The Dream Thief [Mass Market Paperback]

Helen A. Rosburg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

Someone is murdering young, beautiful women in mid-sixteenth century Venice. Even the most formidable walls of the grandest villas cannot keep him out, for he steals into his victims' dreams. Holding his chosen prey captive in the night, he seduces them to death. Now Pina's cousin, Valeria, is found dead, her lovely body ravished. It is the final straw for Pina's overbearing fiance', Antonio, and he orders her confined within the walls of her mother's opulent villa on Venice's Grand Canal. It is a blow not only to Pina, but to the poor and downtrodden in the city's ghettos, to whom Pina has been an angel of charity and mercy. But Pina does not chafe long in her lavish prison, for soon she too begins to show symptoms of the midnight visitations; a waxen pallor and overwhelming lethargy. Fearing for her daughter's life, Pina's mother removes her from the city to their estate in the country. Still, Pina is not safe. For Antonio's wealth and his family's power enable him to hide a deadly secret. And the murderer manages to find his intended victim. Not to steal into her dreams and steal away her life, however, but to save her. And to find his own salvation in the arms of the only woman who has ever shown him love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Rosburg's paranormal romance, set in 16th-century Venice, a handsome figure enters the dreams of attractive young women with fatal consequences. When a female cousin of the angelic Pina turns up dead, Pina's despised fiancé, Antonio, has her shut up in her mother's villa on the Grand Canal. But even here Pina isn't beyond the reach of the dream thief. Rosburg (The Circle of a Promise) does a good job of depicting the Jewish ghetto (or Ghetto Nuovo), where Pina attends to the poor, but readers should be prepared for a bittersweet ending. (Dec.)
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Review

Ms. Rosburg pens a darkly sensuous thriller that is chilling and edgy. -- A Romance Review

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Medallion Press (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932815201
• ISBN-13: 978-1932815207
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,230,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Fiction > Visionary Fiction

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars creatively original paranormal romance, December 6, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dream Thief (Mass Market Paperback)

In Venice, young beautiful women are dying; three bodies found in a boat and two in the garden of their family estate. There is not a mark on them and the authorities are baffled to the cause of death. Pina, an aristocrat with a pure and innocent soul, is not troubled by these deaths because she was not close to any of the victims. That changes when the cousin she grew up with dies in a similar manner. Her fiancée Antonio, who she doesn't want to marry, persuades her mother to keep Pina locked in the villa

When they walk to church, Pina sees a handsome man who looks ill. He visits her in her dreams, sucking out the essence of her soul. When Pina's mother sees that she is wasting away like the other women who died, she heeds the advice of a wise man and gets her out of Venice to their summerhouse. Pina's mother tells the witch nearby what happened and she believes dark magic is involved. The man follows Pina and intends to draw out her soul so he can live but the witch stops him and makes him realize Pina is not like the others. She genuinely loves him and he remembers who he was before he became THE DREAM THIEF. Antonio is following the women intending to harm them because Pina's mother broke the betrothal but he is topped by a force more resolved than his purpose. Pina hopes she can cure THE DREAM THIEF and give him back his life.

THE DREAM THIEF is a creatively original paranormal romance that demonstrates love is more powerful than evil. Antonio is a sadistic, debauched, sadist who hides his true colors to everyone but Pina who sees his true essence. Pina's mother finally puts her daughter first after a year of mourning her husband's death helps Pina fight THE DREAM THIEF. Helen A. Rosburg is not only a talented and uniquely original storyteller but creates characters that the audience intuitively understands.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dream Thief Is A Delicious Blend Of Spellbinding Storytelling and Sensuous Delights, March 9, 2007

By 

Janalee Ruschhaupt (Fresno, California U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dream Thief (Mass Market Paperback)

Between the realm of shifting dreams, and in his darkness, an angel crosses. Her light beings forth a healing grace - penitence for sins of the past. Beware of The Dream Thief; his touch deprives the soul of light - forsaking the lives of the unaware.

Mid-sixteenth century Venice.

Another young and beautiful woman's life has been taken. This time it has stuck close to home, Pina Galbi's cousin, Valeria. This is the fifth such occurrence within the Venetian elite district. How could five very healthy young women be dead, yet the cause unknown?

Pina, whose kindness and generosity for the oppressed members of the Jewish community in the Ghetto Nuovo, has brought forth the wrath of her mean and hateful betrothed, Antonio. This, coupled with the death of Valeria, has Pina's mother and Antonio forbidding her from leaving her home. Pina is torn between the love of her mother and the needs of the Jewish peoples. Pina is Catholic, but knows no distinction above loving thy God and the greater good of mankind. But, within the walls of her lovely villa, Pina starts displaying the same symptoms that had befallen Valeria. What is happening to Pina? What dark and sinister force has creped in under the cloak of dreams? Can anyone help Pina?

Just when you think it is safe to go to sleep, Ms. Rosburg pens a darkly sensuous thriller that is chilling and edgy. Creating vivid images and opulent settings that captivates the readers. You can almost feel the textures of the fabrics - the oppression of the people - the lethargic hunger of the dreams. The premise is drawn from clear waters, fresh - uniquely distinct and ultimately unforgettable!

The characters and their kingdom for which this story is set, makes the perfect backdrop for the readers to lose themselves in. This is a novel that readers have been wanting - hungering for. Ms. Rosburg is an accomplished novelist; she can add this book to her list of winners! This is the spine tingling horror of the year and one of the best this reader has ever read!

Pina's unbiased caring and love is what endeared her to this reader. It is this nature and the beauty of her essence that has drawn him to her. He, The Dream Thief, brings forth the façade of physical magnificence - of sexual pleasuring - the touch of ultimate carnal gratification. But there is something about Pina that has reached a place within him - a forgotten memory and time. Will Pina goodness be her downfall? Could Pina be forever lost within her dreams? Let the dreaming begin...Open the book and fall into the realm of forbidden sensual slumber...

This novel stretches the boundaries of the imagination and quenches the soul. The excellent writing gives the readers insightfulness and a beautifully haunting horror that they will not soon forget. This book should be a number one seller, mark this reviewer's words! The Dream Thief by author Helen A. Rosburg.

Janalee Ruschhaupt, 2007