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Showing posts with label Renita Pizzitola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Renita Pizzitola. Show all posts
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Review: Dream On by Renita Pizzitola
Dream On
Author: Renita Pizzitola
Release Date: March 4, 2013
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, novella
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Author
About the book:
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Emory Bennett owns a lucrative dreamwalking business. Trained in weaponry and Muay Thai, she spends her nights entering the dream realm resolving her clients’ nightmares, whatever they might be: bad guys, scary beasts, or the classic forgot-to-wear-my-pants nightmare. Her jobs get complicated when a gorgeous man keeps appearing requesting her help.
Grayson, a fellow dreamwalker, is stuck in the dream realm while a stranger inhabits his body. He needs Emory’s assistance in the waking realm, which he can’t visit if he can’t get back into his body.
Once Emory is convinced Grayson’s not a figment of her imagination, they concoct a plan to lure the body snatcher out. But as Emory begins to fall for Grayson, the line blurs between him and the stranger who inhabits his body. She must keep it together to get close enough to discover his secrets, or divide her very soul if she can’t bring the man she loves back.
What B is talking about:
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Walking through other peoples’ dreams can be risky sometimes, but Emory Bennett wouldn’t trade her job for anything. As a dreamwalker, she fights the demons that plague the innocent in their sleep, helping them find peace that carries over into their waking lives. But, when another dreamwalker starts following her on her journeys, asking for her help in reclaiming his body, she’ll have to fight her greatest battle yet, and one that could cost her everything.
Similar to the idea of “lucid dreaming,” Dream On takes place more in the dream realm than the waking world. Emory is one of a few, rare people, known as “dreamwalkers,” who are able to leave their body in spirit and enter the dreams of others. In Emory’s case, she’s turned her skills into a successful business, even though she tends to keep her abilities a secret, only opening up to a few people she really trusts. Although there are risks, Emory is more than capable of taking care of herself, whether waking or dreaming.
This premise has a lot of potential for some great adventures on its own, but Ms. Pizzitola goes quite a bit further by introducing Grayson, a dreamwalker whose body has been stolen by someone else. Unfortunately, neither Grayson, nor Emory, have much to go on at first, leaving Emory to go undercover in order to get information from the man who’s stolen Grayson’s body. The real danger to Emory was, thankfully, revealed slowly, giving the suspenseful nature of Dream On plenty of time to develop.
One of the things I would have liked to have seen more of in Dream On is the history and origins of the dreamwalkers. Aside from a brief mention about Emory’s mother teaching her how to use her gift, there’s not much mentioned about how the dreamwalkers came to be, leading me to think the ability is a genetic trait. Yet, they seem to be rare enough that Grayson’s presence is a complete surprise to Emory. I found the idea of the dreamwalkers very interesting, but finding out more about them would have lent additional depth to the story.
Emory and Grayson are a lot of fun to read, though, their easy rapport and verbal swiping at one another providing needed humor and a sweet intimacy in all the right places. Emory is the perfect “tough girl”-turned-awkward-love-interest, and Grayson shines as the wounded hero who’s determined to make the most of the surprising attraction between them both. Although Emory’s stubbornness works to his advantage, he does realize the danger he’s put her in, more so than she does, and gives her plenty of chances to leave him to his own devices. Of course, Grayson’s chivalry does allow for an interesting internal struggle; his jealousy of his own (possessed) body’s proximity to Emory making him more willing for her to continue to put herself in harm’s way if it means she might actually be his, body and spirit, if they succeed.
Having never read anything by Ms. Pizzitola before, I found Dream On to be a solid introduction to her work. The novella is short, but suspenseful, and has enough flirty romance to keep things fun. Emory and Grayson are a well-written couple, for the most part, and compliment one another in both personality and ability. Although there were a few issues that affected my connection to the story as a whole, I enjoyed immersing myself in the dreamwalkers’ world, and hope that there will be more from Emory and Grayson, and maybe other dreamwalkers, too, in the future.
B’s Rating:
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Author Guest Post: Renita Pizzitola
Renita is here today to share a bit about her new release Dream On (March 4, 2013, Lyrical Press). Please help me welcome Renita to That’s What I’m Talking About.
First off, thanks for having me on your blog! I’m excited to stop by and get a chance to talk about my new Urban Fantasy Romance, Dream On.
Dream On features a dreamwalker named Emory. Basically, a dreamwalker is someone who can separate their spirit from their physical body and enter the dream realm. Emory has taken this ability and turned it into a lucrative business. She spends her nights entering the dream realm and ending nightmares. Of course not all nightmares are the scary kind, but there’s not much she can’t handle. When a man enters her dreams asking for her help, she’ll face her most difficult challenge. Turns out he’s a fellow dreamwalker and has been body-snatched. Another spirit has taken residence in his body, leaving him trapped in dreams and he wants her help to lure the other guy out. Emory is used to taking on bad guys in nightmares, but this job crosses into her physical life, and eventually her emotional one as well.
I thought I’d share an excerpt from Dream On. This scene between Grayson and Emory takes place shortly after she’s met Alex, the spirit residing in Grayson’s body.
Excerpt:
Closing my eyes, I practiced what to tell him, reminding myself not to mention the kiss.
Over and over again, my mind replayed what I planned to say, all while envisioning a park. Sleepiness settled over me and I drifted off.
I walked along a sidewalk and stopped, laughing at a funny squirrel. It was huge. I’d never seen such a large squirrel.
“Interesting.” I turned at the sound of Grayson’s voice. He walked up beside me and tilted his head to the side, observing the chubby squirrel make his third attempt to climb a tree. “Do you think this is your subconscious way of telling you people should stop feeding the squirrels in the park?”
I laughed. He was probably right. But that word did something else--it stirred something in my memory. Subconscious. What was it about my subconscious I needed to remember?
“I kissed Alex.” I blurted. My hand flew to my mouth. Oh no. No, no, no. My mental prep had the opposite effect. Instead of helping me guard my private thought, it made it a front-runner.
“Um, okay. So, how was I?”
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t supposed to say that. It’s just, well, I tried to prep not to...and well...it just came out. I’m sorry.” Mortified, I turned away. I was used to being in control during dreams. On the rare occasions I wasn’t, at least it was just a dream. Did my clients feel like this when I invaded their dreams?
“It’s okay. I--” He cleared his throat. “I, uh, I don’t know what to say. I guess you two hit it off?”
“No. Well yes, maybe a little. See, I thought if I kept him drinking, he would divulge more information. Problem is, I drank a bit too much, and when it was time to go, he kissed me. I had a slow reaction time.” I shifted my eyes downward. “Or something like that.” I met his gaze, but looked away. “And to answer your question, good.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth again. I was stuck in my own forgot-to-wear-my-pants dream. Embarrassment overwhelmed me, as my mouth became a slippery slope of mortifying confessions.
Grayson chuckled. “Good to know.”
“Next time we get together, let’s meet in a client’s dream, okay?”
“Really? But I much prefer this.” He grinned.
“Me, not so much.”
“Let’s sit down.” I nodded and we found a park bench. “So, besides the fact I will one day make you an awesome lover, did you find out anything else?”
My cheeks burned. I had no intentions of things going any further with Alex, and Grayson’s implications infuriated me. “It was a mistake. I’m not hooking up with your body. I was drunk. It won’t happen again.”
“I wasn’t talking about my body.”
Dream On
March 4, 2013
Lyrical Press
Her quest begins when she closes her eyes.
Emory Bennett owns a lucrative dreamwalking business. Trained in weaponry and Muay Thai, she spends her nights entering the dream realm resolving her clients’ nightmares, whatever they might be: bad guys, scary beasts, or the classic forgot-to-wear-my-pants nightmare. Her jobs get complicated when a gorgeous man keeps appearing requesting her help.
Grayson, a fellow dreamwalker, is stuck in the dream realm while a stranger inhabits his body. He needs Emory’s assistance in the waking realm, which he can’t visit if he can’t get back into his body.
Once Emory is convinced Grayson’s not a figment of her imagination, they concoct a plan to lure the body snatcher out. But as Emory begins to fall for Grayson, the line blurs between him and the stranger who inhabits his body. She must keep it together to get close enough to discover his secrets, or divide her very soul if she can’t bring the man she loves back.
Thank you so much, Renita, for stopping by and sharing a little of your new release with us today!
Find Renita online ...
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