Merry Dawn Venture, two years past "the big four-o" and still single, realizes her life is "as aimless as the random patterns of confetti" she always throws into the air on her birthday. On occasion, Merry has dinner-and-drinks with Shellie, Gloria, and Caprice, her three acquaintances (Merry Dawn Venture does not have close friends). None of them would notice Merry in a crowd, but as clients of the decorator studio Merry manages, they all agree that she is one lonely woman and invite her to join them. On their nights of "whine and wine," Merry listens to them bemoan the lack of quality single men while she silently wonders, "Will there ever be someone in my life?" Merry is successful in her career but sees her work world as the "alter ego of her otherwise uneventful existence"--at least until Randy Grant reenters her life. Charming, handsome, sometimes aloof, and often a complete mystery to Merry, is he destined to be just another client (albeit a wealthy one), or could there be something more . . . ? Barbara Shorr's luscious novel, Mansion Dreams, is jam-packed with rich detail and evocative images of Merry's life in a small New England town. Her descriptive narrative of Merry's introduction to the glorious island of Palm Beach, along with genuine and believable characters, will draw you in and hold you until the satisfying and entirely delightful conclusion.