Before I Wake
The Nightmare Chronicles, Book 1

Kathryn Smith

Publisher:
Avon Books

Release Date:
July 29, 2008

Genres:
Paranormal Romance
Urban Fantasy

ISBN:
Print
9780061340277

Bookmark Rating:

Reviewed by
Daria Wright

Review Posted:
July 2008

Dr. Dawn Riley is unique, one of a kind, the daughter of a human woman and the king of the dream world, with the rare ability to exist in both worlds. However, due to issues with her mother, Dawn wants nothing to do with her father or his Dreamkin Realm, and has chosen to work in the human world as a PhD Psychologist studying people’s dreams at a Sleep Center in New York City. Even though she has the ability to enter people’s dreams at will, she chooses to keep that side of herself hidden and helps people in her own way.

Until one of her patients, Noah Clarke, a sexy, hot, painter with bad dreams and battling a very real Dreamkin Terror in his sleep, comes to her for help. Help against the same Terror now terrorizing her own sleep.

When other people start dying in their sleep, and a crazy old man keeps telling her she is a Nightmare, a protector for dreamers who have bad dreams, Dawn has to accept her heritage, confront her father, and learn who and what she is so she can battle to save herself, Noah and the others.

BEFORE I WAKE is the first book in THE NIGHTMARE CHRONICLES series by Kathryn Smith, and the first book by this author that I have read. I have to admit I couldn’t put the book down; it grabbed my attention and held it. The story is told in first person tense so you see everything through the lead character Dawn’s point of view. I found Dawn to be a truly strong heroine. Intelligent, smart, questioning, honest with herself and others, loving, caring and she can kick ass and handle herself in a fight. From the beginning of the book she struggles and questions her unique existence, not wanting to embrace her dream realm destiny for several reasons, yet at the same time she is honest that she loves that side of herself and realizes she must embrace it to save others. I found myself really loving this character and cheering her on the stronger she grew.

This first book also introduces us to Noah, the sexy painter with a brutal past who is being abused in the dream realm by a Terror. Noah is very closed about his past childhood abuse and doesn’t reveal a great deal to Dawn, but he does seek her help in dealing with the Terror. The chemistry between Noah and Dawn is hot yet strained by his past and his fear of not being able to deal with something on his own. It will be interesting to see this relationship progress in future books.

The author does a wonderful job of creating a new world full of characters that you want to read more about. Dawn’s real life family, her mother who abandons her family to a sleep state so she can be with her lover, Dawn’s father the king of the dream realm, and the Dream Guild full of handsome guards to the King. The story leaves me wanting the next book in the series to see what happens next. A refreshing mix of urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Releasing on July 29, 2008, Before I Wake the first book in The Nightmare Chronicles by Kathryn Smith.

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