Wicked Dreams by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush is a suspenseful and atmospheric crime thriller with some supernatural elements. This fifth novel in The Colony series was well crafted and hooked me in the prologue. A note pinned to a dead body has Ravinia Rutledge’s cell phone number and the words “Next of Kin”. Did he drown or was he murdered?

Ravinia left The Colony five years ago and has become a private investigator based in Portland, Oregon. However, Charlie, a man whom she and her sisters hoped was dead, may be back. If so, their lives are in danger. Detective Neville Rhodes is fascinated with The Colony and with Ravinia. As deaths continue to occur, Ravinia and Neville talk and attempt to stop the antagonist.

The characterization was excellent in this novel. Ravinia and Nev were both likeable characters and the antagonist was an adversary that I will not soon forget. While Ravinia is practical and levelheaded, she is willing to lie or withhold the truth to protect her family. Nev is finding his way as the newest detective in the police department. However, things haven’t been easy coming back to his childhood hometown where he’s forced to confront his past. The secondary characters played pivotal roles with both familiar faces and some new characters that added another dimension to the plot line.

This writing duo brings a twisty and chilling tale to readers. The tension kept me on the edge of my seat as I anxiously turned the pages. The psychic gifts that the members of Ravinia’s family have add additional depth to the crime thriller and romantic suspense aspects of the book. However, this is more of a crime thriller than a romantic suspense novel.

The world-building is phenomenal and fits well with the story line. Whether it’s Echo Island, the beach, or Siren Song, I could easily visualize the settings. The plot is deeply involved with several twists to the story to keep readers captivated all the way to its dramatic conclusion.

The authors brought suspense, interesting characters, and an exciting story line together in a thrilling novel. I am looking forward to reading more stories by these two gifted writers. If you enjoy intriguing crime thrillers with a little romance and some supernatural suspense, then this may be the book for you. I highly recommend reading the books in order. There are a large number of characters, and introduction over time helps.

Kensington Books, Lisa Jackson, and Nancy Bush provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for December 27, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Wicked Dreams
by Lisa Jackson; Nancy Bush
Pub Date: 27 Dec 2022

Synopsis: The note pinned to the dead body found on the remote beach has no name, just Ravinia Rutledge’s phone number and the words “Next of Kin.” Ravinia insists she doesn’t recognize the man on the mortuary slab, but she suspects Detective Nev Rhodes doesn’t believe her. He can tell that she’s one of them—the Siren Song women.

This book is part thriller and part paranormal, always makes for a good combo. I didn’t realize this was book 5 of a series and actually the conclusion of that series. Despite plenty of explanations of backstory in this one I do think this series would be better read in order but it was definitely a good story and I highly recommend it!

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for giving me an e-arc of this intriguing 5 Star novel with me in exchange for my honest review.

I didn’t realize this was book 5 of a series and actually the conclusion of that series. This series also seems to be connected with some other series the authors have. Normally with mysteries or thrillers I don’t think it’s super important to read them all in order, but despite plenty of explanations of backstory in this one I do think this series would be better read in order (despite failing to do that myself). I really like that this book was set in a fictional small town with an isolated island next to it on the Oregon Coast because I grew up on the Oregon Coast. It’s always fun to have real locations or landmarks called out. A group of women with extraordinary skills are going to need to face evil, but evil is part of the family and his own special powers. Lots of crazy family history/dynamics. It’s a story told from lots of perspectives which I always enjoy. It’s an interesting world. I wish I’d started at the start, but regardless I did enjoy this thriller.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5042418331

Wicked Dreams is part paranormal and part thriller.
I have not read the other books in the series which I think I need to do. I felt a bit lost as I read the story, I do think I would have enjoyed reading Wicked Dreams better if I had read the previous books in the series.
Overall, I did like reading this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

#netgalleyarc Another great Lisa Jackson read. I love that her books are always super suspenseful, without over doing it or being corny, and they always keep you guessing. This one did not disappoint. Great characters, great writing. Not a title I’ll purchase for my high school library but was definitely a great weekend read for myself.

First and foremost, I did not know this was the last in a series when I requested the eARC from NetGalley. It wasn’t listed as part of a series on GR and the NetGalley book summary was pretty vague, and also did not list it as part of a series. Both book summaries were not a very good description of the book’s storylines. It wasn't until I finished the book and was going to post my review onto Amazon that I noticed it was listed as book five of The Colony series.

There are BOATLOADS of characters in this book, and most of them are introduced in the first 20% of the story after a massive info dump on their various backgrounds, and agendas for being in the same place at the same time. Furthermore, there is another info dump on the connections for most of the characters (specifically the ones that share any DNA) regarding their totally convoluted family tree that’s several generations high with a crazy mess of lines and branches going in all different directions.

At this point, I was seriously contemplating DNFing the book because it seemed more like it was part of a series than a standalone. Hubby, who is a long-time fan of several Lisa Jackson series as well as many of her standalones, has tried to get me into her for quite a while now. I mentioned to him that I was kind of confused and lost about this book and how Jackson should have done a prequel to it. After a good laugh, he informed that it was the final installment of a series. UUUGGGHHH!!!!! I hate it when I unknowingly don’t start a series from the start for this exact reason. However, since I received the eARC from the publisher, I am committed to finishing the book, and providing my honest opinion.

Anyway, there is the primary storyline that is the investigation of a “John Doe” on the beach across from a place called Echo Island, aka “The Colony”. The Colony is an island where several generations of women (the Siren Song women), many of whom possess “special abilities”, and who grew up and lived on the island with little to no contact with the town on shore or the rest of the world. Any boys born on the island, were eventually removed and put up for adoption as well as some of the girls; some of girls also escaped The Colony and ran away to live free of The Colony's strict rules and lifestyle. One of the boys grows up to be a psychopath and comes after the Siren Song. This is not a spoiler since it was revealed in the first 10% of the story.

There are secondary storylines, one is the budding romantic interest between Detective Nev, the person who discovered the John Doe, and one of the Siren Song, Ravinia. Initially, Ravinia claimed she didn’t know the John Doe, but as the note indicated, the John Doe’s next of kin is Ravinia, his half-sister. Yep, that’s right, the John Doe is Silas Rutledge, Ravinia’s half-brother and one of the boys that was given up for adoption; not the psychopath one, the other one.

Shortly after the first murder, there is another one and another one and another one and another one and………etc. The investigations of all the murders becomes the primary storyline. Pretty early, it becomes obvious that finding and killing Declan Jr/Charlie (the psychopathic brother) becomes another storyline for several of the characters. Most of the story revolves around these kill missions as well as the murder investigations. Finally, I reached the last 15-20% of the story, which was the best part of the story, for several reasons. Most of the ultimate goals and missions came together in the final part of the story and it got intense and scary for many of the characters.

For me, the ending and the subsequent epilogue and authors notes were the redeeming parts of the story. This is where a lot of my confusion surrounding the characters, their relationships and the storylines was cleared up and explained with, yet another, info dump.

I enjoy a lot of different types of fiction, including, but not limited to, murder mysteries, urban fantasy, paranormal romances and supernatural thrillers. This story has many of those aspects and tones to it, which kept it interesting for me. This is the third book by Lisa Jackson that I’ve read. So far, she’s been a hit and miss for me: one 4star story and one 2star story. This one falls somewhere in between, hence, the 3star rating. For me, this story DOES NOT work well as a standalone, based on my earlier comments about the all the info dumps and character backgrounds. If I had read the rest of the series, I may have enjoyed it more. Enough said😊

I want to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @KensingtonBooks @WickedDreams

I didn't realize this book was part of a series when I picked it up. I think a little background on the women of Siren Song and the complicated family ties would have been helpful as I was a bit lost at the beginning of the book. But the atmospheric setting, the suspense, and excellent writing eventually pulled me in. As the mystery is slowly unraveled and clues start to fall in place, I was racing to get to the thrilling conclusion. This book was different than the books I've read by this author. A bit unexpected, but still really good.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ravinia and the women of Siren Song are back. Charlie is trying to regain his strength and end his sister's lives. The path of death and destruction that Charlie leaves is vast. Ravinia and detective Rev must find him and stop him for good.

It has been years since I read "the Colony" or "Wicked" series by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush, I definitely need to go back and reread them. I wanted to rush through this book, but forced myself to slow down and savor it. It still ended all to quickly. I can't say enough about how much I loved this book. If i could give it 10 stars, I would. I've always enjoyed Lisa Jackson's writing style and Nancy Bush compliments it fantastically. If you haven't read the books before this, it's OK, you don't have to. It will add to your wish list, though. Because, once you read this book, you'll want to read the others.

Thank you to netgalley, Kensington Books, Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush for this complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a wild ride! Dead bodies and more than one killer. Everyone has an agenda. It is hard to know who to trust. When a body washes up on the shore, Nev finds a note attached to the body telling him who the next of kin is. Ravinia has seen her half-brother in a long time and when she gets a call from a detective, she isn't sure what to do. So, she lies to him and says she doesn't know who the man is. Nev knows she is lying. How to get her to talk. Then there are the women at The Colony. Are they crazy or do they really have gifts?

I didn’t know Wicked Dreams was part of a series, but I think it was ok to just jump in with this book.
Set on the Oregon Coastline, a small island is a source of mystery. Called Siren Song, the island is home to a group of women. Are they witches? A cult?
When a body turns up, more questions than answers pop up. How is the island related to the body?

(3.5) The premise drew me in and I completely missed this was a conclusion to a series. No doubt a satisfying conclusion for everyone who read it. It starts with a murder and I hunkered down to be entranced. I was confused. There are a lot of characters and the authors do their best to explain the back ground when they come on the pages. There are just so many! As a conclusion I imagine everyone wanted to see their characters wrapped up. I have no doubt that was done. I was intrigued enough with the hints of special talents and with Ravina and Dev that I stayed the course and I am glad I did, it was worth it. Many thanks for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #Wickeddreams #lisajackson #nancybush #kensingtonbooks #netgalley ap

Love the women of Siren Song.
Something evil comes their way and they must figure it out before it’s too late.
I love Ravinia’s character. Nev is likeable as well.
The suspense kept me hooked throughout the book. I was in the edge of my seat, waiting to see what was going to happen.
This one was pretty emotional as well.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for the chance to read and review this one. Lisa and Nancy never disappoint.

Ravinia Rutledge receives a call from Detective Nev Rhodes to advise her number was pinned to a dead body with the words "Next of Kin". When Ravinia goes to the morgue she states she doesn't know the man. Not believing her, Nev has more than one reason for discovering what Ravinia and the dead man are hiding. Ravinia knows that the dead man means Charlie is back and coming for her and her sisters. But, can he be stopped...

This was a good mystery/suspense thriller that involves women with some special gifts. The story is set in the town of Deception Bay on the coast of Oregon (at least I think it was Oregon). There is a house there called Siren Song (cool name!) which is home base to the gifted women. I wish I had read the previous books that spawned this one: The Colony series by Lisa jackson and Nancy Bush; this book needs the historical background. I still enjoyed it, but felt I would have benefited from the earlier books. I may go back and read them because this one was so interesting.

The suspense in the book was just enough to keep you on edge. The women of Siren Song had a mysterious history that kept me wanting to know morel. I enjoyed the character Rivenia Rutledge and admired her for striking out on her own and trying to distance herself from her family, even though in the end family always comes first. The investigation kept my attention and the characters were well developed. There were some good twists and turns to keep me wondering.

Thanks to Kensington Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on
December 27, 2022.

Well….I didn’t realize this was a book in a series, and this is one where you definitely want to read the previous books first. Lots of characters and background info to keep straight, and I found myself so confused. I’m sure if you’ve read the rest of the series, however, you’ll really like this one!

Wow! Loved the contrast of characters and their unlikely relationships! This was a great book, keeping my interest till the very end. Chilling and unpredictable! Highly recommend!

Sigh. I'm sure I would have enjoyed this if I'd read at least one of the two series from which the plot and characters are drawn but I didn't and I was confused. There are a lot of characters to keep track of early on, which I, unusually for me, found intimidating (might be easier in hard copy than ebook). I ultimately DNF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm certain fans of Jackson and Bush will be pleased.

I did not find that connection to the storyline that pulled me in whereas I would not want to put the book down, It was a bit of a chore to get through the book.

This was the perfect conclusion to the Colony stories! Fans get all the answers to lingering questions. The characters you have come to love and hate are all mentioned in one way or another. The suspense is through the roof! I loved Ravinia and she was the perfect main character for this final book. I also think Nev was very intriguing. And I don't want to spoil anything but the way things went at the last of the epilogue was so good.

Creepy Conclusion!!

This story has been along time coming. I have read the other books in this series but its been so long ago I couldn't remember anything about them except I did enjoy them a lot.

This group of women have always been mysterious with there strange powers. A series that has been a different from any of these authors other books and there have been many . Some better than others.

Ravina has left the fold of Siren Song to become a PI and find Charlie a evil "Brother" of the group.

The conclusion was exciting, suspenseful and will have you checking over your shoulder creeped out. Everything you expect from this sister author team. Keeps you on edge and turning the pages as fast as you can.