The Dreamwalkers of Larreta
by
Larreta, home of the dreamwalkers, is being torn apart.
Rifts are forming and swallowing everything in their path. People, structures, entire villages, are disappearing. No one knows where the rifts form or how to stop them. And, they are getting worse.
Leo, a Senior Dreamwalker, is recalled from Earth, where he fled rather than face his failures. His ability to connect with the past is crucial to combat the rifts, even though doesn't understand although how it works. He’s drafted to train a handsome new dreamwalker, Jesse: a young man whose talent for seeing the future is part of the solution to stopping the destruction.
Together, the two must form a complicated passage through time and space, and they can only succeed with mutual trust. First, Leo needs to overcome his personal demons in order to make the necessary connection. But getting close to Jesse is something he fears, in spite of their instant attraction. However, the fate of more than one world rests on their success. And time is running out.
- 1 To Be Read list
Genres:
Pairings: F-F, M-M
Heat Level: 3
Romantic Content: 3
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian
Protagonist 1 Age: 36-45
Protagonist 2 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 3 Age: 26-35
Tropes: Fated Mates / Soul Mates, Hurt / Comfort, Reunited and it Feels So Good, Star-Crossed Lovers
Word Count: 65000
Setting: USA, Planets Larreta, Verdallon
Languages Available: English
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
Jesse squeezed his hand. “It’s finished. Let’s go back.”
Leo nodded, his mind blank. Mechanically, he followed Jesse back along the path which turned into a tunnel of swirling light and led them to the spot on the beach where they had been standing when they started. He went through the routine of slowing his vibration, becoming solid, keeping track of Jesse as he performed the same movements. When both had re-formed their bodies, tears clogged Leo’s throat. He coughed to clear them.
Jesse covered the distance between them in two steps. “Leo?”
He had to speak. He was the instructor. He was in charge of this exercise. He could not fall onto the sand weeping. He would not. Just because he had been wrong about everything, he would not give in to weakness.
“Leo, say something.”
READ MOREIn his own ears, Leo’s voice sounded like an echo. “Even before you said it, I knew.” His hands hurt. He looked down. Jess gripped them so tightly his fingers looked like ice. “Did you expect to see them? Before we started?”
“Not before. As we walked along the sand, my memories came back. I wanted to see them again, and I wanted you to see them. It was a good life, Leo, most of it. I wanted to remember a time when we were happy.”
When he didn’t answer right away, Jesse peered at him, his brow furrowed.
There might be something wrong with how he looked. Leo breathed out and tried to compose his face. He had to appear calm. It was one of his best qualities. A calm façade no matter what hell was breaking loose kept his students safe. He decided to try for casual. “I think I told you that I’ve seen my own lives, but never one with another dreamwalker.”
“You did.” Jesse was still frowning.
Casual wasn’t working. Leo tried again. “I didn’t expect that.”
“It’s important,” Jesse said. “For both of us. We have been together. Many times. I was sure of it, and this is the proof.”
Leo pulled one hand free so he could rub his jaw. Rubbing was real. Solid. “You’re right. It is the proof. I don’t know what to . . . We should . . .” he looked around. “We should do something.”
“Let’s go inside.” Jesse started toward the stairs.
He didn’t follow. Not the house. Too many people. He checked his channel with Martin. The Keeper had withdrawn his energy, probably when they started back. He liked to give dreamwalkers as much privacy as possible. Leo didn’t sense Brian or the women.
Jesse turned back. “Are you coming?”
“Not yet. Let’s sit here. On a rock. No, on the sand. I need solid land under me.” He walked the few steps to the jetty, dropped onto the sand and leaned against a warm rock. Jesse sat beside him, so close their shoulders touched.
Leo closed his eyes and let his head rest against the rock, too tired to hold himself upright. The pantu was over. Jesse was safe. It wouldn’t hurt to sit for a few minutes. The sun warmed his hair. In his mind, he watched the soldier under the willow tree smile and lean toward his pale-haired lover.
Leo tried to make sense of what they had seen, but that part of him wouldn’t engage. Over and over, the soldier embraced the younger man, who returned his embrace. They had loved each other. What had Jesse said? Mesopotamia. Thousands of years ago. He had never seen himself in such a remote place.
From the sea, a breeze rose. Waves lapped against the rocks. Leo was shaking inside, but he was pretty sure it didn’t show. He listened to the water, the wind. A tidal wave might rise on the horizon, a rogue wave to wash them away. The sky could fall in and dissolve the illusion of solid matter. A rift could swallow them. He couldn’t stop any of it because he was too tired to move.
When Jesse reached for his hand, Leo allowed their fingers to twine. After a time, he turned and lowered his head onto Jesse’s shoulder. A comforting arm grasped his shoulder. They sat there until their shadows lengthened and the wind died.
COLLAPSESo, while I had found the blurb for this book interesting enough to pique my interest, I wasn’t entirely certain I would actually like this one once I’d started it…and boy, was I totally wrong!
When you start the book, there is a glossary of terms and while it isn’t the first book I’ve seen to have one right at the beginning, this is probably one of the only books that reading said glossary is, in my opinion, totally necessary. The idea that the life I’m currently living is actually just a dream is intriguing and not all that hard to understand but, there are terms and concepts used by the author that without a reading about before hand, I wouldn’t have understood at all. Even so, I was a little confused for about the first 10% of the story before I found myself so absorbed in it that whatever lingering puzzlement on my part ceased to matter.
This was probably one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read and with the amount of books I own, that says a lot! I absolutely adored the setting and the inhabitants of Laretta were unique and interesting; the Mentor in particular is one of my favorite secondary characters and I’m hoping I’ll get to see her more in the next book.
The overall plot was interesting in its own right but it gained an unexpected depth as the book progressed and Jesse began to come more into his new found abilities. His connection with Leo was already enough to garner my attention but the deepening bond between the two men, and the plan to stop the rifts, looks to be setting up for an amazing sequel. And the ending? Oh man, that unexpected glimpse at the reason behind the rifts just made me even more anxious to continue this series.
*sigh* It can be so difficult to adequately describe a book such as this but it was just so good. The creativity that went into it and the different elements all woven together to make such a unique world and story were just amazing and I was hooked much quicker than expected. If you enjoy fantasy books but are tired of reading about elves, shifters or orcs, you have to give this one a try.
RATING: LoveBytes_4.5Hearts
