Hidden in Dreams Book Review and a Giveaway

About Hidden in Dreams   
Just when the world’s foremost expert on dream analysis, Dr. Elena Burroughs, thinks she is getting her life back under control after losing her position at Oxford University and the man she hoped to fall in love with, she is approached by Rachel Lamprey, the product manager of an innovative new ADHD treatment about to hit the market.

Rachel asks for Elena’s help with a clinical trial participant who has had a disturbing dream foretelling a cataclysmic global financial collapse. But even more alarming is the fact that fifteen people scattered across the globe—including Elena herself—begin to experience the same repetitive, devastating dreams of economic ruin just as one bank crisis follows another, suggesting that these aren’t merely dreams.

As Elena searches for answers in her professional networks, she is forced to form an unlikely alliance with her most vehement critic and is drawn back into the spotlight as the public face of the so-called dreamers. As Elena and her collaborators attempt to discover the dreams’ source, the clock ticks down to devastation. Suddenly, it’s no longer just about the dreams. It’s about survival.

My Review
Have you ever wakened from a dream wondering if it had really happened? Dreams, although subconscious, can often feel eerily like reality. What happens when 15 people dream the same nightmare? In different places around the world? Hidden in Dreams will give you chills as Dr. Elena Burroughs seeks to unravel the mystery behind the parallel dreams of 15 people, one of those being herself. Is it coincidence? A medial mystery? Or some sort of twisted conspiracy?

Readers will journey with Dr. Burroughs in answering these questions. Likely, they will also feel the helpless terror of those experiencing the dreams. In Hidden in Dreams, author Davis Bunn continues the series from book one, titled Book of Dreams. However readers who didn't read the first book won't be lost in this one. Although there are referrals to the first book, that one wrapped up at the end, and this begins with the next phase of Dr. Burroughs.

Davis Bunn has an engaging style that includes a thread of adventure and mystery combined with thriller. The plot is complex and just as with Bunn's other books, he makes his story lines feel believable enough for the reader to contemplate whether it could happen in real life.

If there is one thing that would make the book even more satisfying, it would be to have the reader get a more vivid picture of what the dreams were about. I won't spoil the plot, so I'll be a little vague here, but there are times when the author describes a dream as "far, far worse" than a previous one. But I didn't get a clear picture of what was far, far worse about it. This is a big challenge for an author, since dreams are difficult to really picture, but I wanted to really feel what was terrifying about it, and some of the descriptions kept me disengaged from really feeling the terror that the characters felt.

I loved it and I give the book a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.

Intrigued? You can read the first chapter of the book for free: Download

You'll also find a free group discussion guide online: Download

Now for the giveaway!

The publisher has generously offered a free copy of this book to one of my readers. To enter your name in the drawing up to three times, simply do the following:

• In the comments below, describe the scariest dream you have ever had.

• For a second entry, sign up for Davis's e-newsletter and then leave a comment telling me you subscribed. Subscribe to Newsletter

• For a third entry, like Davis's facebook page and then comment telling me you did. Facebook Page

On July 25, I'll use a random number generator to choose one winner from the comments you leave. Make sure that you subscribe to my blog feed by e-mail (see the subscribe box in the sidebar if you aren't already a subscriber) so you see the post when I name the winner. The winner will have 3 days to respond to me by e-mail with a postal mailing address and a book will be shipped directly from the publisher.

Feel free to tell your friends about the drawing by sending a link to this post.