The audiobook is outside of my usual genres, since it’s based on magic/paranormal activities. Having said that, it was quite enjoyable! I had to free my mind, because the book is based upon a magical watch that creates an alternate reality while dreaming. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but it does end with a HEA. It’s book 3 of a series, but can be read as a standalone. Highly recommend for lovers of this genre or if you’re interested in something a bit different & fun.

I loved this audio book!! A little slow to start, but then it really took off. I loved this premise of loving in your dream life, like an alternate reality. Very creative and well done!

*thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my review*

This is by far my favorite Sarah Ready book. Fiona is a beautiful and complex character, and her story will keep you guessing until the end. I went into this read completely blind, and I’m so happy that I did. I actually recommend a blind read to everyone because it will make the ending so much more satisfying.

So here’s what you need to know—this book is heart-wrenching and beautiful. The characters are complex and relatable, with varied backgrounds. Ready shines in this narrative about what it means to dream, and she will take you by surprise and even warm your heart as Fiona’s story unfolds.

This book is, at its core, a compassionate story. A rare gem where we get to explore both platonic and romantic love. It’s incredible and you will love it. The narrator was AMAZING and made the experience SO SO GOOD!

Stuff and things:
-single mom
-attempted murder??
-found family
-love triangle
-open door
-guaranteed HEA

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks, and NetGalley for this ALC.

A time travel romance weighed down by too much plot.

Synopsis: Single mom, Fiona owns a high end watch manufacturer in Geneva, Switzerland. She comes into possession of a watch that allows the owner to “live their dreams”. As Fiona begins to dream of someone else’s life on a Caribbean island, she finds solace in the small community and healing in Aaron, a marathon swimmer with a traumatic past.

Review: The book starts with a long backstory and takes a lot of time to get going. Six chapters pass before the Fiona has her first dream. There’s just a bit too much going on— multiple traumatic events in Fiona’s life to setup her need for healing.

The love story is the best part of this book. Fiona and Aaron’s love through a dream, was beautifully written and kept interesting by the life happening while Fiona is away. But the author takes it a bit too far with a time travel pretzel and overly complicated characters.

Author Sarah Ready can describe a scene. She creates a beautiful island community and describes it so precisely the reader can see every grain of sand in their mind. This is nice as a listener, but adds unnecessary bulk to an already long story.

At 13h 34m, this audiobook feels its length. A little too long for your typical romance.

Narrator, Shakira Shute, has a very smooth style and lovely accent. She is easy to listen to. Her narration may be the only reason I stuck it out.

Fiona is given a family heirloom for her birthday/not birthday that allows the user to see what they wish and dream for in life. She falls asleep one night with it in her hand, and wakes up in a new life as Becka, an unhappily married mother of two, who is cheating on her husband with her husband's best friend. And when she is awake and not in the other world, she is a single mother, who is pregnant, and her best friend is in love with her.

Throughout the story, it explores Fiona as Becka, as she learns more about her husband, and falls for him and finds herself wishing for her dream life to be reality. Due to the heirloom "showing her what she wishes for", she also decides to give her best friend a chance (As normal Fiona), hoping that this is what she is meant to do.

This book was so well written and well-paced, and the descriptions of the scenery were so descriptive that it made it so easy to close my eyes and picture the scene itself.

Also, how dare you give us that emotional rollercoaster about 80%-90% through the book.

I've heard that the next book is based around Max, and I will be keeping both eyes wide open waiting to see that that book has dropped. Even though I had a feeling that he would not be who the FMC would end up with, I still became emotionally invested in his story and hoping for a happy ending for him.

I will fight for this book until the end of the world. I went into this, not having read any other book by this author, but after this book, I will be adding the rest of the series to my TBR and adding this author to my following list. I was first drawn in by the cover, which is stunning, and then the synopsis, which is a concept that I have not read about before.

I am fascinated by Sarah Ready’s mind. Every single one of the books in this series has gone a different way than I initially thought it would and I’ve enjoyed the journey SO much. It felt like Sarah was saying ‘just trust me on this,’ taking me by the hand, and creating a beautiful garden for me to explore and overanalyse the paradoxes of.
And the tension in the audiobook narration?? I spent a good portion of this book being like ‘is X bad thing going to happen?’ And I was wrong every time - everything fell into place in the most satisfying way and Fi’s love story was arguably my favourite in the series to date.

Thank you NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and Sarah Ready for is EARC in exhange for an honest review.

Fated is the third book in the Ghosted series, but can be read as a standalone.

Here we have Fiona, a busy boss woman, who has lost sight of what she wants from life. Until she is given the opportunity to find what her heart most desires.

When her dreams leak into her reality, she begins to understand what she finally wants. Because in the end, it’s not fate, it’s just a dream.

This book! I was so gripped and invested in the Fi's adventures. I would love to see this as a film. Sarah Ready's writing is great, it is so beautifully written. I could picture all the settings and was emersed into the dream world.

A great message - Believe in the power of your dreams!!

3.5 stars. Audiobook ARC.

Fated was okay. I preferred the previous books in the series of standalones. This felt out of sync as it goes back before Ghosted as a sort of prequel.

I'm not a big fan of the FMC/MMC with kids trope. And it didn't really explain where the real Becca went while Fi had taken over.

It was a slow start but I did find it enjoyable for the most part even though the mundane is overly described. But it had an interesting premise.

“I don’t trust easily, I’ve learned a long time ago that if you don’t trust then you’ll live a lonely life. You have to choose. You can trust or you can die alone. I chose trust” Sarah Ready’s stories are full of emotions, feelings, plot twists you never see coming and a magic that keep you reading until the end. Fated is Fiona and Aaron impossible story. They meet in a dream that feels so real that they can’t help but fall in love even if they are worlds apart. The audiobook with Shakira Shute brings the story and their characters magically real. The narration tugs at your heart and you can’t help but fall in love with all of them.

I love this series from Sarah Ready, the magical realism is written in vivid detail, I kept getting lost in this world. The execution was perfect. Three potential love interests that are eliminated one by one as the story goes on, it was such a fun time getting to know these men and realizing they weren’t it.

Fated by Sarah Ready
NetGalley Audiobook
Narrated by Shakira Shute
Overall: 5
Narration: 4
Spice: 3

I am in love with this book.

Fiona Abrey and her brother Daniel have worked together to revitalize their family watch business in Geneva, Switzerland. With a successful business, strong relationship with her brother, a happy 8 year old daughter, and her best friend Max, Fiona has everything she could dream of - except for a love life. Her busy life doesn’t leave much room for love and her past experiences have her avoiding it at all costs. After a traumatic experience, Fiona’s mom gives her a family heirloom watch that is said to have the magical property of showing you your greatest desire. It shows you this in your dreams. While skeptical, Fiona gives it a try and soon finds herself on a secluded tropical island and married with two kids. She greatly enjoys her time on the island and finds herself falling in love with her dream husband, but what is the point of falling in love with a man who isn’t real . . . or is he?

I had previously read Sarah Ready’s book Switched and loved it, so I was excited for this one. It did not disappoint and I felt it was even better! I’ll be reading the first book in this series, Ghosted, as soon as possible. I don’t want to say too much in my review so I don’t give anything away as I was happy that the marketing blurb did not give much away as I read the book and it revealed things very differently than I had expected. The unique approach and the subsequent twists and turns made it a book that was hard to put down/hit stop. If you’ve read any of my previous reviews, you know that I love my romance with a bit of magic and Fated definitely delivered in that area. It was also a book that kept you thinking about the perspectives of the different characters and what you would do in their shoes. The chemistry between Fiona and her dream husband is palpable with just one steamy scene on the pages. Any author that has me crying and questioning the HEA is a winner and Ready definitely had me worried and wondering how it could all work out. I laughed, I cried, I worried – this one is an emotional journey, but well worth the adventure. I will recommend this book to everyone I know and will be reading more by Ready.

First off my heart is so full right now it could burst, no exaggeration! I am a massive fan of Sarah’s anyway so of course when I was accepted to be an arc reader thanks to the lovely folks of NetGalley I was ecstatic. This book made me feel so many emotions and around the 70% mark oh my gosh I’m telling you I was a mess 😂take that how you will but my goodness my heart was shattering and I couldn’t seem to breathe but in the best way because when a book makes you feel an emotion so strongly isn’t that the pinnacle of a good book? When it feels like you should just be able to reach out to the characters to catch up with them, to see how they are. Let me tell you when it ended I was baffled because I needed more, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of Sarah’s writing truly and this story was no exception I cannot wait to reread this already! And oh my goodness I cannot wait for the next instalment, if you’re looking for a fun and emotional read that will make you swoon and just fall head over heels in love, this is it. We have Arron the mmc who is just an absolute cinnamon roll and golden retriever boy! I truly adore this story and all it talks about a single mum! Amazing the story of fate, it’s such a beautiful thing! 5/5 amazing!

I love this series and this book captured my heart right along with the first two. Fiona is an incredibly resilient single mom, living a hectic life, and helping her brother run her family's Swiss watch company. With the help of an heirloom pocket watch and a little magic she dreams herself into her fantasy life. I loved the combination of her two lives and the way Sarah brought the dreamscape into reality. I wasn't sure how this one was going to end, and it was perfection wrapping up all loose ends with a bow. The audiobook was a fantastic way to read this novel and the narrator did a great job bringing this story to life.

4.5⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Ghosted #3
Others in the series ~ Ghosted, Switched
Setting ~ Geneva, Switzerland
Publication date ~ July 16, 2024
Est Page Count ~ 437 (p+ 58 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 13 hours 36 minutes
Narrator ~ Shakira Shute
POV ~ single 1st
Featuring ~ magical dreams, time travel, minimal steamage, cheating (maybe?)

My favorite of the series!

Fiona is a single mother and works herself to the bone at the family's watch business. When she's given a family heirloom she never thought it would transport her into another time where things are simple, but the feelings from there are hardly that.

Obviously you need to think outside of the box here since half the story is in her dream state, but I loved the idea of a magic watch that makes dreams feel like a reality. The description of the island was quite lovely. Aaron was quite lovely, too. My heart broke for him a couple of times.

We’ve got Max in the present and Aaron and Robert in the dream, so I'm wondering if it’s considered cheating and a love quadrangle? I don’t know, but probably not.

I really enjoyed Fiona and Daniel's sibling bond. I don't have a sibling myself, but their relationship is one I would like to have if I had one.

Overall, well written and delightful.

Series notes:
Fiona is the sister of Daniel from book 1, but otherwise I'd say perfectly fine as a standalone. No sign of Jillian, Daniel's wife, so I guess this one takes place before that one. No sign of book 2 characters.

Narration notes:
I am very happy with the narration. I thought she did a lovely job of bringing a voice to each character.

When I saw Sarah Ready came out with another book in her Ghosted series I knew I had to get it immediately. I have adored the whole series, between her quirky characters and the interesting magical realism spin on a modern love story.

Fated moved slower than the first two, but not necessarily in a bad way. In a way you should expect to dive into these characters and live with for a while. Fiona (Fi) has one life, as a busy exec for a famous Swiss watch company, and yet dreams every night of another life, married to a kind man on the island. The slow unwinding of this mystery is so sweet, as are the frantic moments when Fi realizes what she should do to save the man she loves. By the end of the book, I was invested in these characters and felt every bitter-sweet moment as the two lovers were brought together and torn apart over time and place.

I would recommend Ready to anyone I know who loves a deep romance with a little magic thrown in.

Book: Fated
Tropes: forced proximity, time travel, soulmates, adult romance.
There is some spice in this book. I had to skip about 4 times.
My rating: 4.25⭐️

Okay, this book was so good! I absolutely loved it and I 100% recommended if you enjoy time travel and romance. I loved reading the parts about her dreams and seeing her two lives. There were moments where I was sad and almost cried. This was an audiobook. I think that if I would have read the book physically, I would have been bawling my eyes out because I would have spent so much more time with the characters. I do recommend both the audiobook and the physical copy. This story was just so beautiful and some of the quotes on here were just so good. I wish I could highlight them. I highly recommend this book! 🩷🥹

I have no words to explain how much I loved this book! I didn’t think it could top book one or book two but it did! It was beautiful! So addictive, so emotional, so romantic! Once again, I wasn’t disappointed!!! I’m so thankful I got to listen to it! The narrators were perfect as always

This book was fantastic! Honestly I have been waiting for this book to come up on NetGalley because I know I will enjoy anything Sarah Ready writes.

Fiona is a woman who loves elements of her life. She loves her daughter, her job, and friends in her life but what she doesn't love is her love life. When a lost heirloom reenters her life she finds herself living a completely different life and person. Before she knows it she doesn't know which life is the life she is meant to live.

This book was magical. I LOVED it. This whole series has been one that twists super natural elements with romance and drama in such a fantastic way. I think anyone who enjoys a romance with a bit of magic would love this series. I could not put this book down and I will definitely read whatever this author puts out.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wonders what if when thinking about different paths they would have taken in life. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I got this book as an ALC and I was soo amazed by it!
I wasn’t expecting to like it this much, honestly. At first I was like: I’m not into fantasy. But this is not really a fantasy book. This is a romance book. And when romance is involved, everything is possible.
Fiona needs to start dreaming again and a simple watch helps her do it. The rest I’ll let you find out, but let me tell you this: the end? I wasn’t expecting it!! I wanted that ending for her, obviously, but I wasn’t expecting it that way. ❤️

"this is my dream, I'm going to taste of love" (Fated).

Thank You NetGalley for an ARC of the Audiobook. All the opinions shared are my own.

Sarah, you were right, this story only got better with Shakira Shute narrating as Fiona. It was incredible in print, but out of this world as an audiobook. Fiona was brought to life by Shakira Shute and I was transported to the streets of Geneva and the beaches of her dream island as I listened!

I was so quickly hooked by Fated! I couldn't wait to see how this adventure played out and how the HEA came about and what it looked like. There were twists and turns aplenty! This book will keep you guessing and keep you on our toes. It was a wonderfully wild ride. Sarah always leaves me hungry for more in the best way possible!

It's amazing to me how differently each of Sarah's books makes me feel, they are each unique and that makes them all the better. She captures a unique voice and tone for each narrator/main character, it's amazing. I love the cast of characters in Fated so much and I think you will too. Like all the best romances, I loved watching our heroine heal and open her heart, to find a forever fulfilling kind of love and find the hero that makes her the best version of herself as she helps him be the best version of himself.

"we're all a thousand layers making up a single life" (Fated).

I have loved so many of Sarah's characters in all of their layers, I have said that Josh and Gemma are my favorites, but I think it is time to stop trying to decide who I love most and just say I LOVE the characters Sarah creates and the stories she tells. I love how they stretch and grow and discover themselves. I love how they connect and support each other. I love how they inspire each other and see the value of their friends and family and community. Do yourself a favor, go read Fated and then everything else Sarah has written.