TAYLOR JONES SAYS: In Dreamer 2 by Becca Johnson, Rory is back with Bryce and Ryder. And she’s still dreaming of the future. But this time, she’s dreaming as someone else and bad things are going to happen. Rory know she has to stop whatever it is, but she doesn’t know what it is or who it’s going to happen to. So she doesn’t know how on earth she and Bryce are going to prevent it from happening this time. Not to mention she still has to decide which of the two Wyatt twins, Bryce and Ryder, she wants to date.

The story is fast-paced and suspenseful, with endearing characters you can’t help but root for. A good solid read.

REGAN MURPHY SAYS: Dreamer 2 by Becca Johnson is the second book in her Dreamer series. Our heroine Rory Adair has dreams that foretell the future, and it’s a secret she has hidden from everyone, except her friend Bryce Wyatt who also has prophetic abilities. Once again, Rory dreams of bad things happening to her friends and, once again she and Bryce try to figure out what’s happening, and to whom, so they can prevent it. But this time, Rory isn’t dreaming as herself but as someone else, and she doesn’t know who. She’s afraid that by the time she figures out the mystery, it’ll be too late. Her life is also complicated by her friend Stacey who was kidnapped in the last book and is still trying to recover from her ordeal after Rory and Bryce rescued her.

Dreamer 2 has a good strong plot, with quite a few twists and turns to keep you on your toes. With an intriguing mystery, charming characters, and fast paced action, it’s one you will surely want to read.

Chapter 1

I continued to read when I heard the doorbell. Mom was downstairs. She would answer the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone today.

“Rory,” Mom called from the base of the stairs.

I closed my book, putting it on my nightstand. “Coming.”

I came down the stairs and I could see one of the Wyatts at the door holding a present. Just as he raised his head to look up, I felt a sharp jab in my side, jolting me awake–

***

The room was black. I blinked my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Another jab pierced me in my side and then I heard muffled crying.

“Ouch.” I grabbed my side and gave Heather a dirty look.

Heather leaned close and whispered in my ear. “She’s been crying for the last five minutes. What should we do?”

I got up from the air mattress and went to Stacey on the couch. She had her head buried in her pillow, as if trying to conceal the sound of her crying.

I gently put my hand on her shoulder and sat down on the couch next to her. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. Her body shook with uncontrolled sobs. I felt the couch cushion sink as Heather’s weight came down next to me. Renee came up behind me and wrapped her arms around Stacey and me. The four of us held onto one another. The tears, pooling in my eyes, blurred my vision.

After five minutes, Stacey shifted and I sat up to give her some air. I wiped at the tears rolling down my cheeks. Heather handed us all a tissue.

“I’m sorry t–that I–I woke you–” Stacey said, sounding as if she was trying to catch her breath.

“Don’t be sorry,” I told her as I put my hand back on her shoulder to comfort the both of us.

“Have you been able to sleep at all?” Heather asked.

Stacey shook her head.

Heather sat on the floor in front of Stacey and Renee did the same. I kept my position next to Stacey with my hand on her back.

Renee took hold of Stacey’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Do you want to talk about it?”

We were all silent as we waited for Stacey to answer. She hadn’t talked about what happened to her while she was kidnapped to any of us yet. When I went to see her with Bryce, she didn’t ask me any questions about how I helped find her. I thought I was in the clear. My heart started to beat faster with fear that she was finally going to ask me questions.

Stacey turned and locked eyes with me. My eyes had adjusted to the dark now. I could see a tear slip down her cheek.

“Why didn’t I listen to your warnings?” Stacey reached forward and grasped my shoulders.

Sobs rocked her body. I held on tight to her and let her cry. My chest hurt from holding back tears of my own. I let them come, unable to stifle them any longer. After what felt like hours, we parted. Heather handed us both another tissue to blow our noses and wipe away the tears.

Renee looked up at me from the floor. “Rory, how did you and Bryce help to find Stacey?”

I looked at my three best friends sitting around me. First, I glanced at Heather, who I had known since my first day of Kindergarten. We had been best friends ever since. Then I studied Renee. I’d met her in sixth grade when we started middle school. Last, I turned my attention to Stacey. I’d known her since my first day of middle school as well. She had been through so much in the last few weeks. Stacey took hold of my hand and squeezed.

I took a deep breath. “I have dreams every night that come true.” I looked directly into Stacey’s eyes as I told my friends my secret.

My statement was met with silence. Heather’s mouth was hanging open in disbelief. It made me giggle. I felt a pressure on my chest lift as my friends one by one reached over and hugged me.

Heather started the questions. “How long have you been having dreams like this?”

“For as long as I can remember.” I turned to Stacey. “I didn’t know that you were going to go missing. I thought something was going to happen to me, at first.”

Stacey held my hand. “I’m just glad that your dreams helped you and Bryce to lead the police to finding me.”

“How does Bryce fit into all this?” Renee asked as they waited for me to answer.

My heart raced. I couldn’t tell his secret. It wasn’t mine to share. “He…uh…figured out that I had some sort of sixth sense and I told him about my dreams.”

Heather pouted. “You told him first.”

I moved down to the floor to sit next to Heather and put my arms around her. “He caught me slipping up a few times and confronted me about it. I told my mom about my dreams once when I was little and she put me in therapy. I haven’t told anyone else about my dreams until now.”

Heather put her arms around me and hugged tight. “Tell us more about your dreams?”

I sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“Which brother are you going to choose to go out with?” Stacey raised her eyebrows at me and smiled. “You know who I want you to pick.”

“Ahh.” I laid back on the air mattress. “Thedreams don’t tell me everything. I don’t know what to do.”

Heather nudged me in the side. “I wish I had your problems.”

Renee laughed. “You and Matt looked pretty cozy tonight. What are you talking about?”

Heather started to giggle and we all joined in. I smiled, looking at my girlfriends. I was happy that I told them about my dreams. I had kept the secret for so long, worried that they would think differently of me.

“Did Ryder kiss you tonight?” Renee asked.

I let out my breath. “No, I thought he was going to a few times, but with everyone around he didn’t really have the chance.”

“Which one do you think will kiss you first?” Heather bumped me in the shoulder.

“Bryce already kissed me.”

“What?” all three chorused.

“How could you not tell us?” Heather exclaimed.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face, thinking about Bryce’s kiss yesterday. “Bryce stopped over at my house in the afternoon yesterday. He brought me flowers and then he kissed me.”

Heather pulled me in for a hug. “How was the kiss?”

I blushed. “It was amazing. I didn’t want it to stop. Then I felt guilty being here last night with Ryder while Bryce didn’t have a date.”

Stacey laughed. “No wonder Bryce seemed so happy last night. He’d beaten his brother to the first kiss. I like his style.”

Me too, I thought.

***

“Mom, I’m home.” I called out as I came through the front door.

“Mom isn’t home,” my brother Tyler responded. His voice was coming from the family room.

I set down my overnight bag and walked into the family room. I stopped in the doorway. Sitting on the couch smiling up at me was Ryder.

“Hi, Ryder,” I said, greeting him. My heart started to pound in my chest. Why was he here? Did he know Bryce had kissed me? Was he here to see me? I had a million questions running through my head.

“How do you do that?” Tyler threw his hands up. “I can’t tell them apart at all.”

Ryder and I both laughed. He got up from the couch and walked toward me. Stopping in front of me, he took hold of my hands. “Can we go talk?”

I hesitantly looked up into his bright blue-green eyes and pushed the lump that had formed in my throat back down. “Sure.”

I took hold of his hand and led him back toward the front of the house into the den. I closed the French doors so we would have a little privacy from Tyler in case he was listening. Ryder sat down on the couch and I sat down next to him. He was still holding onto my hand. I looked up at him, waiting for him to say something.

He didn’t say anything, just bent his head down toward mine. He was going to kiss me.

I panicked and I turned my head. His lips brushed against my cheek.

Ryder leaned back to look at me, staring into my eyes. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t get any words to come out.

His smile turned to a pout. “My brother beat me to the first kiss.” It was more of a statement than a question.

I couldn’t lie to him. “Yesterday afternoon, Bryce came over to see me.” I kept my eye contact with Ryder as I talked.

“I should’ve known. I waited too long. I should have kissed you that night I was in the basement with you.”

He looked away. Then he sat up and moved closer to me. His arm was around my shoulders and he pulled my body close to his, brushing his lips against my temple.

“My brother may have beaten me to the first kiss. But, Rory, I’m not going to give up on you and me,” he whispered in my ear. He kissed my check again and got up from the love seat.

I stared up at him. I was still at a loss for words. He didn’t look angry or upset that I had kissed his brother. He was even smiling.

“I’ll see you at school on Monday, beautiful.”

Ryder didn’t wait for me to say anything. He winked at me and then he left.

I sat back on the couch. My hands were shaking. I heard the front door open and then close. I laid my head back on the couch. “What am I going to do?”

© 2016 Becca Johnson