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Changeling Dream

Dani Harper

Published 2011       376 pages

Summary (from the book jacket)

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.

The Review

Changeling Dream is the second book in Dani Harper’s Changeling wolf shapeshifter paranormal romance series. Changeling Dream is actually a reworking the popular 2007 e-book “Heart Of The Winter Wolf”, so if you think the story sounds familiar this might be why…

The Changeling books follow various members of the Macleod family (who are all wolf shapeshifters) as they find their mates. The first book in this series, Changeling Moon, saw small town veterinarian Connor Macleod find his soul mate in the form of Zoey, the town’s new newspaper reporter. Changeling Dream is set a little while after those events and centres on Connor’s brother James, who has been stuck in wolf form for the last 30 years since his wife was brutally murdered.

Changeling Moon introduced readers to the rural northern Canadian town of Dunvegan and its wonderful cast of quirky inhabitants. Changeling Dream is still set in Dunvegan and most of the action still revolves around the North Star Animal Clinic but the story is much more tightly focussed on the budding relationship between James and Jillian (the clinic’s new vet) leaving less space for the secondary characters than in the previous book. The secondary characters were a major strength of that book but Changeling Dream is much more concentrated on the romance and relationship elements between the central protagonists, so secondary character development and greater world building are kind of superfluous to this story.

At its heart Changeling Dream is the story of a man who has been hiding away from life since the unbearable loss of his wife, and the woman who brings him back to life again. In romance novel terms this plotline is a classic and while the paranormal elements of tale add a greater depth and interest for fantasy fans the focus of this story is the relationship and romance rather than fantasy action or magical battles.

Changeling Dream is a cosy novel, it has a feel good factor that can’t be easily explained and certainly shouldn’t be under estimated. Sexy romance, heart warming characters and top-notch relationship development make for a fun, yet satisfying read and with its fairly low key fantasy elements the story has a big cross-over appeal for non-paranormal romance fans too.

Summing up: it was great and I loved it!

In keeping with the LV site rules Changeling Dream is rated down half a star because it doesn’t have any vampires in it (sorry, it’s a site rule!) but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a near perfect example of shapeshifter romance, and one that shouldn’t fail to satisfy any romance fan.

LoveVampires Review Rating: