My appreciation to Amber Stokes, the author, for a free copy in exchange for my honest opinion. *Though I offer this review to the public, it is my opinion and simply that. Overall, While You’re Awake is a sweet story that lived up to its title (and cover design!) I can say that I’m fully satisfied with this one! Clearly, you can’t g wrong with small-town romance if you put your heart to it as a writer! Whether reading professionally or not, I look out for this so that I’m fully grounded in the scene moments surrounding a character that an author tries to portray. The sense of time and space, most especially time, was exquisitely accomplished. Of worthy mention is the adeptly crafted setting. This is not a quality you find with most novellas out there. This is what I adore about Stoke’s work! She manages to always give a story the full ingredients that it deserves, no matter how short she intends it to be. Though a fast and easy read, which I read in one sitting, it doesn’t fall short of any element that makes a well put-together novella. This is a story that shows that love can find you anywhere, even if God has to use bees to do it (very funny, I know!) it’s also one that shows that all kinds of fear can be overcome albeit by the power of love and healthy companionship. This sweet novelette is a contemporary re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that sheds light on the worries that bind us and the love that leads to peace. But is it possible to conquer nightmares and live a dream while you’re awake?

Together with his German shepherds, Sun and Moon, he sets out to break the “curse” that hovers over Tired Girl. When he meets Ava at the coffee shop where he works, he can’t help but come to her rescue. And with their arrival, her lifelong fear morphs into a full-fledged panic that steals her sleep-and her peace of mind. Just when she’s settled into a place of her own, freelance editing and savoring her independence, her rental house is invaded by a swarm of honey bees.

While You're Awake by Amber Stokes