Into the Dreaming

I’m a huge fan of Karen Marie Moning. I love both her Highlander and her Fever series. When this short story was re-released I had to have it. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but it really took me back to the Highlander series. I adored those books from first to last, and I remember why now. Moning is such a wonderful writer, whether it’s romance or urban fantasy.

Jane was so cute and funny, just like all of Moning’s heroines. Aedan was just the dose of big alpha-male I needed. I loved how clueless he was at first. There wasn’t a lot of room for growth, but Moning set up a good prologue so nothing felt rushed.

I also enjoyed the few scenes that demonstrate the darker writing she implemented in the Fever series. This one gives show more the reader a good taste of both worlds. So, if you’ve never read anything by Moning and you want to try it out I suggest this story.

The book also includes deleted scenes and a previous version of The Dark Highlander. I wouldn’t suggest reading those before reading the books themselves, as they may include spoilers. For Moning fans, they’re pretty interesting reading. The graphic novel preview at the end had me so pumped.

Into the Dreaming is a perfect taste of both Moning’s Highlander series and her Fever series. It’s perfect for newbies to see how they like her writing or for fans to get a little more of her writing before Iced comes out. show less

I've read this book a couple of times before as a teenager and apparently my taste changed ten years later. I used to love the Highlanders series and this short was one of them. Problem is, even as an escapism, the female character was beyond ridiculous.

But if you've read Fever series, basically this book was the definite prequel to everything. The fae queen in this book was the real one that Mac had saved and she isn't Aoibheal. The MMC and FMC was the trope the author use throughout her paranormal romance series and Jane was another version of the author herself.

It was a light conventional down-to-the-rabbit-hole romance fantasy. There was enough steamy things in this book to be likable to a degree but it didn't age well on me.

I didn't realize before I picked it up that this was a novella, so I am slightly disappointed in the length of the book, but was happy with the content. Of course a good book is NEVER long enough, so there's that! I liked how much more of the Fae we get in this book, and since I have already read the Fever series, it was nice to see how the Seelie Queen and Unseelie King interact with one another. The romance part of the story was so different from anything I've read thus far. I have the copy with the bonus material, so I have also been enjoying reading the little tidbits that Moning chose to share with her readers. She is one of my favorite authors and I always find myself wanting to read more of her, or re-read what I've already read!

This was a really quick read because I had read all of her previous books and the main title was for her novella at the beginning. I feel like I've read it before also, so a very fast read. Not a whole lot of substance to the story to begin with so another reason why it was a fast easy read.

The author did make a HUGE historical mistake about foods they would have been eating in the early 1400s - they wouldn't have been eating new world foods of corn, tomatoes or potatoes. You would think that someone writing historical novels would get this detail correct?

Aedan was tricked by the Unseelie King to 500 years in his icy kingdom, after which he'll have one cycle of the moon to love and be loved. The Seelie Queen weaves a tapestry for Aedan's one true love, to aide him. Jane finds herself whisked back in time. It's sweet, loving, sensual and even heartbreaking at times. For a short story it is very rich.

This is apart of Moning's Highlander series, but it really doesn't have much to do with the other books. Its super short (less than 100 pages) and a rather "meh" read.

Jane, a romance writer, has been dreaming about a Highlander named Aedan since before she can remember. One day, Jane randomly receives a tapestry with Aedan's likeness stitched on it. It looks old and priceless so she decides it would be a good idea to take a nap on it. When she wakes up she's suddenly buck naked in medieval Scotland. Apparently, the Seelie queen has transported her back in time in order to save Aedan from the Unseelie King. Aedan remembers nothing of his past and its Jane's job to make him remember before the end of the month or else he has to return to show more serving the Unseelie king.

My biggest problem with this story is that very little is explained. What is with the Seelie queen and the Unseelie king's odd relationship? Why was a tapestry delivered to Jane? Was it a tool the Seelie queen needed to transport her back? And most of all what the hell is with the kitten that appears the moment Jane wakes up in the past? What function does writing about it serve? Is it for the cute factor? A spy for one of the Fae royalty? Is it evil and plotting everyone's downfall? TELL ME.

Aside from those annoyances the love story between Aedan and Jane was... okay. There were no real road blocks in their relationship. Jane worked to get Aedan to remember and Aedan pretty much complied even if sometimes it was unknowingly. That was about it. They weren't dull characters, just not all that memorable.

I would probably only recommend this to fans of Moning. I think anyone else would probably be bored out of their gourd. show less

Into the Dreaming by Karen Marie Moning
#8 Highlander
2-1/2*

This is a money-grab that should only be read by established fans of Moning's Highlander and Fever series. The novella "Into the Dreaming" was previously published in [book:Tapestry|84176]. For the rest, Moning is sharing her "outtakes" from previous writing attempts which were never published. Not worth the read. Not a good motivator for people to read her books. I have read her books and love them, so I find this an unfortunate choice by the author to market this cobbled-together bit of rubbish.