Kathleen Dante

Dreamwalker
3 Stars

Synopsis:
Damon Venizelos is an incubus or dreamwalker, who works as an assassin for the US government and kills people in their sleep. His latest mission is to recruit master thief and shapeshifter, Rory diScipio, for the most dangerous job of her life – stealing a nuclear weapon from terrorists. As the two work closely together, they risk not only their lives but their hearts as well.

Review:
The premise is extremely appealing; unfortunately, the execution is weak and disappointing. The dream sequences ultimately distract from the plot and characterization, and the book would have been better as a traditional espionage romance without the added paranormal elements.

The terrorist plot is alright even though certain events within the reconnaissance storyline (such as the abuse toward prostitutes and the marks Damon kills) have an artificial feel to them and do not contribute to the overall story.

The romance is contrived and the sex scenes repetitive. They add very little to the relationship between the hero/heroine, which remains superficial and underdeveloped. In terms of characterization, Damon and Rory’s backgrounds and motivations are hinted at but never fully materialize, which makes it difficult for the reader to become immersed in their story. Their connection is based almost solely on sex and is neither intense nor emotional.

This is a first time author for me and I may read another of her books if I stumble across it but I won’t be seeking them out.
… (mais)

Review for “Dreamwalker” by Kathleen Dante

Damon Venizelos is a government assassin who kills people in their dreams. In his quest to stop a terrorist from selling a bomb, Damon is hunting a world class thief to steal it. Aurora diScipio is the thief in his sights. The dangerous world they live in is going to get a whole lot worse if they fail. Along the way, they will have a lot a really good sex, some wonderful romantic moments and some great adrenaline rushes. Damon will have to solve the mystery of who Aurora really is in between all the action.… (mais)

What's unusual is that this takes place in a world where magic goes hand in hand with technology, and Lantis deals with spells, not computers. And the catch is that the security spell entangles the two, with the result that the magic charge raises their sexual desire, and the excess magical energy gets grounded in sex. a little strange

I have to say, I was enthralled by the world. I read a lot of urban fantasy that puts magic alongside technology, and a lot of fantasy that uses magic in lieu of technology, but this magic that's used in conjunction with technology in an otherwise contemporary world is new. I loved the spells, and how magic was integrated into everyday life. I loved how high adepts are a sort of equivalent to computer experts.

Unfortunately, there's so much sex in the book that it overshadows the rest of the story. It was great in the beginning, particularly when the result of the security spell became apparent, but after a while, I was impatient to get back to the story. I'd also have liked a little more exploration of what it meant to be "entangled."… (mais)

Kiera Stevens is a toy company CEO with a problem: industrial espionage. It's particularly worrying, because her company also deals with defense contracts. So on the advice of her best friend, she hires John Atlantis, a security expert, with the plan to pose as lovers so as not to alert the spy. Sounds like a pretty standard romantic suspense story, doesn't it?

What's unusual is that this takes place in a world where magic goes hand in hand with technology, and Lantis deals with spells, not computers. And the catch is that the security spell entangles the two, with the result that the magic charge raises their sexual desire, and the excess magical energy gets grounded in sex.

I have to say, I was enthralled by the world. I read a lot of urban fantasy that puts magic alongside technology, and a lot of fantasy that uses magic in lieu of technology, but this magic that's used in conjunction with technology in an otherwise contemporary world is new. I loved the spells, and how magic was integrated into everyday life. I loved how high adepts are a sort of equivalent to computer experts.

Unfortunately, there's so much sex in the book that it overshadows the rest of the story. It was great in the beginning, particularly when the result of the security spell became apparent, but after a while, I was impatient to get back to the story. I'd also have liked a little more exploration of what it meant to be "entangled."

Still, there is a decent romantic suspense story in a really exciting world, so I'm not complaining too much.… (mais)