Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Fated is part of a series but can be read as a standalone novel.

Fiona lives in Geneva, Switzerland and runs her family's watch company with her brother, Daniel. Her mother visits and gives her a watch that is a family heirloom and will make her dreams come true. She soon starts dreaming about a man who lives on a tiny island and sees Fiona as his wife, Becca. In the real world, she has to decide whether she could see her best friend, Max, as more than a friend.

I loved the chemistry between Fiona and Aaron but I thought the book was a bit too long. I want to read the previous books in the series though because I like the magical realism aspect of the series. The final 20-30% was well worth it. Sarah Ready is going on to my list of must read authors.

Wow. They are really for each other. Soulmates through and through.

I honestly don't usually read fantasy-romance but this one nailed at the fated/soulmates trope. The element of fantasy here is really magical. The storytelling is very interesting though I feel like some parts are dragging. I also liked the world-building done by the author, the descriptions of the magical island and the way of living there, it is very detailed and you can easily imagine it.

The romance has its highs and lows and the fmc has some questionable ideas/decisions at first but she has great character development. I also loved the children of both MC's (they are both parents) they made the story more interesting to me. The climax was so good and that plot twist? Well, I didn't see that coming, honestly. Also tw: cheating (not of the heroine but an importsnt character) now this cheating might really bother you cause' well...you have to read the book to find out but it has its purpose.

I found the ending a bit too rushed and the epilogue a bit too short however I think that's because the MC's here might still appear for the next book in this series (which is about the FMC's bff). Buttt oh my the reunion! Loved it. I also found the craftsmanship of watches/clocks a lot more fascinating because of this book. I also think it was so creative of the author to be able to make clocks/watches and time to have a huge symbolism or connection to the story. A very fresh take on an old concept really. I loved how these two are just fated.

Thank you so much for netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this latest addition to Sarah Ready’s Ghosted trilogy, although this can absolutely be read as a standalone. Magical realism is so well done in these books, each one with its own unique situation that feels absolutely believable and well executed.

I found the magic system very compelling here. Although I normally gravitate towards shorter/faster paced romances, the slower pace here worked fantastically well for this story. I was really able to sink into the characters and the world, all of which felt very well-developed. The cast of characters was great, and all of them felt fleshed out.

This would be a fantastic choice for a summer read!

Hopeful romance about what happens when you find love, but only in your dreams.

“Falling in love was always my fear”

📚 dream world
📚 magical realism
📚 single mum
📚 standalone in a series

🌶️

|Thoughts|
This is my second dive into the Ghosted series, and its such a beautiful written and though evoking series. I intend to go back and read the first book in the series.

“If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I’ll be here. I’ll be here loving you”

I was a little skeptical at first, as I hardly come across stories that are able to tie together a dream world/ fake family with reality. But this story was able to come to a highly satisfying ending, that didn’t diminish the character growth.

“McCormick can’t leave me - he isn’t real”

An additional bonus were the quirks of the story being set in Geneva. Also, I feel like this could be counted as a Christmas story as the story is bookended by the festive season.

”In dreaming we do all the magical, wondrous things we are afraid to do in waking life”

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher & author for this arc in exchange for this honest review.

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‘In dreams, we experience everything we’re afraid to in real life. In dreams we can fly, we can defeat dragons, we can go back in time, we can see our loved ones who are dead and gone, we can talk to a crowd while naked on a stage, and we can even fall in love. But then we forget our dreams and we’re left with only a feeling.’

Oh, how we love the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready! We honestly feel giddy with excitement every time she releases a new book in this ‘suspend all belief’ series of pure romance with a dashing of suspense, angst, broken hearts, and ultimate dreams of ‘the one’!

Every book so far has won our hearts and Fated has now completed the perfect trifecta by this Author in the Ghosted series. If you’ve not jumped on the Sarah Ready -fan train- yet you simply must, we implore you. She can write anything, and it’s guaranteed that we fall in utter book love. If you ask us, the Ghosted series is quite different, oh so romantic, emotional, and funny as well as wonderfully unique and, whilst others have written in a similar vein, this magnificent Author is definitely a favourite!

‘Dream. Dream. Dream. Let me dream of him. One more time.’

Fated is another interconnected standalone in the Ghosted series and we’re back in beautiful Geneva, by Lac Leman, taking in the fresh mountain air and the wonderful flower scents of the Jardin Anglais, flower clock. Fated is the story of Fiona Abry who, alongside her brother Daniel (who we met in Ghosted book #1), runs the family Swiss watch company. Fiona is a dreamer at heart, though is you ask her she’ll deny it. She guards her heart fiercely whilst living a very self-controlled organised life that’s focused on her business as well as her daughter. Fiona has not been lucky in love, in fact she stays well away from it, as people who are meant to love you always leave you.

‘How is it that you can be in the arms of someone you love, yet feel so lonely?’

Now, what Sarah Ready excels at is showing just what will happen if you’re helped along the way to seek your heart’s desire. Your soulmate. What Fiona desires most is a fervent love that’s pure, honest, and unselfish. And as things would have it, sometimes the path to wondrous love turns out to be incredibly unconventional and instigated by the person we least expect.

‘If you ever need me, if you ever find yourself awake at night wanting me, I’ll be here. I’ll be here loving you.’

Fated is beautiful, agonisingly emotional, just pretty perfect. We had tears in our eyes as we read with gigantic smiles on our faces. Our hearts raced and our hearts broke. What an immensely beautiful story with such lovable characters. To be honest, our expectations were high when we started Fated but unsurprisingly Sarah Ready matched and exceeded them in a heartbeat!

“When I kiss you, I always think you smell like a butterfly.”
“Butterflies don’t have a smell.”
“They do. Every day butterflies visit hundreds of flowers. Over their lifetime they land on millions of blooms, dancing in the pollen, drinking the nectar. I think butterflies smell like the perfume of a million flowers dusted on their wings. Like you.”

loved this book so so so SO much!!! I will be thinking about it for months. I loved the unpredictability of it all. I had no idea where it was going or what to expect and I loved every second of the wild ride.

Sarah had me in stitches with laughter and wheezing through tears. I don’t know how she does it. She’s a MASTER!! I will read every word this amazing author writes!

Read this now!!! Just trust me, thank me later. Your heart will burst with joy and you’ll be squealing in glee you’ll love it so much.

Another wonderful addition to the series ‘Ghosted’ with Fiona Abry, finding love with a man in her dreams. Fiona is consumed with keeping herself busy by running her family’s Swiss watch company and taking care of her young daughter. Keeping busy means that her heart will be protected. However, in her dreams, she lives on an island, married to Aaron and they have two kids. The more time she spends in her dreams with Aaron, the more she does not want to leave her dreams.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as Sarah Ready explores the romance between Aaron and Fi. When Fi enters Aaron’s life, life is not quite as perfect as it seems and gradually Fi uncovers the true story of their life. This paranormal story worked even though it is so very far-fetched from reality. The relationship between Fiona and her brother, Daniel and her best friend Max, made this a more rounded story. Whilst this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone but I encourage any reader who has not read the earlier books, to do so. They are amazing reads, particularly book 1. I so look forward to reading the fourth book in this series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Contemporary romance with magical realism. This is a standalone book in an interconnected series. Poetic writing and interesting premise but a bit slow for my taste. I will definitely give the first two books a try as the reviews on those look positive.

Fated (Ghosted Book#3)-Fiona the heroine is Daniel's sister from book 1, but it can be read as a standalone

By Sarah Ready-I've read Ghosted & Switched 4 & 5 ⭐ reads

Setting: Geneva, Switzerland

Publication date: 7/16/24, Read 7/12/24

Format: 437 pgs. & Audio length ~ 13 hours 36 minutes

🗣️Narrator: Shakira Shute

I thought Shute did a great job of bringing a voice to each character. They fit the characters with standouts from Fiona, Buttercup, and Daniel. Their voices were the most distinct, but I could easily tell the difference between all characters. The reading style brought the story to life and the pacing flowed easily with the story. The narration and the author were in sync. The narrator paused and announced every time a new chapter came. The book had a table of contents which helped me follow along with the e-book and audio.

POV: 1st person h

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Paranormal

Tropes: Christmas, magical dreams, time travel, cheating, right person/wrong time

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley & Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for the E-ARC and ALC🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

💭Summary: Fiona Abry is a single mother who works for the family's Swiss watch business. She's given a pocket watch family heirloom that transports her into a dream world where she's married with two children living on a tropical island.

I loved the idea of a magical watch that makes dreams feel like a reality. The description of the island was an Internet- free utopia. Fiona/Becca's husband Aaron McCormick was a loving father and husband that didn't deserve what Becca and Robert did to him.

I enjoyed Fiona and Daniel's sibling bond. They worked together and helped raise Mila. They also held each other accountable trying to have a life outside of work.


Maximillian "Max" Barone was Fiona's BFF in the present while McCormick and Robert were in her dream. He was in love with Fiona, but was willing to marry her without love. I hope the next book gives him a HEA.

Rating : 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read some other books from Sarah Ready and enjoyed them. This was a fun beach read for me. The cover is very eye catching!

Fate?

This book had such a great premise. Very fresh and sweet and wish fulfillment.
Definitely paranormal. Fiona is a busy working person but when she dreams, she gets lost in her dreams with Aaron and kids and a beachy life very different from her waking one.
There's a twist, of course. I really liked Aaron and thought he was the perfect foil for Fiona.
Recommend.

I loved reading this, the plot felt new to me and this kept me reading especially when I was going through so many emotions,

Fated is book 3 in the Ghosted series by Sarah Ready.
This book was unputdownable! The main characters were certainly quirky and fun.
I love a paranormal romance, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
Charming, delightful, sweet, and simply wonderful.
I loved reading her Josh and Gemma series. And this series is just as great.
I can't wait for book 4 Wished!

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I am completely speechless. I adored the first two books in the series, but somehow, this one managed to surprise me even more. First off, Daniel makes an appearance in this book since he's Fiona's brother, and honestly, I've been weak for him since "Ghosted." I just love him so much.

I'm a huge fan of paranormal romance novels, and this one hit all the right notes. There's something about the full circle in these stories that makes you feel so complete. I was absolutely captivated by Fiona's character. Her resilience and logical mindset were so strong that she didn't believe her dreams could be real until the very end.

If I loved Fiona, I was absolutely feral for Aaron. His character is the epitome of strength and selflessness. His love for his children and the sense of peace he exudes despite the immense grief he's endured is truly inspiring. He felt like a calm anchor in the midst of a storm.

Watching Fiona decide to love Aaron with all her heart, thinking it's just a dream, was absolutely beautiful. But Aaron's pain at losing her when she wakes up, and his confusion dealing with the two personalities inhabiting his soon-to-be ex-wife, was so raw and heartbreaking.

The children in this book were incredibly cute and relatable, adding so much to the story instead of detracting from it. They made everything so much better.

And that plot twist? It made me gasp out loud! I cried so much, but I'm so happy with the happy ending. I absolutely can't wait to read book four in the series because I really loved Max in this book.

This was such a sweet, heartwarming, emotional rollercoaster of a book. The writing was superb, the story was original, and I loved the magical realism. I loved the elements of family, the nod to poetry, and the overall theme of the book. I highly recommend!

A gigantic THANK YOU to the author, Sarah Ready, the publisher, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to post my honest opinion of this book.

Emotional, dreamy, fated...
Three words to describe this wonderful book!

From the first sentence of the book, I was hooked!
I obviously wanted to read the previous two in the series, to really engage with the author's writing style which is easy-flowing and charming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis for the eARC. Honestly, this book was so hard to get into and it was hard to finish. I think it just wasn’t my genre and that’s okay. It was just a hard premise to wrap my head around and the HEA was difficult to see actually happen.

4.5 stars

”I’m in love with a dream, with a man who isn’t real, and there isn’t any coming back from it.”


as I delve into each successive novel by Sarah Ready, I am invariably in awe of her brain and her brilliant writing prowess. she always insufflates a breath of fresh air to her crafts. her unorthodox narrative approach and innovative plotting are a true tour de force, defying the tired conventions of the romance genre and instead conjuring up the warm, fuzzy feelings reminiscent of classic 2000s romantic comedies. her penmanship is simply magical; distilling the essence of nostalgia while still infusing her stories with invigorating, original perspectives.

“McCormick.” “what does it mean?”
“some say it means an almost, a never-was, a dream that didn’t happen, but I say it means an always, a dream that still goes on.”


Fiona, the heiress to a long line of Swiss watchmakers, is the personification of the high-powered businesswoman who is perpetually juggling her professional obligations with her personal life. as she strives to balance her responsibilities to her daughter Mila, brother Daniel, and close friend Max, Fiona's hectic schedule leaves little time for self-reflection. however, after a traumatic incident her nomadic mother makes an impromptu visit, gifting Fiona a lost, antique family watch. her mother believes this timepiece holds the key to unlocking Fiona's happiness and realizing her long-dormant dreams.

”it feels like I’ve lost a love I’ve never had.”


but Fiona hasn't experienced the thrill of dreaming in a long while. that is, until she falls asleep with the watch on and finds herself transported to a life of marriage with a handsome husband-Aaron McCormick , parenthood with awesome children, and life filled with soap-opera drama. as she indulges by day the life as the CEO of a luxury brand in Geneva, she lives this nocturnal fantasy in an exotic life on a tropical island. but it feels too real to be a dream…

”he’s invaded my world. even when he’s not real, not here, I still feel him next to me.”


I was completely enthralled by the love story, the heartwarming found family plot, and the masterful narrative trajectory. the chemistry between the characters, the unexpected plot twists, and the expertly orchestrated storytelling all combined to create a reading experience that was nothing short of addictive. I devoured every chapter, thoroughly enamored with every aspect of the novel.

”sometimes you’ll remember a flash. sometimes you’ll remember a feeling. But mostly, you forget everything. you forget your dreams. you don’t take them with you into real life.”


without revealing too much, I can say the narrative was emotionally resonant and intriguing. the surprises were cleverly timed, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I eagerly turned each page.
I implore you: do not miss this masterpiece. I won’t spoil any more details, in case I deprive you of the pleasure of experiencing this exceptional story firsthand.

”It’s not as if dreams are reality. It’s not as if dreams come true.”


many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review

I’m generally a major fan and supporter of Sarah Ready, and the first two books in the Ghosted series were both incredible! However, this one, Fated, left me scratching my head and wondering if it really came from the same imagination. It felt different than all her other books (I’ve read many, but not all), and just didn’t live up to my hopes and expectations, based on the previous two and the blurb.

I was left wanting so much more or maybe just something else out of this story - it was OK but I really didn’t enjoy the dreaming scenario and wondering how everything would play out, and if Fiona would wind up with her best friend in reality, Max (sort of a love triangle bit there, which I don’t like), or with the dream sequence guy McCormick and the other life she seems to fall into, and his friend Robert... When the twist is revealed I was really disappointed - plus, the multiple love triangle aspect really turned me off (as it always does)…

I’m sure there will be many who enjoy this one, but even though I’m mostly a Ready fan, she still has a title or two in her catalogue that I don’t jive with (and that’s ok). She has others that are my fave books, so I’m sure that the next release (Wished, in October) will be one of those new faves! Still - you should give this one a try, even though it didn’t work for me.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing (IBPA), and this is my honest feedback.

I usually don’t pick up stuff with kids but this was written so well! Although the audiobook was fantastic, I felt like the book itself was a little bit slow in the middle. The beginning was great although I was a bit confused for a little while, and the ending was great. I teared up at certain points. It was a really good read!

I would definitely recommend the audiobook more than the ebook but both were excellent reads with extremely loveable characters!

I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.