Review: Lover Behind Enemy Lines (Dreamcatchers #3) by Liv Olteano

True mates, together at last.

Claw—fearless leader of Seattle’s Team 32—has faced many dangers during more than a century and a half as a dreamcatcher. Yet nothing has ever scared him more than his obsession with Nathan Gallagher. Tormented by visions and dreams about the man ever since he first laid eyes on him, Claw now has to deal with living under the same roof with the object of his most ardent desires. And Nathan is so much more than a simple crush.

Brother of the caster who’s been plaguing Team 32’s area and less-than-willing houseguest of the team after a strange break-in attempt, Nathan may hold the key to finally apprehending his sister and putting a stop to the havoc she’s wreaking on Queen Anne…. Meanwhile, Nathan’s wreaking some havoc of his own on Claw’s heart.

I’ve been waiting for this story forever or at least it seems that long. There were so many hints in Taka’s book that I needed this story! Nathan Gallagher is the brother of Vivian, a ley line witch who is basically at war with Team 32 of the Dreamcatchers and namely, Claw who has had a pull toward Nathan for some time now. In the last book, we know Nathan broke into the home of Team 32 and is now handcuffed to the wall as their prisoner until they figure out what to do with him.

We know what Claw wants to do with him. And this being in Claw’s POV, we are privy to his thoughts but Claw wants to understand why he feels so drawn to Nathan and not just the physical side of it all. What’s interesting to find out is Claw believes that Nathan might be the reincarnated soul of his first love some 100+ years ago…

All of it led to this […] Entire lives of seemingly random steps and disconnected choices, all of it was a path to this point.

I have said it many times and I will say it again, fated/soul/true mates or whatever you want to call it turns my crank in romance. The simple idea that this person, even if they are your enemy is MADE FOR YOU and ONLY YOU gets my hopeless romantic heart beating at a frantic pace. Knowing this match between Claw and Nathan could go back a century and includes reincarnation just turned my interest in the story higher and higher.

Anyway, Nathan is prisoner and Claw wants to find out why he broke into the house. Aashi sees that Claw is troubled and he tells her he wants to find out if Nathan is the reincarnated soul of his first love. When Aashi gives him a special powder to do so, Nathan tells Claw he can use the powder but he wants first out of the handcuffs and second, wants to perform a spell on them both that will allow the other to see if they are lying. The spell, Napeva’s Tooth, gives the liar a toothache feeling and a red band forms on their wrist to show the lie. Claw is prepared to do so because if he does, Nathan will tell him why he broke in and what he knows about his sister. There is a counter spell to Napeva’s Tooth called Napeva’s Mercy and it will break the truth spell but must be performed once for every lie told. Wow. Talk about a reason not to lie, right?

The chemistry was great between Nathan and Claw and I really liked how Nathan openly flirted with is captor. Though Claw doesn’t see himself that way and is such a gentleman he would never force himself on Nathan you feel the attraction and if you’re like me, wanted Claw to take Nathan up on all his offers including ones with the handcuffs. But Claw, while he wants to give into this attraction to Nathan, knowing Nathan’s reincarnated soul makes him feel as if he is betraying his first love. Sigh. Noble men and their gentle hearts will get me every time.

I really liked Nathan. Getting his back story about his sister, about the powers she has and what used to be done to children like her was really melancholy. He had a great connection with his sister and the way their powers fed off the other but when she disappeared, Nathan had to find other ways to cope and finding Vivian again, he didn’t find the same sister he lost. Vivian is power hungry and growing up on her own without the steady teaching of other ley line witches, she is corrupt and Nathan wants to help Team 32 in any way to stop what she is doing, as long as she doesn’t get hurt.

“[…] There’s a strong connection between your life forces. I can’t imagine that two souls connected like that would ever be able to turn against each other.”
“You’re saying I won’t turn against him, either. No matter what.”

Oh but this was a good one. There is a lot that I want to say, but it would totally spoil the book. Just know that everything you think you know even as you are reading the story, isn’t all of it. This book is so layered with the magic of both witches and Dreamcatchers that it was almost hard to keep up if I wasn’t so glued to the page. I really loved where this went for the entire Team 32 and really where Nathan and Claw end up. I always get a kick out of Aashi and her playful but stern way with her soldiers and her feelings about Nathan were powerful.

I am pretty sure this is the last in the series as we have each member of Team 32 paired with the fated love of their life. Drew and Angelo, Take and Ginger and now Nathan and Claw. Not one of the three have had it easy but finding their mates lessens the burden of being a Dreamcatcher and protected the innocent. This series was a fun read with great world building and the perfect romantic/paranormal balance that is exactly what the Dreamspun Beyond line is all about.

An ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.