Fired Up

Okay, I'll admit up front that I <em>really</em> don't like the whole dreamlight thing. It feels kind of tacked on and hokey, frankly. Fortunately (or not, depending on your view, I suppose), the characters of this introduction to the Dreamlight trilogy are interesting in their own right and overcame, at least partially, my complete and utter disinterest in the Winters or Harper family dysfunctions. In other words, Jack and Chloe overcame the deadweight of their backgrounds enough that I ended up not hating the book outright.<br /><br />Indeed, their relationship developed so satisfactorily that I ended up rewriting their powers in my head as something more akin to some of the aura reading we had in recent Arcane House novels (of which this trilogy is definitely a part). Yes, this is a talent I have and yes, you should be jealous.<br /><br /><strong>A note about Steamy</strong>: Very much a Krentz standard with pretty much exactly 2.5 explicit sex scenes (the one in the middle was the half) of a bit over a page in length each. This is a good thing.

Typical Arcane/Dreamlight story. Thb it started off so well, I basically swallowed the first 200ish pages and then it got super boring. Could have been shorter, some descriptions were utterly useless, the plot twist was non-existent, just predictable. Giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because I'll always be biased towards Krentz. ?

(Kindle Book)<br /><br />What can I say? It's classic Krentz :) As a fan of the Arcane Society novels, I pretty much knew what to expect, and was not disappointed.<br /><br />I really liked the direction the Dreamlight concept appears to be taking the series -- previous novels in the series (such as <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/2012689.The_Third_Circle__Arcane_Society__Book_4_" title="The Third Circle (Arcane Society, Book 4) by Amanda Quick" rel="noopener">The Third Circle</a> I believe) eluded to unlocking dream energy, and this book takes that and runs with it. <br /><br />One thing that saddened me was that Fallon Jones didn't get a romance.. If you've followed <a href="http://twitter.com/arcanesociety" rel="nofollow noopener">the micro-novel on Twitter</a>, JAK set him up perfectly for a spot o' romance, but that just didn't pan out (at least not completely). And now, we have a minimum of two more novels (one each by Krentz's alter egos <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/42211.Amanda_Quick" title="Amanda Quick" rel="noopener">Amanda Quick</a> and <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/8840.Jayne_Castle" title="Jayne Castle" rel="noopener">Jayne Castle</a>) before anything can come of it.<br /><br />Even so, I enjoyed this story. It's been a while since I've read the Arcane Society novels, so there were a few character references that I didn't immediately "get".. Because of this I would suggest at a bare minimum reading her modern stories in the series (<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/29617.White_Lies__Arcane_Society____2_" title="White Lies (Arcane Society, # 2) by Jayne Ann Krentz" rel="noopener">White Lies</a>, <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/689486.Sizzle_and_Burn__Arcane_Society____3_" title="Sizzle and Burn (Arcane Society, # 3) by Jayne Ann Krentz" rel="noopener">Sizzle and Burn</a>, and <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/2974804.Running_Hot__Arcane_Society____5_" title="Running Hot (Arcane Society, # 5) by Jayne Ann Krentz" rel="noopener">Running Hot</a>), though your greatest benefit will come from reading the series in its entirety.<br /><br />In the end, I couldn't quite settle on five stars. It would have been five, were it not for the fact that I must admit that the most interesting part of the novel was actually the snippet from the next book in the series (<a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/6908832.Burning_Lamp__Arcane_Society___7_" title="Burning Lamp (Arcane Society, #7) by Amanda Quick" rel="noopener">Burning Lamp</a> by <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/42211.Amanda_Quick" title="Amanda Quick" rel="noopener">Amanda Quick</a>) lol I must admit I'm a bigger fan of the <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/42211.Amanda_Quick" title="Amanda Quick" rel="noopener">Amanda Quick</a> novels than I am of <a href="https://goodreads.com/author/show/2387.Jayne_Ann_Krentz" title="Jayne Ann Krentz" rel="noopener">Jayne Ann Krentz</a>, but that's only because I adore regency romances. <br /><br />Final judgement? A solid 4 1/2 Stars.

Not good enough to interest me in the sequels. Nothing special about this story. I don’t recommend it.<br /><br />PLOT PREMISE:<br />In the 1600s Nicholas Winters had a psychic talent. He altered his DNA and created a vase with crystals (called a lamp). Women who had psychic talent involving dreams would be the only ones able to activate the lamp’s power. Through the lamp, these women would be able to increase and/or change a man’s psychic powers. Only men with Nicholas’s “special DNA” would be affected. Also, only some (not all) of Nicholas’s descendants would have the “special DNA”. This DNA would give them one psychic talent at birth and two other talents later in life. One of the talents would be a compulsion to kill anyone with the name Jones.<br /><br />This premise was a little hard to accept. I’ll accept almost anything for a good story, and in the world of paranormal romance there are a lot of things I go along with. But this had me shaking my head. DNA that urges you to kill anyone named “Jones?” What about “Joans?”<br /><br />STORY BRIEF:<br />Jack Winters is the second descendant to inherit the “special DNA.” He was born with a talent for strategizing and reading people. But recently he began having psychic changes. He fears he will become a murderer and believes the lamp can prevent that. He searches for and finds Chloe, a woman with the appropriate psychic ability to operate the lamp. She also is a private investigator, specializing in finding and authenticating antique objects. He hires her to find the lamp. This is the first book in The Dreamlight Trilogy.<br /><br />REVIEWER’S OPINION:<br />The author has a good writing style. I enjoy most of her books for that reason. But this was weak for me. The two main characters weren’t as interesting as I usually expect. The plot, events and dialogue were ok, but nothing surprised or delighted me.<br /><br />DATA:<br />Story length: 346 pages. Swearing language: moderate. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 2 short ones. Setting: current day Seattle, Wash, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Scargill Cove, Calif. Copyright: 2009. Genre: paranormal romance.

Wow! JAK has fired off another awesome Arcane Novel! Fired Up is an incredibly well-paced, fascinating paranormal romantic suspense. Even though the romance is the least well-developed part of this book, and the characters are not fleshed out as well as I usually like, I was completely, happily absorbed by this story. JAK is fabulous at weaving together separate story lines and building the tension. I love how she is jumping around in history, and connecting the stories of her historical paranormal romances and now the modern descendants of these characters. Her paranormal descriptions are among the best you will find anywhere in romance...she really knows how to paint an eerie, powerful and mysterious paranormal setting. Fired Up is very well-written, has excellent dialogue, masterful description of setting, and a fast-paced romance (which I personally like, although some people might be irritated with this). After reading several books recently that really struggled with the pacing, this book was a breath of fresh air. The pacing was perfection. The hero and heroine were interesting characters, but Fallon Jones is the one I am "jonesing" for...sorry, couldn't help myself. I cannot wait for his book, and JAK did a fantastic job setting up the next story. I am a sucker for a mathematical genius. There's something really hot about a pumped-up....brain. For any JAK fans, this story is a must-read. Grade: A<br /><br />Penelope<br />P.S. I read this on my kindle, and it was soooooo great. And the addiction continues....

3.5<br /><br />I'm really intrigued that the first book in the trilogy is present time, but the second book takes place in the Victorian era. And I'm really excited to read the Harmony book, which is the third. The whole concept of this trilogy, and the crossing series is really cool. The Arcane Society, Harmony, the Ghost Hunters, all of them combine in this Dreamlight Trilogy. <br /><br />Although this book was bogged down with unnecessary parts, and longer than it needed to be, I liked it, and I like where it's taking the series. <br /><br />Chloe is a dream light reader who uses her talent in her work as a PI. She finds antiques, and helps identify the fakes from the originals. <br /><br />Jack Winters needs her to find a relic that went missing a little over 30 years ago. She can find it, but will she be able to help Jack work it? And will she be able to keep it safe?<br /><br />The two of them set off for an adventure in Vegas that they never signed on for. The people who want the relic more than Jack does, may not let Chloe and Jack live. The hunt for an old family heirloom becomes a race to save their lives, and the lives of others. <br /><br />The relic, a lamp forged in the 1600s by an alchemist ancestor of Jack's, is a dreamlight magnifier, and not just anyone can work it. But the big mystery is what exactly does it do? And who exactly can work it? <br /><br />I'm diving into book 2 <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/6908832.Burning_Lamp__Arcane_Society___8__Dreamlight_Trilogy___2_" title="Burning Lamp (Arcane Society, #8; Dreamlight Trilogy, #2) by Jayne Ann Krentz" rel="noopener">Burning Lamp</a> right now, and although this is one author who tends to recycle plots, I don't mind. I haven't read her whole backlist so many are still fresh for me.<br /><br />And as a final thought, with Krentz/Quick/Castle's latest book <a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/28110115.Illusion_Town__Ghost_Hunters___13_" title="Illusion Town (Ghost Hunters, #13) by Jayne Castle" rel="noopener">Illusion Town</a> releasing soon, this book really sets up the whole dream light and antiquities plot well.

Book 1 of the Dreamlight Trilogy. I do love the psychic books that Krentz comes up with, and this reminded me of her earlier books Gift of Gold and Gift of Fire. This book was a little bit of a let down however. Right away I found some typo's (one character is referred to as "Sharon" one one page and "Susan" ten pages later) and some jarring repetition in conversations (the hero's age is mentioned three times in two pages- almost like Krentz forgot she already established it a page before and a page before that! Also, I felt the explanation and description of the psychic skill/bond that the two characters shared was not presented very well, but I was willing to go with it. <br />The part that really annoyed me was one that might not bother most other readers. I have had about enough of the Arcane Society. I've read all of Krentz' books, and I still have a hard time remembering all the characters from other books that she throws around. Who has had their own book, and who is just being mentioned in case they wind up in a book later on? For those who were mentioned, what happened to them before? What have I forgotten, what am I missing? That sort of thing drives me crazy. <br />That being said, the teaser for book 2 did make me want to read more, so I guess the weaknesses of the book didn't drive me crazy enough to give up on the trilogy.

You know, a lot of people would give a book that reads like a lot of the other books the authors writes a lower score. But I find reading Krentz's book comforting, whether she is writing as Krentz, Quick or Castle. I know what I'm gonna find inside the covers. In fact, I want exactly that. It's the reason I chose one of her books. Fired up is no different. It's part of her Arcane series. Quirky heroines, take charge heroes and a bad guy or bad guys to thwart. So it your looking for different, you won't find it here. but if you are looking for same with a twist, this book is for you. And as an aside, I like all of her stories with or without paranormal aspects in them. It's romance. The subcategory doesn't matter so much to me. It might for you.

Jack and Chloe’s story is one of my favorites so far. I have so been looking forward to Fallon Jones’ story, so I particularly loved the sneak-peak of him and Isabella! But next, we’re back to the Victorian past for Griffin, Jack’s ancestor, and Adelaide.

Jack has a psychic power, but he also has the winter's curse. His ancestor changed his DNA through experimentation and has passed this on to further generations. This manifests as horrible dreams and blackouts. What he needs in the Burning Lamp because this and another psychic are the only things that can help him. He finds the detective Chloe to help him find the lamp that has gone missing from his family during a recent move. <br /><br />But there is a faction of psychic people that want powers they were not born with. They want to know if they take the special formula that enhances their powers but has bad side effects, will the lamp be able to cure that side effect, but only if Chloe is there to use it. <br /><br />I do like these Arcane Society stories. The characters all have different abilities and they tie into the story very well. If looking for something a bit different - try these out.