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Wildest Dreams  By  cover art

Wildest Dreams

By: Kristen Ashley
Narrated by: Tillie Hooper
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Publisher's summary

Seoafin Wilde was taught by her parents that every breath was a treasure and to seek every adventure she could find. She learns this lesson the hard way after they perish in a plane crash. When she discovers there’s a parallel universe where every person has a twin, she finds a witch who can send her there so she can see her parents again.

And have the adventure of a lifetime.

Upon arrival in the winter wonderland of Lunwyn, Finnie realizes she’s been played and finds herself walking down the aisle to wed The Drakkar.

Instantly thrown into inauspicious circumstances, with years of practice (she did survive that elephant stampede), Finnie bests the challenges and digs into her adventure.

But as Frey Drakkar discovers the woman who is his new wife is not Princess Sjofn, a woman he loathes, but instead his Finnie, a free spirit with a thirst for venture just like him, without her knowledge, he orders his new bride bound to his frozen world…

Everlasting.

©2015 Kristen Ashley (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Wildest Dreams

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Important note if you're unsure about listening!

Look, there are a LOT of bad reviews detailing what's bad about this book- and a LOT of raving reviews that don't even touch what the bad reviews address. So here's a good review addressing the bad issues.

The #1 most important thing to know is that you need to be capable of thinking (or at least accepting) another culture's way of life.
Kristen Ashley has created a beautifully detailed world that takes place in a mostly mid evil society, and sometimes even a barbaric one. So YES, the men will be chauvinistic- that's the way their world works! If you traveled back in time 1000 years and you were a woman, you would be extremely lucky if you only had to deal with what these women do. But if you just can't stand that kind of thing, you will NOT enjoy this series- period.

As for the language, yes, there is a very liberal use of words like: Cool, Awesome, Sucks, and Freakin' - get over it. It's not my favorite either, but you know that you've met people that talk like that! I feel like it makes the female lead more real in that (like that coworker I want to hand a thesaurus to) she can make me annoyed by the way she talks more than due to her actions.

And finally, Tillie Hooper does a fine job. Her male leads voice isn't my favorite, but everyone enjoys different things. The important thing is that she really helps bring these characters to life.

So whether (like me) you pay for the Escape (aka Romance) package, or you're using a credit, or you're outright purchasing- if you can accept a character's actions as they pertain to the world/society they live in versus judging them on current, real world standards- this book is fun and most likely worth it.

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197 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I gave it an honest try...

...but I was so annoyed that I couldn't finish it. Maybe the ending is stellar and will redeem the bad writing and vapid lead, but I got a little over half way through before being too revolted to keep listening another 7 hours. The narrator did well enough, considering how little she had to work with. So...here's the laundry list:

Problem 1: the writing. "Soooo coooool" and "frickin awesome" would be acceptable in moderation, but those are the main adjectives. Kristen, get a thesaurus! Also, the dialogue is inauthentic, and her descriptions of emotions and emotional growth are ham-handed. Her descriptions of places and sex scenes are good, but that is not enough to support the plot.

Problem 2: Finnie is horrendous. Aside from the choice to go to the parallel world, she doesn't make any major decisions or assert herself; things just happen to her. That is absolutely not in the spirit of an adventurer, so her primary motivation immediately falls through. Her other motivation, grief, is treated superficially, so there's really no other motivation to make her interesting or sympathetic. However, it's awesome to see a female protagonist who chooses to be domestic and really owns her femininity, given that so many female protagonists take on traditionally masculine traits, so hooray! There is a redeeming quality!
Problem 2(a): Whenever Sjofn is discussed, she sounds much more interesting than Finnie. Why aren't we reading about her?

Problem 3: this book is surprisingly anti-woman. I expect women authors to know better than to write so many women who are motivated only by the need to impress men. Most of the women are shallow, irrational, don't make their own decisions, or all three. The relationships between the women are completely unrealistic, and there is a conversation where Finnie's other mother actually tells her that she just needs to sleep with Frey more and then he'll be faithful. Ugh. Finnie is not responsible for Frey's behavior, period, but Finnie doesn't seem to realize this. For the author to claim that women are responsible for men's actions, especially when the women don't actually make many significant choices, is both ridiculous and medieval.

Problem 4: Frey is boring. He doesn't respect women, as shown by his conversation with his second-in-command right at the beginning of the book, and he's never willing to meet Finnie halfway; she always has to accommodate him. He is emotionally two dimensional and magically overpowered to boot. He's basically an anime hero, or something you would expect from an adolescent male writing a wish-fulfillment character.

Problem 5: Plot? What plot? The only plot points that I was trying to stick it out for were a) dragons, and b) Finnie's response when she finds out Frey has bound her to the parallel world. Maybe then she will grow a backbone.

So, in conclusion, bleh. Don't waste your money.

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  • Mo
  • 08-12-16

What. The. Actual. F?

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A completely different story.

What could Kristen Ashley have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Never have written it.

What three words best describe Tillie Hooper’s voice?

Sexist, demeaning, disgusting

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Wildest Dreams?

I just can't.

Any additional comments?

How has this story gotten such good reviews? The whole thing is demeaning towards women and I am genuinely disgusted. I listened to the first few chapters and then could not force myself to continue ... Spoilers ahead...

So, things I tried to ignore but ultimately could not...

1) This princess is a lesbian and is being forced to marry and when she tells her future hubby, he's so repulsed by her (and by the fact that she wears pants -_-) that he hates her with a fiery burning passion. BUT, he likes her butt in said pants and even though he hates her, he wants to watch her fool around with another woman because he thinks it'll be 'interesting'.

2) Frey, or as we will now refer to him, Creeper, doesn't realize that said princess is so horrified by the idea of marrying him that she's switched universes with her alternate self Finnie. Finnie's main objective in switching universes is to see her parents again, who died in her world. BUT, when she gets to this new world she is forced to marry Creeper and then dragged by him to the middle of nowhere and abandoned at a lodge (with carriage and horses, let me clarify). Does Finnie, our supposed adventurer, grab the horses and set off to find her parents? No, she has to, in very great detail, clean the house. Then she goes through her 'very sexy underwear' and makes friends with the locals who (SURPRISE) teach her to cook! Oh, and don't forget baths in a nearby stream. Can't forget the baths.

3) Then Creeper comes back to check on his wife with his friend in the middle of the night, and his friend gives us this little nugget here:

“I must say, Frey, I wouldn’t give a gods damn that one preferred tart. That was my new bride, she’d be tasting my cock either straight through her mouth or because I was thrusting it so deep, she’d savor it in her throat,”

4) This is where I stopped because I couldn't even. But, I read through some other reviews on here to see if anyone else was as appropriately appalled and I learned that Creeper ultimately messes with Finnie's birth control so she gets pregnant and has to stay with him. Yeah, that sounds totally okay.

Returning immediately.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

The hell..?

What would have made Wildest Dreams better?

It would be nice if it didn't promote blatantly abusive and one sided relationships. Was this really written by a woman? Because it seems like it was written by a scorned man. I wouldn't want any young girls to read this book until they've matured into young women, the story is written just well enough that I would fear it would encourage them to pursue abusive relationships and to blame themselves when they are treated badly.

What could Kristen Ashley have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I am male and I know this wasn't really geared towards me, but this was borderline disturbing to read at times. Finnie should not always be the one in the wrong and the one who needs to change. And he just trapped her in his world without any consideration for what she wanted, which seems unforgivably cruel and selfish to me. I do not understand the point of this story.

What about Tillie Hooper’s performance did you like?

She did fine. No complaints about her

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I would have liked it if Frey was ever held accountable for his behavior and not perceived as perfect or always in the right. I saw a lot of promise in the beginning of this book but it just became clearer and clearer that this was a terrible story with little to no point or moral fiber.

Any additional comments?

This book almost made me believe in censorship.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

& THE OSCAR FOR BEST FANTASY EVER GOES TO... KRISTEN ASHLEY

When two new books by Kristen Ashley were initially listed on Audible's website they weren't listed as book 1 and book 2 in her new Fantasyland series - so I first listened to book 2.... and I was blown away by the descriptive imagery, the imaginative scenes, the characters, the romance, the humorous banter and the clever parallel Universe storyline that KA had conjured up for her fans. And so, as I started listening to this book, I thought I knew what a great listen awaited me - but boy was I wrong.... because it wasn't just great... it was FAN.FREAKIN.TASTIC.

Yes, it had all of the above great qualities but along with them came such a wonderful sweet romance between Adventurer Finnie and her new Alpha husband Frey - and wow their chemistry was there right from their awkward first meeting... as they passionately kissed after their strained and strange wedding ceremony. Finnie didn't know she was going to swop her normal everyday life for a beautiful but dangerous life being an Ice Princess married to The Drakker... a man who controls Elves and Dragons. From the start I was riveted - eagerly savoring and greedily devouring ever mouthwatering chapter and, as all the thrilling hours whizzed by, I knew I was listening to perfection.... perfection within the fantasy genre, perfection by its gifted Author and perfection for its narrator who, WITHOUT A DOUBT, made this awesome book into such a breathtaking and magical book. Tillie Hooper's narration captured and expressed a full range of emotions as well as breathing life into all the characters while easily delivering on the varying accents, genders and mystical creatures called for... from the multitude of loveable cast members including a sexy caring hero and a feisty easygoing loving heroine - to the sleazy, the weird and the deadly enemies of the Realm. Mainly told from Finnie's POV and although each book very briefly mentions 'situations' from couples in other Realms, they are (so far) singular stories.

Worth a credit? If you like the Fantasy Romance genre then it surely doesn't get better than this... unless, of course, it's another book written by KA.... so YES it's worth a credit or $$ - just don't miss it. Now I'm eagerly waiting for the other 3 books in this wonderful series.... which will be auto-downloads as soon as they come out.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Ho, Boy! Adventure, Romance And Great Characters!

Love it!

This was my first Kristen Ashley story and "wow" it was amazing! She did an wonderful job creating such a unique and fantastical world, where both the plot and characters were well developed. I loved Finnie and Frey! Finnie was something else.

Tillie Hooper's performance ROCKED! She did an amazing job on the different characters, and delivered the witty dialogue flawlessly. I will definitely be on the lookout for more stories narrated by her!

Well worth a credit!

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"So freakin'" AWFUL!!!!

What disappointed you about Wildest Dreams?

Almost everything disappointed me about this book. But the top four disappointments: Full of anachronisms, full of cliches, cringey dialogue and the narrator's over enunciated voice.

Has Wildest Dreams turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, thankfully I've read other articulate writers who can express their ideas much more eloquently.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator over enunciated her words to the point that I felt like it was the equivalent of nails on chalkboard every time I heard her say "so freakin' cool!" (I am not sure how many times she says this, but it's a lot. At least 40 times?) Additionally, I now hate the word "twitched", because everyone's mouth "twitched" all the time plus the narrator over enunciates the "ch" sound so much I dry heaved every time I heard it.

What character would you cut from Wildest Dreams?

The two main characters, Finnie and Frey. They were one-dimensional, their love was unbelievable, and their actions didn't make sense. He acted like no one any self-respecting woman would love, and Finnie accepted all of his disrespect. UGH! He was simply an a-hole and I could not identify with her nor root for their "love".

Any additional comments?

The only reason I forced myself to listen to this book was because I wasted a full credit on this audio book. The premise was good (which is why I bought it in the first place) but the execution was not. I'm mad at myself, for I read the negative reviews, but I didn't take heed.

Although I never read "50 Shades of Grey", I read enough reviews to know the writing itself was not quality, so I stayed far away. However, if "50 Shades" (sexy writing) appeals to you, which I know it does to many, then you may possibly enjoy this book.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

One of the few who didn't like it

I think I was hoping for something original, judging from the extremely positive reviews this book received. Unfortunately, although it has a nice writing style, the book borrows way too much from cliche situations that I could not be bothered finishing it. Not nearly enough attention to the kind of detail that would have built this new world into something wholistic and real. This 'alternative world' was a romantic take on historical Europe with some unoriginal fantasy. The main character, Finny, used language that should have caused at least some comment, if not confusion from her contemporaries in the alternative world (eg: "fricking cool").
All in all, it didn't have anything new that could capture my attention

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Great narration, terrible story

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

People that don't mind the heroine being a complete doormat

Has Wildest Dreams turned you off from other books in this genre?

Nope, but I'd really like a warning label for "male lead is a chauvinist pig"
Would have saved me money

What does Tillie Hooper bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Really great and engaging narration. The only reason I held on as long as I did

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Real sorry to let this one go, but I can take no more. Stranded in chapter 16

I listened this one (audiobook). The narrator was not to blame. In fact, she's the reason I got this far. The beginning was rather nice, I was enjoying the female lead. A sassy lady with spunk and a glass half-full attitude. Que the male lead... even though he was a real *not nice* (insert male bodypart) at the start, I warmed up to him as he warmed up to Finny. I was iffy on the whole keeping a secret from Finny part, but he could have salvaged that.

What was un-salvageable was the whole; "I'm an aristocrat, I'll fuck whoever I want, whenever I want even though I'm married and you'll just have to live with that if I'm inclined to do so" and "if you withhold sex, you're at fault if I get it somewhere else" and with the 'mother' adding insult to injury "it's up to you to keep your husband interested, as long as you give him anything he wants he won't be inclined to go looking outside of his marriage"

Finny turned into a brainless twit around him, a freakin' ninny agreeing to anything and everything and begging for it all. And that was a damn shame.

I hadn't read any reviews on Goodreads before buying (just the ones on Audible and they were raving) but after a few disappointed signs from Frey, I went looking. One of them said that at some point he even substitutes her birth-control meds for placebo's because "HE" will decide if and when baby's will be bourne (!!!). At that is AFTER he already cut her off from her own world without her knowing at the time, or notifying her after that.

I tried to listen on after that, but there were some more male chauvinistic remarks and the mothers "advice". And I was afraid I might throw my phone in anger if I came across the whole birth-control issue and the book isn't worth that. So this is it for me.

I like some aspects of the Alpha male type but Frey took it too far and I'm allergic to Ninny heroines.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantasyland!!! Finnie!!! Finally!!!!!

Kristen Ashley is the shit. That is all.

I do not "read." I listen. So, while I adore KA (in a pathetic fan-girl way that is totally out of character for my usual badassness), I had not yet experienced the fabulosity that is the Fantasyland series (or The Three-sigh) because I NEED the audiobooks…like I need air and water. I knew it would be good. I knew it would be awesome. I knew I would love it. I will not rehash the blurb above or dissect KA's writing. If she writes romance, get it. If she writes YA, get it. If she writes fantasy, get it. If she writes paranormal, get it. If she writes an insurance company's Terms of Agreement, read it. It will be amazing. Just get it. It's all good, great, too good, too much, too beautiful, and this one is FANTASTIC! You will love Finnie. You will love Frey. You will love it.

OK, so I listen, and I really appreciate it when my listening is bumped up to experiencing. Tillie Hooper is AWESOME!!!! Excellent male and female voices, perfect inflection and emotion. There are SO many characters in this book, and she performs them all beautifully. This was my first TH listen, but it will not be my last. She reminds me of another favorite performer, but I won't say who in case I'm wrong. Can't wait to dig into Golden Dynasty!!!!!! BTW, brand-new Book 5 in the series comes out mid-August, so let's hope we can have all 5 on audio by then. Having a new-to-me KA series narrated perfectly? Made. My. Summer.

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