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Dreams and Reality #7

Summoned Dreams

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The most violent city in the United States doesn't normally garner much attention from the SCTU. Victims are easy to find on the destitute streets and dark alleys. They are even easier to prey upon as they desperately cling to hope. Their bodies are easy to hide in the abandoned houses and buildings that litter Detroit. In a city turning into a ghost town, serial killers stalk the trapped residents with hellish delight. One killer gains national attention, even among the most vile and violent Detroit has to offer. He isn't just killing his victims, he's burning their bodies and the buildings they are in with impunity. He does not hunt in the shadows, but takes his victims during the cold light of day. He's methodical, calculating, and leaves no clues for the police to follow. Leads are so few and the kills so brazen, that Aislinn Cain and the SCTU pack their bags and head for the grim streets of Detroit. It is in this desolate waste of a city, that they will face their most depraved and deceptive serial killer yet.

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2015

29 people are currently reading
148 people want to read

About the author

Hadena James

45 books247 followers
Hadena James began writing at the age of eight. As a teenager, she had several short stories published in literary magazines. She completed writing her first novel at the age of 17.
Hadena graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in European History with minors in German and Russian studies. She has always wanted to be a writer so she also took several classes in creative writing.

Hadena’s primary literary genre is action/thriller. She currently writes two series, both use action/thriller. “The Brenna Strachan Series” uses fantasy and the “Dreams & Reality Series” uses murder mystery as its secondary genre. She continues to explore and expand her writing and hopes to soon produce a comedic action/thriller.

When she isn’t busy writing or running her business, Hadena enjoys playing in a steel-tip dart league. She also loves to travel throughout North America and Europe. Her favorite cities are Chicago, Illinois and Berlin, Germany. She is an avid reader, reading everything from the classics like Jane Austen to modern writers like Terry Pratchett. One of her all-time favorite books is “Good Omens” by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett. She writes all of her books while listening to music and the bands tend to get “honorable mentions” within the pages.

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5 stars
292 (63%)
4 stars
121 (26%)
3 stars
40 (8%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,414 reviews80 followers
May 15, 2021
** Reread May 2021 **

Adjusted rating from 5 stars to 4 stars.



Another extraordinary, captivating read from Hadena James!
Totally unputdownable - I laughed, I cried, I sat on the edge of my seat in this story of a blitz attack on all of Detroit's serial killers. (Remind me never, ever to go there)
You could say the theme of the book was "kicking arse & taking names!" Wonderful prose & a bevy of quotable phrases. My favourite was "the Abominable Snowbitch" used for describing Fiona - she really is a bitch of epic proportions, although it does look as if she might be softening a little.
It finishes with the devastating news of Aislinn's illness & a corker of a tease in what I presume will be the plotline of the next novel.
Profile Image for Hannah Mc.
256 reviews18 followers
January 22, 2021
Short but enjoyable with some good character development 👍🏼
Profile Image for Pat.
2,310 reviews504 followers
December 2, 2019
So that was book 7. I've really been enjoying this series. Aislinn Cain from the Serial Crimes Tracking Unit of the Marshalls service has been a terrific main character as she is not weak and whiny. There is some introspection but its like nothing I've read before. The team is a motley bunch of misfits and the dialogue is sharp. The bad guys that the SCTU chases are really bad and they come up with some pretty ingenious murder methods.

Still, this particular book was not one of the better ones. It seemed to lack focus, started slow and, I don't know, maybe wasn't very 'thrilling'. I shall continue though, I'm looking forward to seeing what Ms James serves up next.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
439 reviews
May 21, 2023
This one was a little different from the norm as far as style of story, but it was still fairly good. Not my favorite as none of the serial k¡llers are delved into for history and character building, not really anyhow. Instead, there was quite a bit more introspection for Cain. Unusual for a sociopath, but the reasoning for it seems fairly believable (though I'm not entirely sure how accurate). I did enjoy the premise, despite the oddity of it, just not quite as much as some of James's other stories.

Additional side note: there were quite a few more editorial mistakes noted in this book. It's not uncommon to find one or two, here or there. Even with an excellent editorial team, mistakes happen. It was just out of the norm compared to previous books, and I am curious as to why, as with the rise in mistakes came more opportunities to be thrown from the story.
Profile Image for Tanya.
64 reviews
March 23, 2025
This one was different but fun.

I liked seeing Aislinn in charge of her own team outside of the SCTU. Not to mention it's just fun seeing her interact with others.

As for her health, I hope it's not something that's going to continuously show up, she gets injured enough as is, but it's not a big deal for me, I just personally think she gets enough of that from everything else lol.

It was fun seeing such a big and wide range but at the same time it didn't really let you go into depth with each killer/bad guy.

Already started the next book!
14 reviews
August 8, 2020
My new favorite series

This is 7 in a row for me - I'm enjoying the character growth of Airline and the squad. I'm not giving anything away as far as plot. I will let people know these books remind me of the Swedish series, _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc. I loved those books and read them all. I like these because the characters are well delineated but I don't have to go through all the Swedish melancholy. Since I'm old, I'm now wondering if it's Danish. Hahaha. Readers can always amuse themselves.
Profile Image for Pinky Hewitt.
277 reviews
November 3, 2018
Wow

When I city is that bad even the bad guys won't live there you know there is a problem. But that's not the only one. Great characters. Some sick at twisted but that's what makes it.
Profile Image for Doris Rivera.
8 reviews
September 22, 2019
Great book series but Not one of my favorites. Feel as if Aislynn has a lot of long dialog and it drags the storyline. It took me a while to get through this one, I kept putting it down and read a few other books while trying to finish this one.
Profile Image for Josette Thomas.
1,259 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2018
This one was a little slow and confusing. It did not have the bang I expect from the author. I liked the book but was glad I could move on to Battered Dreams.
Profile Image for Nicole Tul.
205 reviews8 followers
April 8, 2019
Good book

This one had a lot of deatails and dragged some . still a good book and series. Murder mayhem. Grab and enjoy.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
16 reviews
April 26, 2019
Highly recommend!

Love this series. Great writing. Great characters. Highly recommend. Completely addicting. Can’t stop and don’t want to. A true psychological thriller series.
5 reviews
March 16, 2020
Really good! My mistake I read # 1 to 10 out of order.Have download #1 on my Kindal, and already ordered 3 books from Barnes & Noble.
4 reviews
November 4, 2022
I am captured by her book's

I love all her characters, their interactions and her stories are phenomenal. I go from one to the next! She has me spellbound.
90 reviews2 followers
February 23, 2015
Will Aislinn survive the mean streets of Detroit? Or will a Hospital be where she faces her biggest threat? Waiting on book 8..

This review is from: Summoned Dreams (Dreams & Reality Book 7) (Kindle Edition)

Hadena James doesn't disappoint, once again her Character Aislinn Cain fights serial killers, this time cleaning up Detroit's most violent. Her team notice that something is off with her and near the end it becomes apparent that Aislinn has something wrong. More then her Sociopathic personality, more then her distaste for the new team member's very annoying habits, more then the family issues. It becomes a question will Aislinn survive this new problem, will it be something that can destroy her from the inside? A new Character is also introduced, not by name but by the evil she is prepared to do. She doesn't fully come to form in this book so she is someone we will have to watch closely in the future as to just how bad and evil she will be and what danger does she place Aislinn and the Team in, let alone the innocents in her way. Two of the team will undergo brain surgery, will one or both survive? Will Aislinn be able to face the thought that her career maybe over? Or will she just Taser her annoyances out of her way.. Hadena James, Your wonderful mind and characters can be so life like you almost think you can call them on the phone and chat. That is a testament to your details and your devotion to make your works as perfect as you can, my admiration.
Profile Image for Lavada.
39 reviews11 followers
February 15, 2015
If you do not like sitting on the edge of your seat in suspense to see what us going to happen next this is not for you. If you do not enjoy a well written, page turning thriller this is not for you.
In Summoned Dreams, the 7th book in the Dreams and Reality series, Ace and her merry band of serial crime solving marshals head for Detroit to catch a deprived killer! Believe me, you will not want to put this down until you are finished! Then you will want to read all the rest of Ms James books because of her wonderful writing style. The only regret I have is having to wait until the next book!
Dont miss out!
41 reviews6 followers
February 16, 2015
Can't wait for book 8!

Once again Hadena James delivers with book number 7 of the Dreams and Reality series.

Ace and her merry band of misfit Marshals are back and being in Detroit, the number of serial killers has grown exponentially.

I love learning more about each character, even the regulars who have been around from the beginning. It's great that so far into a series, an author still finds new ways to introduce interesting little tidbits.

No spoilers, you'll have to read it for yourself but I promise once you start you won't want to put it down.
Profile Image for Amanda.
144 reviews
September 7, 2015
The story was pretty good. I still find that I didn't necessarily like it as much as the previous books in the series. While there was a lot going on that could keep me attention, I think that this is also what kept me from getting as invested as I did with some of the other books. The story line with Aislinn outside of her work kept me super interested, but the multiple cases left me looking for a bit more.
54 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2016
What more can I say?

Only two more to go and already I'm trying to slow down my reading. I have grown to so love these characters. They explode from the pages with gusto. They are endearing and yet frustrating. They are funny and scary. They love one another and try desperately not to admit it.
Hadena you are definitely my favorite writer. However this ends I know that these books and your writing will always be my favorite...
Profile Image for Krisha Burnett scannapieco.
65 reviews7 followers
February 15, 2015
Intense

Haden James does it again with the latest installment of the Dreams and Reality series, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing through out. And the ending oh the ending! The only flaw with this book is having to wait for #8 to be published. I can't recommend this book more and wish I could give it more than five stars.
Profile Image for Tim Shepard.
819 reviews3 followers
December 22, 2016
Fantastic!!!

Loved this book by Hadena James. She continues to grow the character of Aislynn. I was also very impressed by the containing of the city of Detroit. Looking forward to reading the next book.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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