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Falling Awake
The phenomenally popular bestselling author of Light in Shadow returns with a riveting tale of intrigue and intimacy that questions whether dreams can be trusted . . .
A red scarf. A roller coaster. A tidal wave of blood
Isabel Wright spends her days at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research analyzing the dreams of others. Dr. Martin Belvedere, a pioneer in the field, recognized her unique talent for what he calls Level Five lucid dreaming. It's satisfying, lucrative work, but it can be emotionally draining. Especially when one of her anonymous subjects, known only as Client Number Two, captures her imagination through his compelling dream narratives. Secretly, she thinks of him as "Dream Man."
His real name is Ellis Cutler. A loner who's learned not to let anyone get too close, he works for a highly classified government agency with an interest in the potential value of lucid dreaming. And he's just been ordered by his boss to make contact with Isabel, who's been fired after the sudden death of Dr. Belvedere. Heading to California, he pushes his fantasies out of his mind, determined to maintain a professional relationship with the woman who reads his dreams, the mysterious figure he has come to think of as "Tango Dancer."
But when they meet in the flesh, the dream becomes real enough to touch. And a waking nightmare begins-when a suspicious hit-and-run leads them into a perilous web of passion, betrayal, and murder, and forces them to walk the razor-thin line between dreams and reality.
A red scarf. A roller coaster. A tidal wave of blood
Isabel Wright spends her days at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research analyzing the dreams of others. Dr. Martin Belvedere, a pioneer in the field, recognized her unique talent for what he calls Level Five lucid dreaming. It's satisfying, lucrative work, but it can be emotionally draining. Especially when one of her anonymous subjects, known only as Client Number Two, captures her imagination through his compelling dream narratives. Secretly, she thinks of him as "Dream Man."
His real name is Ellis Cutler. A loner who's learned not to let anyone get too close, he works for a highly classified government agency with an interest in the potential value of lucid dreaming. And he's just been ordered by his boss to make contact with Isabel, who's been fired after the sudden death of Dr. Belvedere. Heading to California, he pushes his fantasies out of his mind, determined to maintain a professional relationship with the woman who reads his dreams, the mysterious figure he has come to think of as "Tango Dancer."
But when they meet in the flesh, the dream becomes real enough to touch. And a waking nightmare begins-when a suspicious hit-and-run leads them into a perilous web of passion, betrayal, and murder, and forces them to walk the razor-thin line between dreams and reality.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 2005
357 people are currently reading
1454 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Ann Krentz
401 books7,204 followersThe author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 254 reviews
September 17, 2021
3.5 stars
October 12, 2020
4 Estrellitas. Éste libro sí que ha funcionado y muy bien. Desde la primera página me ha enganchado y no he podido dejarlo hasta terminarlo.
"En tus sueños" es lo primero que leo de Amanda Quick como Jayne Ann Krentz, su nombre para escribir novelas de romance contemporáneo. Y al igual que su fórmula funciona en novelas históricas, también lo hace en contemporáneas.
No tenía de idea de qué iba este libro y ni siquiera lo conocía cuando lo compré en una librería de segunda mano. "En tus sueños" es un thriller de romance contemporáneo con unos toques de ciencia ficción o paranormales, pero la dosis de estos últimos es muy mínima.
Éste libro nos induce en el mundo de los sueños y su investigación científica. Isabel Wright es una analista de sueños que trabaja para un prestigioso laboratorio privado, pero su vida laboral cambia cuando su jefe muere y ve cómo el hijo de él destruye todo el trabajo de su vida.
Ahí entra en escena Ellis Cutler, un inversor financiero que fue sujeto de experimentos en dicho laboratorio, debido a sus sueños extremos. Ellis trabaja para una agencia que también está interesada en el trabajo de Isabel, y Ellis hará todo lo posible para convencer a Isabel de aceptar.
Toda la trama se complicará cuando una serie de eventos y asesinatos que rodean a nuestros personajes comiencen a aparecer.
En general ha sido una novela buena y que engancha rápidamente. No he podido parar de leerla, leía un capítulo y quería otro; así es como funciona la obra de ésta escritora, y me parece genial.
La investigación del libro ha estado muy chula, no muy distinta a otras de la autora, pues como no puede ser de otra manera, alguien estará detrás de nuestros protagonistas, si no para matarlos, para conseguir algo de ellos, o de su propio trabajo.
En cuanto al romance, me ha encantado, Isabel con su inocencia y candidez, y Ellis con ésa apostura algo chulesca y arrogante, muy de los hombres de la Quick, ha conseguido crear un romance muy contundente.
El libro ha funcionado y me ha gustado mucho, leer a Amanda Quick siempre es un acierto, pero recomiendo la lectura de sus libros muy esporádicamente porque se parecen mucho.
"En tus sueños" es lo primero que leo de Amanda Quick como Jayne Ann Krentz, su nombre para escribir novelas de romance contemporáneo. Y al igual que su fórmula funciona en novelas históricas, también lo hace en contemporáneas.
No tenía de idea de qué iba este libro y ni siquiera lo conocía cuando lo compré en una librería de segunda mano. "En tus sueños" es un thriller de romance contemporáneo con unos toques de ciencia ficción o paranormales, pero la dosis de estos últimos es muy mínima.
Éste libro nos induce en el mundo de los sueños y su investigación científica. Isabel Wright es una analista de sueños que trabaja para un prestigioso laboratorio privado, pero su vida laboral cambia cuando su jefe muere y ve cómo el hijo de él destruye todo el trabajo de su vida.
Ahí entra en escena Ellis Cutler, un inversor financiero que fue sujeto de experimentos en dicho laboratorio, debido a sus sueños extremos. Ellis trabaja para una agencia que también está interesada en el trabajo de Isabel, y Ellis hará todo lo posible para convencer a Isabel de aceptar.
Toda la trama se complicará cuando una serie de eventos y asesinatos que rodean a nuestros personajes comiencen a aparecer.
En general ha sido una novela buena y que engancha rápidamente. No he podido parar de leerla, leía un capítulo y quería otro; así es como funciona la obra de ésta escritora, y me parece genial.
La investigación del libro ha estado muy chula, no muy distinta a otras de la autora, pues como no puede ser de otra manera, alguien estará detrás de nuestros protagonistas, si no para matarlos, para conseguir algo de ellos, o de su propio trabajo.
En cuanto al romance, me ha encantado, Isabel con su inocencia y candidez, y Ellis con ésa apostura algo chulesca y arrogante, muy de los hombres de la Quick, ha conseguido crear un romance muy contundente.
El libro ha funcionado y me ha gustado mucho, leer a Amanda Quick siempre es un acierto, pero recomiendo la lectura de sus libros muy esporádicamente porque se parecen mucho.
November 17, 2010
Finished "Falling Awake" by Jayne Ann Krentz. I really did not like this one, for a lot of reasons.
First and foremost, it needed another editor to clean up the language and events. There was no normal dialogue among the characters. Everything seemed a little too scripted, too wooden, including the fully-qualified names for things, such as the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research. I swear if the name if the place were "The Honolulu Branch of the Pinkleton/Belvedere University Hospital Center for Sleep Research and Lucid Dream Control Development," the characters would have said the whole thing while talking to each other, despite the fact that both characters were familiar with the entity.
I got tired of hearing the need for "context." I know what context means. There has to be another way to say it. And while I can appreciate a pun, the "dream" and "nightmare" puns were a bit too thick for me. I kept wanting the story to end, but it dragged itself on and on beyond the point where I had any interest in what happens next. Particularly at the end, the author needed to return to a "show, don't tell" mantra. There was far too much telling.
Ultimately, the sense I got from it was that it was the first draft of some housewife's daydreaming fantasy put to paper.
First and foremost, it needed another editor to clean up the language and events. There was no normal dialogue among the characters. Everything seemed a little too scripted, too wooden, including the fully-qualified names for things, such as the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research. I swear if the name if the place were "The Honolulu Branch of the Pinkleton/Belvedere University Hospital Center for Sleep Research and Lucid Dream Control Development," the characters would have said the whole thing while talking to each other, despite the fact that both characters were familiar with the entity.
I got tired of hearing the need for "context." I know what context means. There has to be another way to say it. And while I can appreciate a pun, the "dream" and "nightmare" puns were a bit too thick for me. I kept wanting the story to end, but it dragged itself on and on beyond the point where I had any interest in what happens next. Particularly at the end, the author needed to return to a "show, don't tell" mantra. There was far too much telling.
Ultimately, the sense I got from it was that it was the first draft of some housewife's daydreaming fantasy put to paper.
June 10, 2015
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz
First published: 2005
Length: 529 pages (Large Print)
Setting: Contemporary, California.
Sex: Explicit. Reasonably frequent.
Paranormalish - Lucid dreaming and dream reading.
Hero: Entrepeneur and gov. agent investigator who uses lucid dreaming.
Heroine: Interprets Lucid Dreams.
An interesting idea that didn't quite make it.
It felt like Krentz wanted to explore an idea she had a few years ago and didn't want to waste her research or the manuscript that was stashed in a bottom drawer so put everything in.
There was a lot of exposition, stilted dialogue, forcing characters into stereotypical roles/motivations/desires.
It lacked the flair Krentz has since developed.
Good enough, but could have been better.
References:
Author's website: http://jayneannkrentz.com/falling-awake/
(ISBN 9780786266418)
-CR-
First published: 2005
Length: 529 pages (Large Print)
Setting: Contemporary, California.
Sex: Explicit. Reasonably frequent.
Paranormalish - Lucid dreaming and dream reading.
Hero: Entrepeneur and gov. agent investigator who uses lucid dreaming.
Heroine: Interprets Lucid Dreams.
An interesting idea that didn't quite make it.
It felt like Krentz wanted to explore an idea she had a few years ago and didn't want to waste her research or the manuscript that was stashed in a bottom drawer so put everything in.
There was a lot of exposition, stilted dialogue, forcing characters into stereotypical roles/motivations/desires.
It lacked the flair Krentz has since developed.
Good enough, but could have been better.
References:
Author's website: http://jayneannkrentz.com/falling-awake/
(ISBN 9780786266418)
-CR-
August 30, 2025
3.5 stars, edging toward 3.75. I reviewed the hardcover edition on Goodreads in 2017,
here
.
March 19, 2018
The Belvedere Center for Sleep Research caters to the demands of two mysterious clients with the ability of lucid dreaming - the state where the dreamer knows he/she is dreaming and can alter the dreamscape to their own wishes.
Isabel Wright, herself a Level Five (the highest level of lucid dreaming) is the one in charge of interpreting their dreams. She is so intrigued by the Client Number Two that the man eventually starts appearing in her dreams. She dubs him Dream Man.
Enter Ellis Cutler, Client Number Two a.k.a. Dream Man. A Level Five lucid dreamer who uses his dreaming ability to solve crimes, and who‘s been having fantasies of his own regarding his dream analyst, Tango Dancer.
After so many books, with other authors I'd say "been there, done that, have the bookshelf to prove it", but that is never the case with Jayne Ann Krentz (or her alter ego Amanda Quick). Though the plots might be similar, there is always a different twist to the storyline to make it interesting. And believable.
Falling Awake is no exception. It's her usual cocktail of suspense, action, and romance that will keep you at the edge of your seat and turning page after page, because you have to know just what happens next. Though the "technical" descriptions did slow the pace down.
What I like most about her contemporaries is the fact she never gives a detailed visual description of the male lead, leaving the better part to the reader's imagination.
P.S. In this case, the dark sunglasses Ellis Cutler can't seem to take off just add to the mystery, intrigue, and his appeal.
Isabel Wright, herself a Level Five (the highest level of lucid dreaming) is the one in charge of interpreting their dreams. She is so intrigued by the Client Number Two that the man eventually starts appearing in her dreams. She dubs him Dream Man.
Enter Ellis Cutler, Client Number Two a.k.a. Dream Man. A Level Five lucid dreamer who uses his dreaming ability to solve crimes, and who‘s been having fantasies of his own regarding his dream analyst, Tango Dancer.
After so many books, with other authors I'd say "been there, done that, have the bookshelf to prove it", but that is never the case with Jayne Ann Krentz (or her alter ego Amanda Quick). Though the plots might be similar, there is always a different twist to the storyline to make it interesting. And believable.
Falling Awake is no exception. It's her usual cocktail of suspense, action, and romance that will keep you at the edge of your seat and turning page after page, because you have to know just what happens next. Though the "technical" descriptions did slow the pace down.
What I like most about her contemporaries is the fact she never gives a detailed visual description of the male lead, leaving the better part to the reader's imagination.
P.S. In this case, the dark sunglasses Ellis Cutler can't seem to take off just add to the mystery, intrigue, and his appeal.
August 2, 2016
Isabel is a dream analyzer in a smaller division of a big company. When the promotion she expected turns into search for a new employment, she´s disappointed. Good thing she has family that will help.
Ellis, an independent contractor, depends on the help with analyzing his dreams, so when it gets shut down they´ll have to solve it, asap. Now Ellis is sent on the mission to convince Isabel to start working for his agency instead.
When a conspiracy starts entangling them both they´ll have to work together and find the one responsible.
PNR Romance, action, suspense and smutty fluff in a great combo.
Listened to the audio version and the narrator was great as well.
Ellis, an independent contractor, depends on the help with analyzing his dreams, so when it gets shut down they´ll have to solve it, asap. Now Ellis is sent on the mission to convince Isabel to start working for his agency instead.
When a conspiracy starts entangling them both they´ll have to work together and find the one responsible.
PNR Romance, action, suspense and smutty fluff in a great combo.
Listened to the audio version and the narrator was great as well.
July 27, 2016
Everything is like in Krentz's books should be: a mysterious and dangerous Hero, enterprising and intelligent heroine , mystery and a little magic . And the feeling . Mature , evolving . Awaited and hot.
October 10, 2022
Falling Awake
3.5 Stars
Dream analyst, Isabel Wright, has a unique talent for interpreting Lucid dreams and is particularly interested in the dreams of a subject known only as Client Number 2. Said client is Ellis Cutler, an agent with a classified government agency interested in the use of lucid dreaming for crime solving. When Isabel loses her job, Cutler's agency sends him to recruit her, and the connection they felt in their dreams manifests in reality. However, a series of violent incidents soon alerts them to a threat that could jeopardize both their work and their lives.
An engaging romance and a solid suspense plot, but the excessive focus on esoteric concepts related to dreams and dreaming detracts from the book. While the idea of using lucid dreams to solve crimes is very intriguing and reminiscent of Kay Hooper's Bishop series (without the psychic element), it is underdeveloped and lacking in specific details and explanations on how it actually works.
Ellis and Isabel are similar to many of JAKs hero/heroine pairings. He is dark and broody and she is smart yet quirky. Their chemistry is established early on in their dreams and is only enhanced once they meet in person.
While the identity of the villain is pretty obvious early on, the final showdown is intense and exciting and the inclusion of some of the secondary characters, even unexpected ones - , is a highlight.
Overall, this is an entertaining read but not as good as some of JAK's other books mainly due to the obscure dream elements.
3.5 Stars
Dream analyst, Isabel Wright, has a unique talent for interpreting Lucid dreams and is particularly interested in the dreams of a subject known only as Client Number 2. Said client is Ellis Cutler, an agent with a classified government agency interested in the use of lucid dreaming for crime solving. When Isabel loses her job, Cutler's agency sends him to recruit her, and the connection they felt in their dreams manifests in reality. However, a series of violent incidents soon alerts them to a threat that could jeopardize both their work and their lives.
An engaging romance and a solid suspense plot, but the excessive focus on esoteric concepts related to dreams and dreaming detracts from the book. While the idea of using lucid dreams to solve crimes is very intriguing and reminiscent of Kay Hooper's Bishop series (without the psychic element), it is underdeveloped and lacking in specific details and explanations on how it actually works.
Ellis and Isabel are similar to many of JAKs hero/heroine pairings. He is dark and broody and she is smart yet quirky. Their chemistry is established early on in their dreams and is only enhanced once they meet in person.
While the identity of the villain is pretty obvious early on, the final showdown is intense and exciting and the inclusion of some of the secondary characters, even unexpected ones - , is a highlight.
Overall, this is an entertaining read but not as good as some of JAK's other books mainly due to the obscure dream elements.
December 18, 2017
I listened to this book with my Romance Unlimited subscription. It's the typical Jayne Ann Krentz book. She seldom deviates from her predictable plots. There's a comfort in that though.
A dream analyst and a lucid dreamer from a secret government agency team up to solve a murder mystery.
3.5 - 4 *****
A dream analyst and a lucid dreamer from a secret government agency team up to solve a murder mystery.
3.5 - 4 *****
April 12, 2017
I'm actually kinda surprised how much I liked this book. There wasn't anything crazy spectacular about it but I liked the characters, the story line, the romance and the bit of action/suspense.
June 1, 2022
Charming
Another charming romance with plenty of twists and mysteries. Throw in dream therapy and you've got a successful novel, sure to turn the pages.
Another charming romance with plenty of twists and mysteries. Throw in dream therapy and you've got a successful novel, sure to turn the pages.
December 18, 2022
Another very enjoyable murder mystery/ romance/paranormal story from Jayne Ann Krentz
April 2, 2025
Quick read! I felt that the pacing was a little off, it seemed like there should've been more build up to the final confrontation, and more suspicion about the actions of one of the characters (who ended up being proven innocent). I also didn't appreciate how the confrontation was explained verbatum at the end, it just seemed like overkill to me. Overall, pretty enjoyable, just not my favorite from Krentz.
February 22, 2024
Fun, light beach read in February. Though it did have dark twists and turns. But for me? Candy, relaxing, all encompassing.
February 25, 2012
If you love the Arcane Series from JAK then you will love this book too. It almost seems like this is a early writing that was maybe the start of the Arcane family. Honestly with a name change it could easily have been one of the books in the series.
Isabel is a dream analyst but not what we normally think of when we think about our dreams. This is not the "this symbol means this" type of answers. This goes much deeper. She works for a man who believes she can do this but is hiding her talents under a "research sleep center" and she is being used by a gov't agency to read dreams which then help solve crimes. And she has fallen for the "Dream Man" who calls her for help. However when the owner of the company she works for is found dead she is fired.
Ellis has vivid dreams and calls "Tango Dancer" with his dreams for her to work on and has taken a liking to her. He works for the gov't agency as a detective of sorts when they need him. So when they call to say that he needs to find and secure Isabel how can he say no?
The suspense never ends in the book and while there is alot of conversation about the belief of "level 5 dreamers" it is not boring. The connection is instantious between Isabel and Ellis as if they really had been communicating before the reader picks up the book. I had this book on my TBR shelf for a while now but hadn't picked it up and man am I sorry now. I love JAK's Arcane Series and while I love all her books they do not all have that Arcane feeling to them and I thought this was one that would not and thought I would hold off to read the romance book but this is certainly as much suspense as romance and not to be missed!
Isabel is a dream analyst but not what we normally think of when we think about our dreams. This is not the "this symbol means this" type of answers. This goes much deeper. She works for a man who believes she can do this but is hiding her talents under a "research sleep center" and she is being used by a gov't agency to read dreams which then help solve crimes. And she has fallen for the "Dream Man" who calls her for help. However when the owner of the company she works for is found dead she is fired.
Ellis has vivid dreams and calls "Tango Dancer" with his dreams for her to work on and has taken a liking to her. He works for the gov't agency as a detective of sorts when they need him. So when they call to say that he needs to find and secure Isabel how can he say no?
The suspense never ends in the book and while there is alot of conversation about the belief of "level 5 dreamers" it is not boring. The connection is instantious between Isabel and Ellis as if they really had been communicating before the reader picks up the book. I had this book on my TBR shelf for a while now but hadn't picked it up and man am I sorry now. I love JAK's Arcane Series and while I love all her books they do not all have that Arcane feeling to them and I thought this was one that would not and thought I would hold off to read the romance book but this is certainly as much suspense as romance and not to be missed!
August 30, 2025
Falling Awake has all of the usual Krentz elements: a wounded alpha hero, an independent heroine who doesn’t quite fit in, and a suspenseful mystery with layers upon layers of deception and unexpected twists. Isabel and Ellis felt familiar because I’ve read so many Krentz books, but they’re both interesting and likeable characters. The plot is well-paced and kept me turning the pages, and Krentz was successful in misdirecting my suspicions on several occasions (though I did spot one of the villains pretty early on.)
I’m generally a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz’s romantic suspense novels, yet despite its strong points, Falling Awake never completely pulled me in. I think it’s because I couldn’t quite buy into the lucid-dreaming aspect of the book, which is strange because I’ve accepted paranormal talents and other highly improbable premises in her other books. It’s not that I don’t accept the idea of lucid dreaming — those dreams where you know you are dreaming, and can control the dream to some extent. But Krentz gave it a psychic-but-not-exactly-psychic twist, and that’s where it fell down for me. . . maybe because I felt she didn’t really commit wholeheartedly to something that could have worked really well as a fantasy element, but lacked credibility for me on a more realistic level.
Bookwyrm’s verdict: I enjoyed reading Falling Awake, but it’s not going on my “re-readable” list. Edited to add (8/30/2025): I did reread it, and enjoyed it more this time. Bumping my star rating to 3.5 stars.
I’m generally a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz’s romantic suspense novels, yet despite its strong points, Falling Awake never completely pulled me in. I think it’s because I couldn’t quite buy into the lucid-dreaming aspect of the book, which is strange because I’ve accepted paranormal talents and other highly improbable premises in her other books. It’s not that I don’t accept the idea of lucid dreaming — those dreams where you know you are dreaming, and can control the dream to some extent. But Krentz gave it a psychic-but-not-exactly-psychic twist, and that’s where it fell down for me. . . maybe because I felt she didn’t really commit wholeheartedly to something that could have worked really well as a fantasy element, but lacked credibility for me on a more realistic level.
Bookwyrm’s verdict: I enjoyed reading Falling Awake, but it’s not going on my “re-readable” list. Edited to add (8/30/2025): I did reread it, and enjoyed it more this time. Bumping my star rating to 3.5 stars.
February 19, 2012
I enjoyed this stand alone book.
The MCs were very likable, the bad guys were obnoxious, the story was good. What more do you want? LOL
The story revolves around Lucid Dreaming, and what your tax dollars are really doing. A secret govt bureau solves crime by getting its agents to dream Level 5 Lucid Dreams, and when they can't interpret them they request analysis from Isabel Wright. Isabel doesn't know for sure that she is analysing govt dreams but has pretty much worked it out.
Suddenly, her boss has died, she is fired and goes to work for her BIL as a motivational trainer. Her govt clients go looking for her; she is too valuable to loose. She is suddenly in high demand from her old job as well. Her new boss has found out she is the only person keeping the company afloat - her & her govt clients.
There are plots and counter plots, creative identities and murders. And then there is Tango Dancer and Dream Man.
The MCs were very likable, the bad guys were obnoxious, the story was good. What more do you want? LOL
The story revolves around Lucid Dreaming, and what your tax dollars are really doing. A secret govt bureau solves crime by getting its agents to dream Level 5 Lucid Dreams, and when they can't interpret them they request analysis from Isabel Wright. Isabel doesn't know for sure that she is analysing govt dreams but has pretty much worked it out.
Suddenly, her boss has died, she is fired and goes to work for her BIL as a motivational trainer. Her govt clients go looking for her; she is too valuable to loose. She is suddenly in high demand from her old job as well. Her new boss has found out she is the only person keeping the company afloat - her & her govt clients.
There are plots and counter plots, creative identities and murders. And then there is Tango Dancer and Dream Man.
August 30, 2016
This book was cheesy, simple and almost a waste of time to read. I thought it had potential during the part where it explains dream analysis and psychic dreaming to solve crimes. But honestly everything that was supposed to be "Top Secret" was spread around candidly and for as few of people as there was supposed to be who were "Level 5 Lucid Dreamers", they were sure popping up everywhere, seemed like everyone was by the end of the book. There was a lot of oh brother kind of stuff from the dark shades so nobody can get close to the pickle eating, the expensive taste in clothing, furniture, cars and well everything. I thought the mystery was solved all to easily and just dorky.
October 6, 2011
Falling Awake is an enjoyable yet ultimately forgettable book by Jayne Ann Krentz. While there is nothing glaringly wrong with the story, neither is there anything wonderful or unique. Both lead characters were likable, and there were no "big misunderstandings" or other cliched plot devices. On the other hand, the romance didn't have much zip or zing to it. The mystery plot was also decent but without much tension or suspense.
If you come across this book and have a few hours (and generally like JAK) you'll probably enjoy the ride. But I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it.
If you come across this book and have a few hours (and generally like JAK) you'll probably enjoy the ride. But I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it.
Read
April 22, 2016Jayne Ann Krentz is an excellent author and her writing in Falling Awake is a great emphasis on that fact. This story is a great one and a book that will keep you engaged throughout. Its so amazing that Isabel and Ellis Cutler interact and get along in the story and the ending is beautiful. I really love an author who takes the time to explain why a character did something rather than ending with nary an explanation.
September 20, 2007
This is my all-time favorite Krentz book. If you've never read it - read it. I'm serious. I loved the plot, I liked the characters. It's just a good book. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.
August 13, 2023
Isabel Wright is a dream researcher at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research analyzing the dreams of others. When Dr. Martin Belvedere dies, his son immediately fires her. She has been analyzing the dreams of Client Number 2, Ellis Cutler.
June 15, 2015
It's been a long time since i read Janyne Krentz and now i wonder why????
This book has it all...romance, mystery, intrigue, murder and best of all...an unexpected happy ending.
You must read to see what i mean...enjoy!
This book has it all...romance, mystery, intrigue, murder and best of all...an unexpected happy ending.
You must read to see what i mean...enjoy!
September 18, 2015
There was a lot of good things about this book. The characters were probably the best part. They we really well developed and I liked them both. Some aspects of the book I didn't fully understand at first, like the Level 5 dreaming. But by the end, I had a clearer understanding of it.
March 21, 2009
dumb plot and foreseeable ending.
August 14, 2015
เราว่าเราค่อนข้างจะมีปัญหาเวลาอ่านงานของ JAK ค่ะ
เล่มนี้คืออ่านนานมาก และไม่จบด้วย ไม่ดึงดูดเลยอ่ะ ค่อนไปทางเบื่อมากด้วยซ้ำ
อ่านมาได้เกือบครึ่งเล่มเลยตัดใจเลิกอ่านดีกว่า ไม่ไหวจริงๆ
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อ่านมาได้เกือบครึ่งเล่มเลยตัดใจเลิกอ่านดีกว่า ไม่ไหวจริงๆ
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August 27, 2016Isabel Wright worked for Dr. Martin Belvedere at Belvedere Center Sleep Research Center. She was a person who had the ability to read dreams. Dr. Belvedere had two special clients that worked for a government agency, Client One and Client Two. She read their dreams that were given to her and her analysis of those dreams helped those clients catch criminals. The only problem Isabel had with the dream analysis was that they left her with nightmares because she received no closure on the cases.
Isabel found Dr. Belvedere dead in his office one night. His estranged son, Randolph, took over the business and promptly fired Isabel. He considered her work with his father as proof that his father was demented. After hiring a forensic accountant, he discovered that Isabel's clients brought in 60% of the money for the center. He resented that fact and regretted firing her. With influence from his current girlfriend, Dr. Amelia Netley, he decided that it was best to tell others working at the center that Isabel had taken an extended vacation and that she would soon be returning. He sent someone to locate her and offer her a position as head of the Department of Dream Analysis in order to get money back into the center from the unknown clients.
Client #1, Jack Lawson, called Client #2, Ellis Cutler, and asked him to find Isabel once he discovered that she had been fired from the Belvedere Center. He felt like he needed her to come work for his agency, Frey-Salter, Inc. He was worried because he didn't know how much she knew about the dreams that she had analyzed for him. Frey-Salter, Inc. was a carefully constructed corporate front for the highly classified government agency that studied dreams. He worked closely with his wife's (Beth) company, Mapstone Investigations ID. They worked together to catch criminals. One or other would get the case and his dreamers would determine the guilty party and Mapstone would catch the criminals and take all the credit. Frey-Salter, Inc. was kept completely out of the publicity.
One case they had worked three months previous had left Jack thinking that Vincent Scargill was dead. Ellis attended the funeral of Katherine Ralston and truly felt like it was the work of Vincent. He was very suspicious that Vincent wasn't dead. Vincent was indeed being cared for and given drugs from Frey-Salter, Inc. while being told the drugs would help him to regain his ability to dream and remember things that had happened prior to the explosion that almost cost him his life.
Isabel went to her brother-in-law, Farrell Kyler, who was the CEO of a motivational seminar company to ask for a job. She needed money to pay her bills. Her particular concern was that she had purchased several thousand dollars of furniture that was being stored until she found the perfect house to live in. She was training for her position with Kyler, Inc. when Ellis approached Isabel and asked her if she would go to work for Frey-Salter, Inc. Isabel had decided that she wanted to eventually open her own consulting business working with dreams. She told Ellis that she would consider taking on Lawson as a client. What she asked for in return was more information surrounding the dreams and closure once the criminal they were searching for was caught. She needed closure on her dream analysis rather than the nightmares regarding the dreams that she had analyzed. Ellis took this information back to Lawson for consideration. He wasn't very happy. He wanted Isabel in a position where he felt he could control her.
Ellis was very much taken with Isabel and was surprised at the strength of his attraction to her. To Ellis, Isabel had been known as 'Tango Dancer' and to Isabel, Ellis was referred to as 'Dream Man'. Ellis decided that he needed to pursue his interest and stayed in town. He asked Isabel out and they went to dinner. After he dropped her off, Isabel received a call from Gavin Hardy, an employee at the Belvedere center. He told her that he had the emails of 3 clients from Belvedere's computer. He asked her if she would be willing to purchase the information from him. He was drunk and wanted to go to Vegas. He had a gambling addiction. Isabel called Ellis to come pick her up to meet him.
Gavin was leaving the bar and heading back to his motel when he was approached by someone he appeared to recognize. That person offered to purchase the information that he had offered to Isabel. Gavin figured that he could sell the information twice that night.
Ellis picked up Isabel and arrived to the scene of an accident. Gavin Hardy was the victim of a hit and run accident. Ellis contacted Lawson and told him that Belvedere had a third client. Lawson contracted Ellis to find out the identity of Client #3.
After some research, Ellis found out that Scargill was in contact with Belvedere. Dr. Belvedere knew of Vincent because they had contact regarding the research his center conducted. Belvedere appeared to be nervous about meeting him and sent him directly to Lawson to work on his dreams. Lawson determined that he was a Level Five dreamer and contracted with Vincent to solve a series of kidnapping occurrences. He was gaining a good track record and Ellis became suspicious. Lawson wasn't interested in checking on Vincent so Ellis took it upon himself to investigate the cases Vincent was involved with. Ellis discovered that someone was hiring known criminals to kidnap people and after the kidnapped victim was recovered, the criminals seemed to die soon after of accidents and suicide. The events happened across the country so the similarities in the crimes weren't immediately noticeable. The last case they worked on left Ellis shot, Katherine Ralston dead and Vincent apparently blown up in the explosion. The remnants of a body were never located and Ellis suspected that he hadn't died. Ellis was convinced that Vincent hadn't died and was determined to find him.
Ellis agreed to let Isabel help him because he needed her help and Ellis was convinced that Gavin had been killed by Vincent to keep his identity a secret. Isabel used her dreaming and analysis to determine that Dr. Belvedere had also been murdered.
Ellis and Isabel continued to work together and more and more clues began to appear that led them to believe that Scargill was indeed alive. They looked through Dr. Belvedere's old records and discovered that he had been seeing a patient who had severe head trauma. They determined that he was Client #3. They went to a place where he regularly had coffee and got a description of someone that he had been meeting there that looked like he had been in an accident.
Isabel received a call about her storage unit full of furniture being broken into. She called Ellis and went to the unit. She found the guard knocked out and stripped of his clothing, lying in her unit. The guy who led her to the unit was wearing his uniform and he knocked her to the ground. He then threw a bottle in the unit that was on fire and proceeded to shut the door to lock her in. She threw her purse under the door and there was so much smoke that the guy didn't see why he couldn't lock the unit. He took off and Isabel opened the door and drug the guard out. Ellis had driven up and seen the guy running away and knocked him down. They called the police and the guy was bailed out and was soon dead. This was typical of the previous kidnapping plots.
Isabel completed her training at Kyler, Inc. and taught her first class. It didn't go well. Most of the attendee's looked bored and sleepy. She went to see her brother-in-law and told him that she was quitting. She asked him what was going on that was causing problems between him and her sister. He told her that the business was going under. Isabel told him that he needed to talk to her sister. The distractions and amount of time he was putting into his business were really starting to take a toll on their marriage and her sister had a right to know. Farrell agreed to talk to Leila.
They went by Ellis's motel to pick up some items for Ellis to clean up and change and were told that someone he knew had checked in to the room across from his. It turned out to be Katherine's twin brother, Dave Ralston. Dave strongly suspected that Ellis had killed Katherine but they talked to him and told him the story of how she died. She had been kidnapped by her ex-husband and taken to a compound. Ellis found out where the compound was and went to rescue her after doing more research and finding out that Scargill was involved. As they were leaving, Ellis was shot and there was an explosion. Katherine and all of the others at the compound were killed. The police found DNA evidence that Scargill was on the property that day. One of the bodies was determined to be his although there was evidence that one of the guys escaped and went to a local hospital. He was treated for a head wound and left the hospital without being released. Ellis suspected that he was the target at the compound and that it was arranged that he would come in to rescue Katherine and be killed so that suspicion of Scargill's activities would disappear. Scargill could once again be Lawson's star in catching criminals by using his dream abilities.
Dave then told Ellis that Katherine had a new boyfriend before she died. His name was Vincent Scargill. Ellis determined that Katherine had bugged Dr. Belvedere's office before she was killed. She knew too much and Vincent had no more use for her. That was why she had to die. There was a pattern of everyone in the kidnapping occurrences ending up dead. Dave then agreed to use his computer skills to help aid in finding Vincent Scargill.
Isabel finished her day of seminars at Kyler, Inc. She was approached by Amelia who had a bouquet of flowers and a gun. She took Isabel to a closed amusement park and left her with a very drugged Vincent Scargill. Amelia was a former lover of Jack Lawson who he had had an affair with during one of his separations with his wife. He promptly dumped her after realizing that it was a mistake and she was resentful. Amelia was actually Maureen Sage and it was her intention to take over Jack's company, Frey-Salter. She couldn't accept the fact that she had failed in her intent. He next target was to take over Belvedere's center. She killed Dr. Belvedere and was having an affair with his son. Randolph ended up with the business and she knew about Isabel and was convinced that she would ended up in competition with Lawson because of Isabel. Then she found out that Isabel had been fired. She was furious. That was when she found out about Vincent and began giving him drugs to control him. Maureen had actually staged the kidnapping events to encourage Vincent that he was better than he actually was. She had Vincent convinced that she was helping him when in fact the drugs were blocking him from being able to dream. Isabel told him that when he was holding a gun on her.
Ellis returned to town before Maureen had expected and he confronted her at the amusement park. He ended up shooting her and saving Isabel. They soon discovered that Dave was a dreamer also and he became a new employee of Frey-Salter. Vincent got well once he got off the drugs and went back to work for Jack Lawson also. Beth and he got back together because she was now convinced that Maureen and taken advantage of Jack and that was why they had the affair to begin with. Ellis and Isabel were married a couple months later. Ellis worked with Farrell to restructure his business and get it back into the black.
Farrell had also helped Ellis by distracting Maureen so that Isabel could get away from her. He had found out that the electricity had not been turned off at the amusement park and he started one of the roller coasters. Isabel got loose from Maureen's hold and that's when Ellis shot her.
Isabel found Dr. Belvedere dead in his office one night. His estranged son, Randolph, took over the business and promptly fired Isabel. He considered her work with his father as proof that his father was demented. After hiring a forensic accountant, he discovered that Isabel's clients brought in 60% of the money for the center. He resented that fact and regretted firing her. With influence from his current girlfriend, Dr. Amelia Netley, he decided that it was best to tell others working at the center that Isabel had taken an extended vacation and that she would soon be returning. He sent someone to locate her and offer her a position as head of the Department of Dream Analysis in order to get money back into the center from the unknown clients.
Client #1, Jack Lawson, called Client #2, Ellis Cutler, and asked him to find Isabel once he discovered that she had been fired from the Belvedere Center. He felt like he needed her to come work for his agency, Frey-Salter, Inc. He was worried because he didn't know how much she knew about the dreams that she had analyzed for him. Frey-Salter, Inc. was a carefully constructed corporate front for the highly classified government agency that studied dreams. He worked closely with his wife's (Beth) company, Mapstone Investigations ID. They worked together to catch criminals. One or other would get the case and his dreamers would determine the guilty party and Mapstone would catch the criminals and take all the credit. Frey-Salter, Inc. was kept completely out of the publicity.
One case they had worked three months previous had left Jack thinking that Vincent Scargill was dead. Ellis attended the funeral of Katherine Ralston and truly felt like it was the work of Vincent. He was very suspicious that Vincent wasn't dead. Vincent was indeed being cared for and given drugs from Frey-Salter, Inc. while being told the drugs would help him to regain his ability to dream and remember things that had happened prior to the explosion that almost cost him his life.
Isabel went to her brother-in-law, Farrell Kyler, who was the CEO of a motivational seminar company to ask for a job. She needed money to pay her bills. Her particular concern was that she had purchased several thousand dollars of furniture that was being stored until she found the perfect house to live in. She was training for her position with Kyler, Inc. when Ellis approached Isabel and asked her if she would go to work for Frey-Salter, Inc. Isabel had decided that she wanted to eventually open her own consulting business working with dreams. She told Ellis that she would consider taking on Lawson as a client. What she asked for in return was more information surrounding the dreams and closure once the criminal they were searching for was caught. She needed closure on her dream analysis rather than the nightmares regarding the dreams that she had analyzed. Ellis took this information back to Lawson for consideration. He wasn't very happy. He wanted Isabel in a position where he felt he could control her.
Ellis was very much taken with Isabel and was surprised at the strength of his attraction to her. To Ellis, Isabel had been known as 'Tango Dancer' and to Isabel, Ellis was referred to as 'Dream Man'. Ellis decided that he needed to pursue his interest and stayed in town. He asked Isabel out and they went to dinner. After he dropped her off, Isabel received a call from Gavin Hardy, an employee at the Belvedere center. He told her that he had the emails of 3 clients from Belvedere's computer. He asked her if she would be willing to purchase the information from him. He was drunk and wanted to go to Vegas. He had a gambling addiction. Isabel called Ellis to come pick her up to meet him.
Gavin was leaving the bar and heading back to his motel when he was approached by someone he appeared to recognize. That person offered to purchase the information that he had offered to Isabel. Gavin figured that he could sell the information twice that night.
Ellis picked up Isabel and arrived to the scene of an accident. Gavin Hardy was the victim of a hit and run accident. Ellis contacted Lawson and told him that Belvedere had a third client. Lawson contracted Ellis to find out the identity of Client #3.
After some research, Ellis found out that Scargill was in contact with Belvedere. Dr. Belvedere knew of Vincent because they had contact regarding the research his center conducted. Belvedere appeared to be nervous about meeting him and sent him directly to Lawson to work on his dreams. Lawson determined that he was a Level Five dreamer and contracted with Vincent to solve a series of kidnapping occurrences. He was gaining a good track record and Ellis became suspicious. Lawson wasn't interested in checking on Vincent so Ellis took it upon himself to investigate the cases Vincent was involved with. Ellis discovered that someone was hiring known criminals to kidnap people and after the kidnapped victim was recovered, the criminals seemed to die soon after of accidents and suicide. The events happened across the country so the similarities in the crimes weren't immediately noticeable. The last case they worked on left Ellis shot, Katherine Ralston dead and Vincent apparently blown up in the explosion. The remnants of a body were never located and Ellis suspected that he hadn't died. Ellis was convinced that Vincent hadn't died and was determined to find him.
Ellis agreed to let Isabel help him because he needed her help and Ellis was convinced that Gavin had been killed by Vincent to keep his identity a secret. Isabel used her dreaming and analysis to determine that Dr. Belvedere had also been murdered.
Ellis and Isabel continued to work together and more and more clues began to appear that led them to believe that Scargill was indeed alive. They looked through Dr. Belvedere's old records and discovered that he had been seeing a patient who had severe head trauma. They determined that he was Client #3. They went to a place where he regularly had coffee and got a description of someone that he had been meeting there that looked like he had been in an accident.
Isabel received a call about her storage unit full of furniture being broken into. She called Ellis and went to the unit. She found the guard knocked out and stripped of his clothing, lying in her unit. The guy who led her to the unit was wearing his uniform and he knocked her to the ground. He then threw a bottle in the unit that was on fire and proceeded to shut the door to lock her in. She threw her purse under the door and there was so much smoke that the guy didn't see why he couldn't lock the unit. He took off and Isabel opened the door and drug the guard out. Ellis had driven up and seen the guy running away and knocked him down. They called the police and the guy was bailed out and was soon dead. This was typical of the previous kidnapping plots.
Isabel completed her training at Kyler, Inc. and taught her first class. It didn't go well. Most of the attendee's looked bored and sleepy. She went to see her brother-in-law and told him that she was quitting. She asked him what was going on that was causing problems between him and her sister. He told her that the business was going under. Isabel told him that he needed to talk to her sister. The distractions and amount of time he was putting into his business were really starting to take a toll on their marriage and her sister had a right to know. Farrell agreed to talk to Leila.
They went by Ellis's motel to pick up some items for Ellis to clean up and change and were told that someone he knew had checked in to the room across from his. It turned out to be Katherine's twin brother, Dave Ralston. Dave strongly suspected that Ellis had killed Katherine but they talked to him and told him the story of how she died. She had been kidnapped by her ex-husband and taken to a compound. Ellis found out where the compound was and went to rescue her after doing more research and finding out that Scargill was involved. As they were leaving, Ellis was shot and there was an explosion. Katherine and all of the others at the compound were killed. The police found DNA evidence that Scargill was on the property that day. One of the bodies was determined to be his although there was evidence that one of the guys escaped and went to a local hospital. He was treated for a head wound and left the hospital without being released. Ellis suspected that he was the target at the compound and that it was arranged that he would come in to rescue Katherine and be killed so that suspicion of Scargill's activities would disappear. Scargill could once again be Lawson's star in catching criminals by using his dream abilities.
Dave then told Ellis that Katherine had a new boyfriend before she died. His name was Vincent Scargill. Ellis determined that Katherine had bugged Dr. Belvedere's office before she was killed. She knew too much and Vincent had no more use for her. That was why she had to die. There was a pattern of everyone in the kidnapping occurrences ending up dead. Dave then agreed to use his computer skills to help aid in finding Vincent Scargill.
Isabel finished her day of seminars at Kyler, Inc. She was approached by Amelia who had a bouquet of flowers and a gun. She took Isabel to a closed amusement park and left her with a very drugged Vincent Scargill. Amelia was a former lover of Jack Lawson who he had had an affair with during one of his separations with his wife. He promptly dumped her after realizing that it was a mistake and she was resentful. Amelia was actually Maureen Sage and it was her intention to take over Jack's company, Frey-Salter. She couldn't accept the fact that she had failed in her intent. He next target was to take over Belvedere's center. She killed Dr. Belvedere and was having an affair with his son. Randolph ended up with the business and she knew about Isabel and was convinced that she would ended up in competition with Lawson because of Isabel. Then she found out that Isabel had been fired. She was furious. That was when she found out about Vincent and began giving him drugs to control him. Maureen had actually staged the kidnapping events to encourage Vincent that he was better than he actually was. She had Vincent convinced that she was helping him when in fact the drugs were blocking him from being able to dream. Isabel told him that when he was holding a gun on her.
Ellis returned to town before Maureen had expected and he confronted her at the amusement park. He ended up shooting her and saving Isabel. They soon discovered that Dave was a dreamer also and he became a new employee of Frey-Salter. Vincent got well once he got off the drugs and went back to work for Jack Lawson also. Beth and he got back together because she was now convinced that Maureen and taken advantage of Jack and that was why they had the affair to begin with. Ellis and Isabel were married a couple months later. Ellis worked with Farrell to restructure his business and get it back into the black.
Farrell had also helped Ellis by distracting Maureen so that Isabel could get away from her. He had found out that the electricity had not been turned off at the amusement park and he started one of the roller coasters. Isabel got loose from Maureen's hold and that's when Ellis shot her.
December 30, 2024
The main character, Isabel Wright, analyzes the dreams of others, at the Belvedere Center for Sleep Research. Dr. Martin Belvedere, known as a pioneer in the field of analyzing dreams, and saw that Isabel has a unique talent for what he calls Level Five lucid dreaming - and he rescued her from a dead-end job at the psychic dreamer hotline. The job can be emotionally draining at times.
One of her anonymous subjects, known only as Client Number Two, whose name is Ellis Cutler,
captures her imagination through his compelling dream narratives. Ellis Cutler works for a highly classified government agency with an interest in the potential value of lucid dreaming.
Cutler has been ordered by his boss to make contact with Isabel, who's been fired after the sudden death of Dr. Belvedere. Cutler then tries to push his own fantasies out of his mind, determined to maintain only a professional relationship with Isabel, who reads his dreams, and who is only a the mysterious figure he has come to think of as 'Tango Dancer.'
When Wright and Cutler finally meet in the flesh, the dream becomes real enough to touch.
Then, the wide awake nightmare begins - when a suspicious hit-and-run leads them into a perilous web of passion, betrayal and murder. They are forced to walk the razor-thin line between dreams and reality.
One of her anonymous subjects, known only as Client Number Two, whose name is Ellis Cutler,
captures her imagination through his compelling dream narratives. Ellis Cutler works for a highly classified government agency with an interest in the potential value of lucid dreaming.
Cutler has been ordered by his boss to make contact with Isabel, who's been fired after the sudden death of Dr. Belvedere. Cutler then tries to push his own fantasies out of his mind, determined to maintain only a professional relationship with Isabel, who reads his dreams, and who is only a the mysterious figure he has come to think of as 'Tango Dancer.'
When Wright and Cutler finally meet in the flesh, the dream becomes real enough to touch.
Then, the wide awake nightmare begins - when a suspicious hit-and-run leads them into a perilous web of passion, betrayal and murder. They are forced to walk the razor-thin line between dreams and reality.
June 14, 2019
This definitely wasn't one of Krentz's best books, but it had some things that I really enjoyed. I really liked the heroine. She was smart but not perfect, able to take care of herself and others and occasionally said something that made me grin. The hero was fine but never really came alive for me, and I thought having two other couples with big relationship problems was a bit much. Also, the psychic dreaming details didn't interest me so I was glad they were just a small part of the plot, which moved pretty well. So very much a mixed bag there.
The other negative was the occasionally clunky dialogue. I was surprised to see this book was first published in 2004, because there was a time many decades ago when characters in books referred to each other or big institutions by full names, like nicknames were in bad taste or something. But it makes the dialogue feel stiff and most good authors have abandoned that convention long ago. Krentz didn't here and it made the story feel rather stiff and awkward.
Still I appreciated the lively plot and enjoyed the MC, so I give it about 2.6 stars. Not one of her best but probably enjoyable for fans of her earlier work.
The other negative was the occasionally clunky dialogue. I was surprised to see this book was first published in 2004, because there was a time many decades ago when characters in books referred to each other or big institutions by full names, like nicknames were in bad taste or something. But it makes the dialogue feel stiff and most good authors have abandoned that convention long ago. Krentz didn't here and it made the story feel rather stiff and awkward.
Still I appreciated the lively plot and enjoyed the MC, so I give it about 2.6 stars. Not one of her best but probably enjoyable for fans of her earlier work.
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