by
When your dreams are real there's nowhere to escape!
Andi is just holding it together. Working two jobs means she doesn't need to rely on anyone, but doesn't have much of a life. In her dreams, however, she is a hero: battling monsters and saving innocents. When her dream woman turns out to be very real, Andi's life begins to spiral out of control.
Step into an exciting urban fantasy that will have you on the edge of your seat. Think The Book of Abisan, only sexier!
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Word Count: approx 20k
Setting: UK/Dreamscape
Languages Available: English
Word Count: approx 20k
Setting: UK/Dreamscape
Languages Available: English
The concept for this story grabbed my attention right away. I have always loved the idea of the dreamscape being a real place, and some of my favorite stories involve characters solving mysteries or fighting battles or finding love on the dream plane. My Dream Woman does not disappoint in this regard, and I think it’s a unique take on a well-loved theme.
Recently, some other readers and I were lamenting the lack of great butch women as point of view characters. And then lo an behold, along comes this gem. Andi is a great narrator and worthy of being your next “book girlfriend.” She isn’t your typical tough-as-nails-but-secretly-a-softie. Her life is hard, but she also makes no secret of caring about her friends. For such a short story, she’s incredibly well-developed and complex.
In her dreams, Andi has a much more exciting life. But until she meets another dream warrior, she’s unaware of everything going on behind the scenes. I love the way this unfolds and all the revelations about who is behind the events. It’s nicely done in a short span of time, but there’s ample room for more to come in the future.
And speaking of Andi’s dreams, those are fascinating too. I love the way each one is a warped mirror of a real person’s life. Andi’s compassion leads her to help her “charges” to find real solutions to the problems they’re working out in their dreams. There are some good themes around redemption and what it means to be strong.
The romantic sub-plot doesn’t overwhelm the rest, just enough to satisfy without being a distraction from the main story. It’s part of the natural flow. The sex is steamy without being over the top or gratuitous. Everything fits into place exactly right, and it’s easy to hope our heroines can make their love last while taking out the bad guys.
For easy to love characters, deep themes, and a world that left me wanting more, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.
