Before I begin my review, I would like to apologize for my very late update. During my time of absence, I have been under immense pressure to complete a large amount of work, and I could not find time to edit and complete my review. After this review, I will try my hardest to get all my reviews out on time.

Today I will be reviewing Dreams and Nightmares by RainbowCat. I would like to start by saying that romance novels have never really been my jam, so please bear with me as you look through the eyes of a romance novel cynic. Dreams and Nightmares is about an abused foster child named Scarlet, who was set free from her foster parent named Ric by the people going after him. She faces many inner struggles as she realizes that people are much kinder than they seem.

One of the things that I particularly dislike in romance novels is the stereotypes that plague many of them. Most of this story didn't have an abundance of stereotypes, but the prologue was definitely afflicted with them. The she-waited-for-something-to-happen-for-most-of-her-life-but-it-never-happens-so-she-stopped-waiting stereotype, the this-isn’t-a-story-about-this-its-a-story-about-this stereotype, and the It-all-started-on-a-quiet-morning,-they-never-knew-what-would-happen-to-them, stereotype. Common stereotypes like these tend to make the plot uninteresting to a reader. I was once told by a very close friend of mine, 'Stereotypes are reusable tension grabbers; they may hook your reader, but they do not make you seem like a good writer.' I have seen many authors use the same stereotypes repeatedly, which ruins the reading experience from the reader's perspective. Not only that, but stereotypes can cause a degradation of respect towards the author who uses them. I feel that Dreams and Nightmares has multifarious potential, but its stereotypes are holding the story down.

So far, the characters in Dreams and Nightmares are well developed. Developing characters from the start is a great tactic to use when writing a novel because it leaves space for a later change of understanding for readers. Well developed characters help a story unfold; An example of this would be how Scarlet (the main character) has faced a lot of trauma in her past. With this prior knowledge of this trauma, the author could cause an event that forces Scarlet to deal with the after-effects of her abuse. Character development really helps a story progress well and can create a sense of reality in them. With a bit of improvement and characters as well-developed as these, RainbowCat can definitely create something astounding.

The literature in Dreams and Nightmares needs improvement, but RainbowCat has a lot of potential. So far, the writing is a bit raw; some of the wording is incorrect and unpolished. An example of this is in Chapter Two, where RainbowCat wrote, "Scarlet looks down on her hands and thanks Mary. Why is this woman so nice to her?" These sentences aren’t well written. Instead of writing, "Scarlet looks down on her hands and thanks Mary," the author could write something like 'Scarlet looks at her hands and thanks Mary,’ maybe adding a few describing words to help the audience visualize the scene better. RainbowCat could also replace "Why is this woman so nice to her?" with 'Scarlet was surprised at the profound respect and kindness shown by this woman,' or ‘Why is this woman nice to me, Scarlet thought as Mary left the room.’ Wording and grammar are vital to any story. If the writing is messy or jumbled, it can confuse a reader, and as I have said in many of my previous reviews, confusion is very detrimental to any story. If RainbowCat improves grammar and wording, it will create a positive difference in Dreams and Nightmares.

When I read a romance novel, it usually focuses on the romance (which it should, but my cynicism for romance novels continues). If I do read one, I like to have a secondary genre unrelated to romance. For many people whose favorite genre is other than romance (aka. Me), it is nice to have a secondary genre to create tension in the story. This excess drama draws a greater audience to the story and creates more interest in it. Dreams and Nightmares has an outline of mafia/espionage sort of thing going, which leads to a much more interesting love story. When writing a romance novel, it is valuable to consider a secondary genre, but it is not necessary. I would like to state that while I may not like the use of only romance in a story, many people do. RainbowCat did a great job of thinking through this novel, and this secondary plot is interesting.

The romance genre is one of the most ‘looked down upon’ genres. While reading romance is not my thing, with a bit of polishing, Dreams and Nightmares can go from good to great. While this story may not be for people like me, people who love romance novels and the romance genre will absolutely love Dreams and Nightmares.