Dream Man

Take one beautiful empath, add one cynical detective, mix well with a psycho and you have this book. This is pure LH. Fast paced, nail-biting scenes and steamy romance will leave you ready for another LH novel.

Dream Man
4 Stars

Marlie Keen is finally getting her life back on track following the loss of her psychic gift. But now her abilities have returned full force with an horrific twist - she has seen a murder through the eyes of the killer. Detective Dane Hollister is skeptical of Marlie and suspicious of her claims, but he finds himself irrevocably drawn to her and knows that she may be the only key to solving a series of terrifying crimes. Can Marlie and Dean put aside their differences to catch a monster?

A gripping serial killer plot and an intense romance make this a fantastic romantic suspense read. My one small caveat relates to the hero's actions toward the end, but more on that later.

Marlie is a very sympathetic heroine and Howard's show more portrayal of the physical and emotional toll that the visions have on her is exceptionally realistic, which makes it easy for the reader to empathize and suspend disbelief. Dane is a typical alpha male who finds it difficult to accept that psychic abilities exist and makes no bones about his views. The love/hate dynamic between Dane and Marlie ratchets up the sexual tension and makes for some very steamy scenes.

Now to the big problem with the story. Dane not only exposes Marlie to the press knowing full well that it might ruin her life; he also sets her up as bait for the killer. Both of this acts are simply unforgivable, and if the suspense plot weren't so good, they would ruin the book. As it is, they put a huge damper on the romance.

Despite this issue, Dream Man is well worth the read for lovers of hot heroes, spunky heroines and bone-chilling serial killer tales. show less

Marlie Keen only wanted to be normal and live a normal life and for six years, she had achieved it. Her dormant 'gift' is suddenly awakened when a murder occurs on a Friday night and Marlie, even if hurt and fearful of a terrible past, decides to go to the police with the 'info'.
Dane Hollister is a good cop, a cop who follows his gut and rarely comes out wrong but when he hears Marlie's 'story', he not only doesn't believe her but put her on the suspect list, even if he's powerfully attracted to her.
Using all the excuses he can get, and as soon as he cleans Marlie from the suspects list, Dane moves with her, steamrolling her and changing her life. While keeping an eye on her as well as taking care of her and protecting her from the show more killer, Dane manages to bring Marlie to the world of the living.

This was an intense book. I adore the way Linda Howard captures the essence of the killer and manages to keep the suspense all the way into the story. It was creepy and wonderful for it.
Dane was a Neanderthal jerk but all that hardness and bluntness worked for Marlie. Even a strong woman, because of her past, she needed someone to take care of her, because everything is so much harder when we are alone, and she needed him.
Once in a while is refreshing to read something like this. This is not the typical heroine/hero, they have flaws and are content with them. I must confess, thought, that this is one of the best from Linda Howard; I don't know how many times I have read it. show less

Linda Howard is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. This is an older one, published in 1998. I read this one as a group read. At first, Dane is a jerk, but once he finally admits Marlie has some kind of psychic "gift", and clears her as a suspect, he really appears to go through a change. He doesn't give Marlie the emotional assurances she would like to hear from him, he is a bit controlling, but under the circumstances that seems to be more protectiveness. But, as I read on, I began to suspect Dane had an ulterior motive. I thought he might be using Marlie to solve his murder case. But, I wasn't prepared for the emotional curve ball the author tossed out at us. It came so close to the end of the book that I never really show more recovered from the shock of it.
Marlie kicks butt all the way, especially at the end. The mystery is taut and suspenseful, which is what redeems this book for me. The romance part left me unsatisfied, even though Dane is contrite and did really love Marlie, or so he claimed. I don't know if I would have treated someone I loved like he treated Marlie, but we had to have our HEA. I still felt like I had been punched in the stomach when I finished the book though. Over all not one of my favorite Linda Howard books. I gave it a three star rating mainly for the good suspense. show less

For several blissful years, Marlie Keen has lived a normal and quiet life as an accountant in a bank. She's kind to her neighbors, doesn't date, enjoys going to the movies, etc. For most of her life prior she sequestered herself from others because she was often bombarded by clairvoyant visions and by the hypersensitive ability to pick up on others' emotions. She was considered a freak and relied solely on a friendly relationship with her doctor who studied her abilities. After a traumatic event six years prior, she thought the ability had left her.until she "sees" a murder as it is happening.

She goes to the police hoping she can share information which will help track the killer. Of course, Det. Dane Hollister is attracted to her, show more even though he thinks she's kooky, and he insults her like the big galoob he is. But then a body is found and the evidence matches her vision. She's now a suspect.

How frustrating for the detective that he still wants to sleep with her. No matter, he'll just start showing up at her house, pushing her for a physical relationship even though she's reluctant (and for good reason, asshat), moving into her house after a few days, and then ultimately pulling a complete d*** move putting her in danger, which should have been unforgivable but of course, was not. She saves the day but he, of course, is her hero. HEA.

Exciting suspense novel, but as for the romance portion, the H was terrible and the h was portrayed as a very weak character. show less

4.25/5 creepy bald serial killer stars



This is the second book I've read by Linda Howard. She sure knows how to write romance and suspense - where both will keep you at the edge of your seat. I'm not going to write a huge review about this book, because honestly - it would ruin the mystery.

I liked this book a little less than the first book I read by her - [b:Mr. Perfect|469901|Mr. Perfect|Linda Howard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327960914s/469901.jpg|487629] when it comes to the romance. I did like Dane and Marlie together, but at around 80% Dane does something that kind of ruins the romance of their relationship for me. Dane is a strong, tough detective who isn't going to win awards for being mister nice and pleasant or mister show more social. Marlie has been having visions of violent crimes since she was a child and she can stand up for herself. When the two of them meet - the sparks fly.



The crime in this book was a lot heavier than in [b:Mr. Perfect|469901|Mr. Perfect|Linda Howard|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327960914s/469901.jpg|487629]. I enjoyed it, because it was actually creepy - where the other book did lack that. If you however don't enjoy a creepy serial killer, being in the mind of this creepy serial killer, descriptions of horrible crime scenes and visions of the murder from the eyes of the killer - than I suggest you stay away from this book as the creepy factor in this book is rather high.



This book contains multiple POV's. Mostly that from Marlie and Dane. But also from the killer and his victims. It didn't annoy me that the POV kept switching, since every character had his or her own voice and therefore it wasn't confusing.

If you like romance novels and a good crime novel, than this book is the perfect marriage for you! :) show less

A- Classic Linda Howard, excellently narrated by Phil Gigante. Dane Hollister (what a cool name) is a cop investigating (what will become) a series of murders and Marlie Keen is a psychic who sees through the eyes of the killer when he's doing the deed. Great book, better on audio. (Although, I think Lisa Marie Rice may have got the idea for her heroes - and I mean this in the nicest possible way - from this one - big alpha male, just about stalkerish behaviour with a constant hard-on for the heroine - sound familiar?)