Falling Awake

Rating:
Summary: Another hit
Review: A lot of people are a little tired of JAK's style of writing. I happen to still enjoy it. No zany characters or stupid pets involved. She adds a strange paranormal twist but I still am interested in the book. I wish there had been a little bit more in the romance department. I was really surprised at who the villian was. Keep up the good work!

Rating:
Summary: Exciting thriller
Review: Dream researcher Isabel Wright has her perfect job--analyzing dreams made by lucid dreamers--until the death of her institute's founder throws her out of work. If that isn't bad enough, one of the dreamers contacts her and tells her that another dreamer has gone rogue, using his dream talents to stage a series of murders. Isabel has been waiting her entire life for her 'dream man' and she recognizes Ellis Cutler as that man, just as he recognizes her as the 'tango dancer' of his own lucid dreams. But could he have gone over the edge, as even his boss and best friend suspects? Because Ellis is convinced that a dead man is out to kill him.

Author Jayne Ann Krentz combines romance and suspense to deliver an exciting thriller. The lucid dreaming concept adds interest to the story, providing a connection that allows Isabel and Ellis to connect very quickly as well as giving structure to the plot. Isabel in particular is an entertaining character, filled with quirks (she bought a houseful of expensive furniture for the dream house she doesn't own, for example), but with a good-natured goodness that makes us cheer for her successes.

I would have liked to see a bit more attention to the adventure and a trace of romantic conflict, but Krentz's writing is so compelling that you can almost overlook these. FALLING AWAKE is the kind of story that grabs you and keeps you reading

Rating:
Summary: "Falling Asleep"
Review: I was very disappointed in this novel. I'm a longtime Krentz fan, in all her guises, and found this so boring I didn't finish it. If she's going to segue into more of a mystery venue then I wish she'd just do it and drop the cutsey stuff. She certainly has the talent and experience to do so. This just put me to sleep.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: I won't tell you about the book, since everyone else has. It was a good book. Good plot, good charaters. I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: An exploration into the fascinating realm of dream research
Review: It was bound to happen. A romance novel in which the heroine's man of her dreams is literally the man of her dreams. For Isabel Wright, meeting Ellis Cutler is a dream come true. She is a dream analyst working for the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research. She knows him as Client Number Two, an intriguing man who is able to dream on a level that allows him to actually solve crimes in his sleep. In FALLING AWAKE Jayne Ann Krentz probes into the paranormal to explore the fascinating realm of dream research.

Isabel Wright is not only a dream analyst, she is herself a Level Five dreamer --- one who is able to solve problems, gain deep insights, and actually preview future events while in a dream state. But her dream job is suddenly disrupted when she finds Dr. Martin Belvedere, her mentor and employer, dead in his office. One of the first things that Randolph --- his son and heir --- does is fire Isabel, not realizing that it is her work for a top-secret government agency that is keeping the Belvedere Center afloat.

Jack Lawson, who heads Frey-Salte --- a cover operation for the agency --- sees an opportunity to hire Isabel and dispatches Ellis to convince her to work for him directly. Ellis is happy to comply since he has come to think of his dream analyst as "Tango Dancer" and has been trying to devise a way to meet her in person. However, he has been working ceaselessly to prove that another Level Five, Vincent Scargill, did not die in a recent operation but has turned rogue and is killing people who may be on to his scheme. Finding Scargill, meeting his dream girl, and solving several mysterious deaths provide enough excitement to make FALLING AWAKE a real page-turner.

With her exceptional flair for pulling a multitude of elements together while mixing in some surprises and sizzling romance, FALLING AWAKE will satisfy fans who eagerly await each new novel from this prolific author.

--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding

Rating:
Summary: She Does It Again
Review: Ms. Krentz does it again by sharing with us one of her most greatest plots to date. It took a tremendous amount of thought and research to pull this one off. I subtracted a star because it opened up a little slow-paced, but after you get past the first five chapters, it's all uphill.

Another blockbuster, different-type novel that I found myself enjoying is a novel entitled "Lust Of The Flesh," by Beverly Rolyat. An excellent plot. It is unbelievable how the author tied all of the characters together. You'll enjoy reading this one. Warning: A lot of sex

Rating:
Summary: Explain this novel please
Review: The novel overall was fair. However, the dreaming aspect of it was complete gibberish and hard to understand. The characters were typical JAK (fiesty heroine/dominant hero). The ending was a complete surprise and partly redeemed the mass confusion of the rest of the novel. The reviewers who claim this is her best novel yet need to re-read Truth or Dare and it's sequel or any her Jayne Castle books.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding work, Krentz took the challenge, can readers?
Review: This book is intrigue with its premise (sorry that some readers seem to have problems with following it or just cannot accept anything that isn't trite and formula. Makes me think of Linus with his blanket). Krentz has touched on a very original plot line, though not of her making. Lucid dreaming has been around for long time. Krentz merely picked up the ball and ran with it.

This is not your typical Krentz book. Poor writer, if she sticks to the shallows and keeps doing the same old thing, readers with an appetite for something fresh and original scream she is formula writer. When she steps out of the Krentz box, and attempts something different, the people who want their safety net of same old same old, whine she not like her formula.

The book is original. After the formula - a pattern that is faltering bad in her last dozen works, Quick books included (though this does not include the Castle books), she was in danger of losing long term readers simply because they were growing tired of clones of the same pale works.

This is Krentz who dazzles. She's heard the challenge from readers to get fresh, and she did. Now she challenges the readers to do the same. Some aren't sadly. I think that speaks to those readers lacking more than the book or Krentz's writing.

The ending is surprizing - not always the case in a Krentz/Quick book. The characters are strong, clearly defined. Even secondary characters. I truly liked the complex Isobel and Ellis.

I think it is one of better books in a long, long time and look forward to her future efforts. If the reader fails in the ability to follow the plot line, then I think look to the readers' shortcomings, not the writer's.

Rating:
Summary: Krentz delivers
Review: This is really one of the best Krentz novels for a long time. Instead of giving the same old tired formula, she crank the level of her game up and goes for it. This is a strong book and demands more from the reader, because she is going in strong, staying strong. It's brilliant premised, well researched, and for a change I didn't see her ending coming a mile off.

Utterly brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: Stinko
Review: This was the worse book I have ever read by Jayne Ann Krentz
I think she took a vacation and let someone else try to write
DIDN'T work I usually pass good book on this went in the trash
sorry