Lily Grubowski has a secret that she hasn’t revealed even to her best friends.  It is one that happened to her years ago, though she still has some “symptoms” of this event even today.  Now she is concerned for her friends as they seem to have gotten themselves into some kind of trouble and are shutting her out.  So she does what any serious friend would do, she sneaks into a secret passageway and spies on them to see if she can help them out.  The only thing she hadn’t bargained on was Darius and the rest of his Cartoutney friends.  She is further shocked when this super alpha male decides that she is his “mate.”  The problem is that Lily has had a series of bad relationships and has sworn off men, or so she thinks.

Suddenly Lily finds out that the secret that she has held for years is something that she should be proud of and is a gift, not something to be hidden away.  Not only that, but the gift is something that she can use to help not only her friends but to save children, and maybe even find her father after all these years.

Will Lily and Darius reach an understanding about this mate thing?  Can they save the children?

And is Darius as good-looking naked as he is dressed?

Afraid to Dream is the much-awaited third book in The Chosen Series; at least I know I have been waiting for it.  I like that Ms. Xander has branched out a bit on this book and is dealing with one of the warriors of the sun as well as giving us a look into the other realm.  Afraid to Dream deals with many emotions stemming from friendship, hate, despair, and worry, along with super erotic and love scenes.  I was pulled into Afraid to Dream by the fact it was the third in a series I have enjoyed, but the writing and the story is what kept me interested until the end.  I enjoyed Afraid to Dream and think you will also.