Thrillers & Suspense
![Amanda Quick - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000AQ12NI.jpg)
When She Dreams (Burning Cove, California)
Return to 1930s Burning Cove, California, the glamorous seaside playground for Hollywood stars, mobsters, spies, and a host of others who find more than they bargain for in this mysterious town.
Maggie Lodge, assistant to the reclusive advice columnist known only as Dear Aunt Cornelia to her readers, hires down-but-not-quite-out private eye Sam Sage to help track down the person who is blackmailing her employer. Maggie and Sam are a mismatched pair. As far as Sam is concerned, Maggie is reckless and in over her head. She is not what he had in mind for a client, but he can't afford to be choosy. Maggie, on the other hand, is convinced that Sam is badly in need of guidance and good advice. She does not hesitate to give him both.
In spite of the verbal fireworks between them, they are fiercely attracted to each other, but each is convinced it would be a mistake to let passion take over. They are, after all, keeping secrets from each other. Sam is haunted by his past, which includes a marriage shattered by betrayal and violence. Maggie is troubled by intense and vivid dreams-dreams that she can sometimes control. There are those who want to run experiments on her and use her for their own purposes, while others think she should be committed to an asylum.
When the pair discovers someone is impersonating Aunt Cornelia at a conference on psychic dreaming and a woman dies at the conference, the door is opened to a dangerous web of blackmail and murder. Secrets from the past are revealed, leaving Maggie and Sam in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance.
Maggie Lodge, assistant to the reclusive advice columnist known only as Dear Aunt Cornelia to her readers, hires down-but-not-quite-out private eye Sam Sage to help track down the person who is blackmailing her employer. Maggie and Sam are a mismatched pair. As far as Sam is concerned, Maggie is reckless and in over her head. She is not what he had in mind for a client, but he can't afford to be choosy. Maggie, on the other hand, is convinced that Sam is badly in need of guidance and good advice. She does not hesitate to give him both.
In spite of the verbal fireworks between them, they are fiercely attracted to each other, but each is convinced it would be a mistake to let passion take over. They are, after all, keeping secrets from each other. Sam is haunted by his past, which includes a marriage shattered by betrayal and violence. Maggie is troubled by intense and vivid dreams-dreams that she can sometimes control. There are those who want to run experiments on her and use her for their own purposes, while others think she should be committed to an asylum.
When the pair discovers someone is impersonating Aunt Cornelia at a conference on psychic dreaming and a woman dies at the conference, the door is opened to a dangerous web of blackmail and murder. Secrets from the past are revealed, leaving Maggie and Sam in the path of a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to exact vengeance.
Editorial Reviews
"With its perfectly executed plot, snappy dialogue, and generous dash of dry wit, this is proof positive of why Quick's novels continue to be the platinum standard for stylish American historical romance kissed with a hint of sophisticated suspense and a dash of the supernatural."-Booklist, starred review
Readers Top Reviews
Kindle
Love,love Amanda Quick writings !Absolutely loved the Burning Cove series. This author writes under other names and ALL her plots,story lines mesmerize!!!!
TexannelesleyKind
I love Amanda Quick books. I have really enjoyed this series. Shoot fire, just descriptions of the clothes alone make me happy. But, for me this book was not so engaging. Maggie has a special talent. She is a lucid dreamer who can generally control her dreams. She has made plans to attend a dream conference. The people there can give her some clues to an unsolved murder. In order to have some help, she hires a private detective. Terrific name here – Sam Sage. Maggie is an intelligent woman who writes. At times, her writing seems to provide her with reasons to be very dramatic. Sam is a former policeman and very good at his job. He is intelligent and he has integrity. During the early part of the twentieth century, not all policeman were considered honest. Sam and Maggie make good investigators. Maggie and Sam are observant and thoughtful. They are good solvers of puzzles. In short, they make a really good investigative team. I really liked both of them. All that is wonderful. But, I did not feel the heat from the relationship between Maggie and Sam. The mystery was not difficult to follow or to solve. I hoped for more from this book. I am still a fan of Ms Quick. I will still read her books. Cause I know that she is one of the most talented authors out there.
diana jaycox (my
Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) really knows her craft. She has a way with quirky , lovable characters, who you can't help but fall in love with. And her settings are so descriptive and picturesque, you can imagine yourself participating in the story. I can almost tell you exactly where to find her latest creation, Burning Cove, supposedly North of L.A in California. She is also an expert in the history and era she includes in her books. Amanda Quick specializes in the past and with Burning Cove she has moved on from Regency era to the post depression , early days of Hollywood and mobsters. When She Dreams ,is the newest of the Burning Cove novels. Once again I was hooked from the very first page. Her female protagonist is ,of all things , a new writer, and a lucid dreamer. Her personality part prim librarian, part curious author, provides a wonderful counterpart to her hero, the hard-core disillusioned, ex-cop turned PI, Sam. Their snarky, intimate conversations had me in stitches most of the time. The dream sequences were vivid and chillingly real. The whole concept of lucid dreamers , a conference on the field of dreaming was creatively original. I loved every minute of it, losing sleep to read it in one 24 hr session. There was no question about me pre-ordering When She Dreams. Amanda Quick is on my Must Read shelf. If you haven't already tried Amanda Quick novels, Run! Don't Walk ! And pick up her work ASAP! Just a note, you might read her series in order. They will make more sense!
Sheila Mdiana jay
FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed this book, but it is my least favorite of the series because there is so much going on in the suspense/story that I missed the moments between the hero and heroine. They and their relationship felt less well-defined and concrete and thus I had less interest in their romance. THE STORY: Maggie Lodge hires a private investigator Sam Sage to find out who is involved in attempting to blackmail her absent employer. The two end up traveling to Burning Cove to investigate. Both have bad relationships in their background, but Maggie also fears men who have attempted to take control of her ability to lucid dream. In Burning Cove Sam and Maggie run into charlatans, doctors who claim knowledge of lucid dreaming, and a killer. At the same time, Maggie and Sam are attracted to one another and yet have reservations about risking themselves again. OPINION: This book was okay and it delivers on the mystery/suspense, but I was much less engaged with the couple. Both of the main characters have bad relationships in their background, but nothing about it really felt like it had affected them. The whole relationship between Sam and Maggie was too simple. There was no drama and no real connection. I'm not sure where the relationship went wrong, but I know that I really wasn't attached to the relationship. The suspense is supposed to drive the relationship forward, and there was too much that Sam and Maggie did apart. Too many scenes where they weren't together. All that weakened the connection between the characters. The book wasn't terrible. I enjoyed it. I just wanted much more. I probably won't return to it again. WORTH MENTIONING: Luther and Raina make an appearance in this book. The bad thing was I wanted more of their story than Sam and Maggie. CONNECTED BOOKS: WHEN SHE DREAMS is the sixth book in the Burning Cove series. This book can be read as a standalone. STAR RATING: I give this book 3.5 stars.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
You poisoned me."
The words tumbled out in a slurred mumble, not the scream of rage Maggie Lodge intended. The drug had plunged her into a waking nightmare. The office of Dr. Emerson Oxlade, Dream Analyst, was starting to revolve. Bits and pieces of the walls and ceiling were becoming transparent.
"Calm yourself, Miss Smith." Oxlade spoke in stern, authoritative tones. "Remember, you have extremely delicate nerves and are therefore inclined toward hysteria. It is why you came to me for therapy. I am attempting to help you."
Oxlade knew her as Miss Smith because she had booked the consultation under that name. It was her long-standing habit to use a false identity when she made appointments with experts in the field of dream analysis. She had initiated the practice after she had been released from Sweet Creek Manor Psychiatric Hospital, and it had served her well. The proof of its effectiveness was that she had not resided in another asylum since leaving Sweet Creek.
"I did not come here for therapy," she said. "I distinctly told the receptionist that I was booking a consultation. There is nothing wrong with my nerves. I am not hysterical, damn it. I'm furious."
But she knew she probably sounded as if she were on the edge of hysteria. She should have heeded the warning she got last week when she walked into the office for the first time. The space was drenched in invisible shadows.
She had told herself the bad energy had been left behind by some of the troubled people who had come to Oxlade for help with their nightmares. Now she wondered how much of the dark stuff had been laid down by Oxlade himself.
It wasn't the first time she had wandered into a pool of energy that was so murky it was impossible to distinguish the source. But if she made it a rule not to go into any space that reeked of other people's nightmares, she would become housebound. Her sensitivity had already done enough damage to her personal life. She would not allow it to turn her into an agoraphobe.
"I assure you that you have not been poisoned," Oxlade huffed. "My enhancer has some side effects, but most people find them enjoyable, even exhilarating, provided they have someone to guide them through the experience. That is why I am here. I will show you how to make the most of your talent for lucid dreaming. Together we will achieve great things."
"Bastard."
"I gave you a very light dose this first time. I've never used it on anyone with your powerful dream talent. Didn't want to overdo it. In a few minutes you will be deep in a waking dreamstate. The enhancer has hypnotic effects. It will cause you to become extremely suggestible. That will allow me to take control of your experience."
"Stop it," she said, trying to fight off the terrifying sensation that her mind was starting to separate from her body. "You drugged me, you fraud. You're no better than the others."
Screaming for help would have to wait. She had to focus on overcoming the visions, and at the moment she could not do two things at the same time. Her priorities were clear: Escape first. Scream later. The inevitable nightmares would no doubt follow, but she could handle bad dreams. She was an expert.
She gazed up at the disappearing ceiling, groping for a strategy.
"Do not fight the effects," Oxlade said. "It will make the process more difficult. Remain calm."
"Shut up."
"You will learn to embrace my enhancer, Miss Smith. I will guide you."
He was still speaking in the clinical manner of a doctor who knows what is best for a patient, but now she detected a disturbing element infused into the words. Lust. Not the sexual kind. Some sort of sick desire.
Should have picked up on that unpleasant little quirk sooner, she thought.
But the first consultation had seemed to go well in spite of the energy in the office. Oxlade was the latest in the long line of doctors, therapists, quacks, and con artists she had encountered in the p...
You poisoned me."
The words tumbled out in a slurred mumble, not the scream of rage Maggie Lodge intended. The drug had plunged her into a waking nightmare. The office of Dr. Emerson Oxlade, Dream Analyst, was starting to revolve. Bits and pieces of the walls and ceiling were becoming transparent.
"Calm yourself, Miss Smith." Oxlade spoke in stern, authoritative tones. "Remember, you have extremely delicate nerves and are therefore inclined toward hysteria. It is why you came to me for therapy. I am attempting to help you."
Oxlade knew her as Miss Smith because she had booked the consultation under that name. It was her long-standing habit to use a false identity when she made appointments with experts in the field of dream analysis. She had initiated the practice after she had been released from Sweet Creek Manor Psychiatric Hospital, and it had served her well. The proof of its effectiveness was that she had not resided in another asylum since leaving Sweet Creek.
"I did not come here for therapy," she said. "I distinctly told the receptionist that I was booking a consultation. There is nothing wrong with my nerves. I am not hysterical, damn it. I'm furious."
But she knew she probably sounded as if she were on the edge of hysteria. She should have heeded the warning she got last week when she walked into the office for the first time. The space was drenched in invisible shadows.
She had told herself the bad energy had been left behind by some of the troubled people who had come to Oxlade for help with their nightmares. Now she wondered how much of the dark stuff had been laid down by Oxlade himself.
It wasn't the first time she had wandered into a pool of energy that was so murky it was impossible to distinguish the source. But if she made it a rule not to go into any space that reeked of other people's nightmares, she would become housebound. Her sensitivity had already done enough damage to her personal life. She would not allow it to turn her into an agoraphobe.
"I assure you that you have not been poisoned," Oxlade huffed. "My enhancer has some side effects, but most people find them enjoyable, even exhilarating, provided they have someone to guide them through the experience. That is why I am here. I will show you how to make the most of your talent for lucid dreaming. Together we will achieve great things."
"Bastard."
"I gave you a very light dose this first time. I've never used it on anyone with your powerful dream talent. Didn't want to overdo it. In a few minutes you will be deep in a waking dreamstate. The enhancer has hypnotic effects. It will cause you to become extremely suggestible. That will allow me to take control of your experience."
"Stop it," she said, trying to fight off the terrifying sensation that her mind was starting to separate from her body. "You drugged me, you fraud. You're no better than the others."
Screaming for help would have to wait. She had to focus on overcoming the visions, and at the moment she could not do two things at the same time. Her priorities were clear: Escape first. Scream later. The inevitable nightmares would no doubt follow, but she could handle bad dreams. She was an expert.
She gazed up at the disappearing ceiling, groping for a strategy.
"Do not fight the effects," Oxlade said. "It will make the process more difficult. Remain calm."
"Shut up."
"You will learn to embrace my enhancer, Miss Smith. I will guide you."
He was still speaking in the clinical manner of a doctor who knows what is best for a patient, but now she detected a disturbing element infused into the words. Lust. Not the sexual kind. Some sort of sick desire.
Should have picked up on that unpleasant little quirk sooner, she thought.
But the first consultation had seemed to go well in spite of the energy in the office. Oxlade was the latest in the long line of doctors, therapists, quacks, and con artists she had encountered in the p...
