Dreamwalker (Persephone's League of Immortals, #1) by Andrea Heltsley

Jun 28, 2012 Kriss Morton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: innovative-online-tours

Stories involving magic have always peaked my interest from childhood into adulthood. I am still drawn to them and with the new genre of Urban Fantasy, I gobble them up. Give me the fey, romanticized vampires (though I have issues with ones that sparkle), rugged lovable werewolves all wrapped up in a pretty bow with a sprinkle of fairy dust and a wave of a magic wand and I am a happy little goddess. I always joke with my fiance that they are my bubble gum books, not my meat and potato books. We...more Stories involving magic have always peaked my interest from childhood into adulthood. I am still drawn to them and with the new genre of Urban Fantasy, I gobble them up. Give me the fey, romanticized vampires (though I have issues with ones that sparkle), rugged lovable werewolves all wrapped up in a pretty bow with a sprinkle of fairy dust and a wave of a magic wand and I am a happy little goddess. I always joke with my fiance that they are my bubble gum books, not my meat and potato books. We all need light reading, especially those of us, like myself, who are ENG LIT majors. This book looked to fit the bill, and in most ways it did not disappoint, in fact there was more than fairy dust, the magic was true magic!

The biggest and most impressive aspect of Dreamwalker was the author’s grasp on Neo-Pagan practices, specifically Wicca. Not going to gander a guess at her religious beliefs, but she knows her stuff. As a Witch, not Wiccan but a Witch non the less, I was highly impressed with the inclusion. Sure she mixed it up a bit and threw in some things that are not part of general Wiccan beliefs, she did not stray far from the path and try to throw in a bunch of crap like some shows and movies do. When you mix a pagan belief system and write in rituals ect, you open yourself up to a criticism from the realm of magical practitioners, like myself. Practitioners who enjoy a nice little trip into someones magical story build, allowing their belief to be dispelled (giggles a bit) without feeling mocked would enjoy this read. Where I found some areas to be needing some polish, this was far from one of them. For this Witch it is the strongest aspect of the story and what held it together for me.

If you have read some of my reviews, you know I am not a lover of Romance novels. This is billed as Romantic Urban Fantasy and boy does it fit the bill, and for me, it is a perfect fit. I have no issues per-say with romance in a novel, I just like it with my read, not my read entirely. As I’ve mentioned in the past I suffer from Harlequin related PTSD *shuddering*. Many romance writers have a horrible habit of over salting their books with purple prose, to the point that if it was a piece of gum, it would be grape flavor, you know the Bubbalicious one you chew for five minutes and it leaves your tongue dark purple? It can be fun, for about five minutes, than all flavor is lost and the gum is stiff (could not resist). Andrea not only writes well rounded & believable steamy scenes she does so without any of the aforementioned purple prose. Just the right amount and balance making it an integral part of the story. It is part of Noel’s trials and tribulations, part of what she has to make choices about and come to terms with. The author really does a nice job with those scenes! The flavor really was long lasting *wink*

Similes aside; though not her first novel, I found the writing and some of the story devices of Dreamwalker in need a bit of polishing. It took me a bit to get “into it”. But as I continued to read it became more polished and the story started flowing better and pretty soon It grabbed me and took hold. Perhaps this is a story device itself? Hmmmm… a thought just occurred to me, the author just may have been sneaky. So. much like our protagonist Noel being completely clueless and struggling to keep up with the never-ending changes coming at her from all sides, we were too. There were times I wanted to hand the girl another gallon of ice cream and a fresh pair of comfy pajama pants because boy she having a bad day! Not sure I could handle it as well as she did! Something to ponder while you read it for yourself.

Without ruining the plot of ‘Dreamwalker” here is how her day starts off, over water (the jerk couldn’t even buy her a cup of coffee). Her long-term boyfriend dumps her, in a pure narcissistic and self-centered fashion, she has a mini-melt down, loses her job, finds out her best friend who is basically family is much more fantastical than she ever realized, the things of her imagination and fairy tales actually do exist and some of them are not very nice, in fact some of them are down right murderous. Not to mention there is a cabal of immortals who are hunting her and one of the people who claim to be there to protect her is working for them. Who can it be? Oh boy does that turn out to be a doozy, well sort of. Oh and she has a real sister! Life for Noel went from Shiny to cluttered chaos and the glamour happening was not something you needed your good lip-gloss for, unless you needed to put someone to sleep for a couple of hours.

I wasn’t sold all the time with this book, sometimes it was hard to dispel my belief, but over all it bedazzled me and had me smiling with all the knowledgeable magic as well as fantastical mayhem. It is a great read and for the price you can’t go wrong!(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 Franjessca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, books-read-in-2012, may2012release, paranormal-romance, author-andrea-heltsley

Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas

I was a little skeptical reading this book at first because I thought it would not capture my attention....but now I'm looking forward to the second book. That should tell you, that I really enjoyed this book.
It's much different from any other paranormal romance book out there.
Noel has just been dumped by her boyfriend, and now she's taking it pretty badly. Let's just say she lost her job over the break up because she did not show up to work. Now Noel is...more Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas

I was a little skeptical reading this book at first because I thought it would not capture my attention....but now I'm looking forward to the second book. That should tell you, that I really enjoyed this book.
It's much different from any other paranormal romance book out there.
Noel has just been dumped by her boyfriend, and now she's taking it pretty badly. Let's just say she lost her job over the break up because she did not show up to work. Now Noel is having dreams of a boy that is invading her dreams. She knows something is different about him.
The boy is now telling her that he should have never involved her because now she's being hunted down by a unknown world she had no idea existed. (witches, vampires, etc....)
And she's one of them...but she's different and she's about to find out what she is from the boy in her dreams and from close friends who have been keeping an eye on her.
Noel is now on the run with other supernaturals just like her...one being her best friend and another being her dream boy's partner who has an interest in Noel.
What is a girl to do with two boys?
My thoughts on "Dreamwalker" was that it was a very interesting book to read. Like I stated before, I was skeptical at first...until it got really steamy in certain parts and I understood the storyline a little more.
Just a warning: There's a love triangle in "Dreamwalker". Sometimes I always lean towards one boy...but this book, I had a hard time choosing because I love them both.
The only thing that bothered me was Noel. It really was just the beginning that I did not like her character, but that's because she ran into hiding once she was dumped by her boyfriend. Towards the end of the book though, she was one strong-willed character who kicked butt.
I will not spoil the book and what it is about...because I will give too much away.
There were times that the book was slow a bit...but than it picked up and surprised me.
I love Andrea Heltsley's writing style because it is WAY different from others. She takes you into another world of paranormal.
Now that I've had the chance to read this book from Andrea, I plan on reading her other book "Dissolve" when I get some free time this summer.
Recommended to anyone who is a fan of a different style of paranormal romance. (less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Amy (Books, College, and Other Random Things) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Noel is going to go on a date with her boyfriend she’s dated for the past three years, only to be dumped by him because he wants more adventure. She becomes depressed and stops going to work. Later one night, she starts to have fantasies of a man. When she confides in her best friend, Autumn. Eventually, both of them think that it’s just because she was dumped. She continues to have the dreams, and later one night at a club, she meets her ‘dream’ man.

He’s only one person after her, but Noel wil...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Jacquelyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r

Dream Walker was an emotional ride; Andrea Heltsley made me feel like my heart was breaking when Noel boyfriend dumped her in a public restaurant after three years. She was so emotionally destroyed that she stayed her couch for a whole week and am lost her job.
After trying to get her, best friend said "feeling sorry for yourself is over" time to get going with your life.
This is when the dreams starts, his ash blond hair
was short and messy, but his kiss was all it took to forget Brad. His name i...more

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Jul 04, 2012 Shieka( Doctor's Notes) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying that this cover made the cover addict in me so happy. It was simply amazing. It was all I love to see in my covers from the amazing colors to the overall great design. The colors worked so well together and just created the perfect precursor to this story. I love when an amazing cover turns out to have an even more amazing story behind it.

This story starts out with us meeting Noel who is being dumped by her boyfriend. I have to say Noel hd me not liking her at first b...more Let me start off by saying that this cover made the cover addict in me so happy. It was simply amazing. It was all I love to see in my covers from the amazing colors to the overall great design. The colors worked so well together and just created the perfect precursor to this story. I love when an amazing cover turns out to have an even more amazing story behind it.

This story starts out with us meeting Noel who is being dumped by her boyfriend. I have to say Noel hd me not liking her at first because of the pity party she was having. Once Autumn talked to her she started to turn around though. I could tell there was a stronger person waiting to get out. I have to say I liked how easy Noel's and Autumn's friendship was. They just seemed to bond so well together.

I have to say when Noel dreams about Jared I wanted to be in that dream. He just seemed so amazing and perfect. He was the total package and it was amazing when she actually meets him at the bar. I couldn't wait to know more about what was up with him. I knew there was something up and was glad they started investigating.

Noel's investigation leads her to meeting Boone. Here is where I became torn because he was even more amazing than Jared. Boone just excuded amazing confidence. I wasn't shocked to learn he had special abilities. This book got more amazing when I learned Autumn was a powerful witch too. It really sucked me in once I learned what Noel was.

Noel learned who she really was and that she had a sister named Samatha. They together were predicted to do great things together. I liked that this story had a Greek feel to it when we learned that the people hunting her were in league with Persephone I was even more hooked. I love Greek mythology and any retelling of the Persephone story is great. That is one of my favorites.

The backdrop of Hell was amazing. I like that the author stuck as true to the Greek tale as she could while still making it her own. The descriptions used to describe Hell were so graphic. You really felt like you were there. This author will please any mythology lovers out there. She delivered in so many ways with this story.

Overall this story has it all. The plot was different from anything I have read in a while. The descriptions were spectular. The characters seemed so real and were written so well. The world building can't even be put into words as it was just that good. I recommend this book to any readers that love a good story with some suspense and romance mixed in.
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Mar 01, 2013 Reyna (Glamour Glory) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-fiction, superpowers, paranormal-romance, adult-romance, paranormal

My blog: www.GlamourGlory.com
Check out my full review on my blog here: http://networkedblogs.com/Iy7kP
Watch my VIDEO REVIEW HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrJyaf...

My Review
First off, I'd like to say that for all you cover lovers (including me) the cover of this book will make you happy. I was so excited to read this when I got it just because of the cover. I'm a sucker for covers and if this was at a bookstore, I would've picked it up based solely on the cover! As for the story, it was de...more My blog: www.GlamourGlory.com
Check out my full review on my blog here: http://networkedblogs.com/Iy7kP
Watch my VIDEO REVIEW HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrJyaf...

My Review
First off, I'd like to say that for all you cover lovers (including me) the cover of this book will make you happy. I was so excited to read this when I got it just because of the cover. I'm a sucker for covers and if this was at a bookstore, I would've picked it up based solely on the cover! As for the story, it was delightfully good! I really enjoyed reading it. I actually quite enjoy love triangles, and this one has one. Noel Kennedy, one of the luckiest girls out there in my opinion, has two very sexy and dreamy men fighting for her affection and she must choose one of them, all while trying to stay alive in a paranormal world. Both guys are steamy, but at the same time, you realize it's a book, and they have no downfalls, there is only good in them and well, they are too perfect, but again, it is a book, and you expect that sometimes. Though I would've appreciated some downfalls for each of them because it would've made the book and the story line more realistic.

I enjoy romance in my books, but not so much that it feels like I might blush should someone pick up where I left off. This book had some steamy scenes, as it should since it is an adult romance, not a teen romance book, but the scenes were classy, not over the top as some I've read and discontinued reading after a certain scene in a book. The romance scenes (which only occurred less than a handful of times) were worked perfectly into the book in an integral way. The dreams made the passion between the characters real.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself here... In the beginning of the story, Noel doesn't know anything about her powers, she believes (or has been led to believe for her safety) that she is a normal human being. That is, until a sexy man named Jared comes into her dreams, which begin to seem oh so real. She meets Jared in real life, and that is where things start to come together and she finds out she is a dreamwalker, among other things. She is not just a human, she has powers, she must try to stay alive as a group of immortals sent by Persephone herself hunt her down. The team that helps her seem like friends, but there are enemies lurking within the group and she must figure out who it is before it's too late. Also, she finds out that she might just have a sister she never even knew about (or at least can't remember). This makes the story even more interesting.

I do have to say that I did not know anything about Persephone, queen of the underworld, before this book, as I did not take Greek Mythology in High School or in college, but after looking up some information on it for references, I found that the author really knew her stuff. She also makes it to where you are learning everything along with Noel, because she doesn't remember things at first. This really helped me understand the plot of the story also and I didn't feel out of the loop.

The ending has closure, as she picks one of the guys to be with (luckily the one I would've chosen) but it also ends in a bit of a cliffhanger because one of their friends is captured and we must wait for the second book to find out whether or not he will be alive in a few months when Persephone resurfaces or whether he will even be the same if he is alive.

All in all, it was a really good book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because it did lack realistic value for me in some areas (it was too perfect to be real). Other than that, I'd recommend it to anyone. The cover was beautiful, the storyline was a good one, a new one for me, and there was romance for those of us who like that kind of thing. I recommend you add it to your to read list and go and read it soon! I can't wait until book 2, Divinity, comes out in 2014!(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Lori {Romancing the Dark Side} rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, my-reviews, paranormal-romance, blog-tour-review

A fresh and new paranormal romance that will enchant you!

After being dumped by her long-time boyfriend and getting fired from her job, Noel thinks nothing can get any worse in her lousy but ordinary life. With her best friend Autumn by her side, Noel slowly starts picking up the pieces and being optimistic, maybe her boyfriend wasn't the right one? It's then she meets a handsome stranger in her dreams who sweeps her off her feet and gives her new hope in finding love. When Noel meets her dream l...more A fresh and new paranormal romance that will enchant you!

After being dumped by her long-time boyfriend and getting fired from her job, Noel thinks nothing can get any worse in her lousy but ordinary life. With her best friend Autumn by her side, Noel slowly starts picking up the pieces and being optimistic, maybe her boyfriend wasn't the right one? It's then she meets a handsome stranger in her dreams who sweeps her off her feet and gives her new hope in finding love. When Noel meets her dream lover in real life she soon finds out she's not so ordinary after all...

Dreamwalker is a magical new paranormal romance that pulls you in with the dangerous and mysterious world infused with Greek mythology Ms. Heltsley has created. I was first drawn to the book by it's beautiful cover, but when I started reading I was so drawn to the fascinating characters and plot that I didn't want to put my Nook down to take a break from the story.

Noel is living a pretty normal life when she's suddenly thrown into a supernatural world of people with special abilities and told the truth about her family, her abilities and the role her best friend has played in everything. With an irresistible dream lover and a sexy guardian of sorts, Noel is caught in the middle of a love triangle that adds a great twist to the story. I wouldn't want to be in Noel's shoes in choosing either one of these hunky heroes but I must say I was on Team Boone from the beginning...I guess it's my tendency to go for the "bad boy." No story is complete without it's fair share of villains and there's a few that get under your skin and make it easy to dislike. A lot of characters are introduced throughout the story and I hope we get to learn more about them in the next installment.

It's hard to write a review without spoiling Dreamwalker for readers, but I will say you will be turning the pages in anticipation while reading this one! Noel is a very relate-able heroine who starts off as an innocent young woman and turns into a strong and confident heroine, I love her transformation. In a world where nothing is what it seems, Dreamwalker takes you on a thrilling adventure with a compelling story about loss, family, friendship and love.

{ebook courtesy of I.O. Book Tours}

Original Romancing the Darkside Review:
http://romancingthedarkside.blogspot....(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

We follow Noel as her entire world is turned upside down. She is not who she believes herself to be, and neither is her best friend...

Complete review, along with an author bio, can be seen on my blogs..
http://stephsgrn.blogspot.com/2012/06...
http://stephsgrn.wordpress.com/2012/0...#

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Nov 17, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2r

R2R : Dreamwalker

(I received a free copy, for a review)

In one short week, Noel goes from a 3 year relationship to being dumped, which triggers a fit of depression, then gets fired from her job, from said missed "depression" days. Dreams about a mysterious stranger start and she feels a connection, to whoever this dream man is. All of a sudden, her life starts to spiral out of control, with the new knowledge of witches, vampires and of other mystical things. But, this is really only the beginning...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Persephone rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, greek-mythology

I have a love and hate relationship with this novel because of my status as Persephone. I have spent a few days just trying to review this book without Persephone’s perspective and it is not working. I’m going to start in reverse by providing the book rating first.

This novel is getting 3.5 black butterflies. It was a pretty decent novel. It had well-mannered characters with interesting back stories and the plot was intriguing. It is losing butterflies for its portrayal of Persephone, the lack of...more I have a love and hate relationship with this novel because of my status as Persephone. I have spent a few days just trying to review this book without Persephone’s perspective and it is not working. I’m going to start in reverse by providing the book rating first.

This novel is getting 3.5 black butterflies. It was a pretty decent novel. It had well-mannered characters with interesting back stories and the plot was intriguing. It is losing butterflies for its portrayal of Persephone, the lack of world-building, and for telling, not showing what is going on (each costs half a butterfly).

Noel is the main character and she is the one who needs to protected from Persephone. What I liked about her was that she was not whiny with what was happening around her; she took it in stride. What I didn’t like about her was that she was a little too trusting. She travels with Boone to the hotel room that he shares with Jared and the reason she does not make sense.

The plot of novel is to find the traitor that is providing information about Noel’s protection team to Persephone’s League of Immortals (who are the villains of the story) and keeping Noel safe. Of course, there is also the love triangle between Noel, Jared and Boone. As my readers know, I loathe most love triangles but I’m fine with this love triangle. I don’t hate it but I don’t love it either. Jared and Boone bring different elements into the relationship and Noel does have a difficult time choosing between them. She does make a final decision between them and I think she chose wrong in the end.

There are lot of characters in the group and not everyone’s background is explained which is not a problem. It is the first book in a series but the problem is that there is no background for the rogue sector of Persephone’s League of Immortals. How Noel’s protection group came to exist or how they escaped from Persephone is not explained. There is also the question of what the League is actually doing. Jared and Boone claim the Leagues is using people with special talents as slave but what does that mean? Are they building castles or are they hunting other people? The League is a very vague organization and it should not be considered some of Noel’s protection team are ex-members of the League. They should know what is going on.

How Persephone is portrayed is a problem for me and that may be because I am Persephone. Do I find her to be a credible villain? No. Persephone is implied to be the villain of the series yet there is no concrete evidence to back that up. Yes, Noel’s protection group claim Persephone is a slave master but they do not provide factual evidence or even horror stories to prove it. It is why I have difficulty picturing Persephone as the mastermind villain. I believe Persephone could be a credible villain (I do have a dark side) so there is room for improvement. I can’t wait to see how Persephone is transform.

In the end, it was a decent read. There is a bubble of excitement around it and I can’t wait to read the second book in the series. I’m dying to know how the League got started and how Noel and her group intend to defeat Persephone.

{I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour.}(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tours

Noel has been dumped by her boyfriend, is depressed, and hasn't left her apartment in a week. She begins to have dreams about this beautiful hot sexy guy. Then Noel actually thinks she sees him across the street, but when she gets there he is gone. A mysterious coin is left where he was standing, which ends up being a protection coin, and involves some very serious magic. Her best friend, Autumn intervenes and decides Noel needs a night on the town. They end up going to a club and who does Noel...more Noel has been dumped by her boyfriend, is depressed, and hasn't left her apartment in a week. She begins to have dreams about this beautiful hot sexy guy. Then Noel actually thinks she sees him across the street, but when she gets there he is gone. A mysterious coin is left where he was standing, which ends up being a protection coin, and involves some very serious magic. Her best friend, Autumn intervenes and decides Noel needs a night on the town. They end up going to a club and who does Noel meet there, but the guy from her dreams, Jared. Noel continues to have the strange dreams, yet they feel so real, and are sometimes dangerous. After Jared disappears, another super hot bad boy named Boone shows up to ask Noel if she knows anything about his disappearance. Noel finds herself extremely attracted to Boone also. A series of events begin to unfold and Noel realizes the things in her dreams are real. She also begins to have visions. Thrown into a world of magic and mythology, Noel comes to learn that she is a dreamwalker, and she can enter into other people's dreams. The people she is on the run with also have supernatural abilities. There are even vampires, goblins, and Fae. Because of her rare and powerful ability, some very evil beings are trying to abduct her for Persephone. Noel comes to realize that her memory and powers have been stripped and she has a whole life that she never knew existed. On top of being hunted, she has to choose between Jared and Boone. Could things possibly get worse? Can she choose between two best friends? Will she end up as one of Persephone's slaves?

This was a very interesting book. I wasn't sure about it in the beginning, because a lot of the book centers around the dreams Noel is having, but I soon became very engrossed in what was going on. The story is filled with all kinds of magic and mythology, and there is some pretty hot romance to boot. It took Noel and little longer than I would have liked for her to make up her mind as to which guy she wanted, but I was pleased with her choice. There is quite a bit of action, so the book is fast paced and entertaining. All the supernatural elements made the book interesting also. I wasn't crazy about Noel in the beginning, but she grew on me as the book went on. Overall, I enjoyed this book and if you like the supernatural and paranormal romance, then Dreamwalker is a book you might want to check out. (less)

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Jul 08, 2012 Ashley (Firestarbooks) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has pros and cons. I guess I will start with the cons. Some of you might know that I dislike love triangle because it is just too cliche. And guess what, this book has a love triangle. The triangle is between Noel, Jared, and Boone. To me sadly, Jared and Boone are just too perfect, making them a little unrealistic. Another cliche thing about the book is that Noel started out weak and became strong. Yes I do appreciate the transformation of the characters but it just feels a little too...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dreamwalker is a beautiful paranormal romance about Noel — who quickly finds her world turned upside down. Starting with eerily sexy dreams that seem lifelike and real, she learns that she’s not who she thought she was. She’s so much more and gifted. She’s a powerful clairvoyant who can walk into and out of dreams.

This story is full of surprises! Her best friend for years turns out to be a (good) witch who spelled her (memory) at a young age. As the story continues, Noel remembers the sister she...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Stacy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: r2rs

I received this book free from the author through my Goodreads book club, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and conclusions are my own.
Noel's sleazy boyfriend breaks up with her, which causes her to 'check out' of the real world for a couple days - which leads to her getting fired from her job. Left adrift, she relies on her best friend Autumn to help get her through her crummy situation. Noel starts having extremely vivid and unsettling dreams right around the time of the break-up...more I received this book free from the author through my Goodreads book club, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and conclusions are my own.
Noel's sleazy boyfriend breaks up with her, which causes her to 'check out' of the real world for a couple days - which leads to her getting fired from her job. Left adrift, she relies on her best friend Autumn to help get her through her crummy situation. Noel starts having extremely vivid and unsettling dreams right around the time of the break-up that revolve around a super sexy guy. To lift their spirits, Autumn and Noel decide to go to a club opening and let off a little steam. Once there, Noel meets the man of her dreams -- literally. What follows is a distortion of the reality Noel has always known, as she runs from vampires, immortals, and even Hell's minions.
This is a very quick read, and one that has such an interesting premise. I had hoped to read more about Persephone and her league of immortals, but unfortunately those tidbits were relegated to a chapter or two at the very end. I really feel that the author could have fleshed this section out more, because this was the most creative part. Author Andrea Heltsley created two really hot guys for a love triangle for Noel, but Noel comes off a little slutty in the ways that she deals with this situation. I would have liked to see more descriptions of the locations (especially Persephone's lair!), as the book was mainly dialogue back and forth between the characters. I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters, and I didn't get an authentic vibe from the actions or words of the lead players. More character development is needed. Augustine would have been a fascinating character to delve into, but we only see him in snippets here and there.
The climax of the story (Persephone's lair) was very quick -- most of the story dealt with Noel and her love triangle, but I would have liked to see that as more of a periphery story instead of the main one. The abilities/skills of the main players was left kind of vague -- but THAT is where the focus of the story should be.
Overall, this is an interesting book that holds promise in the storyline. I could see this as more of an initial draft -- but with better character development and focus on the main climax, this would be a truly awesome book.(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, book-tour, adult-paranormal-urban-fantasy

Noel is having a bad week. She gets unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend and kind of loses it. It makes me think of Miranda Lambert's song "Not My Momma's Broken Heart." Noel doesn't go to work and ends up losing her job as a result. She won't even leave her apartment. I kind of dislike how weak this makes her seem. Things do get better on the strength front though. Noel starts dreaming about a guy and her soul recognizes him. Noel finds herself caught up in a strange world that she never im...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

GoodReads Synopsis: Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams named Jared especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unraveled a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was once a sexy Boone stepped into the mix and shook things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

I must say I love the pretty cover! The colour combination is fantastic! The night sky and the font is very eye catching, which was what drew me to the book. When I saw the cover and the title of the book (and the summary of course), I'm convinced I want to read the book.

Noel is just a normal girl who just lost her boyfriend. Big news. Because of that, she withdrawn herself and mope around at home, resulting in the loss of her job. Wait... Did I say Noel is a normal girl? That is only the start...more I must say I love the pretty cover! The colour combination is fantastic! The night sky and the font is very eye catching, which was what drew me to the book. When I saw the cover and the title of the book (and the summary of course), I'm convinced I want to read the book.

Noel is just a normal girl who just lost her boyfriend. Big news. Because of that, she withdrawn herself and mope around at home, resulting in the loss of her job. Wait... Did I say Noel is a normal girl? That is only the start of the story! Things are not what it original seems to be and as you read along, you will find out more about Noel's best friend, Autumn. Things got a little more interesting and exciting when Noel started dreaming about this hot stranger and then got thrust into something dangerous. Her past unravelled and Noel must decide who she can trust in such a sticky situation. Who exactly can she trust? Her long-time best friend, Autumn, stranger in the dream Jared or his partner, Boone?

I love the concept of Dreamwalker and the magical elements that the author has written. I was drawn to the world the author has created. Dreamwalker is a refreshing read and I find myself looking forward to Noel's dream with that sexy stranger and was happily rewarded when I got the name Jared. I also enjoyed reading the friendship between Noel and Autumn because it seemed real. The way Autumn encouraged Noel to get out of the house and stick with her through the danger is a real show of true friendship. Do I need to say that Jared is hot? Totally hot! Lots of interaction between Noel and Jared in the dreams. Some, or rather most, are really steamy and heated.Enjoyable. Boone came into the picture when Jared went missing. As Jared's partner, he came to Noel to look for him. That's when the two met. Lots of danger and action from then on. The only thing I have against Dreamwalker is Noel's indecisiveness towards the end but it did resolve so it's great.

Dreamwalker has great storyline, great actions, wonderful characters and is totally unpredictable. If you like the idea of meeting someone sexy in your dreams, this book is totally for you. Totally magical and a page-turner. The ending left me wanting to read even more! Can't wait for read more about Noel, Autumn, Jared, Boone and one additional character! I'd recommend to mature readers because of some sexy scenes!

Disclosure: I receive a review copy in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour brought to you by SupaGurl.(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Danielle (Dannie) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: great-fall-challenge-2012, r2r-books-read

The thought, first and foremost, in my mind right now is .... It's over already!!! :( I really loved reading Dreamwalker!! I absolutely cannot wait until the next book comes out ... 2013 cannot get here fast enough!!

Noel and her best-friend Autumn are the main characters in the book. They are later joined by Jared, Boone, and Sam. One incident in Noel's life starts an unstoppable avalanche of change and strange occurrences in the rest of her life. As she works to navigate through the changes, Au...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Denice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: won, for-review

Cover: It's alright...

Noel:

I really don't like Noel especially when we talk about her love life... She seems incapable of choosing at first who she really likes, though I do approve of her choice in the ending...

Boone:

What a weird name... What I really like about him is his genuine affection for Noel... He doesn't think like Jared...

Jared:

I don't like him... It's because he thinks in a very weird way... He thought that just because Noel has the same ability as his they are meant to be together.....more

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Jul 08, 2012 Aliaa El-Nashar rated it 3 of 5 stars

As it has obviously become clear now, I am usually lured into books by their covers. I know it’s not a good thing to judge a book by its cover but I am an artist, it comes with the territory. So yes, I chose this book for its spectacular cover. Honestly I was just sitting there staring in awe at it and automatically joined the tour!

The next step was me checking out the goodreads synopsis, which again, sounded absolutely brilliant! I had really wanted to read the book after that and nothing was g...more As it has obviously become clear now, I am usually lured into books by their covers. I know it’s not a good thing to judge a book by its cover but I am an artist, it comes with the territory. So yes, I chose this book for its spectacular cover. Honestly I was just sitting there staring in awe at it and automatically joined the tour!

The next step was me checking out the goodreads synopsis, which again, sounded absolutely brilliant! I had really wanted to read the book after that and nothing was going to stop me.

The idea of the story was very creative and unique; the execution on the other hand was not. As much as I dearly enjoyed the story, I hated the writing. The style was not the least bit inviting and gave the wrong impression. To be honest when I started I had thought the book was about a bunch of teenagers, only to be surprised by the fact that they were supposed to be working and living on their own in apartments, boy was that a huge shock to me. Not to mention, I felt it was more of online chat than anything. The story held so much potential and I was very disappointed. I was contemplating stopping my reading process a few times, but decided to continue nonetheless. Since I was indeed interested in it. I just disliked the style. And the style is actually of a huge importance to me. I really would stop a great book if the style didn’t come to my liking, and it had nothing to do with errors. The style of writing was more colloquial than actually formal enough for the narrative style whether or not it’s narrative or in the first person.

I felt that the characters were all well chosen, but writing-wise they weren't well developed.
I mean, her grieving doesn’t add up, I think it would have been better in third person than first person. The way the author had written about it hadn’t been realistic, or maybe it’s the style? I was a bit detached from the main character, even though it was in first person, I want to feel their pain since that is the main reason for a first person writing. There’s lots of redundancy and accidental rhyming.

The first part of the story is what bugged me the most. The rest was ok I guess, but I absolutely hated the first part. This is not how one ends a three year old relationship. No matter what, if you stayed that long with someone, unless recently the other person has shown a lack of interest, it’s not the way to go at all. Brad must have cared at some point about her, and showed more tact and concern of her well being and the way she’d react to him breaking up with her. Obviously it was a superficial relationship, not good enough to last a few days let alone three years! I still don’t get the whole changing her lock part.

There were loads of clichés. It’s hard to get into the mood of the book, the way she acts is unrealistic, for someone who’s supposedly her age. Though I guess the details were not bad I did like that. She got over the breakup sooner than I thought she would, since she was very dramatic about it, you’d think that it would take a while, with or without the mystery man in her dreams.

Another thing that bugged me was when she claimed she had a 'disastrous encounter with Pete'. DISASTROUS? There was barely an encounter! I mean, come on, nothing happened, she didn’t argue or fight or get a chance to explain, how can it be considered as disastrous! Honestly!

“Work went crazy, Pete fired me and I feel all weird and lethargic,” I said.

But yeah, after the whole easily gotten over break-up, I started enjoying the book a bit more. I love the colorful characters, the hidden abilities behind each one. Hell, I don't usually enjoy this, but I liked having the love triangle and struggle with her. I know I might have complained a lot about it, but I still loved the idea and the cover and the story itself!

Rating: 3/5(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Mary Loesch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Is there anything yummier than a nice paranormal romance on a hot summer afternoon? Sure it's already steamy outside, but isn't it fun when your imagination and a good book raise the temperature even more? Dreamwalker by Andrea Heltsley is the latest paranormal romance I've had the good fortune to read. It's part of an Innovative Online Book Tour (one of my favorite book groups!) and lucky me--I get to review it here at All Things Writing.

Here is the book synopsis from the cover:

Noel Kennedy los...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Krista rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: bffs, book-tour, cover-love, fantasy, indie-author, magic, mythology, netherworld, paranormal, smoking-hot-guys, upper-ya, witches, persephone-myth-redone

4.5 Stars
First, let me say how gorgeous this cover is! I have a love affair with all of Andrea's books. The cover makes me swoon; it sparkles and is ethereal and I just want to pet it. Another beautiful creation by PhatPuppy.

After having read another book by Andrea Heltsley, I was hesitant going into Dreamwalker. Boy were my fears unfounded! While I couldn't get into the last book, I was instantly sucked into Noel's story. Just within the first chapter Noel's heart is broken and I felt every bi...more 4.5 Stars
First, let me say how gorgeous this cover is! I have a love affair with all of Andrea's books. The cover makes me swoon; it sparkles and is ethereal and I just want to pet it. Another beautiful creation by PhatPuppy.

After having read another book by Andrea Heltsley, I was hesitant going into Dreamwalker. Boy were my fears unfounded! While I couldn't get into the last book, I was instantly sucked into Noel's story. Just within the first chapter Noel's heart is broken and I felt every bit of her hurt. Noel is told by her boyfriend - of three years - that she just isn't the one for him. He wants someone more adventurous and she just doesn't cut it. Understandably, Noel spirals into a deep depression, even ditching work. One night Noel starts having these really crazy, vivid dreams. A sexy man who is the epitome of her dream man. She even thinks that she sees the man in her dreams on the street, but when she looks again, he is gone but a coin is left in his place. That coin turns out to be a magical item of protection. One that Noel needs, but why?

Then, while Noel and Autumn were out blowing off steam, Noel meets him, Jared, the man from her dreams. But then he disappears. Then a new totally sexy man, Boone, (Jared's partner) shows up and asks Noel if she knew where Jared went. After that the plot really starts to unfold. Not to mention a love triangle, that will have you choosing teams! Noel is part of something bigger and more important than she could have ever imagined. And her dreams? Not really dreams, but real events. She is a Dreamwalker and can enter into people's dreams. A whole new world is opened up and supernatural creatures are everywhere and they are out to get her because Persephone wants her for her Dreamwalking abilities.

Noel is not who she thought she was either. Not only is she a Dreamwalker, but she has a life that doesn't remember because her memories were wiped by a witch (who is someone she knows) when she was just a girl. She also has a sister that she hasn't seen in years and is reunited with. Along with some rogue agents from Persephone, Noel, her sister and the witch work together to win their freedom from the underworld and from becoming a slave to Persephone herself. Wow! There is so much going on in this book and I could not put it down until I knew what was going on!

There were a few quirks that could have been fixed; grammar issues, POV changes were not clear, and dialogue was lacking. Another problem is that characters are not fully fleshed out, but they were so much better than the first book I read by the author. Despite the cons, I still felt that Andrea created a very imaginative twist on the Persephone myth. Where most of them are focused on Persephone's plight, in Dreamwalker we see the Queen of Hell that she really is. I loved that there were so many types of supes used in the story: witches, fae, goblins, greek mythological creatures and so many more. I can't wait for more! I really found the imagery, especially that of the underworld, breathtaking. (less)

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Aug 02, 2012 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dream-reader-dreamer2229-blo

I love books where someone dreams about their soul mate and then meets them, however it happens really quickly in this book… almost too quickly. Noel breaks up with her boyfriend and within a week is dreaming about and sleeping with another man. That just seems a little too fast for me.

The she gets embroiled in a triangle with Jared, hot sexy and the man of her heart, and Boone, sweet, loving and sexy and the man of her heart and head. What’s a girl to do? Eventually she has to choose.

So Noel...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Helena Ferrell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 05-r2r, paranormal, nov2012

Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Dreamwalker was a very witty title for a cute storyline. Quicky into the story, Noel's boyfriend of three years breaks up with her. She quickly falls into a shame spiral that keeps her from attending her job, which she ultimately loses. She begins to dream and lust over a stranger that she later meets and continues to lust over.

Personally? I thought this book was okay. I was fairly indifferent. I believe the reason behin...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Katrina (Kindred Dreamheart) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tour, e-reader

When Noel's long term boyfriend breaks her heart, she finds comfort in her dreams where a mystery man helps her forget about her heartache and misfortunes. In her waking hours she's accompanied by her best friend Autumn; yet when Noel's dreams manifest outside the dream realm danger follow and she finds herself emerged in the Wiccan world she long since avoided. (Even introduced to more things of the paranormal persuasion.)

I am rarely ever on the fence. I usually love or really love a book espec...more When Noel's long term boyfriend breaks her heart, she finds comfort in her dreams where a mystery man helps her forget about her heartache and misfortunes. In her waking hours she's accompanied by her best friend Autumn; yet when Noel's dreams manifest outside the dream realm danger follow and she finds herself emerged in the Wiccan world she long since avoided. (Even introduced to more things of the paranormal persuasion.)

I am rarely ever on the fence. I usually love or really love a book especially if I finish. (Which when I DNF means I didn't like it.) However with this one, I am truly undecided. I am neither pulled more toward either direction, so let's explore both sides:

YAY:
•The romance was hot and heavy with very worthy lead males.
•It was moderate paced; and I finished in less then48 hours even on a tight schedule.
•There was an incredibility sexy mystery guy from fairytale dream world and another hot equally sexy bad boy.
•There were many levels in the plot that allowed for various supernaturals and thrilling elements such as espionage and spells.

Hummmm:
•There was a love triangle that seemed rushed and sabotaged by the plot.
•Noel....Noel...Noel!
•There where moments where in the back of my head I heard that porn theme song “bow chicka wow wow”. The main character keep saying how she didn't want to come off as “THAT girl” when in actuality, her actions were kind of loose. (I'm just saying.)
•The action was overshadowed with focus more on romantic drama.

I feel terrible saying this, but I expected more suffering and turmoil when the bad guys came around; and I wanted someone to take charge and kick a little ass. Then when it's all said and done come back to the romance. While I enjoyed this novel, to an extent I feel a little jipped. I didn't expect this to be a total love story.

On another note, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that type of ending from this book. That was definitely a shocker in a novel world comprised of cliff hangers. When I turned and noticed there were no more pages in my Kindle, I wasn't expecting that at all.

I still have many questions of which I am very much anticipating discovering the answer to later in this series. The loose ends encourages a sequel and I look forward to further exploring Persephone's League of Immortals. (((Thanks to the author for entrusting me with an honest review.)))(less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I won this book as an ARC from Goodreads First Reads program.

The story centers around a young woman named Noel, who gets dumped by some guy, but starts to dream about another amazing guy, and then basically, tons of things happen to her and her friend Autumn.

I have to say I was a little thrown off by what seemed to be large print for the book, to the point that I was finishing a page in less than 30 seconds, and the book in a few hours. I would guess that the book is aimed at young adults or th...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Alice Belikov First lady Ivashkov rated it 4 of 5 stars

I SOoo LOVED reading this book, it was a wonderful FRESH and enjoyable read. I loved all the characters, it's normal to fall in love with the protagonist but I found myself falling for Boone. Boone is just SEXY, Caring,Rough,Bad Ass and did I say SEXY? *sigh* I can't stop thinking about him, if there ever was a sequel to this book I would love to hear more about Boone, he is just HOTT! I could rave about him all day but I'm sure you guys don't want to hear it.

Dreamwalkers tells the story of Noel...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

*I was sent a review copy by the author for this tour.*
I started Dreamwalker early yesterday and I was immedatily drawn into the world Andrea has created.
First off, the cover. I was drawn to this book by it's cover, then after reading the synopsis I knew I was going to like it. The colors are beautiful and the theme fits the book. It's great.

After being dumped and losing her job all in one week, things don't look so good for Noel. Depression kicks in, as it would with anybody and things seem a...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Tohrutohno rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams, named Jared, especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unravels a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was, not once sexy Boone steps into the mix and shakes things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a chance a...more 3.5 stars

Noel Kennedy lost her boyfriend, her job and her dignity all in one week. Then something happened and she began to dream of this stranger she had never met. She couldn’t resist the man of her dreams, named Jared, especially when she met him in real life. Entranced, she slowly unravels a world she was meant to stay out of. Her life was not what she thought it was, not once sexy Boone steps into the mix and shakes things up. Can she escape a life of servitude or immortality for a chance at love?

I have conflicting emotions about this book. On one hand I love the interaction between the characters, on the other hand, the plot development I found a little lacking.

As you already know from the premise, there is a love triangle here. They are not usually something I gravitate towards, but I found myself rooting for both sides equally in this story. By the end of the book, it is easy to accurately predict which one Noel will choose, but I have to say; given the same choice myself, I don’t know which way I would swing. They are both too great to let either one go! (yum!)

For me, the triangle actually stole the show. I found myself dying to know what the next development would be, rather than caring about where the rest of the story was taking the characters. As it turns out, this is probably a good thing since I didn’t much care for the pace of the second half.

At first, the pace is slow but steady as Noel begins to unravel secrets about herself, what she is and what she can do, and her past. Her reactions are pretty realistic, and it was nice to see things from a more adult point of view, rather than the teenage/adolescent one that is more common. Noel is in her late 20’s and lives on her own in her own apartment. Another good thing about a more adult view is, well let’s just say the intimacy scenes are more adult as well ;) I was actually impressed with how these scenes were written. Not too racy, but not innocent either.

Moving on to the second half, my main problem here is the change in gears regarding pace. It’s so radically different from the first half you kind of wonder WTH just happened?! At one point, Noel goes from complete ignorance of what’s going on, to waking from a dream, and preceding to have all sorts of knowledge regarding events from the night before based off complete assumptions, and regards them as fact to explain a key plot element. Then later in the story line, in a matter of a couple paragraphs we travel around the world and even realms. It just got to be a little discombobulating. The only thing that felt like it was holding the whole thing together was the culmination of the triangle.

I think if the flow of the second half, and the plot revelations, moved more similarly to the first half, this would have gotten four stars. The characters are awesome and I can’t wait to see how things develop with the key protagonists in the next installment.

I thank the author for letting me have a copy for an honest review.

(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, r2r, paranormal

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. (r2r program, Lovers of the Paranormal)

Noel doesn't live life in the slow lane that's for sure. She goes from being dumped, entering melt down mode, quickly recovering after meeting dream boy, only to be thrown a wobbly when she meets devilishly sexy. Stays in a love triangle for the rest of the novel, where she discovers her real identity, her sister she didn't know she had, her best friends hidden life, and that magic, vamp...more

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Dreamwalker (Persephone's League of Immortals #1)

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