Week 36 Reviews: Dream of Danger, Wake to Darkness

From Goodreads:
She didn't want to need him.

Murder brought self-help guru Rachel de Luca and Detective Mason Brown together. Their shared secrets drove them apart. But now they're together again in this riveting novella that begins where New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shayne's Sleep with the Lights On ended.

She may have been blind for twenty years, but Rachel's always had an uncanny gift for seeing through people—and she distrusts her assistant's new boyfriend at first sight. Amy isn't interested in Rachel's misgivings, though. She's too eager to celebrate Thanksgiving by introducing her family to the new man in her life.

Then Amy doesn't show up for the holiday….

Desperate to find her missing friend, Rachel has no choice but to turn to Mason. Their investigation into Amy's disappearance takes them ever deeper into danger—and reignites the attraction that they've both sworn to resist. Now it's a race against time as these reluctant partners fight to stave off passion and save a life.

From Goodreads:
Stranded with a murderer...

Rachel de Luca's uncanny sense of perception is the key to her success as a self-help celebrity. Even before she regained her sight, she had a gift for seeing people's most carefully hidden secrets. But the secret she shares with Detective Mason Brown is one she has promised to keep. As for Mason, he sees Rachel more clearly than she'd like to admit...

After a single night of adrenaline-fueled passion, they have agreed to keep their distance—until a string of murders brings them together again. Mason thinks that he can protect everyone he loves, including Rachel, by taking them to a winter hideaway, but danger follows them up the mountain.

As guests disappear from the snowbound resort, the race to find the murderer intensifies. Rachel knows she's a target. Will acknowledging her feelings for Mason destroy her...or save them both and stop a killer?

My Review:
I loved reading these books! They were fantastic, Rachel is still prickly, but we get to see her softer side that she keeps saying doesn't exist, and Mason is seeing it, too, and seeing as they're stuck together with their families at a resort, things heat up pretty quickly!

I really enjoyed the short story, it was great to see those 2 together, dealing with a mystery that has nothing to do with his brother, but with her assistant! And yeah, that the bad guys called Amy by a different name, plus the description of Innocent Prey, that's going to come back soon!

I thought of a platitude that could be in one of Rachel's books, maybe. "Time gives acceptance to the fact that the wounds loss makes could heal tomorrow, never, or somewhere in between." Maybe. I myself haven't had much loss, so no personal experience, but it sounds true to me!

There were a few clues that helped to identify Marie. Like the fact that she used to be a nurse, before she gave it up to raise the boys? That she had bruises the day that Rachel was attacked and overturned her vehicle? That she knew what the bad guy was wearing? Like she hid the fact that she knew Alan Douglas, that he had a bit of Eric's body, and that she was supposed to meet him before he went missing? Like she was scared when the police came to the resort? Yeah. But in the context of things, why would she kill them? She wasn't a suspect, so they wouldn't look at it that way, and the misinterpreted the clues when they saw them.

I feel really bad for Joshua and Jeremy, their dad is a serial killer, and then it turns out that their mom is, too, even if they don't know about their dad! Mason and Rachel know, and yeah, that's just too bad! But now they get to live full time with Mason, which is pretty cool!

Favourite lines from Wake to Darkness: "No question. The kid was going to try and get in ten. At least." Well, at least he's having fun! "And yeah, that made it tough to maintain my inner cynic, but I figured a few months of childlike wonder were to be expected and would pass soon enough, you know, like a bad case of food poisoning." What a lovely comparison! "Teenage love was apocalyptic. Wild horses couldn't stop it." A bit dramatic, but pretty true! "Oh, pretty mountain! Oooh, what kind of bird is that? Hey, look at the cloud." Nice impersonation! "I cussed impressively, and imagined finding the jerk and cramming his syringe right up his ass." Painful, and could kill him. That means business, then! "Good God, I'd arrived in Happy-Joy Christmas-Town." And it sounds like that's a bit awful for you, Rachel! "Good God, they just beat you over the head with the holiday cheer up her, don't they?" It's carollers. Have fun! "Wow. Have you been living in a cave or something?" I think that would be preferable to the truth! "..thanked my lucky stars I'd packed all my inner-Barbie stuff." More impressing stuff! {My inner idiot giggled like a sophomore. My inner b***h was smiling like she knew something I didn't. I hate when she does that." Too bad, she's a part of you! "'That kind of light draws people.' 'And insects.'" You just have to be a cynic! "It would probably go on strike after one day, if it had any self-respect." Seeing as it's an inanimate object, I can't see how that's going to happen! "All worried about looking stupid in front of you. Not that he said that out loud, of course, but I could tell. You two can laugh at each other." Aw, they want to impress the other! "Wish and it is granted. Shut up." Love this! "Give your uncle this guy's name, Jeremy, or so help me, I'll grab you by the balls and twist until you do." Like, one of the worst things you can do to a guy! "That was like the most romantic thing I've ever seen!" And the fact that she saw it, kinda awkward! "And we pretended that we didn't want to rip each other's clothes off." That's a hardship! "She was on  Myrtle time, and this decision was as importnat as any being made in...oh, I don't know...say. the White House." Well, you don't want it to happen near water that eventually leads to peoples taps, to you? "Breathe in. Breathe out. You dumbass, if you keep forgetting, you're gonna die." Not the nicest self pep talk, but it worked! "We date. God I hate that word." Too bad, you're going to do what it means, so that means you have to use it!

I really enjoyed both of these, and I can't wait to read more!!! Go, NetGalley! Because these were both so good!

Author: Maggie Shayne
Series: Brown and de Luca #1.5, 2
Read: August 31st, 31st, 2014
Source: Free, NetGalley/Own
Reason Why: Loving this series, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2014 Book!
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Published: November 1st 2013, November 26th 2013

Dream of Danger:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Wake to Darkness:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars