Falling Awake
3.5 Stars

Dream analyst, Isabel Wright, has a unique talent for interpreting Lucid dreams and is particularly interested in the dreams of a subject known only as Client Number 2. Said client is Ellis Cutler, an agent with a classified government agency interested in the use of lucid dreaming for crime solving. When Isabel loses her job, Cutler's agency sends him to recruit her, and the connection they felt in their dreams manifests in reality. However, a series of violent incidents soon alerts them to a threat that could jeopardize both their work and their lives.

An engaging romance and a solid suspense plot, but the excessive focus on esoteric concepts related to dreams and dreaming detracts from the book. While the idea of using lucid dreams to solve crimes is very intriguing and reminiscent of Kay Hooper's Bishop series (without the psychic element), it is underdeveloped and lacking in specific details and explanations on how it actually works.

Ellis and Isabel are similar to many of JAKs hero/heroine pairings. He is dark and broody and she is smart yet quirky. Their chemistry is established early on in their dreams and is only enhanced once they meet in person.

While the identity of the villain is pretty obvious early on, the final showdown is intense and exciting and the inclusion of some of the secondary characters, even unexpected ones - Farrell, Davis and Vincent all play a role, is a highlight.

Overall, this is an entertaining read but not as good as some of JAK's other books mainly due to the obscure dream elements. ( )

I just loved Isabel. One of my favourite JAK heroines. She's well matched by Ellis and the mystery has enough twists and turns to be interesting. I also really loved the secondary characters, who elevate this book from very good to great. ( )

It was pretty good, I found the words "level five lucid dreamer" repeated way too many times for my liking... really we get that's what they are just say they were dreaming - which she finally did later in the book thankfully.. The characters we good. I liked the way they interacted. ( )

Jayne Ann Krentz is an excellent author and her writing in Falling Awake is a great emphasis on that fact. This story is a great one and a book that will keep you engaged throughout. Its so amazing that Isabel and Ellis Cutler interact and get along in the story and the ending is beautiful. I really love an author who takes the time to explain why a character did something rather than ending with nary an explanation. ( )

The level 5 dreaming was interesting. The characters were well developed. I enjoyed this novel ( )