Dream Of Me

Rating:
Summary: excellent paranormal
Review:
After the slight disappointment of Come to Me, I'm really glad I opted to buy this one new, both to read it and to support Cach. This is the kind of book from her that I'd hoped Come to Me would be. Overall it has a slightly darker tone lightened with flashes of Cach humor. The world is well thought out and described, the characters
are consistent, their changes are believable and don't feel forced or too about face.

There is a great deal of sexual tension throughout the story (the true love scene
doesn't arrive until the very end). Some might quibble about how ignorant the
heroine is about sex but I kept in mind that she was raised in a convent,
was never around young women her own age and status with whom she
could gossip, lived in an environment where there were no men and the
women around her who might have set her straight had been threatened
with torture by her fiance should she learn "the facts of life." (The reasons
are all explained in the book) But Theron soon sets about opening her
eyes to life and in her dreams, they begin a passionate relationship.

I like how Cach shows Theron's gradual realization of the life to which
his actions have condemned Lucia. How he really "sees" it and hates
what he's done. And how once he and Lucia have had their great
confrontation, his thoughts are not of revenge against her but how
he can save her from a terrible marriage and future life. Her reasons
for what she does were slightly more shaky to me but not totally
unbelievable.

I did also like the changes in Lucia. She starts off as a kind of dreamy
(and sort of self indulgent) young woman who has to face some hard
truths about herself. That she does and matures from them is a nice
treat.

The secondary characters add needed elements to the story and aren't
just place holders. Some of them aren't too nice (and it's nice to see
them get what they deserve). The opium withdrawal illusions of one
character are deliciously fun to read.

As to the question of which book should be read first, I think you could
start with either one. The main reason to read Come to Me first is to
find out just what was in the dream that precipitated both stories. If you
read the prologue of CtM, you'll know. I think we see enough of Theron's
character and drive to obtain his goal to appreciate how much he changes
over the course of the story.

While I wouldn't give this one a straight A, it comes close and will probably
end up an extremely high B or A- for me.


Rating:
Summary: Theron is a dream lover
Review: But he is clueless as heck when it comes to women. He falls in love with his intended victim and then well, you can guess the rest.
This book was better than the previous one, I liked the two lead characters much better. Vlad is a scary man, but hey, the last line of the book really made me smile. I liked that it tied in to real history. Now HE would have made a wonderful incubus.

Rating:
Summary: The circle draws to a close
Review: Dream of Me follows the Incubus Theron as he tries to possess the body of Vlad Draco and thus lead a human life of importance; something that existing as a dream demon notably lacks. His plan, thanks to the help of a succubus named Samira, seems to go well. He destroys an arranged marriage and delivers a 'pure bride' to Vlad. Yet the man refuses to let Theron have his body for the agreed upon three days, no doubt sensing that Theron has no intention of returning the body once he claims it. When the Queen of the Night invites Theron to join her harem, the incubus panics. He needs to do something and fast. He sets his sights on Vlad's lovely virgin bride, Lucia (whose marriage to Nicolae it was that Theron and Samira destroyed). Theron plans to deflower the innocent and spoil Vlad's pleasure. But there is more to Lucia than Theron thinks, she is the first human woman that can see and communicate with him. A splendidly dark paranormal romance. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Dream Of Me
Review: His deal with Vlad will give Theron access to a treasure he could only dream of, Lucia, a beautiful princess kept sheltered in a tower by her domineering brother. She is so innocent that she does not even understand what she wants, but Theron, an incubus, knows, for he has given her desires. Now, in control of Vlad's body, he will give her everything that he wants. The main problem in their way is himself. For he does not have a body of his own, but must rely on the cooperation of his host. Lucia makes him want not just to be a better man, but to be one.

*** In the prior book to this, "Come to Me", Theron was the villain. Now, he is the opposite, but still very bad. Even Lucia's love can not totally reform him, as will be proved on the last page. This is the ultimate Gothic novel. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Rating:
Summary: This may be the best and most original romance of the year
Review: I devoured this book, which blew me away in its daring and originality.

The hero, Theron, is an incubus, a dream demon who has spent thousands of years giving women sexual dreams. He strikes a bargain with Vlad of Moldavia. In exchange for creating an enmity between the rulers of two lands, Dragosh of Maramures and Bogdan of Moldavia, Vlad promises he will allow Theron to possess Vlad's body for three days. Neither Vlad nor Theron, however, is making an honest deal. Theron does not plan on ever leaving Vlad's body. Vlad has no intention of ever letting Theron into his body at all.

Theron arranges for his demon friend Samira to give Dragosh a nightmare that has the effect Vlad was hoping for. After waking from it, Dragosh imprisons his once-beloved sister Lucia in a castle, breaks her betrothal to one of Bogdan's sons, and betrothes her to Vlad instead.

Six years pass, and Vlad does not keep his end of the bargain. But Theron still has one joker up his sleeve. If Vlad does not allow him to possess his body, Theron has threatened to visit his fiancee, Lucia, in her sleep, and use his dreams to teach her every sexual act he knows of.

Lucia is isolated in a castle with only women for company, mostly a kindly but senile old nun and her maid who secretly disdains her. At the behest of her brother and fiance, both women constantly harp on Lucia to preserve her purity, so she secretly feels ashamed about her body. Lucia is lonely and her self-esteem is low, because she has no real friends. Vlad is a cruel man but since Lucia only met him once she's not aware of that. She spends her days daydreaming about the kind and gentle prince who will one day come to her. She doesn't know that the one coming to her is Theron who plans to seduce her in her dreams for revenge.

DREAM OF ME is a dark, dark, erotic fairy tale. Because of all her daydreams, Lucia exerts more control over her dreams than most women do, and she is determined to stay pure and true to her fiance, who she thinks is kind and gentle, even in her dreams. But Theron is just as, if not more so, determined to seduce her mental virginity away from her. But in order to do so, he has to make his dream self take on some of the kindness and gentleness of Lucia's dream prince.

Though DREAM OF ME is not perfect, it is very daring and original. I loved that Cach was not afraid to make Theron as dark as she did. And I was mentally fanning myself as I read this book.

There were two main flaws in the book for me. The first (and this was also true of COME TO ME, the prequel) is that the language sounded too contemporary for the medieval era characters. The second, also true of both books, was that I never really felt like I was in Transylvania or Moldavia, where the story takes place. I didn't get much sense of the climate, the vegetation, the food, or the dialect of this foreign land.

Nontheless, I loved DREAM OF ME. It's rare to find a romance that truly surprises me anymore, and this one definitely did. It was truly original, unique, and different. It's definitely not the kind of book that will work for everyone, but it worked for me in spades. I hope Cach writes more books as dark and unique as this one. I know I will be the first in line to buy them!

Rating:
Summary: Good Followup
Review: I have read both books by Lisa Cach- Come To Me and Dream of Me (my first time reading this author) and I have to say both books were good. They had interesting premises and both delivered some good storytelling. I liked Dream of Me a little better though.

Even though many people might have complained about the darkness of the book or about the heroine and hero themselves, I think the author did a good job capturing and portraying both the characters. The hero Theron is an incubi hunguring to become part of the human world and his feelings were well played in this book as well as his growing love for the heroine. As for Lucia, I know many might have found her character annoying, but readers must take into account her situation and her environment. She was shielded from the world and it showed in her character. I thought that by the end of the book she really grew, transforming from a timid girl to a stronger woman.

The author also did a great job capturing the setting of the time period and the history of that region, which were incorporated really well into the book. I had no trouble buying into the setting.

Overall the book was good. Despite its dark points (which I feel did not really distract from the story) it had a great romance and character development, an interesting premise, and a good setting. Their were no slow points; the book was action packed from start to finish. And unlike the other reviewer I enjoyed the small twist the author threw in at the end, it really wrapped things up nicely and let you know in a small way that this story was far from over.

Good job Ms. Cach!

Rating:
Summary: A different type of romance...
Review: I haven't read the Come to Me companion book, but this book stood well enough on its own.

I was utterly enchanted and swept away by this story; Theron is such an unusual hero--amoral, without being evil--that his tale of falling in love and learning to care about someone other than himself is positively magical. Lucia is a fantastic virginal heroine, whose purity is there for a reason, but whose ignorance is never of her own doing. She's not dumb, she's simply incredibly sheltered.

I only hope that Lisa Cach writes the next story that is hinted at so wonderfully at the end. I'd buy it in a second.

Rating:
Summary: delightful romantic fantasy
Review: In 1423 Eastern Europe, Theron the incubus admires the unrestrained ambition of Vlad of Wallachia, but detests the wannabe world king since the mortal broke a promise he made to him. Theron wonders if Vlad is "a few stars short in his constellation" especially when it comes to his obsession involving Lucia the virgin. Lucia has been kept apart from men by magical means so that she remains pure in thought and body when her betrothed Vlad comes to collect her as a pawn in the battle with Moldavia. The Incubus decides that Lucia is his instrument to teach the- would- be king a lesson in mortal humility.

Still curious about the ways of men with women and encouraged by Theron, Lucia breaks down the magic bonds. Her action enables Theron to visit her with carnal dreams when she sleeps. To his shock, Theron though lacking a heart wants Lucia in the physical realm and his desires seem to be forever to the bewildered Incubus; Lucia reciprocates his deepest feelings. However, Vlad will not sit idly by.

Lisa Cach continues her delightful romantic fantasies (see COME TO ME) with this fine character driven tale. The triangle on two planes makes for a fun time for the audience who will believe that Incubi are real. Though the rivalry seems a bit shallow as a prime story line, sub-genre readers will enjoy the competition to gain the love of Lucia, a likable female protagonist escaping from lonely incarceration right into love.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: What a Downer!!!
Review: While I loved the first episode of this tale, Come to Me, I did not enjoy this one at all. I would have given it zero stars for the ending alone. It took more than 200 pages to get beyond the annoying, whining naievity of the heroine, Lucia, who was so innocent about life that it got to be very tedius putting up with her fears and complete misunderstanding of the simplest aspects of sex. Just when I thought the ending would redeem the rest of the book Ms. Cach left the reader with a doozy of a cliffhanger that ruined any positive thoughts about the hero, Theron and what he did so he could wed Lucia. I hope very much that this is the last book in this series, but I am afraid that Ms. Cach will probably continue to pursue this storyline to its bitter conclusion. Anyway, I will not be reading anything else by this author. If you read the first book in this series you might venture into this second one, but be forewarned it has no redeeming graces and a positively awful premise for an ending. Some, however, may view it as very cleaver. I am not among those readers.