Don't Wake Me If I'm Dreaming by J E Chaney

Don't Wake Me If I'm Dreaming 
by J E Chaney


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite 


Have you ever had a dream so real and vivid that you thought it was real? Most people don't, but Sasha does, and from what she has learned, so did her mother. The problem is that no one talked about them, and so she thinks she is going crazy. When her latest dream is about her best friend, she gets so scared that she finally tells her about the dreams. Amiee talks her into going to the doctor, and although Sasha is reluctant, she goes for Amiee's sake. She expects to be told she's crazy, but when the doctor seems to take her seriously and sends her to a specialist, Sasha isn't sure what to think. Of course the specialists isn't anything that logical, cool, rational Sasha is ready for. The doctor is a small Japanese woman who listens to Sasha and presents her with an ancient legend as fact. That she is dreaming the future and it is a gift, not a curse, given to her so that she can possibly change the outcomes. Don't Wake Me If I'm Dreaming is the complex story of Sasha's life after the meeting with the doctor. What occurs is anything but normal, and how she processes and deals with what the doctor tells her influences her behavior. Author J. E. Chaney develops a twisted story that leaves you wondering at times what is real and what is just a dream.

Don't Wake Me If I'm Dreaming is a complex book in a number of ways. There is the mother-daughter relationship that Sasha and her mother Ella had, and the secret of the dreams that her mother kept from her, that keeps her from trusting people with the truth. Then there is the father-daughter relationship and her father's anger still, all these years later that he places at the feet of Ella's aunt, for her fear of talking about her dreams. If this whole family had dealt with the original dreams of Ella differently, it would be a completely different book. Author J. E. Chaney takes the dysfunction of this family, and uses it to create a story that hinges on secrets and hiding. Sooner or later, the secrets will ruin any relationship. This was a complex book that had me laughing and crying the whole way through. There were times I didn't know what was dream and what was reality, and so I completely understood the breakdown of Ella. It is so worth the time, to read and enjoy this book. It is a very clean book, there is some alluded to sex, but no real descriptions, and no violence. I feel comfortable recommending it to any age reader.

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The Short Life of Sparrows by Emm Cole BOOK REVIEW

The Short Life of Sparrows
by Emm Cole

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite 

Tucked away in the valley between the mountains is a village, well a coven really of Seer's and their male counterpart Nightblood's. Isaiah answers an advertisement for a handyman for the summer to work in the coven, even though he is just an Ordinary. Calli is getting ready for her Awakening on her eighteenth birthday. This is the day that she will see her first dream, or nightmare. Rowe is the Nightblood playboy that seems to be attached to Calli, and Calli is determined not to be swayed by his charms. The Short Life of Sparrows tells the story of the summer of Calli's eighteenth year. How she deals with the nightmares that she see's, how she interacts with Isaiah, and Rowe. It also tells us more about Rowe and Isaiah. We also learn the relationship between the Seer's and the Nightblood's and how they work apart but together. +Emm Cole  gives a wonderful coming of age tale for everyone.

The Short Life of Sparrows is a paranormal novel of magic and family, albeit a completely different kind of family. All the women live in the Coven, and they are Seer's, and all the men live in a camp on the mountain and they are Nightblood's. +Emm Cole  give a the reader a unique family setup in this novel. The use of magic also requires something, so there is a cost in using it. There is also a cost to lies, and they never turn out to be worth their costs. It's a coming of age and deciding what they must do, follow in the family footsteps or leave and find something new. This is a great book for teens, young adults and adults.

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Dream Killing by Magus Tor BOOK REVIEW

Dream Killing 
by Magus Tor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Drew is an ex-CIA agent, who finds himself in a complex killing game each night in his sleep. Starting the night he first uses the new alarm clock he won in a raffle at the local coffee shop.

Max is a kindergarten teacher who has been in the game for awhile and wants nothing more than to get out. She and Drew are introduced in the real world by a mutual friend, T who is also playing the game.

As the three try to work together to stay alive and get out, T turns up dead. Drew and Max think there is something more to his death, and start looking into it. As they delve deeper, Drew renews his CIA connections and brings Max along, and together they make an excellent team.

There is mild romance between Drew and Max, but its nothing much. Mostly the book is focused on the killing game, the complex technology that it would take to produce such a game and to run the game, and who would want to do such a thing. There are twists and turns at every chapter.

It is well written and easy to read. Great for all readers.

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Neria (The Future Demon Huntress, #1) by A.S. Johnson BOOK REVIEW

Neria
The Future Demon Huntress, Book One
by A.S. Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .

Neria thinks she is just a normal high school student, except that she has weird dreams. Her mom thinks they should talk to the priest at school. Neria The Future Demon Huntress reveals that what she really is, much to her disbelief is a demon hunter. This takes some getting used to and she has to deal with the fact that her life is being planned out for her, without her consent. Kellar is an older boy at school that she has a crush on, but what she doesn't know to begin with is that he knows she is a demon hunter and it is his job to protect her. She will deal with a budding relationship with Kellar, then the fact that he knew more about her than she did and can she still trust him. A.S. Johnson writes a paranormal novel of the life of a demon hunter, but it is also steeped in the Catholic faith and exorcisms. It is definitely not your typical paranormal novel.

The ability of A.S. Johnson to take a paranormal concept of a demon hunter and place her into the middle of the Catholic church, surrounded by high level church people is a new and different concept in paranormal novels. The main characters are high school students, so it is a great young adult book, but that being said even as an adult I found it worth the time to read. Neria The Future Demon Huntress has romance between Neria and Kellar, training through the church, and the future of the world in the paranormal hunter concept. It touches on so many planes that the novel is extremely realistic.

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The Future Demon Huntress
Book One - Neria

The Vampire Empress Chronicles
Book One - Caroline's Path
Book Two - Charlotte's Journey

Other Books - Not in a series
Orion
Native Nights: Roxanna

Arielle: Immortal Awakening (Immortal Rapture, #1) by Lilian Roberts BOOK REVIEW

Arielle: Immortal Awakening
Immortal Rapture Series, Book One
by Lilian Roberts

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .

Arielle has always been a bit different, she can read the mids of some people. Aside from that, she has searched, never really dating all that much, looking for a prue and true love, one that resembles that in her favorite novel. Sebstain is far from normal and her knows it, but he has spent his entire life looking for the one person her can truly love. While Arielle is on vacation, Sebstain spots her and knows that she is the one, but it takes him almost two months to work up the courage to talk to her. Now he can't imagine life without her, there is only one problem. Arielle is a human and Sebstain is immortal. How will Arielle take the news, and how will Sebstain keep her safe from another immortal that has vowed to destory all he loves? Lilian Roberts gives us a new and differnt paranormal story, no vampires but immortals and blends it with a deep and immediate love story. Arielle Immortal Awakening is the first book in a series that will follow Arielle and Sebastain to hopefully answer the qestions.

Arielle Immortal Awakening is scheduled to be the first book in a series, and be forewarned, it does end on a bit of a teaser, which will have you waiting impatiently for the next book. The idea of immortals has been around in stories with the vampires and other paranormal creatures, but there was always a price to their immortality, with vampires it was blood. That is not the case here, but yet there is a deep ad quick love that develops that results in trust questions only because of the speed in which they fall. Lilian Roberts has done a wonderful job in giving the reader a new look into the paranormal romance genre and this is defintely a book for those who are looking for a heart-stopping romance. Although it is a romance, it could actually be read by young adults as well as adults.

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Ancasta ~ Guide me Swiftly Home (The Riduna Series, 2) by Diana Jackson BOOK REVIEW

Ancasta ~ Guide me Swiftly Home
The Riduna Series, 2
by Diana Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite 

Ancasta is the continuation of the family saga that began in Riduna. Harriet is now a widow with four grown children. Edward is still traveling the seas enjoying his freedom. As the world starts to change and a war looms and progress, follow the former childhood friends and sweethearts as they deal with the ravages and realities of war in England. No one is untouched by the war, as Harriet will watch her twin sons both volunteer for service along with her daughter's husband. It will also be a time to reunite with old friends, Jane, that she had lost touch with who will become the steady rock of a friend that Harriet leaned on before she had Joe, and now with Joe gone, Jane will again become that rock. Diana Jackson doesn't pull any pushes with the tragidies and realities of the war and what it was like, still that does not diminish the glow of the story of a family once again facing the idea that dreams change and live goes on.

First Riduna and then Ancasta, these two books follow Harriet and Edward, who always thought their path in life would be together, but the realities of life was that it was not to be, finally in their retirement years are they able to realize that it wasn't them who changed but the world around them and the things than happened to them to make the dreams change. Diana Jackson weaves a story that is real and true and makes you feel that you are right there living it. It is a wonderful mix of the romance and realities of life with some of the technology advances of the historical time period of the novel. It is defintely a novel of moving on and never giving up, any reader will enjoy.

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Riduna (The Riduna Series, 1) by Diana Jackson BOOK REVIEW

Riduna 
The Riduna Series, 1
by Diana Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .

Harriet always thought she had her simple life planned out. She would grow up on Riduna, marry and raise a family never leaving her tiny island home. Sometimes dreams aren't enough to face the realities of life, and the harsh realities of life can change even the best of dreams. Edward grwe up next door to Harriet and he had always dreamed of traveling, going to sea and adventuring but he always thought he would come back to the safe port of home in Riduna, and Harriet. When tragedies occur and Edward is far at sea and nowhere to be the rock that Harriet needs, his cousin Joe becomes her rock and protector. Riduna follows these three people through life and the developments of the world and war and all the changes that occur to change all of their dreams. Diana Jackson does a wonderful job of giving a family saga that touches your heart with love and heartache. You become involved in the family and want to know more and want to see what occurs.

Riduna is such a small island, but among the friends we met in the beginng, some can't wait to leave, some can never see leaving, and some who never planned to leave find things that they have no control over can change even the best of plans. Diana Jackson is a great writer and develops a wonderful story that has you feeling part of the lives of these people. You can almost imagine yourself on the island of Riduna right in their lives. There are historical events that truly occured mixed into the story that makes it feel even more real, and like this could really be someone's actual life. This is a great book, the first of two book in the series, and would be a wonderful read for anyone of interest.

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Bloodstone - Deep Water: Book One by Jeffrey Aaron Miller BOOK REVIEW

Bloodstone - Deep Water: Book One
by Jeffrey Aaron Miller


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .


In the world of Jeffrey Aaron Miller's imagination there is a small village that lays nestled in the valley surrounded by mountains. Over the years, the village has isolated itself and cut itself off from the outside world. The idea was for protection, but soon they are to learn that it did not work. Jaren is a young man, bored with life in the isolated village. Arelas is a merchants daughter, one day a large team of horse-mounted knights ride into the village, only to destroy it completely. Jaren and Arelas are able to escape through a hidden cave. Bloodstone follows them as they travel from town to town, only to find that the knights have been there and destroyed it too, looking for people. A dying stranger gives them some answers to what is going on, and they set out on a quest to stop the madness.

Bloodstone gives you the feel of a old-world tale, with knights and villages surrounded by walls, and most people traveling by foot. This feeling makes is easy to envision this world where a small bit of magic has turned a King and his Knights mad with power and greed. Jeffrey Aaron Miller gives us a hero in a young boy, probably around 16 to 18 years old and the daughter of a merchant close to the same age as a heroine. As they travel the world looking for answers, they find themselves in much more than they bargained for. The story was well written and kept my attention throughout, although I have to admit that I did not enjoy the sudden end to the book, as it is book one. I do want to read the next book now, so I am sure that was the intention. This book would be great for all readers, and with the ages of the characters, even young adults and teens would be able to relate and enjoy the story.


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Dream Child by J.J. DiBenedetto BOOK REVIEW

Dream Child
by J.J. DiBenedetto


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite 

Dr. Sara Alderson is in the middle of her residency, and she hasn't had a dream that needed her interference since her first year of med school. Just when she is about to believe that they have disappeared from her life forever, she gets the biggest shock of her life as she discovers her four-year-old daughter Lizzie has inherited her gift too. Dream Child follows Lizzie's dreams as she meets a new friend on the train to Washington DC for the week, and ends up dreaming about him. Sara and Brian have to calm Lizzie's fears and at the same time work to figure out what her dreams mean. This time Sara is more willing to reach out to other people in the family and allow them to know what is happening, instead of trying to do it completely by herself. J.J. DiBenedetto weaves this story around the children, not only Lizzie, but Sara is working in Pediatrics and a number of the patients on that floor are also introduced into the story as side stories, which are wonderful and heart-warming.

Dream Child is the third book in J.J. DiBenedetto's Dreams series of Cozy Mysteries about Sara, who can see other peoples dreams. It is a light-hearted and fun mystery that is an easy read. Sara has grown up, but there are still times when she is quite flaky and unsure of herself, and yet other times in the book where she is strong and confident. Lizzie is suppose to be a four year old, but sounds much more like a six to eight year old. Also she is allowed to follow her mother around the hospital while she is on rounds during residency, which would never be allowed in any hospital. Then again it's a story, it's not meant to be real life. Being that this one of a series, you can actually read this book without having read the series. It doesn't refer back to the other books much and if it does, it gives you the information you need to understand what it is talking about. If you are into quirky, cozy mysteries then this is the book for you.


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Dream Doctor (Dreams, #2) by J.J. DiBenedetto BOOK REVIEW

Dream Doctor
by J.J. DiBenedetto


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**Reviewed for +Readers' Favorite .

Sara is getting married and staring med school, her husband Brian is going to finish his last year of undergraduate. What she really doesn't need is to be seeing other people's dreams, but that is just what happens to Sara every now and again. Dream Doctor follows Sara and a small group of friends through their first year of med school. At the same time Sara is having dreams, lots of dreams of someone murdering their professor. Actually it's not someone, it's lots of someone's and she can't figure out who is just dreaming about killing him and who is actually trying to kill him. J.J. DiBenedetto writes a humorous and quirky mystery as the clumsy med student tries to deal with not only the dreams about the professor, but the dreams of the neighbor next door and a few other close friends.
Dream Doctor is what I would call on of the new generation of cozy mystery stories. It is a lite, humorous and energetic take on the mystery idea all wrapped in the theme of the doctor, or med school in this case. Sara is a little hard to like at times. Sometimes she comes off bold and strong and other times she is mousy and unsure of herself. I find I like her much better when she is confident and secure. Sara occasional sees other people's dreams and sometimes that is fine, but sometimes she needs to do something about what she sees. J.J. DiBenedetto writes a unique concept in this regard, it's not every person she meets and it's not every night, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to why she sees the dreams she sees. For a light-hearted easy read this is a good book for that. If you like the cozy mystery sub-genre you will like this book.

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Wayne Hicks Review
Penelope Bartotto Review
KC Sprayberry Review

****To be honest, I would probably give this book a closer to a 3 star, more like a 3.25 star rating, but I wanted to post my review of it, so I went ahead and rounded the rating up to a 4 star.*******

Dreamers by: Ted Farrar BOOK REVIEW

Dreamers
by Ted Farrar


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dreamers is a title given to a certain set of people in a research study. They have the ability to change facts in their dreams and to actually enter and interact with the dream almost as if they were awake. The research study has a found a few of these people and until the story starts, Wilson Cole figures he is the only one. As the story progresses we find that Ted Farrar is taking us on a rollercoaster ride between the dream world and the real world. Suddenly characters from the dream world are showing up in the real world, and Bill is finding his own life in danger, along with that of the research scientists. Bill must find other dreamers from the study and try to figure out what is going on and what to do to stop it, before more people die.

The twists and turns that Dreamers takes are more than equal to a rollercoaster. The ideas and concepts seem so far from the reality of the world we know, that at times it takes a second reading to catch the latest turn. The turns always come at the last moment, and never seem to come from where you are thinking they might. Ted Farrar created a wildly complex book, that is not for the faint of heart. It is not your typical easy read novel, but one that will require you to think and delve into your mind and your own dreams to follow the story and find the conclusion. This is definitely a thinking mind's novel.

Reviewed for +Readers Favorite.

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Drops from the Kingdom : The Silver Arrow by: Larry Itejere BOOK REVIEW

The Silver Arrow
by Larry Itejere

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite.


Part knights of the round table, part knights of the templar, part historical, part fantasy, part paranormal powers and a classic good vs. evil storyline is what defines Drops from the Kingdom. Most of the book tells the story of Isesac, and how he came to be the guardian and guiding figure that he is today. There is some history of the world this story is being set in, which is a mix of old world, nordic and fantasy. There is also the story of Samuel, and his gifts. How he finds out about them, Iseasc's search for him and later his search for Iseasc. +Larry Itejere has set this up along the lines of a grand adventure like the knights of the round table, or King Arthur. Even better still, it is only the beginning of the story. The epilogue entices you to wait to continue the journey with Jayden.

+Larry Itejere has written a well-balanced story that has adventure and intrigue, mystery and suspense and just enough paranormal powers to draw in just about every pre-teen and teen boy. Drops from the Kingdom reminds me of a better version of the Knights of the Round Table, only set in a different location, a different time period, and with a different story. The paranormal powers and the idea of patrons and guardians will interest all those kids that are looking for a slightly magical twist in their stories. There is adventure and warfare, enough to keep the boys reading, but not so much has to drive the girls away. This is a great book for that pre-teen set, as the characters range from 12 to 17 for the most part during the story.

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Para~nition by: T.L. McDonald BOOK REVIEW

Reviewed by Michelle Randall for +Reader's Favorite

Para~nition 
 by T.L. McDonald

Paranormal fiction can take you to a great number of places, some far from home and some as close as the beach. T.L. McDonald takes us to the beach in her book Para~nition, which will come to be the first book in a series featuring the main character Julie Winters. Julie has dreams of murders, so real that she wakes with the bruises of what she saw in the dream. At first the police think she's nuts, then a "detective", Kyle, shows up and tries to force her into working with him. Julie is a strong woman, read as she and Kyle butt heads along the way as they both try to figure out Julie's dreams and prevent future murders.

I have found that the genre of Paranormal fiction is growing in popularity and it is enjoyable to read, it takes you places you never thought to go.  T.L. McDonald takes us to the idea of seeing a murder through dreams in her book Para~nition. It is a wonderful concept, that plays on the paranormal ideas of ESP in a sense. There is also a touch of witchcraft mixed in for added flavor. The characters are well written and you find yourself siding with them right away. Julie is a strong and independent woman. Kyle is over-bearing and controlling. Shawn is the charmer, sweet and loving. I would recommend this for Young Adults on up. I think the strong woman will appeal to a large number of readers. It was very hard to put down.

Of Dreams and Shadow (Forget Me Not, #1) by D. S. McKnight BOOK REVIEW

Of Dreams and Shadow by D.S. McKnight
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I belong to a number of book groups, writing groups and reading groups. In one of those groups, I was asked to read this book and write a review for the author. I agreed, because I love to read and write, but I made it clear that my review would be my honest opinion, they agreed and and I read Of Dreams and Shadow on my Kindle.

You might call it a Young Adult novel, since the main characters are teenagers in High School. I really didn't think of it that way, I barely remembered at times they were in High School because of the story. Even if you think you don't like anything labeled as Young Adult, give this a try, it's really not what you would think of as Young Adult, a little more mature.

The story starts with the disappearance of a bright little four year old girl named Sarah, that is witnessed by the next door neighbor boy, Chase also four, but no one can believe what he tells them. It's a mystery. Fast forward twelve years and a new family moves in next door to a teenage Chase, and they have a teenage daughter his age.

As Jenna adjusts to moving from the big city of Charlotte to the small town of Parson's Cove, in the middle of the school year no less, she makes friends and enemies. She thinks the boy next door, Chase is an enemy, but there is more beneath what he is thinking, every time he sees her he is reminded of Sarah.

The story plays out as Jenna and Chase learn to be friends, and learn more about the truth of what really happened to Sarah. It was just as Chase saw it happen, it is just that it doesn't make sense then, now at the older ages, and learning the things they do, it makes more sense.

I really enjoyed the book, it only took me two days to read, and that is only because I had to put it down and stop reading for awhile to take care of the family, or I would have read it straight through! I liked it! Young adult, ok they are teens, but it wasn't the annoying coming of age that a number of young adults have been recently. Paranormal, in a way but not as much as you would think. It's more about the idea that there is more than just life or death, but something in between.

I found it to be well written, to captivate my senses and draw me in. Yes, there were a few times when I wanted to smack Jenna in the head and say "Girl, are you dense?" but only a few, and then I had to remember she is suppose to be a junior in high school, so maybe I should cut her some slack.

This book stands on it's own, but from the ending, I can see where there is an opening to carry on with the books ideas and move into another story. I liked that it stood alone, that I didn't feel I needed another book to finish the story. It ends on a good enough note that you feel the closure of the story and you can move on, it's not a cliffhanger. I am so tried of reading books that end leaving you guessing and you have to read another just to get closure.

Overall, I gave this a high rating, and I normally don't do 5 stars, but it deserves them. It was just a good book that anyone can enjoy, not just young adults, trust me I have teens at home, so I am no spring chicken and I loved it!

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