The wonderful Kali Brixton contacted me recently about reviewing Lucid Dreaming and of course I was mega excited (especially after she told me she loved it!) Her review was indescribably kind. I didn’t know people could feel this way about something I created. Reading reviews like this make my heart race.

Please visit Kali’s Book Reviews to read the whole thing, but I’ve included highlights and my thoughts below!

“To say I loved this novel is an understated travesty.  This novel was IN-CRE-DI-BLE and gave the term slow burn a whole new meaning for me in all the right ways 😉  This book buckled me in, checked to make sure my harness and safety bar was secure, and took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride that I won’t forget any time soon. The book hangover was REAL on this one, y’all!  Also, that cover 😲💖  I can’t imagine a more perfect cover for this book!”

An understated travesty! Wow! *sniffles* That’s SO SWEET. I also love that Kali acknowledges the slow burn. It’s like the foreplay of books, so I’m always a big fan.

Now to my much-needed fangirling of this book’s hero!  If you are a fan of Criminal Minds, our hero Quinn captures all of the adorable awkwardness and lovable geekery as Spencer Reid and then some!  (Leaving this here so you fellow CM and Spencer Reid fans can take a few moments and swoon with me…  I got you, babes 😘💖)

Kali is now the second person to compare Quinn to Spencer Reid. I have never seen Criminal Minds, but clearly I need to…

I. LOVE. THIS. CHARACTER. Period. Exclamation point. A million heart emojis.  Kali hearts Quinn. Extra swoon. Broken heroes in my book are just simply the best IMHO and Quinn Kaneko does not disappoint.

Haha this declaration of love had be rolling on the floor. I love a good broken hero too, obviously. They are so much more interesting.

He is strange, nerdy, virginal, broken, romantic, and a commanding alpha male in the bedroom–so much that I adore and more. His analytical mind has no equal, but he doesn’t treat it in an overly pompous, arrogant way. His past experiences dictate his drive to pursue his calling with wide open abandonment.

What an articulate description! I couldn’t have done it better myself, haha.

There are so many facets to this complex character, getting to know him is like holding a well-cut diamond in your hand: you keep turning it over and over, discovering that every turn presents you new sparkles to appreciate.

WOW!

I am placing him in my Rolodex of book boyfriends as of 3 nights ago 💕💋

This is a high honor, in my book. One of the highest!

Alison is quite the keeper in this book! For a heroine, I like a mix of strong and vulnerable—two halves of the same whole. She is that rare heroine who’s mature and youthful, intelligent in some respects and not so strong in others, and an old soul which speaks to the tormented one of our hero. She is such a great match and I loved the flip of experienced woman and virginal man–a trope that needs to find itself in more romance books pronto!

I tried really hard to balance Alison’s “old soul” with modern feminism. Alison has strong maternal, nurturing instincts and prefers an alpha-male in the bedroom, but that doesn’t mean she’s a 1950’s housewife. She is very much a modern independent woman, even with these traits. I am glad to know people, like Kali, can see and understand the balance.    

A perfect 5/5 rating is the only possible rating I can give this book, but honestly, I could just as easily slap a 6/5 improper fraction rating on it as well because it’s just sooooooooooo amazing! If you don’t read it for another reason, read it for Quinn. He needs your love and affection 💖 I am officially and eagerly anticipating the follow-up for this book, Wide Awake, slated for release Summer 2019!

Ok, a 6/5? That’s an honor. I am truly, truly honored. 

Once again, thank you so much, Kali for all your time, energy and kind words! You can follow Kali’s Book Reviews in all the following places:

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www.kalisbookreviews.com

 

Below is a little author’s note I typed up for Kali’s review:

Lucid Dreaming was written after a 6-month anime binge. I’d just moved to a new city where I didn’t know anyone and—since I worked from home—wasn’t exactly meeting anyone either. To pass the time, I met fictional people instead, and they then inspired me to create fictional people of my own.

If you’re a fan of anime, you will have no trouble seeing elements of many existing characters in Quinn Kaneko (who, yes, is half Japanese). If you don’t watch anime, that’s perfectly fine! This love story is for everyone. Alison and Quinn are two very different souls who discover, after a long acquaintanceship, that they are very much in need of one another. Alison is open-minded, non-judgmental, and has strong nurturing instincts. Quinn is thoughtful and kind but has obsessive and eccentric tendencies as a result of post-traumatic stress syndrome. I think they complement each other well and complete each other in essential ways.

I love these characters as if they were real people, and it was clear to me once the book was complete that there was story left to tell. The second part of the duology will be called Wide Awake and it will wrap up the series nicely. I hope, more than anything, that both of these stories will be, not only fun and sexy, but also moving. I want Alison and Quinn to stay in people’s hearts and minds even after the last page has been turned, because that’s what all my favorite books do to me.