Tracy’s review of Changeling Dream (Changeling #2) by Dani Harper.
In times of stress Jillian Descharme has always found calm in her dream of a great white wolf with haunting blue eyes. But she is startled when the visions return and this time seem so real. Late at night he comes to her, speaks to her, touches her. It’s almost as if he’s alive…
Thirty years ago James Macleod lost his wife and unborn child to a killer bent on destroying the Changelings. Though he longed for death, his animal instinct fought for survival and James has been a wolf ever since. Yet now a woman has reawakened the man in him, taming wild instincts but arousing still wilder needs. With his ancient enemy hunting the legendary white wolf, James must fight for new life, new hope, new love.
Thirty years ago someone who was trying to kill werewolves shot and killed James Macleod’s pregnant wife. When he realized that she was in trouble James came running and he too was shot. He wanted to die with the thought that his dear wife and baby were gone but the wolf inside James realized his intent and took over. James stayed in wolf form, healed and stayed that way. That’s right he stayed a wolf for 30 years and hadn’t once changed back to human. At one point during his time as the wolf he had helped a woman in eastern Canada when she was being attacked and stayed by her until someone came to her rescue.
The woman who was attacked was Jillian Descharme. She is now a vet and is asked by Connor Macleod if she will come work with him in his clinic in Alberta. Jillian has nothing to lose and heads to western Canada. She has dreamed of the white wolf that saved her life 14 years earlier but when she sees him again in Alberta she’s pretty sure she’s hallucinating. She’d been told for so many years that the wolf was never really there and that it was something she’d made up in her mind to help her cope with the trauma that she went through that now she actually believes that the wolf if a figment of her imagination.
James finally becomes human again – though he doesn’t want to stay that way. But he’s drawn to Jillian and knows that the wolf and Jillian have some sort of connection – though he doesn’t know what at first. He wants to stay in his wolf form but he also wants to be with Jillian – how can he do both?
This story was right up my alley. We had shapeshifters that actually shifter quite a bit in the story which I love. We had a emotionally scarred hero which is something I also love. The path that James had to take physically but mostly emotionally to get to where he could wrap his mind around his feelings for Jillian was quite well done. He had a hard time dealing with his desire to be near her – especially feeling that he would get her killed as he had his wife because of the fact that he was a changeling.
The couple in this book spend a lot of time apart and I wasn’t a big fan of that – but the story as whole was done well so I had to overlook that part of it in the end. Jillian and James were so good for each other and I loved seeing them finally become a couple.
This was a good paranormal story that I recommend. You don’t have to read book one to read this one, just fyi.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The Series:
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This book is available from Brava. You can buy it here or here in e-format.