lyrical Shine | Bitterly Suite #2

Welcome to Bitterly Connecticut, hometown of one wistful widow with a very big secret….

She should have been off-limits. After all, Benedetta “Benny” Grady is his best friend’s widow. But in the space of a whirlwind week, Daniel Greene went from strong shoulder to lean on to Benny’s ardent lover. Now Dan is determined to make Benny his bride. He hasn’t waited this long for love to let it get away so easily. But first, Benny has a few ghosts to contend with…

When Benny finds herself pregnant with Dan’s child, telling him should be easy. After all, she’s fallen hard for the wise-cracking bachelor. But how can she love another while remaining true to her late husband’s memory? Could the past hold the key to their future happiness?