AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

A romance novelist stumbles on the man of her dreams, but she must reckon with reality before finding her own happy ending.

After spending a childhood in foster homes, Gaia Anders is overdue for a miracle. So, just as she enters adulthood, Gaia develops an extremely unusual ability: When she writes romantic stories during the day, she lives them that night in her dreams: "Every word, every detail came to life whenever she fell asleep." Not only that, but any tweaks she makes in her dreams automatically write themselves into her stories. Gaia uses her magical gifts to write authentic and heartwarming romance novels that wind up on bestseller lists. It works like a charm for more than a decade—until she bumps into her best friend Seth’s brother, the perennially busy Jacob Scott. They share a kiss and part ways, but their encounter is far from over: Jacob begins to share Gaia’s dreams. While they titillate and excite each other in intense dreams, their actual conversations force them to face several truths. Gaia is struggling with a deep-seated fear of abandonment, and Jacob has been miserably unhappy since taking over the reins of his father’s business. Jacob and Gaia must learn what it means to fight for their individual dreams if they are to have a real future together. The paranormal element in this love story is mostly fun and sometimes muddling, but Beharrie weaves her best magic when she unpacks the ways the protagonists’ minds and hearts work. Jacob and Gaia’s interactions are consistently compelling, and their internal struggles evoke empathy. But Seth’s sharp disapproval of Gaia’s closeness with Jacob, which throws a wrench into several relationships, is inadequately explained, the reasons for his outburst deeply unconvincing. Gaia’s relationship with romance novels allows Beharrie to tug at the threads of the genre’s long journey through changing times and doff her hat to its many charms.

A sweet reminder of the connections between love and magic.