Title: Dream
Series: Aisling: Book Two
Author: Carole Cummings
Publisher: DSP Publications
Length: 336 Pages
Category: Fantasy
At a Glance: Holy smokes. And I thought the first in the Aisling series was good. There is more than one moment in this novel where your heart is in your throat, thinking this might be the end for one or both of our heroes.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: To reveal the intricate machinations threatening them, two men must learn to trust each other. But how can they, when their hearts and minds—their realities—are subject to manipulation?
When he set out to escort the prisoner Wilfred Calder back to Putnam, Constable Dallin Brayden didn’t anticipate the political betrayal and malicious magic threatening their lives at every turn. To his surprise, he slips into the role of protector—and it’s more than duty compelling him to ensure Wil’s safety as they’re haunted by strange dreams. But does Wil dare put himself in the hands of a man he believes wants him dead?
Wil’s past weighs heavily on him, tainting his perceptions as he struggles his way through a tangle of lies. With both will and magic as his weapons, he fights desperately for survival—and his soul. For the Aisling is coveted by more than the Guild and the Brethren; ancient gods and soul-eating spirits also want what lives within him. His only chance might be Dallin and his goddess, the Mother, who Wil has been taught to despise above all others.
Review: Holy smokes. And I thought the first in the Aisling series was good. Dream, the second in the trilogy, picks up right where the first book, Guardian, leaves off, with Brayden and Wil holed up after being attacked and Wil being injured. Theirs is an uneasy truce, but Brayden is convinced now that Wil is indeed the Aisling and that he must be the Guardian who will protect him. So of course, in true Brayden style, he begins by telling Wil he can leave. Escape and Brayden will not stop him. Thus begins the very slow pathway to trust between Wil and Brayden, and the first real glimpse of them falling in love.
However, that trust is going to be hard fought, as fate is not going to be kind to either Brayden or Wil. An ambush in a city they must travel through to get to Lind will leave Brayden’s life at risk and dream walking will take on all-new meaning as his job as both shaman and guardian are revealed in deeper ways. Wil’s number one enemy and the man who held him, hooked on the addictive leaf while bleeding his abilities, will resurface and a showdown is imminent. Now to see if Wil is actually ready to stand on his own and fight against being caged once more.
Yes, this is a multi-layered plot that is never going to be easy to decipher, for author Carole Cummings takes readers on the same journey Wil and Brayden are on, and it is rife with confusion, half-truths and deep mystery. Nothing is easy in this story, but that’s what makes it so exciting and compelling. You are hooked right in and watch the truths unravel just as Brayden and Wil are privy to them. I loved reading this second novel. The slow and steady wall of friendship and trust that personifies Dallin Brayden is just gorgeous to experience. Oh, to have a friend like that man in your corner, and then the added bonus of Wil finally admitting that he needs and, yes, loves this man. It was absolutely delicious!
The action, as always, was gripping and non-stop. Even when they are in the forest and seemingly safe, you are waiting for the next shoe to drop, and this author doesn’t let you down. The foes who go up against Wil and Brayden are formidable and nasty, and there is more than one moment in this novel where your heart is in your throat, thinking this might be the end for one or both of our heroes.
I move on to the third and final book in this trilogy, and cannot wait to see what the final showdown will be. Here’s hoping that the fragile trust and love between these two men grows and can help them conquer the foes in the end.
You can buy Dream here:
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