This is my second novel by Sarah Ready. I love her creativity and ability to craft a story that exists beyond time and location. I really enjoyed reading her novel, Switched, but I struggled with this one.

Fiona Abrey is a businesswoman and single mother with no time for love or life’s simple pleasures. When she falls asleep with a magical watch, however, she’s transported to a “dream life” on an isolated island. In this dream life, she’s a married mother of two, and her husband is, of course, a gorgeous hunk.

I think what made this story hard for me was not that Fiona lived her “real life” side by side with her “dream life.” It’s that she supposedly lives in two different bodies. Dream-life Fiona is given the body of a selfish woman who plans to abandon her family and take off with her husband’s best friend. Her dream body also looks nothing like her real-life body. A large part of the story, Fiona is falling in love with her hunky dream-life husband and having him fall in love with her, but when she wakes up in reality and returns back to her dream life, she finds that without her “spirit” (for lack of a better word) her dream-life body and its original persona has treated Aaron and their children horribly. Poor Aaron then seems to be living with a woman with split personalities: this woman is attracted to me and (eventually) loves me, but this woman also rejects me and wants to leave me immediately. As a reader, this made me feel horrible and interfered with the “magic” of the story.

Overall, this was still a good read. I may just be sensitive to angst and stress, which were more prevalent in this storyline than in Switched. Although this is book 3 in a series, it stands alone. The audiobook narrator did an excellent job and pacing was good. (I listen at 1.5x speed.) I’ve already started book 4 and am excited to see Max Barone (the amazing man Fiona rejects in her “real life”) get his happily-ever-after.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

"Fated" is another great addition to Sarah Ready's Ghosted series.

In this installment, which works fine as a standalone story, Fiona Abry is finding it hard to open herself up to love. After being abandoned by both her mother and the father of her child, she simply doesn't trust love. She sees it as a painful thing that makes life harder, not a wonderful thing that makes life beautiful.

When she is shot during her family's annual Christmas gala by a stranger for no reason that anyone can surmise, she is plagued by nightmares that make living that much more challenging. But then her mother appears with a long-lost watch that has been part of her family's history and is supposed to have the ability to make its owner's dreams come true. Her mother gives her the watch in the hopes of helping Fiona regain her happiness and her ability to trust and perhaps even love.

Over the next several months, she finds herself living a dual life. She is still Fiona Abry by day, mother, sister and friend. But by night, she is someone called Becky who lives on a remote island and has a complicated marriage as well as two kids.

She realizes that her dream life is part of the watch's gift to her; granting her the ability to learn to trust and love in an environment that's not real. The problem is, the more she allows herself to love her "husband," McCormack, the more she realizes she doesn't want to live her life without him.

But how do you make a dream become reality?

Sarah Ready has that all figured out; thank you very much. And her excellent storytelling skills draw you in and keep you reading. Keep them coming! I love this series.

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

I really enjoy Sarah Ready's captivating story telling - the moderm paranormal/magical romances are so fun! Fated is an installment in the Ghosted Series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I'd absolutely recommend the series!
The narrator did a fantastic job, I'd definitely recommend as a listen!
Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and NetGalley for this ALC.

I’m a huge fan of Sarah Ready’s books! Her storytelling is off the charts and when I read her books I’m always transported to another world. This series is very different from what I typically read. You definitely have to suspend reality and just go with the flow.

What I loved:
🩷characters from previous books
🧡can be read as a standalone (but don’t)
🩵magical realism/romance
💙descriptive writing (setting/characters/food)
💜great narration


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ALC of Fated by Sarah Ready. I already have her next book, Wished, up next.

Fated is the third book in the Ghosted series. This was my first book in this series.

I love audiobooks and enjoyed Shakira Shute as the narrator. This book was very slow in the beginning and it took me a while to get into this book.
The story is about Fiona who is given a family heirloom that is thought to make your dreams come true. She is then transported to a completely different life.

Stars: 3/5

Thank you to Sarah Ready, Swift Lewis Publishing LLC, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Pub Date: 7/16
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Fated is book number 3 in the Ghosted series. I was super excited to read this one after enjoying the first two in the series.
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This story focuses on Fiona, a single mom, who owns a watch business with her Brother. When given a family heirloom that is rumored to make your dreams a reality, while skeptical, Fiona gives it a try.
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I had a bit of a hard time getting into this story. I am not going to lie, I started and put this to the side a few times. I finally pushed through and found this to be a really cute and unique story. I liked the characters, but I am not going to lie, it bothered me at how easily Fiona was able to fall in love with this “dream mans” children while simultaneously forgetting her own real life child….
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I found this to be very very slow paced. But I probably really got into this story towards the end where there was the big reveal/twist. I absolutely love where Ready went with this one, I was not expecting that one bit. The ending was perfection!
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I listened to this one via audiobook. It was narrated by Shakira Shute, who did a fantastic job. I’m super happy I had an audiobook of this otherwise I cant say that I would have finished it.
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Out of the three in the series this was my least favorite but I am super excited to read the 4th in the series! To my romance fans - you will probably eat this up, as I think I am more of an outlier in my review! Check this out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing and Sarah Ready for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

First I like to thank NetGalley, the
Author, and the Publisher for this ARC.

I needed some time to get into this, although the narrative and the story were intriguing, I felt like it was a very slow pace, and for me, it could have been more spicy.
That is not to say that this isn't a beautiful romance with cleverly timed surprises and a heartwarming ending.

I did read/listened to the audiobook, wich is probably the reason why I couldn't get into it, but it is also the reason why I completed it. If I had read the paperback, it would have been a DNF form me.
The audiobook is 13 hours and 36 minutes.

I did do a couple of facepalms since I find certain things very obvious. Like say, someone just "saved" you from drowning in the ocean, and they kiss you, their lips are OBVIOUSLY going to taste like salt...
But hey,.... That might just be me....

The setting and decor are gorgeousy described. And it made me want to pack my bags and go to Geneva.

I do think this can be read as a standalone, however, I'm currently reading "Wished", wich takes place after, during and before the events of "Fated", Atleast that is my understanding. So they do intertwine.

Enjoyed it nonetheless.

I am loving this series. Sarah Ready takes some of the situations we only dream of and brings them to life on the page. I can't wait for more!

As someone who has never tried an audiobook I was pleasantly suprised with how easy it was to get lost in this story and listen and follow along with it.

The person speaking on the audio book had a captivating and easy voice which I feel really helped me get into the book as I think this could be crucial to my level of enjoyment otherwise.

‘I’m in love with a dream, with a man who isn’t real,and there isn’t any coming back from it’
A powerful yet endearing line from the book, if this doesn’t make you want to read it I don’t know what will x

I just love this series! The mysticism, the characters, the storylines....it's all just perfect!

Fiona's story is a clever twisty one that requires you to suspend reality in your mind a bit which is no problem for me. I love a good mystical read. It's the way the author wove all the different pieces of this story together and made them connect and ultimately make sense that was truly impressive.

All along Fiona is falling in love in her dreams with a man that she doesn't believe is real. But is she right? Is he simply a dream man? Or is he the man she is fated to be with?

This story is just so good and I loved everything about it. This series just keeps getting better and better.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The narrator for the audiobook did a stellar job and really made you feel immersed in the storyline. 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for early copies of both the ebook and audiobook.

Fated is a sweet story that plays with dreams and reality while offering up a lovely romance. Sarah Ready has provided yet another romance with more substance than your average beach read.

Shakira Shute did a lovely job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Sarah Ready, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book gave me all the Hallmark movie vibes I was hoping for! Fiona and Aaron are literally dream goals!! This is the 3rd book in the series however it can be read as a standalone. Definitely worth the read if you have or have not read the other books in the series.

Fated by Sarah Ready was a cute and emotional contemporary romance with a little drop of magic. I won't say much about the plot to avoid spoilers but this was an adorable romance with quirky characters that I absolutely adored. Our fmc is meeting a man in her dreams and falling in love. It's such an emotional ride to watch her want to dream more and more even though she knows it's fated to never last. The audiobook is narrated by Shakira Shute and I really liked her voice for the role.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest.

In this book, Fiona owns (with her brother) a family watch business in Geneva. She's very busy as a single mother and businesswoman. When she's given a family heirloom that claims to make dreams come true, she is skeptical, but that night, she dreams of an alternate life married living on a tropical island with her husband and two children. The book alternates between Fiona's real life and her dream life. She loves both lives, but eventually must make a choice. You must go to the end before you'll know how this turns out. What a great mix of fantasy and romance, sure to bring tears to your eyes at various points. Love, love, love this book! One of the best I've read all year. May there be many more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

I have enjoyed both book 1 and 2 in this Ghosted series and now with book 3 I am still loving this series. These books are great for those who love romance, time travel and contemporary fiction. These books would totally works as standalones too which is great - although I do recommend the series!

The narration was so expressive and truly made me feel like I was in their world. The authors writing was amazing and so poetic. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

The audiobook version of "Fated" is a total win! The story is packed with twists and cool supernatural vibes, but what really makes it shine is the narrator. They do an amazing job bringing the characters to life, giving each one a unique voice that keeps you totally engaged.

The pacing is spot-on, so you’re never bored, and the narrator keeps things interesting from start to finish. Sure, there are a few predictable moments, but honestly, the narration is so good that you won’t even mind. If you’re into audiobooks and love a bit of fantasy, "Fated" is definitely worth a listen!

I soft dnfed it I got about 50% in . There was. Nothing wrong with he book I just never continued it as it was a bit confusing for me . Her real life vs her dream life
Because of this I won’t rate it ( the 3 star is a placeholder : it was somewhat entertaining

The premises are always so out there, and even when they seem too far-fetched, I get hooked every single time. Sarah Ready is such a creative writer, there were twists in the book that I did not see coming. If you haven't read this series and you like rom-coms and sci-fi, this is a perfect mix.

First I would like to thank the publishers for providing me an ARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the story of Fiona, single mom and CEO, who after getting shot at a company/family Christmas party her mother gifts her with a family heirloom, a special watch, which was supposed to let you dream your greatest desires. Fiona decides to give it a try and is transported to a remote island where she is surrounded by complete strangers and they keep calling her by a different name. Once she figures this is the only place the watch will send her Fiona decides to embrace the experience and live this desire out to the fullest, especially connecting with her husband and children. As she spends more time in her dreams, she starts living to fall asleep to get back to it. She decides to give up this dream life and spend more time with her day time family/life but when she learns there people are real she needs to learn what she can about the watch and the possibility of finding her dream family.

What I Loved:
- Family heirloom, Fiona is from a family of watchmakers and I loved that this heirloom was a magic watch
- Dream life, I really enjoyed that Fiona's dream life was the complete opposite of her real life and the man of her dreams was an overall good man who loved his wife and kids
- Audiobook quality, I both read and listened to this book and the audiobook quality was just amazing with an amazing narrator who portrays the variety of characters so well
- Fiona's family, she is surrounded by her daughter, brother and best friend who anchor her to the waking world and are there to support and push her when necessary
- Twist, there is a great twist when it comes to the magic of this watch and I was not expecting the ending of this story

I really loved this book and it was such a unique take on a fantasy romance. There were so many amazing aspects of this story that just kept me hooked throughout and I didn't want it to end. If you are looking for a unique take on a romance story with great characters from different walks of life, with a fun magical element and overall great story then please go pick of this book. Every book in this series have been so well done and I hope there are more to come.