ABOUT THE BOOK

The dreams: For years, Claire Baxter has been haunted by ceaseless dreams of an FBI Agent.

The dilemma: She has no idea who he is or if he even exists.

The death: Right before she’s set to graduate from college, a dream reveals him dying in a brutal explosion.

One touch and not-so-normal Portland girl, Claire Baxter, can get a glimpse of your nearby future. She considers nothing about her clairvoyance a gift, it’s a curse, to say the least. Her parents raised her with the rule that she is to keep the secret at all cost, leaving little room for relationships of any kind. As if the burden isn’t enough, FBI agent Byron Black becomes the phantom of a series of sinister dreams.

The night before her final college exam, she has another dream, except in this one, he dies in a nuclear explosion. Does he exist? Will she find him? If so, can she save the countless lives affected by a blast that can crush steel like it’s a piece of paper, or… is this something her lost, psychic mind conjured up?

MY REVIEW

Ms. Putter’s debut novel is an action-packed thriller with an unexpected ending and a great beginning to a promising series.

He was the man of her dreams…literally! Claire Baxter can predict the future when she touches someone. However, she’s never touched FBI Agent Byron Black, she has had recurring visions of his future since she was 14 years old. When she sees his death in her latest dream, she is determined to find him and figure out how to save him, but will it be too late?

Agent Byron Black’s life motto is ‘trust no one, and no one can betray you’. He’s a workaholic with no time for relationships. So when a young skinny girl suddenly appears in his life with outrageous predictions of seeing the future…specifically his ominous future, his emotions are all over the place. But as her predictions start to come true, he’s intent on helping her get to the truth as the clock ticks down. 

It took me a while to warm up to the pairing of Claire and Byron. I guess I expected more from Byron being the mature FBI agent. I felt he let his emotions for Claire take over far too soon for all of his experience with dangerous situations. As for Claire, she came across a little crazy and too flippant sometimes considering she was trying to save the world.  And for Agent Taylor Penn who is Byron’s partner and the third POV in the story, I felt she was put in a difficult situation since her partner didn’t confide in her from the beginning. It’s unfortunate what resulted in her single-minded search for Byron and Claire.

I recommend this riveting romantic suspense thriller to those who enjoy interesting characters and an unpredictable ending.

Thank you to Ms. Putter for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

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EXCERPT

Claire had no sooner ended the call than the fleeting nightmare returned, as tangible as the test she would take in an hour. Her hands started to shake, causing her phone to drop to the floor. Sweat striped the back of her neck. Her phantom was in danger. As she raked her trembling fingers through her blonde curls, she experienced a sense of déjà vu from her 14-year-old self.

30 March 2014

Claire woke in a pool of cold sweat. That was a first. She had always been able to predict the future of those with whom she came into physical contact. Never before had she seen someone without touching them, let alone not knowing them at all. Her visions were subjective. If she warned the receiver of her touch, it could change, though she would never tell. Only her parents and best friend, Brent Lee, knew about her unique gift. They called it a gift, Claire often considered it a damn curse.

The man from her vivid dream was tall, not buff, but rather lean and toned. He was at the beach with his friends: Tanned with dark, ruffled hair and deep, brown eyes above a sharp jawline. A deep scar puckered his left cheekbone.

Attempting to impress some girl, he meandered deeper and deeper into the ocean. Later, he was laboring for breath as the wild rollers clutched at him and the desperate torrent sucked him further and further from the shore. It was a battle of arms, legs, and waves. He coughed and gasped, splashed and jolted, doing everything in his power to stay alive until a coastguard came to his rescue.

Once they reached the safety of the beach, she learnt his name as everyone bustled around to ensure he was okay. He was alive, smiling and called Byron.

That night Claire had met Special Agent Black of the FBI for the first time. He had been the centerpiece of her dreams for the next eight years. Okay, perhaps centerpiece was overdoing it, but he did feature often. Not every night, but at least once a month. Maybe less. Definitely less. The dreams changed. Sometimes they reflected significant instances in his life, like graduation and his sister’s wedding. Other times, she merely saw his face. No sound, just him. She knew a lot about the man of her dreams. Nope, the man from her dreams. Now she even knew how he would die. If he even existed.

I can’t let this happen. She squeezed her eyes shut and flopped back down on to her black-and-white mess of a bed. I must warn him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nicole Putter is the author of the Shattering Series and several short stories. She completed four creative writing and journalism courses with honours between a successful career in finance. When she’s not writing fiction, she blogs about her passion for books and writing. She’s also happily married, and a proud mom of one son and a Jack Russel Terrier named Striker.

Follow Nicole on Twitter, her website, Facebook, and Goodreads.

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