Title: Lover, Lover (A Dreamcatchers Tale
Series: Dreamspun Beyond: Book Fourteen
Author: Liv Olteano
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 195 Pages
Category: Paranormal
At a Glance: Despite its interesting premise, the rush to the end left me feeling unsatisfied overall.
Reviewed By: Jenn
Blurb: Twin souls reunited.
Drew’s always been a fighter: first in martial arts competitions, and now as a dreamcatcher—keeping the people of Seattle safe from spaga attacks that would drain their life force in their sleep. All he has to do to become a full member of Team 32 is complete his first mission.
But the first person he must defend is his ex, Angelo… the only man Drew ever loved, even if he was the one to leave. Drew never got over Angelo, and it seems Angelo might feel the same, despite the heartbreak he suffered at Drew’s hands.
As the chase after a powerful and resourceful caster hits close to home, old feelings resurface. But if Angelo learns of the dreamcatchers, he’ll be a target for the spaga. And how can he trust Drew now that Drew’s keeping bigger secrets than ever?
Review: Lover, Lover has an interesting new take on life-draining monsters, such as the most commonly known succubi. I loved the idea of a paranormal organisation that protected people from these monsters and the evil magicians who would summon them. We’re introduced to this through Drew’s point of view as a new initiate starting his first mission.
Overall, I didn’t bond with or enjoy the character of Drew. Though well-crafted and with clear depth, his inherent selfishness just put me off, but he was redeemed slightly near the end of the book as his and Angelo’s relationship deepened. I really wanted to know more about the other people in Team 32, Claw and Taka, who had been at the job a lot longer and really didn’t get as much screen time as I would have liked.
Angelo is a somewhat of a contradiction with seeming a bit of a pushover near the start of the novel, not wanting to let the ex who abandoned him back into this life, then to the fierce warrior he seemed at the end of the book. He was also never fleshed out as much as our main character, Drew, leaving us wanting just that bit more information about him. Their relationship was enjoyable to see build back up, with both characters facing the issues from Drew leaving years before and discussing them as they reared their ugly head. However, I feel it was more of a hollow obstacle thrown in for the sake of character growth or to prepare them and the reader for certain plot points later on in the novel.
The ending was hugely unsatisfying, as it never addressed the climax nor whether the antagonist was defeated. I get the feeling that the ending, as a whole, was rushed a bit to fit Dreamspinner’s 50k word limit on their Dreamspun Beyond line. The editing was excellent, though, and I didn’t notice the absence of any scenes that might have been cut; however, the information and wrap up left it clear we were missing something, whether an earlier scene or an epilogue that might have concluded the plot.
This ending is an obvious cliffhanger for other books in the same series, but I don’t think I’ll be reading them.
You can buy Lover, Lover here:
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