For a chance to win a copy of Hidden in Dreams, click the link directly below to visit Laura’s blog:

By Laura Hilton, author of Lighthouse-Academy blog

Do yourself a favor. The next time you receive a book by Davis Bunn, don’t look at the back jacket. Instead, open the book to page one and begin reading. Especially with Hidden in Dreams, this is really the only way that you can “get” the point this amazing author is trying to communicate. No preconceived notions . . . no spoilers . . . no peeking allowed.

Dr. Elena Burroughs is a clinical psychologist without a clinic, without a practice, without a clientele, and without a home. Offered the newly created Chair of Psychology at a small Florida university, Elena seizes the opportunity to start over. To retreat into a haven in which every aspect of her life was under her control. Well, one can always dream . . .

Out of the blue, Elena is approached by Rachel Lamprey, the sister of her now-deceased best, and oldest, friend. The pharmaceutical company that Rachel works for is preparing to release a new drug that will virtually eliminate ADHD. However, a test subject has suddenly begun having a dream. A recurring dream. A terrifying dream of future global financial ruin. And he’s not the only one. As a matter of fact, Elena has begun having the same dream.

Filled with a powerful compulsion to share her dream with whoever will listen, Elena is forced out of her comfort zone and assumes the mantle of spokesperson for the dreams. And as the dreams increase in number, and come true in terrifying precision, the urgency to share becomes overwhelming as well. You’ll have to read Hidden in Dreams to find out how it ends!

As a sidenote, which I hope readers will understand this reviewer sees as the foundation of this book, Davis Bunn has captured and communicated for us, in Elena Burroughs, what has been referred to in Scripture as “the burden of the Lord.” The prophets referred to in Scripture didn’t “sign up” for the job; they didn’t seek the position, and they rarely reaped any professional or monetary accolades for their work. In point of fact, they were ridiculed, rejected, and removed from life in a wide variety of cruel and unusual practices. Nonetheless, they remained true to their calling, and to their God, in a manner supremely worthy of emulation.

The prophet Jeremiah put it this way:

“ O LORD, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
Jeremiah 20:7-9 (NKJV)

Hidden in Dreams communicates this situation clearly, and challenges its readers to “take up the mantle,” and proclaim the message that God has given them.

Are you up to the challenge? 5 stars.

238 pages, $14.99

Today I have two new reviews of Rare Earth to share with you — and one of the reviewers is hosting a giveaway contest! Be sure to click over to his blog to enter the contest.

By Tim Busbey, Tim’s World

Enter Tim’s giveaway contest by Friday, August 17, 2012 at http://timbusbey.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/book-review-rare-earth-by-davis-bunn/

In last year’s Lion of Babylon, Davis Bunn introduced readers to Marc Royce, a Jack Ryan-type hero for the Christian thriller genre.

What sets him apart from the typical thriller/action hero? He’s got a heart.

In Rare Earth, Royce is sent undercover to Kenya to investigate a refugee camp birthed by a volcano’s eruption. But that is not his real mission. In reality, Royce is there to discover why whole tribes have gone missing.

His investigation leads him to the trail of an international conspiracy involving rare earth minerals — once-obscure minerals which have now been found in abundance in Africa’s Rift Valley. High-tech industries have become reliant on these rare earth minerals, leading “claim jumpers” to forcibly remove whole tribes of people to secure access to these minerals. Once he realizes the true nature of  the tragedy, Royce sets out to restore the people to their land.

Before Bunn became an author, he spent years traveling the globe as a businessman, including time spent in Africa. Those experiences certainly bear fruit in Rare Earth as Bunn makes the reader really feel as if they are in Africa as he describes the breath-taking landscape and the proud Kenyan refuges.

I loved how Bunn took a real-world issue and incorporated it into his thriller, giving him the opportunity to educate the readers about this tragedy taking place right now.

Although Rare Earth is the second in a series, it truly is a standalone story that any reader can pick up and enjoy. The characters are realistic, full of depth and very well written. I loved the international intrigue and the twist and turns Bunn put Royce through.

Rare Earth is an intense, realistic novel that would make a great movie. Bunn’s fast-paced action and thought-provoking subject matter will pull you into the book and take your mind on a wild adventure.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Rare Earth a 4.

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‘Every detail was meticulously researched’

By Katherine Wacker, Katherine’s Chronicle

In Davis Bunn’s Rare Earth, Marc Royce has been sent to a country and a people who desperately need help. The continent of Africa, which has already been ravaged by war, famine, political upheaval, and poverty, now experiences a volcanic eruption forcing many Kenyans from their homes into refugee camps.

It is to one such camp that Royce arrives under a cloud of ash and suspicion, and must bring order out of chaos and corruption. When he starts investigating a money trail, a missing aid worker, and the confiscation of land held for centuries by the African people, the answers lead him from the Kenyan wilderness to the Israeli desert and back again.

But will he stay alive long enough to find the answers and save the land from those who want to destroy it and, with it, the hopes of a people he has grown to love?

I have never been to Africa, but thanks to Davis Bunn’s vivid descriptions, I feel like I have seen the drought-stricken landscape and the ash-spitting volcano, smelled the fermented milk and tasted the coffee drawn right from the bean, and felt the sun’s heat as it beats down on everything below. Every detail was meticulously researched and every page suspenseful.

The story is well-written. I wasn’t ready for it to end, and I am looking forward to the next in the series. My rating for Rare Earth is an enthusiastic four stars. For those interested, Rare Earth is Book Two in the Marc Royce Series; Lion of Babylon is the first. Each is a stand-alone novel.

The book giveaways just keep on coming! This week, bloggers are hosting three new contests to give away Hidden in Dreams. Be sure to click the link next to each review to enter all three contests — please enter at the reviewers’ blogs, not at my blog.

By Renee Ann Smith, Doorkeeper 

Enter Renee’s giveaway contest through Monday, August 20, 2012 at http://reneeannsmith.com/a/hidden-in-dreams-by-davis-bunn-review-and-giveway/

Once Dr. Elena Burroughs’ life might have seemed like a dream come true. She had a book on the best-sellers list, a position at a prestigious Oxford clinic, and an Italian financier eager to romance her. But one-by-one those dreams fell through. Even her house burned down. Now her life is one long, dreary disappointment.

When corporate biochemist Rachel Lamprey unexpectedly shows up in Elena’s college classroom to beg for help, Elena senses that something is not quite right. Perhaps Rachel’s personal assistant sweeping the room for electronic bugs clues her in. Or maybe it’s that Elena has been specifically warned about Rachel’s casual ruthlessness.

However, Elena ignores her misgivings. She reasons that things couldn’t possibly get any worse.

Boy, is she wrong.

Since Elena is an expert on dream interpretation, she’s not surprised that Rachel wants her to analyze a client’s frightening dream. But two things make the assignment unusually disturbing.

• One, it’s not a nightmare about monsters or ghosts that has the man so terrified. It’s an omen of an imminent financial crisis—the worst the world has seen.
• And two, people all over the globe are having the exact same dream.

Because of her involvement, Elena’s life changes overnight. She’s unwillingly thrust into a group of international power players, who want in on whatever happens next. Elena is way over her head.

Oh, there are some perks. Two different men become interested in dating her. She makes friends with a young girl who would dearly love a motherly influence in her life. And she has a great idea for a new bestseller. But she’s not sure all that makes up for the close-calls, death threats, and nightmares.

As Elena’s adventure progresses, she learns important lessons about listening for God’s voice when His message seems hidden—and that there is meaning even in His silences. The end of her story was surprising but very satisfying. 

Renee Ann Smith is a writer, teacher, small-town girl, and story-lover. You can find her at http://reneeannsmith.com/.

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By Katherine Scott Jones, Story Matters

Enter Katherine’s giveaway contest through Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at http://katherinescottjones.com/?p=607

In Hidden in Dreams, Bunn has delivered another high quality novel, the kind his legions of fans expect. He’s mastered his page-turning technique. His characters are authentic, not cardboard.

His plotline is engaging, full of interesting twists, and I like the way he weaves real life issues (ADHD, financial collapse, Biblical prophecy) with fiction. I envy the depth and breadth of his imagination. Most fans of Christian fiction will gobble up this book.

My only quibble is that his Christian characters are sometimes too safe. In Elena’s developing romance, for instance, there’s no fear that either she or her beau will misbehave. As a Christian reader, I don’t want a romantic pair to step out of bounds, but I’d like to think they might…to show they’re human, but also to add a layer of tension. Since they didn’t seem even tempted, I couldn’t relate. (It also made me wonder, where’s the passion?)

That said, Hidden in Dreams is a well-crafted novel. If you’re a fan of Davis Bunn or speculative fiction in general, you’ll not be disappointed.

Rating: 4 out of 5–for an intriguing premise and superior plot development.

Katherine Scott Jones is  a published writer, aspiring novelist, story consultant. Wife to one cool engineer, mom to two miraculous kids.

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By Heidi Geis, MBT Ponderers

Enter Heidi’s giveaway contest through Thursday, August 23, 2012 at

http://www.mbtponderers.blogspot.com/2012/08/friday-fiction-q-with-davis-bunn-part-2.html

I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. The story is captivating, and frighteningly realistic. As a writer, I appreciated the actual writing; Bunn crafted some pretty amazing sentences.

As a reader, I loved that just as I thought I had it figured out I realized I was wrong. That doesn’t happen often, and I loved the twists.

Heidi Geis is a pastor’s wife, homeschool mom of teenage boys, and wannabe Food Network Star. She ponders fiction, both reading it and writing it, from the Pacific Northwest.

Every week on my blog, I provide links to NEW giveaway contests for my contemporary suspense novel, Rare Earth. Here are this week’s first two contests (be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can receive the links for all the upcoming contests).

Sidney W. Frost – Click here to enter at Christian Bookmobile by August 14, 2012

Marc Royce, a former CIA agent who is unofficially reactivated, takes a job with Lodestone, a civilian government contractor, and is stationed in Kenya. Something suspicious is happening there and the U.S. government is not sure what or who is responsible. Royce is sent to find out.

After training in Nairobi where the Kenyan Lodestone headquarters is located, Royce is sent to a French aid station which is being overrun with displaced people due to the eruption of a volcano on Mount Elgon between Kenya and Uganda.

When Royce arrives with food and medical supplies he learns the camp leaders were hoping for soldiers to help keep order. However, as soon as Royce learns more about the situation he is able to restore peace by working through the displaced tribe elders.

He meets Kitra at the medical station in the camp. She lets him know right away that she doesn’t like him because he works for Lodestone and she suspects the company was involved in the kidnapping of her brother.

Serge, a medical technician at the camp, had been missing for eight days. What Kitra doesn’t know and Royce can’t tell her, is that her missing brother is part of the reason he was sent to Kenya. Royce, a widower, is instantly attracted to Kitra and is thankful to have such feelings again.

Royce is so effective in managing the camp that the UN district administrator, Frederick Uhura, takes an interest in him and provides more contracts for Lodestone. This makes Royce look better to his bosses. However, Royce was also there to investigate Lodestone personnel and he doesn’t know who he can trust.

This is one of those stories where the reviewer needs to be careful not to say too much. However, I will tell you the suspense is powerful and the momentum of the story grows from start to finish.

The characters are vivid as well as the descriptions, especially the African locations. The volcano adds a since of urgency and is used to help Royce at one point in the story. There is a trip to Israel where Royce meets Kitra’s parents. Then there is the love story between Royce and Kitra and the hope of how it might end.

I first met Marc Royce in Davis Bunn’s Lion of Babylon. Rare Earth stands alone, however, and you can read the two books in any order. I loved them both.

Laura Hilton, Click here to enter at Lighthouse-Academy by August 31, 2012

Set on the rich canvas of an incredibly complex African continent, this latest novel by Davis Bunn reveals the incredible tension that exists between the past and the future of this third-world country, between the old legacies and the new desires for more . . . more power, more wealth, more influence. And RARE EARTH highlights the extents to which some will go in order to obtain these new currencies, at the expense of everything – and everyone – else.

High-tech industries have become dependent upon “rare-earths,” once-obscure minerals which have been found in abundance over the region in Africa known as the Rift Valley. In order to obtain these precious commodities, modern day “claim-jumpers” have forcibly removed entire populations of the indigenous African tribes and re-located them to squalid tenement settlements. In the process, old rivalries between the native tribes of Africa have been inflamed and new rivalries, between the patriarchs and the younger generations, have been created.

Marc Royce, sent ostensibly to audit a relief organization, has his orders: discover the truth behind the smoke-screen, and relay that information to his superiors. Following his heart, Marc sets himself a much larger mission; restore unity to the tribes, restore the tribes to their land, and bring justice to those who have masterminded the plot behind the forced relocations. In the process, Marc’s faith – and his heart – will be tested to the breaking point.

Written in Davis Bunn’s masterful story-telling, RARE EARTH will grab you from the beginning and hold you until the very last page. On the journey, you will find your own misconceptions concerning The Dark Continent, its history, culture, and people, constantly challenged and corrected. 5 Stars.

I’m delighted to share with you  a guest review of both Book of Dreams and Hidden in Dreams, from Connie Mace. Connie is the blog manager for the Northwest Christian Writers’ Association, based in the Seattle area, as well as a published author.

Connie is also hosting a giveaway contest — you could win a copy of Hidden in Dreams just by visiting her blog and leaving a comment before midnight Pacific time on August 15, 2012.

These reviews were originally published at Connie’s blog, Raise Your Eyes, and are reprinted here with her permission.

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Of Dreams, Holy Scripture and Financial Derivatives

https://raiseyoureyes.dreamhosters.com/?p=488

By Connie Mace
Guest Reviewer

Already a fan of Davis Bunn, ever since he authored books as T. Davis Bunn, I was pleased to be thrust into the same high level vivid description, gripping plot and concise research which I expect in Bunn’s writing as I read his novel, Book of Dreams.

To Dr. Elena Burroughs — widow, clinical psychologist, and “foremost authority on dreams”– the “professional mask” she wears maintains her distance from the world. With her office at Oxford and a bestselling book: Book of Dreams, Elena hides by helping clients cope with their own problems.

The mask begins to crack with two events: First, a high profile client with frightening dreams enters her office after being referred by Elena’s mentor and godmother, Miriam.

Second, Miriam, a former clinical psychologist and her dearest friend, entrusts Elena with an ancient book of Holy Scriptures, termed “the book of dreams.”

Of Elena’s early encounters with the Holy phrase, “Our Father, who art in heaven,” Bunn writes “The words seemed to find shelter in the morning breeze, as though chanted by the leaves overhead. As though the birds sang them in time to Elena’s own heart.”

Bunn’s research of dream theory is apparent in referring to Carl Jung and Freud, yet he skillfully brings theory to an understandable level. When helping her client to cope with a recurrent dream, Elena says, “Dreams often reveal very deep issues that the conscious mind seeks not only to avoid, but to actually flee from. Yet the unconscious mind realizes that this repressed emotion and memory must be confronted. It expels the putrid mess with the same steady insistence with which the body forces out pus from an untreated wound.”

While layering the story with dreams and ancient scripture, Bunn set me on a learning curve into the world of “political fixers,” “hedge funds,” and “financial derivatives” in an all too real parallel where “the common man is crushed by debt and despair.”

Bunn is a master of gripping plot intensity much like a conductor directs a symphony in a crescendo. Just  enough rests to catch your breath, but then all elements converge and build intensity as multiple characters’ dreams and reality reach the climax.

However, it’s all a novel and our dreams are only irrelevant mirages when morning dawns…or are they?

Connie’s Review of Hidden in Dreams

Although Hidden in Dreams, book two in the Elena Burroughs “Dreams” series, could easily be a “stand alone” book, I stopped reading after a couple pages in order to read Bunn’s Book of Dreams.  As a fan of Davis Bunn’s storytelling, I wanted to know more about the events which brought Dr. Elena Burroughs to the opening scene; however most readers will be fine with the summations in Bunn’s opening chapter and his introduction of a new cast of characters.

Reeling from a whirlwind publicity tour for her recently revised  Book of Dreams, Dr. Elena Burroughs would like to settle down from “a state of perpetual jet lag.” The previous year of helping to form a US financial oversight committee only to see it dissolve, much like her romance with an Italian, has left her emotionally exhausted.

Needing stability in her life as well as her bank account, Dr. Burroughs accepts a professorship with Atlantic Christian University in Melbourne Florida: “a quiet haven nestled between Cape Canaveral and the glitz of south Florida.” (The vivid scenes in which Bunn describes the landscape may be attributed to the fact that he and his wife, Isabella divide their time between that area and England.)

However, Davis Bunn is a master of hooks which compel his readers to keep pages turning. Elena may not have a quiet life for long as she watches rain pelt her classroom window from an approaching hurricane and in walks “Miriam, her best and oldest friend. The problem was, Miriam had died the previous summer.”

Suspense builds as dreamers around the world have nightmares of financial collapse and then, Elena herself has the dream “as though reality itself was undergoing a seismic shift…” In the midst of these nightmares, her friend, Reed cautions to measure all events by what “the Scriptures tell us” as “that is the one eternal, unchanging element by which we must judge everything that life throws at us…”

Good advice. At times, the book’s financial scenario seems to intersect with our 2012 reality; but this is only a novel, is it not? Hold tightly to that thought as Bunn expertly builds tension and the story whirls wildly with a stomach churning roar. Click on the video trailer below for a preview!

Using the Blogger’s Choice Book Review rating system, I give Hidden in Dreams 5 STARS ***** (Terrific book and would highly recommend buying a copy!)

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Connie Mace is a “woodsy,” writing for GOD in a forest cabin tucked in N.W. Washington. Author of children’s picture book, Top O’ The Mornin’ Mini Minnie! Profits go to Compassion First to help stop child trafficking.  She blogs at: https://raiseyoureyes.dreamhosters.com/  and is “blogservant” for NCWA’s blog: http://nwchristianwriters.wordpress.com/