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The Kali Lockton Trilogy #1
Dreamer
Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition for ASIN:B00BU8VH26
At twenty-four years old, Kali Lockton has lived her life feeling alone. For a girl who has visions and in turn tries to prevent them from becoming real, social acceptance can be difficult if not near impossible to attain. After enduring years of ridicule and small town gossip, she finds her resiliency behind the thick figurative walls in which she's encased herself.
Everything changes when, starting a new life away from home, a vision brings her to the young, handsome detective, Jared Miles. For the first time in her life, she has someone who believes and is willing to take risks in order to help her change the inevitable future. Overtime, she finds herself allowing Jared into the depths of her seemingly impenetrable walls, so close to her heart.
When her normal visions turn into recurring, elusive, complicated, inconceivable things that threaten her very existence, she's forced to turn to him for answers. What she discovers is far more abstruse than anything she could have ever prepared for. To make things worse, she finds herself dangerously exposed in a world full of self-serving, evil beings who would love nothing more than to get their hands on her.
Despite this, nothing terrifies her more than releasing her suppressed feelings for a man she feels certain would never return her affections, a man who's not even human.
At twenty-four years old, Kali Lockton has lived her life feeling alone. For a girl who has visions and in turn tries to prevent them from becoming real, social acceptance can be difficult if not near impossible to attain. After enduring years of ridicule and small town gossip, she finds her resiliency behind the thick figurative walls in which she's encased herself.
Everything changes when, starting a new life away from home, a vision brings her to the young, handsome detective, Jared Miles. For the first time in her life, she has someone who believes and is willing to take risks in order to help her change the inevitable future. Overtime, she finds herself allowing Jared into the depths of her seemingly impenetrable walls, so close to her heart.
When her normal visions turn into recurring, elusive, complicated, inconceivable things that threaten her very existence, she's forced to turn to him for answers. What she discovers is far more abstruse than anything she could have ever prepared for. To make things worse, she finds herself dangerously exposed in a world full of self-serving, evil beings who would love nothing more than to get their hands on her.
Despite this, nothing terrifies her more than releasing her suppressed feelings for a man she feels certain would never return her affections, a man who's not even human.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2013
4 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Durfey
2 books66 followersJ.L. Durfey is a brand new author with hopes of building a dedicated fan base and stories readers will love. She is currently residing in Kentucky with her husband and two young children. For as long as she can remember, words have inspired and driven her. Writing has always been a means of expression, of therapy, of excitement, and of vulnerability.
Apart from writing and creating fictional worlds, J.L. Durfey enjoys singing, music, shopping, spending time with her wonderful husband and two children, and traveling. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management through Ashford University, and spent eight years in the Army as a Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear Specialist and Engineer.
Apart from writing and creating fictional worlds, J.L. Durfey enjoys singing, music, shopping, spending time with her wonderful husband and two children, and traveling. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Management through Ashford University, and spent eight years in the Army as a Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear Specialist and Engineer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 26, 2013
R2R LoP: Dreamer
I received a free copy, through LoP, in exchange for a review.
Kali is on the search, for herself, while also trying to deal with this unique ability she has. She has visions, of things to come and has since a very young age. She has no one to talk to about this, not even her parents, while they support and love her, do not fully believe. Along comes a detective, Jared, who does believe her and wants to help her. But, one reoccurring dream has herself and her parents is dire straights, where nothing makes sense and the only ending is blood and death. The journey she begins is nothing like what she thought was possible; reality is starting to float away.
'I had that awful vision again, or dream. I'm simply not sure. It feels like a vision, though oddly patchy and confusing. Unlike the others, I don't get the impression of an approaching deadline about to occur. So often, I've had this vision. Each time, I find myself considering its absurdity and impossibility although deep down, I truly believe in its incomprehensible reality. Then logic sets in, battling my instincts and leaving me in more despair. I can't talk to anyone about it. I'm already regarded as “unstable” for believing I am a dreaming psychic of sorts. But those visions were all normal, natural and believable. This latest one would surely send me to an institution.'
Interesting take on psychic abilities and the unknown out there. While the some of the characters are a little on the annoying side, the story line makes up for it. It is a very fast and fun read and I cannot wait to see what happens in the future stories!
I received a free copy, through LoP, in exchange for a review.
Kali is on the search, for herself, while also trying to deal with this unique ability she has. She has visions, of things to come and has since a very young age. She has no one to talk to about this, not even her parents, while they support and love her, do not fully believe. Along comes a detective, Jared, who does believe her and wants to help her. But, one reoccurring dream has herself and her parents is dire straights, where nothing makes sense and the only ending is blood and death. The journey she begins is nothing like what she thought was possible; reality is starting to float away.
'I had that awful vision again, or dream. I'm simply not sure. It feels like a vision, though oddly patchy and confusing. Unlike the others, I don't get the impression of an approaching deadline about to occur. So often, I've had this vision. Each time, I find myself considering its absurdity and impossibility although deep down, I truly believe in its incomprehensible reality. Then logic sets in, battling my instincts and leaving me in more despair. I can't talk to anyone about it. I'm already regarded as “unstable” for believing I am a dreaming psychic of sorts. But those visions were all normal, natural and believable. This latest one would surely send me to an institution.'
Interesting take on psychic abilities and the unknown out there. While the some of the characters are a little on the annoying side, the story line makes up for it. It is a very fast and fun read and I cannot wait to see what happens in the future stories!
September 3, 2013
I got this book from the author, free of cost, in exchange of an honest review from my side.
Firstly I would like to thank J.L Durfey, author of Dreamer, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this fantastic book.
I really loved this book a lot and it a total page-turner as well as head-turner, I mean that the cover itself will turn heads but the story is totally a different thing, it's otherworldly. I know it's a great compliment but trust me, it's worth it.
The heroine Kali won the show for me, she is just fab!I felt bad for the sufferings she goes through and the mistrust that everyone present her with. Her supernatural power is great and I think it has positive effects but as usual the others doesn't think so and give her a hard time about the premonition dreams that she unwillingly have.
A fat-paced story and the suspense is going to drive you nuts in anticipation and I'm really looking forward to starting book 2 now, yep, I'm that lucky to have it in hand right now!
I was really satisfied by the end and I looked forward to the development of Kali's character as the story progressed and guess what, the author didn't bore or disappoint me even for a nano second.
All in all a gripping, thrilling and totally fantastic story and I bet once you start it, you're never going to stop until you devour it all together. So grab your copy and enjoy the ride folks!
Firstly I would like to thank J.L Durfey, author of Dreamer, for giving me this wonderful opportunity of reading and reviewing this fantastic book.
I really loved this book a lot and it a total page-turner as well as head-turner, I mean that the cover itself will turn heads but the story is totally a different thing, it's otherworldly. I know it's a great compliment but trust me, it's worth it.
The heroine Kali won the show for me, she is just fab!I felt bad for the sufferings she goes through and the mistrust that everyone present her with. Her supernatural power is great and I think it has positive effects but as usual the others doesn't think so and give her a hard time about the premonition dreams that she unwillingly have.
A fat-paced story and the suspense is going to drive you nuts in anticipation and I'm really looking forward to starting book 2 now, yep, I'm that lucky to have it in hand right now!
I was really satisfied by the end and I looked forward to the development of Kali's character as the story progressed and guess what, the author didn't bore or disappoint me even for a nano second.
All in all a gripping, thrilling and totally fantastic story and I bet once you start it, you're never going to stop until you devour it all together. So grab your copy and enjoy the ride folks!
September 6, 2013
I like all the characters and I thought the author did a good job letting us get to know them. Kali was strong and determined even though she has visions that have made her an outcast. I love the relationship with her parents and we got to see them interact. Her father is still a bit of a mystery to but he could just be quiet.
Jared enters and Kali finally lets someone into her life. After her the disaster of her last relationship, she never really let herself open up. She is then thrown into even more turmoil when Alex enters her life and she finds out that more things live in her world beside humans.
Dreamer ran warm and cold for me. I like the story but there is a lot of mundane things that were given great detail. That took away from the story and also caused the book to be wordy. Once we got to the story it was good. There was just to much fluff for me.
(I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. LoP)
Jared enters and Kali finally lets someone into her life. After her the disaster of her last relationship, she never really let herself open up. She is then thrown into even more turmoil when Alex enters her life and she finds out that more things live in her world beside humans.
Dreamer ran warm and cold for me. I like the story but there is a lot of mundane things that were given great detail. That took away from the story and also caused the book to be wordy. Once we got to the story it was good. There was just to much fluff for me.
(I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. LoP)
September 11, 2013
I was given this book by Lovers of Paranormal (LoP) and author J.L. Durfeyto read and wanted to thank both for the opportunity to read this 1st book in the series about the main character Kali Lockton.
Kali has dreams which lead to premonitions and finds it extremely hard to get people to believe that these dreams are real and will lead to events that will happen in the future (including her parents). Enter Jared who claims to be a detective who believes Kali and helps her. Events lead to finding that there is a parallel universe where Jared is from and that Kali is in danger because of her dreams.
I loved Kali's character who is both strong and vulnerable with a good blend of the two. She realizes her limits and because of her insecurities makes her a lovable character. I thought Jared was a great character but would have loved to gotten into head a little bit more. Why does he oppose the king, how did he come to care for Kali so quickly, etc. Good thing this is the 1st of a trilogy which will allow us more time to get to know the cast of characters.
I am currently reading the follow up: Tell Me I'm Dreaming and look forward to hopefully going to Jared's world.
Thank you again for allowing me to read this book!
Jeanne
Kali has dreams which lead to premonitions and finds it extremely hard to get people to believe that these dreams are real and will lead to events that will happen in the future (including her parents). Enter Jared who claims to be a detective who believes Kali and helps her. Events lead to finding that there is a parallel universe where Jared is from and that Kali is in danger because of her dreams.
I loved Kali's character who is both strong and vulnerable with a good blend of the two. She realizes her limits and because of her insecurities makes her a lovable character. I thought Jared was a great character but would have loved to gotten into head a little bit more. Why does he oppose the king, how did he come to care for Kali so quickly, etc. Good thing this is the 1st of a trilogy which will allow us more time to get to know the cast of characters.
I am currently reading the follow up: Tell Me I'm Dreaming and look forward to hopefully going to Jared's world.
Thank you again for allowing me to read this book!
Jeanne
July 8, 2013
I need to preface this review with a confession. I have no prior experience with the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre, in which DREAMER belongs. Therefore, I cannot speak to the effectiveness of the story in touching upon the benchmarks of that genre. What I can speak to is the quality of the story contained in DREAMER.
DREAMER, by J.L. Durfey, is the first book in the Kali Lockton Trilogy. and introduces us to the title character, a young twenty-something who wants nothing more than to just live a normal life. Unfortunately, she has a most abnormal problem: she suffers from prophetic dreams. And no one believes her. That is, until she meets the dashing and mysterious young detective, Jared Miles.
Ms. Durfey does an excellent job of getting us into the mind of her young heroine and before long the reader is empathizing with Kali. A sign of a good story is when you, the reader, cannot wait to see what happens next and you find yourself almost skimming through the pages, eagerly trying to find out what will happen next. DREAMER delivers that. By the end of the book, I was ready to start the second, so I could continue the story. That is good storytelling.
If DREAMER is indicative of the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre, then this reader will be sampling more of what it offers, as I eagerly await the second volume of the Kali Lockton Trilogy.
DREAMER, by J.L. Durfey, is the first book in the Kali Lockton Trilogy. and introduces us to the title character, a young twenty-something who wants nothing more than to just live a normal life. Unfortunately, she has a most abnormal problem: she suffers from prophetic dreams. And no one believes her. That is, until she meets the dashing and mysterious young detective, Jared Miles.
Ms. Durfey does an excellent job of getting us into the mind of her young heroine and before long the reader is empathizing with Kali. A sign of a good story is when you, the reader, cannot wait to see what happens next and you find yourself almost skimming through the pages, eagerly trying to find out what will happen next. DREAMER delivers that. By the end of the book, I was ready to start the second, so I could continue the story. That is good storytelling.
If DREAMER is indicative of the Paranormal/Urban Fantasy genre, then this reader will be sampling more of what it offers, as I eagerly await the second volume of the Kali Lockton Trilogy.
June 9, 2013
Kali has lived her entire life dreaming and having visions of future occurrences and no one believing her when she attempts to warn them. They think she is an odd duck and living with this and other's cruelty has left her scarred and afraid to let anyone in. She is very likable and I enjoyed her character very much. Jared is of course the ultimate hottie and although to me at times annoying with his cockiness and refusal to give a straight answers, he is a great character. The writing is smooth and clean. There is significant world building and this makes for a good first in a series. My only complaint would be that at times the story seemed to be a little slow and I found myself saying okay let's move along now. However, I really enjoyed the surprises that unfold, have to be careful of entering the spoiler realm, but once the action gets going it rocks. I would definitely recommend this read as a taste of something different with a unique world that includes characters you will love and love to hate.
I received this book from the author with a request for my honest review without any compensation whatsoever, other than the joy of reading a new book.
I received this book from the author with a request for my honest review without any compensation whatsoever, other than the joy of reading a new book.
September 11, 2013
Dreamer (The Kali LocktonTrilogy) by J.L. Durfey
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
goodreads.com R2R (LoP)
If you could see thru my eyes it wouldn't be dreams, but a nightmare to see and have no one believes you.
I was hooked from that line from Kali's life.
She had to find herself and deal with the unique ability that she has.
She has the vision to see the future with no support that made life hard on her, along comes detective Jared, what do he really wants?
Kali's world is about to fall apart with a reoccurring dream that have her parent in danger, but nothing makes sense. In a world of blood and death her reality is slowly leaving her.
Is it real or is it a dream?
Will anyone believe her in time to save the people she care about or will she end up in an institution?
WOW!!! What a head rush into a world of the psychic unknown..
I can wait to see what the next book have in store for future...
Am I dreaming is sitting high with a glowing 4.9 stars
Jackee322001. tumblr.com
Http://cometomefantasy.blogspot.com
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
goodreads.com R2R (LoP)
If you could see thru my eyes it wouldn't be dreams, but a nightmare to see and have no one believes you.
I was hooked from that line from Kali's life.
She had to find herself and deal with the unique ability that she has.
She has the vision to see the future with no support that made life hard on her, along comes detective Jared, what do he really wants?
Kali's world is about to fall apart with a reoccurring dream that have her parent in danger, but nothing makes sense. In a world of blood and death her reality is slowly leaving her.
Is it real or is it a dream?
Will anyone believe her in time to save the people she care about or will she end up in an institution?
WOW!!! What a head rush into a world of the psychic unknown..
I can wait to see what the next book have in store for future...
Am I dreaming is sitting high with a glowing 4.9 stars
Jackee322001. tumblr.com
Http://cometomefantasy.blogspot.com
June 7, 2013
The storyline is an interesting one and I found the novel to be well written overall. The idea of different worlds has always been a fascinating one and will continue to be so. I would have liked a bit more background and history of the other worlds and their interaction with earth. For example why some supernaturals turned their back on their worlds to come and stay on earth. This being said I found the characters rather typical- the simpering, blushing, crying female and the macho, gorgeous, muscled male. At times I felt as though I wanted to shake Kali and tell her to get a grip, be a woman. At the end however she does, which elevated the novell for me. I like strong female characters. The ending of the novel is rather blunt and I would have liked it to end on an action packed, "what the hell is going to happen now". I look forward to the next installation however as I am fascinated by the different supernaturals.
September 7, 2013
I thought it was a really good book. I like the main character Kali. I thought she was a really good person who most women can relate to for the heartbreak she went through with her first boyfriend. But to relate to the heart break doesn't mean it just was because of a boyfriend it could be with a best friend too. I always love books that have people who can see into the future. I thought it was a really courageous act of her to go out of her way to save people even when all the people thought she was crazy and she did everything in her power and try to save everyone of them. I loved Jared but I think Alex would be a great choice for her. I love the thoughts of a bad boy and everything she has been through in her life I wouldn't blame her for wanting to be with Jared because she wants that sence of a security blanket. I can't wait to read book 2 to find out the rest of her story.
June 29, 2013
I just finished this book, and wow it was so good! Can't wait for the sequel:)
Twenty four year old Kali Lockton has been an outcast all her life because she has visions. Her visions let her see into the future while she's dreaming. She doesn't know when or where all she knows is that someones in danger and she has to help. But it's hard to get anyone to believe you when your the town crazy. But when a detective moves in next door who always seems to know what Kali's thinking and says the right things to make her feel important and definitely doesn't think she is unstable. Her world changes completely with mystery, romance, hot guys, and out of this world magic...oh and did I mention HOT GUYS?!
Twenty four year old Kali Lockton has been an outcast all her life because she has visions. Her visions let her see into the future while she's dreaming. She doesn't know when or where all she knows is that someones in danger and she has to help. But it's hard to get anyone to believe you when your the town crazy. But when a detective moves in next door who always seems to know what Kali's thinking and says the right things to make her feel important and definitely doesn't think she is unstable. Her world changes completely with mystery, romance, hot guys, and out of this world magic...oh and did I mention HOT GUYS?!
October 29, 2013
Dreamer is well written with an amazing story line. I wasn't able to quit thinking about it, even when I couldn't be reading it. I recommend this book to everyone. This is not just another paranormal read.
My favorite quote from the book would be
"Forgive me for being human. Oh, right; that was in question now too."
My favorite quote from the book would be
"Forgive me for being human. Oh, right; that was in question now too."
April 26, 2013
Wonderfully written and imaginatively creative paranormal romance! I enjoyed the dream sequences and trying to figure out what is going to happen next. The different realms have only been touched on and I can't wait to see how the adventures of Kali and Jared turn out!
November 13, 2013
loved reading this book from start to finish! It's definitely an interesting storyline and the chemistry between Kali and Jared is great! definitely looking forward to reading the next book!
July 30, 2015
Dreamer
Dreamer is a trilogy focusing around Kali Lockton, who is 24 years old who has dreams that are actually visions of the future, the only problem is that her visions aren't clear when they will take place, and no one believes her when she tells them. Throughout her life she finds herself being ridiculed and looked down upon by the people she speaks to about her visions, her parents and even her best friend who look at her with sympathy that she believes in her dreams so badly.
When she meets a handsome detective called Jared, she finds herself not only attracted to him, but she also trusts him enough to tell him about her dreams.
There are plenty of other characters in this book, Kali's parents are shown as she goes to have lunch with them, we learn her father is very much a strict Christian man, which was passed on to Kali, her mum who is wanting the best for Kali, but also wanting her to settle down and stay near them. Her best friend Abbey, who is very much a serial dater, bouncing from relationship to relationship - although there are moments when I do wonder if Kali does actually respect Abbey since she kept calling her a slut and whore for part of the book. Really? Do you have to call your best friend a whore? Isn't she happy with who she is, regardless of the fact that she goes out with a lot of men? Shouldn't you be okay with it, so long as she is protected and safe? That was the main grip I had about their friendship. There is also another handsome man who seems to be a slight rival to Jared in regards to Kali's affections; Alex, a man who isn't what he seems and although Kali is attracted to him, doesn't seem to know if she can trust him as well as she does Jared. There is also Emery who comes in near the end of the book, however we learn fairly little about her except that Jared states that she is on their side.
The plot is fine, although it does take a while to see exactly where it is going, the first part of the book is very much about Kali and her life before she met Jared and how he has opened her eyes about what her visions could truly mean, not only for her but for everyone.
There was moments in the book when Kali is very much the damsel in distress, but she is in distress and she is a damsel, and she cannot fight what is going on around her, but Jared can and does. No complaints there, because the author made it clear that Jared isn't what he seems, nor is Alex or Emery.
While Jared is meant to be the leading man, I find that Alex seems to be more interesting, given the fact that he essentially has an army behind him - which makes the reader wonder, why? What is he planning on doing with an army? What plans does he have for Kali? And why is he also attracted to her? Or is he at all?
If Jared meant to be the white knight, all that is good and holy, Alex is meant to be the bad boy - probably with a good heart though - to make this trilogy become a love triangle.
While I did enjoy the book, it was interesting and fun, there was moments where it seemed rather dull. Alex and Kali talking should have been funnier, considering Alex has a way with words and can tease Kali, when really it was just bland and the author instead made him come across as rather threatening but all Kali had to protect herself.
Again there was the whole calling Abbey a slut, whore, which just didn't sit well for me. Considering they had been friends for some time, why would you call your friend that? It was made worse by the fact it wasn't said in a teasing way, but literally a way of putting Abbey down.
I do hope that the books won't turn out to be a 'stay pure for the one you love' and don't give in to temptation, because the books should be more about Kali and her power to see the possible future, rather than sex and love, which to me should be secondary.
Dreamer is a trilogy focusing around Kali Lockton, who is 24 years old who has dreams that are actually visions of the future, the only problem is that her visions aren't clear when they will take place, and no one believes her when she tells them. Throughout her life she finds herself being ridiculed and looked down upon by the people she speaks to about her visions, her parents and even her best friend who look at her with sympathy that she believes in her dreams so badly.
When she meets a handsome detective called Jared, she finds herself not only attracted to him, but she also trusts him enough to tell him about her dreams.
There are plenty of other characters in this book, Kali's parents are shown as she goes to have lunch with them, we learn her father is very much a strict Christian man, which was passed on to Kali, her mum who is wanting the best for Kali, but also wanting her to settle down and stay near them. Her best friend Abbey, who is very much a serial dater, bouncing from relationship to relationship - although there are moments when I do wonder if Kali does actually respect Abbey since she kept calling her a slut and whore for part of the book. Really? Do you have to call your best friend a whore? Isn't she happy with who she is, regardless of the fact that she goes out with a lot of men? Shouldn't you be okay with it, so long as she is protected and safe? That was the main grip I had about their friendship. There is also another handsome man who seems to be a slight rival to Jared in regards to Kali's affections; Alex, a man who isn't what he seems and although Kali is attracted to him, doesn't seem to know if she can trust him as well as she does Jared. There is also Emery who comes in near the end of the book, however we learn fairly little about her except that Jared states that she is on their side.
The plot is fine, although it does take a while to see exactly where it is going, the first part of the book is very much about Kali and her life before she met Jared and how he has opened her eyes about what her visions could truly mean, not only for her but for everyone.
There was moments in the book when Kali is very much the damsel in distress, but she is in distress and she is a damsel, and she cannot fight what is going on around her, but Jared can and does. No complaints there, because the author made it clear that Jared isn't what he seems, nor is Alex or Emery.
While Jared is meant to be the leading man, I find that Alex seems to be more interesting, given the fact that he essentially has an army behind him - which makes the reader wonder, why? What is he planning on doing with an army? What plans does he have for Kali? And why is he also attracted to her? Or is he at all?
If Jared meant to be the white knight, all that is good and holy, Alex is meant to be the bad boy - probably with a good heart though - to make this trilogy become a love triangle.
While I did enjoy the book, it was interesting and fun, there was moments where it seemed rather dull. Alex and Kali talking should have been funnier, considering Alex has a way with words and can tease Kali, when really it was just bland and the author instead made him come across as rather threatening but all Kali had to protect herself.
Again there was the whole calling Abbey a slut, whore, which just didn't sit well for me. Considering they had been friends for some time, why would you call your friend that? It was made worse by the fact it wasn't said in a teasing way, but literally a way of putting Abbey down.
I do hope that the books won't turn out to be a 'stay pure for the one you love' and don't give in to temptation, because the books should be more about Kali and her power to see the possible future, rather than sex and love, which to me should be secondary.
August 3, 2013
Reading Dreamer was such a nice change of pace considering I was coming off from reading a rather boring book directly before this one. Immediately I was hooked into the story and had difficulties putting it down, which explains why I was able to read it so quickly.
First, let's talk about style. This book was beautifully written. It was descriptive without dwelling too much on the details; the big picture was easily painted, but yet you could visualize every scene with ease. The author has perfect grammar and her words flow so easily that you cannot help but become addicted to the story and the characters after only reading the first few chapters. At least, that was my experience.
Yes, it is true that the author started with Kali and her normal every day life, giving only snippets of what was to come in the near future. This did not bother me, as normalcy became a theme to the story and how it could be defined. Whether you like your books to start out with a bang or to work their way up to the explosion, I encourage you to give this book a shot because in the end you will not be disappointed.
Part of the reason I liked Dreamer so much, is not only because the topic was interesting, and although somewhat done before - it was different than anything I had read before. Not to mention, I absolutely adore the main character. She is more than likable, although she has her flaws, she comes off as human and real. She reminds me a lot of myself, and I found myself relating to her more and more throughout the novel. As the story progressed, I found out that we had even more in common than I could have ever dreamed of (no pun intended). I love that she is self-aware of both her good qualities and her bad qualities. She is open and honest, though she has her walls, and she tries so hard to push through them and still claim her independence. She is strong in every way, and her level of maturity can go back and forth. While sometimes you wish she would make different choices, you respect what she feels and understand her reasoning. Basically, you root for her to fight through her issues but know that it is harder than it looks.
By now you should already know what the book is about. The supernatural twist is a good one, worth getting involved with. Her love interest is an ideal hero who you can't help but fall for. I look forward to finding out more between them, and for what happens as the story digs deeper. I really can't wait until the next one!
This book reminded me a lot of both the Mara Dyer series and the Premonition series. Not because the subject matter is the same, but because they gave me a lot of the same feelings. This is high praise from me, because those are two of my favorites.
I decided to keep this spoiler free, so there is a lot missing about the book. I did this on purpose, because really, you should find out for yourself.
First, let's talk about style. This book was beautifully written. It was descriptive without dwelling too much on the details; the big picture was easily painted, but yet you could visualize every scene with ease. The author has perfect grammar and her words flow so easily that you cannot help but become addicted to the story and the characters after only reading the first few chapters. At least, that was my experience.
Yes, it is true that the author started with Kali and her normal every day life, giving only snippets of what was to come in the near future. This did not bother me, as normalcy became a theme to the story and how it could be defined. Whether you like your books to start out with a bang or to work their way up to the explosion, I encourage you to give this book a shot because in the end you will not be disappointed.
Part of the reason I liked Dreamer so much, is not only because the topic was interesting, and although somewhat done before - it was different than anything I had read before. Not to mention, I absolutely adore the main character. She is more than likable, although she has her flaws, she comes off as human and real. She reminds me a lot of myself, and I found myself relating to her more and more throughout the novel. As the story progressed, I found out that we had even more in common than I could have ever dreamed of (no pun intended). I love that she is self-aware of both her good qualities and her bad qualities. She is open and honest, though she has her walls, and she tries so hard to push through them and still claim her independence. She is strong in every way, and her level of maturity can go back and forth. While sometimes you wish she would make different choices, you respect what she feels and understand her reasoning. Basically, you root for her to fight through her issues but know that it is harder than it looks.
By now you should already know what the book is about. The supernatural twist is a good one, worth getting involved with. Her love interest is an ideal hero who you can't help but fall for. I look forward to finding out more between them, and for what happens as the story digs deeper. I really can't wait until the next one!
This book reminded me a lot of both the Mara Dyer series and the Premonition series. Not because the subject matter is the same, but because they gave me a lot of the same feelings. This is high praise from me, because those are two of my favorites.
I decided to keep this spoiler free, so there is a lot missing about the book. I did this on purpose, because really, you should find out for yourself.
June 18, 2013
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and thought it was good and interesting. My main complaint is that it took quite a while to get into the book because I felt the author spent too much time delving into Kali’s “normal” life in the beginning. There were a lot of parts I felt could have been skipped over and implied or cut down to not include so much detail. For instance, her move to her apartment and the one instance where she’s contemplating what to do for exercise. I don’t need to know why she’s choosing to go jogging instead of hiking, or even how that jog was, if it doesn’t play into the bigger plot of the story. I do appreciate attention to detail, but these moments really made the story drag and made it hard for me to pick up the book again once I’d put it down (metaphorically speaking, as I was reading an ecopy). However, once the plot got going, I became more invested in what was happening and it wound up to be worth the wait.
Kali, for the most part, was a likable character as well. I wasn’t entirely impressed as to how she first reacted to Jared. I know he was described as being hot, and I probably would have swooned over him too, but it’s always refreshing when a heroine manages to keep her cool even around super sexy men. I also felt like she trusted him just a little too quickly. If someone, especially a detective (considering police have mocked her before), came to me and said he believed my dreams were really visions, I’d be more suspicious of them then Kali was of Jared and I probably wouldn’t have given them as much information as she did him without more coaxing. But nonetheless, Kali was still a pretty good character overall and I liked her love interests too.
So in the end, this story was good, but it didn’t register as great on my scale because of the slow start. It might seem a bit harsh to detract two whole stars because of this, but truthfully, if I hadn’t received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I don’t know if I would have finished it. Maybe I need a better attention span, but generally if a book doesn’t grab me right from the get go, I’m not generous enough to soldier on in the hopes it’ll get better. This one did and the story was well worth it, I just wish I didn’t have to wait to get to the really good stuff!
Kali, for the most part, was a likable character as well. I wasn’t entirely impressed as to how she first reacted to Jared. I know he was described as being hot, and I probably would have swooned over him too, but it’s always refreshing when a heroine manages to keep her cool even around super sexy men. I also felt like she trusted him just a little too quickly. If someone, especially a detective (considering police have mocked her before), came to me and said he believed my dreams were really visions, I’d be more suspicious of them then Kali was of Jared and I probably wouldn’t have given them as much information as she did him without more coaxing. But nonetheless, Kali was still a pretty good character overall and I liked her love interests too.
So in the end, this story was good, but it didn’t register as great on my scale because of the slow start. It might seem a bit harsh to detract two whole stars because of this, but truthfully, if I hadn’t received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I don’t know if I would have finished it. Maybe I need a better attention span, but generally if a book doesn’t grab me right from the get go, I’m not generous enough to soldier on in the hopes it’ll get better. This one did and the story was well worth it, I just wish I didn’t have to wait to get to the really good stuff!
September 11, 2013
I received this book in exchange for an honest review (LoP or Lovers of Paranormal)
I liked the story, the plot, the characters and it was well written. But what I didn't like here was it was more of a narrative story for me. I wished there were more conversations. The narration was long and detailed that sometimes I was beginning to wonder if there were characters here. It was also short on humorous scenes. I am a sucker for funny scenes so it was a big point for me. I wished it has more bantering and witty comebacks. The romance is also important. I'd love this more if it'll have some romantic scenes between Jared and Kali. I didn't much have heart melting moments with the characters.
What I loved about this was it kinda reminded me of Final Destination. It had some creepy and eerie feelings about the premonitions. I'm scared of premonitions and when I've read the book, I've experienced the same feeling of fear. It's really hard for Kali to have those dreams and the thought that no one's believing her was worse. I admired her bravery to face those dreams and to help those people even though it's risky. But I'm not much a big fan of her. I'm kinda pissed off she's harboring feelings towards Alex, even if it's minimal she shouldn't entertain that thought. And I thought she shouldn't have been that mad when she found out about Jared's mind reading power. He's just trying to protect her. Hmm.
Anyways, moving on, I liked Jared. He's a total hottie and I liked the being-protective-kind-of-thing he had for Kali. A guy like that is so hot. Haha. Really. I just wished I was swooned more and he had some of Alex's attitude. I mean when I first met Alex, hello, I was drooling. Ha! But I liked Jared more of course. And please don't let Kali cheat on Jared. I hate cheating so of course I'll hate it when there's cheating. I don't blame Kali for having an attraction to Alex though because even I will admit he's hot. But please, she must suppress her libido! Haha. So I'll find out what will happen to the next book and I hope the story gets better. And what will happen to Kali and Jared's life.
Oh. And I almost forgot, that scene where Kali attempted to escape from Alex's place, damn it was really exciting and nerve wracking! ;)
I liked the story, the plot, the characters and it was well written. But what I didn't like here was it was more of a narrative story for me. I wished there were more conversations. The narration was long and detailed that sometimes I was beginning to wonder if there were characters here. It was also short on humorous scenes. I am a sucker for funny scenes so it was a big point for me. I wished it has more bantering and witty comebacks. The romance is also important. I'd love this more if it'll have some romantic scenes between Jared and Kali. I didn't much have heart melting moments with the characters.
What I loved about this was it kinda reminded me of Final Destination. It had some creepy and eerie feelings about the premonitions. I'm scared of premonitions and when I've read the book, I've experienced the same feeling of fear. It's really hard for Kali to have those dreams and the thought that no one's believing her was worse. I admired her bravery to face those dreams and to help those people even though it's risky. But I'm not much a big fan of her. I'm kinda pissed off she's harboring feelings towards Alex, even if it's minimal she shouldn't entertain that thought. And I thought she shouldn't have been that mad when she found out about Jared's mind reading power. He's just trying to protect her. Hmm.
Anyways, moving on, I liked Jared. He's a total hottie and I liked the being-protective-kind-of-thing he had for Kali. A guy like that is so hot. Haha. Really. I just wished I was swooned more and he had some of Alex's attitude. I mean when I first met Alex, hello, I was drooling. Ha! But I liked Jared more of course. And please don't let Kali cheat on Jared. I hate cheating so of course I'll hate it when there's cheating. I don't blame Kali for having an attraction to Alex though because even I will admit he's hot. But please, she must suppress her libido! Haha. So I'll find out what will happen to the next book and I hope the story gets better. And what will happen to Kali and Jared's life.
Oh. And I almost forgot, that scene where Kali attempted to escape from Alex's place, damn it was really exciting and nerve wracking! ;)
April 17, 2013
~Explore a world of romance, heartfelt struggles, and the existence of alternate realities~
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
The Kali Lockton Trilogy, Book 1
At twenty-four years old, Kali Lockton has lived her life feeling alone. For a girl who has visions and in turn tries to prevent them from becoming real, social acceptance can be difficult if not near impossible to attain. After enduring years of ridicule and small town gossip, she finds her resiliency behind the thick figurative walls in which she's encased herself.
Everything changes when, starting a new life away from home, a vision brings her to the young, handsome detective, Jared Miles. For the first time in her life, she has someone who believes and is willing to take risks in order to help her change the inevitable future. Overtime, she finds herself allowing Jared into the depths of her seemingly impenetrable walls, so close to her heart.
When her normal visions turn into recurring, elusive, complicated, inconceivable things that threaten her very existence, she's forced to turn to him for answers. What she discovers is far more abstruse than anything she could have ever prepared for. To make things worse, she finds herself dangerously exposed in a world full of self-serving, evil beings who would love nothing more than to get their hands on her.
Despite this, nothing terrifies her more than releasing her suppressed feelings for a man she feels certain would never return her affections, a man who's not even human
I finished Dreamer in two day. That's how much I loved it. The story line was awesome and flowed very well. And I was never bored one moment. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how much Calli cried. Oh. My. God. I really started to notice her crying about halfway through the book and it annoyed the crap out of me. I mean, I get it when you cry because sometimes you just can't help it but God, Kali cried or "teared up" on every freaking page during the whole last half of the book.
The crying is the only thing that I didn't like; everything else was awesome and I think I'll try and read the second one when it comes out! :)
Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
The Kali Lockton Trilogy, Book 1
At twenty-four years old, Kali Lockton has lived her life feeling alone. For a girl who has visions and in turn tries to prevent them from becoming real, social acceptance can be difficult if not near impossible to attain. After enduring years of ridicule and small town gossip, she finds her resiliency behind the thick figurative walls in which she's encased herself.
Everything changes when, starting a new life away from home, a vision brings her to the young, handsome detective, Jared Miles. For the first time in her life, she has someone who believes and is willing to take risks in order to help her change the inevitable future. Overtime, she finds herself allowing Jared into the depths of her seemingly impenetrable walls, so close to her heart.
When her normal visions turn into recurring, elusive, complicated, inconceivable things that threaten her very existence, she's forced to turn to him for answers. What she discovers is far more abstruse than anything she could have ever prepared for. To make things worse, she finds herself dangerously exposed in a world full of self-serving, evil beings who would love nothing more than to get their hands on her.
Despite this, nothing terrifies her more than releasing her suppressed feelings for a man she feels certain would never return her affections, a man who's not even human
I finished Dreamer in two day. That's how much I loved it. The story line was awesome and flowed very well. And I was never bored one moment. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how much Calli cried. Oh. My. God. I really started to notice her crying about halfway through the book and it annoyed the crap out of me. I mean, I get it when you cry because sometimes you just can't help it but God, Kali cried or "teared up" on every freaking page during the whole last half of the book.
The crying is the only thing that I didn't like; everything else was awesome and I think I'll try and read the second one when it comes out! :)
May 31, 2013
4 and a half amazing stars!!!! OK.... this book took some time getting into, but once I did....it was awesome! The concept was very different from anything that I have read before and the authors writing style was very cool. The descriptiveness was unbelievable, but not so much that I found myself skimming the story to get to the "heart" of it. I enjoyed and read every word.
OK....so Kali has visions (dreams) that come true and for most of her life she has felt like a total freak due to everyone treating her as such. She has serious trust issues as well, when it comes to the opposite sex, but that all changes when she meets the amazing Jared Miles!!!! I LOVED Jared! Throw in the dark and mysterious Alex, who is very persistent and confident in his approach to Kali, and things really gets good. I LOVE Jared but there is that total Bad Boy element going on with Alex, that I think most girls can't help but be drawn too. :) It ends nicely, with the storyline "wrapped up" until the next book comes out, and then hopefully MANY of the "what if's" will be answered, because there are just too many possibilities to where this story could be going. My biggest unanswered question is, Is Kali human? Alex seems to think there is more to her and for some reason I cannot help but think that may be the case..... but I will have to wait until August to find out!!!! August cannot come soon enough!!! Anyone that is a lover of YA books, Paranormal type stories.... read this! You will not be sorry!!!!
OK....so Kali has visions (dreams) that come true and for most of her life she has felt like a total freak due to everyone treating her as such. She has serious trust issues as well, when it comes to the opposite sex, but that all changes when she meets the amazing Jared Miles!!!! I LOVED Jared! Throw in the dark and mysterious Alex, who is very persistent and confident in his approach to Kali, and things really gets good. I LOVE Jared but there is that total Bad Boy element going on with Alex, that I think most girls can't help but be drawn too. :) It ends nicely, with the storyline "wrapped up" until the next book comes out, and then hopefully MANY of the "what if's" will be answered, because there are just too many possibilities to where this story could be going. My biggest unanswered question is, Is Kali human? Alex seems to think there is more to her and for some reason I cannot help but think that may be the case..... but I will have to wait until August to find out!!!! August cannot come soon enough!!! Anyone that is a lover of YA books, Paranormal type stories.... read this! You will not be sorry!!!!
July 4, 2013
Love the heroine! Author is doing a great job with Kali's character development. This 1st book has me impatiently waiting for more answers to the building mysteries... Who or what is Kali, really? Why is she having persistent dream premonitions? She has had them for her entire life but can't convince anyone they are real. She has gotten a cruel "nut job" reputation in her community that she tries to escape by moving to another county. It's there that she meets a mysterious Detective after she intervenes & prevents the occurrence of a premonition dream about a bank robbery gone bad. The mysterious Detective offers Kali total belief in her gift ( something that even her loving parents have been unable to offer before) & together they save many people from perishing as they prevent several premonitions from coming to fruition. ( eh, sorry about the run on sentences there) But she finds that someone powerful is trying to grab her & manipulate her Prophetic gift for their own rise in dark power... and it might cost her the loss of her family, her friends, her sanity & the budding relationship with her Detective ( or is he something else..)
Great build up for book #2 coming Sept. 2013. So glad to have discovered another great storyteller with an interesting plot, but SO sad to have to wait for the series to complete. (I always seem to find book series I have to wait for... * sigh*) Found book #1 as a free ebook. So glad authors do that as it is a great way to become invested in their stories:-)
Great build up for book #2 coming Sept. 2013. So glad to have discovered another great storyteller with an interesting plot, but SO sad to have to wait for the series to complete. (I always seem to find book series I have to wait for... * sigh*) Found book #1 as a free ebook. So glad authors do that as it is a great way to become invested in their stories:-)
June 27, 2013
Paranormal romances have always been a touchy subject to me, very few have managed to grip me from start to finish and make me connect to the story, its world and mostly their characters. I often find holes within the world the author created, which drive me crazy, and the find the characters poorly constructed and one sided.
Well... Dreamer proved me wrong.
The world J.L. created is amazing, multifaceted and left me breathless. Her characters are incredibly real, flawed, lovable and relatable, which allowed me to connect to them in a personal level. I laughed and cried with them, at times I yelled at them and turned my kindle off in despair and frustration, I swooned at how amazingly perfect Jared is and by the time I reached the end, I wanted more! So I read the last chapter once again, then went back to my favorite chapters and re-read them! =]
One thing I really loved, was the pace. I love books that start slower, introducing the characters and details with enough time for me to savour and understand them, before picking up the pace and knocking my socks off with details and mystery. This definitely happened in Dreamer and made me love it even more!
I highly recommend it and can't wait for book two!
Well... Dreamer proved me wrong.
The world J.L. created is amazing, multifaceted and left me breathless. Her characters are incredibly real, flawed, lovable and relatable, which allowed me to connect to them in a personal level. I laughed and cried with them, at times I yelled at them and turned my kindle off in despair and frustration, I swooned at how amazingly perfect Jared is and by the time I reached the end, I wanted more! So I read the last chapter once again, then went back to my favorite chapters and re-read them! =]
One thing I really loved, was the pace. I love books that start slower, introducing the characters and details with enough time for me to savour and understand them, before picking up the pace and knocking my socks off with details and mystery. This definitely happened in Dreamer and made me love it even more!
I highly recommend it and can't wait for book two!
November 10, 2013
Overall, I enjoyed this book. The story centers around Kali and her unique ability. Kali has suffered a great deal because of her ability and doesn't really have anyone to turn to and support her.....until she meets Jared. With Jared's help and faith in her, she slowly begins to regain the confidence that she has lost in herself. I normally prefer for my heroines to have more sass and spunk...but in this book, Kali's personality fits well. There were times that I would have loved to see her be more aggressive but overall I connected with her. Kali was strong in the sense that she still tried to use her ability to help and save others....even though she knew it was useless and it would only tear her down further.
When she mets Jared the book picks up pace and the story begins to unfold. Kali soon begins to see that her ability has caught the interest of some unworldly people and that Jared is much more than a pretty face. There's a reason for his appearance into her life and believe me when I say it suits him well!!
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series and I would definitely recommend it to others.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When she mets Jared the book picks up pace and the story begins to unfold. Kali soon begins to see that her ability has caught the interest of some unworldly people and that Jared is much more than a pretty face. There's a reason for his appearance into her life and believe me when I say it suits him well!!
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series and I would definitely recommend it to others.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2013
Although this book could be slow in the beginning, by chapter 3 it was a page turner. I craved the visions Kali was having and very much yearned to see what relationships would become of her and Jared. This book caught my attention for the first vision. JL delivers an amazing first book in this series that catches the audience and brings them into the paranormal world with a sweep. You will be cheering for Kali and Jared and sit on the edge of your seat until the very last page. It's book is well worth the read. I can't wait to see what the second book has in store. I would compare this to the Twilight series. I am keeping JL on my radar.
October 6, 2013
I enjoyed this book and already have the 2nd book from the series on my wish list. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was I felt it had a lot of unnecessary padding, describing everyday tasks in more detail than was needed. For me, everyday things like those that don't really contribute to the story can be shortened, or in many cases left out altogether as they won't affect the story at all.
I look forward to hearing more about the worlds the author has created and seeing where Kali and Jared's relationship goes.
I look forward to hearing more about the worlds the author has created and seeing where Kali and Jared's relationship goes.
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January 5, 2015I'm not rating this book because I didn't finish it completely,
One of the very few times I couldn't bring myself to finish a book. I made it almost 70% through the Kindle edition and I was basically forcing myself to pick it up, so I did not continue.
March 22, 2013
Wonderfully written. Detailed without getting long and drawn out. Can't wait for what's coming next!
November 16, 2013
I loved this book. For a new writer, JL Durfey kept me enthralled from start to finish. Can't wait to find out more!
December 24, 2013
plot and dialogue lacking a bit. Good premise though.
January 17, 2014
J.L. Durfey created a fantastic World! It's very believable and truly imaginative. A must read for all paranormal fiction readers!
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February 15, 2014Dreamer
sometimes visions can be a pain. for sure when you are not believed. Kail got herself into some out of this world stuff. hope she gets it all worked out
sometimes visions can be a pain. for sure when you are not believed. Kail got herself into some out of this world stuff. hope she gets it all worked out
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