Obsidian Prey

Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle

Three months ago, amber tuner and independent prospector Lyra Dore made the find of the decade in an underground rain forest: amethyst ruins. But the very man she was dating stole her claim - and her heart. At least she has her artistically talented dust bunny, Vincent, to comfort her....

Amber Inc. CEO Cruz Sweetwater never meant to hurt Lyra. His affinity for obsidian amber gives him the ability to sense that she is his true love. But the ruins have mysterious powers, putting everyone involved with the project in danger. Only by trusting their psychic instincts will Cruz and Lyra survive - and surrender to the desire that binds them.

--Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©August 2009 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove Books

My Review

“You’re the woman who broke Cruz Sweetwater’s heart.” That’s what everyone connected to the Sweetwater family says to me whenever I meet one of them and it’s driving me crazy!

First of all, Cruz lied to me about his name. When we met, he said his name was Cruz Marlow. And so now he tells me that Marlow is his middle name. Okay, so I guess technically he didn’t lie, but he never used the name Sweetwater around me, so I call that a lie by omission. Second, he used me. He kept me distracted just long enough so his company, Amber, Inc., could jump all over my find in the rainforest and file paperwork with the government so they could legally claim my amethyst ruin as their own. Right out from under my nose! Can you believe that? And then, once their claim had been accepted, they shut me out, refusing me any access at all. It was my ruin, darn it! I found it, therefore, it belongs to me, not them! And third, oh, third was the worst. Once I was shut out, Cruz walked out of my life. Bam! Gone! So long, see ya, thanks for the memories. And those crazy Sweetwaters actually have the gall to say I broke his heart!

So now here we are, three months later, and look who’s come crawling back. I was all set to enjoy my revenge. I imagined Cruz Marlow—um—Sweetwater, begging to take me back, but I never imagined him asking me for help. It seems an energy storm is blocking the entrance to their—ahem—my ruin and no one within the Amber, Inc. empire can de-rez it. But since I’m the one who opened it in the first place, could I please come do it again? I was all set to say no when Cruz told me there were five people trapped inside. Oh, geez. Guess I’m going to have to help Cruz after all.

So off into the underground rainforest we went and I oh-so-nicely-and-neatly made short work of the energy storm. I now have the gratitude of Amber, Inc. and the Ghost Hunter Guild. I can do without the Guild’s gratitude, but as for Amber, Inc? I need to decide how much to charge them for my skills.

But there’s something else Cruz needs my help with. Seems one of the amethyst relics collected from the ruin has gone missing and he thinks, given my naturally affinity with amethyst, I can help him track it down. I naturally refuse to help him, but the next day, I was consulting with a new client at an exclusive collector’s auction and what did I sense but missing relic. But before Cruz or I can do anything, the gallery owner is murdered. Oh geez again!

So not only do I have Cruz Sweetwater back in my life, I have to deal with a gang of thieves and murders. Oh, and there’s the strange waking nightmares I’ve been having lately, and the feeling that someone is stalking me. Plus all those darn Sweetwaters keep saying I broke Cruz’s heart!

Can’t they understand that it’s Cruz who broke my heart when the cad made me fall in love with him and then walked away from me?

I tried to channel the spirit of Lyra Dore as I wrote this, but I can’t say I was particularly successful at it. Oh well, it was fun to write anyway.

Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz has the wonderful ability to create characters that are slightly whacky and a little off center, but spunky. Lyra certainly fits that description and she’s a perfect foil for Cruz. Throw in a dust bunny, a secret admirer, a mysterious modern artist and an even more mysterious collector and you have another entertaining Harmonic adventure.

I was disappointed at the very end, though. Throughout the story, Lyra and Cruz trade barbs and snappy remarks that add to the emotional and sexual tension between them. Even when some of that tension is released (you know what I mean), they still have this great banter between them. He hurt her by stealing her claim and then walking away and now he’s back and he wants her, but she’s not going to go quietly. She fights him every inch of the way, kicking and screaming and just when she’s had enough of those darned Sweetwaters saying she broke his heart, he goes and says “I’m sorry. I screwed up. But I fell in love with you when I first saw you.”

And she melts like putty in his hands.

Yuck.

What a way to ruin an ending.


I give this story THREE STARS.

Dark Light

Dark Light by Jayne Castle

Reporter Sierra McIntyre's stories on Crystal City's ghost hunters—and their mysterious guild—have earned her tabloid a bit of respect. And they've allowed her to clothe her dust bunny companion Elvis in rock-and-roll style. It helps that she has mega-rez intuition to fall back on...

Especially when she interviews Ghost Hunter Guild Boss John Fontana about the disappearances of retired, homeless hunters. She doesn't want to trust the physically and psychically powerful man, but her senses—and Elvis—give her the green light. To uncover the conspiracy within his own organization, Fontana proposes...marriage. And though it's purely a business arrangement, there is nothing pure about the attraction that sizzles between them...

--Dark Light by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©August 2008 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove Books

My Review

Sierra McIntyre has always been the family misfit. In a family full of overachievers who set their goals early in life and pursued them almost single-mindedly, Sierra drifted, trying out this career and that, until she finally seemed to find her calling in journalism. Only problem was, she worked for The Curtain, a Crystal City tabloid. Her stories were good, though, and they were getting noticed by everyone in the city, including the new Ghost Hunter Guild boss, John Fontana. Especially her stories on the “burned out” Ghost Hunters who were being kidnapped by aliens.

Fontana grants Sierra an interview and the attraction that flared between them was immediate. But Fontana has more pressing matters, namely protecting Sierra from those who would wish to stop her investigation…permanently. Within minutes of their introduction, Fontana is proposing marriage, and Sierra surprises herself by accepting.

Being a Guild Boss’ wife does afford Sierra a level of protection, and she has a new partner in her investigation, namely her husband. Together, with the help of her dust bunny, Elvis (bedecked in rhinestoned white cape and sunglasses), they work to uncover the mysterious aliens suspected of kidnapping the Hunters

Both Sierra and Fontana come into their Marriage of Convenience with secrets. Fontana is a bit of a rarity on Harmony—his father was in a Covenant Marriage to another woman when he was born, making him an illegitimate child, and it’s something he fears her family will hold against him. Sierra, unlike the majority of those on Harmony, does not use amber to focus her psi abilities. Her intuition is a natural-born thing, which makes her an oddity amongst the general population.

Plus there’s her connection to an intriguing secret psychic society here on Earth…

When I decided to re-read/listen to the entire Harmony series (at least, those books I have…I’m missing the very first two), I didn’t realize I would run into one little … well, “problem” really isn’t the word for it. Anyone who has read or re-read a series (any series), back to back to back (to back to back to back) realizes that they really get tired of reading the back story over and over (and over and over and over and over) again. Each story in this series was written to stand alone, which means the origin of the planet, how we humans came to populate it, the alien ruins created out of luminous green quartz and the effect it has on the population, etc, must be explained over and over (etc.) again. So I’m a bit tired of the repetitive back story at this point, but there are just two more stories to go--Obsidian Prey which is next and Midnight Crystal, which also happens to be the third book in the Dreamlight series. See how it all ties together? No? Well, that’s because you’re not in my mind and trust me, you don’t want to be there. Navigating through that maze is like navigating the Harmony Catacombs. Without your tuned amber, you’re lost forever.

I give this story THREE STARS.

Silver Master

Silver Master by Jayne Castle

Fleeing a lurid scandal, matchmaker Celinda Ingram arrived in Cadence City desperate for a new start. Known for her strong para-resonator abilities, she is able to match up clients by reading their psi waves. It's this talent that sets her body tingling when security specialist Davis Oakes shows up at her office.
A formidable psychic himself, Davis is trying to track down a powerful relic that Celinda supposedly bought as a toy for her pet dust bunny. Trying to wrest the ruby red object from the suspicious duo nearly drains Davis of the energy he'll need to keep his growing desire for Celinda in check - and to keep her safe from those who will do anything to possess the relic...

--Silver Master by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©August 2007 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove Books
My Review

When Davis Oakes arrived at her office, accompanied by local police detective Alice Martinez, Celinda Ingram immediately felt a strong attraction. He’s working on behalf of the local Ghost Hunter Guild, tracking down a peculiar alien relic that she recently purchased. Celinda happens to have the relic with her, but before she can hand it over to Davis, her pet dust bunny, Araminta, snatches the relic and runs away with it.

Determined to complete his assignment, Davis sticks with Celinda, knowing Araminta will return with the relic…eventually. That means Davis will have to go with Celinda to Frequency City to attend her sister’s wedding.

Having left Frequency only four months earlier to escape a sex scandal involving powerful Guild Council member Benson Landry, Celinda is not exactly happy to go back, but she can’t not go to her sister’s wedding. She was, after all, the matchmaker who paired her sister Rachel with Josh Santana. She has to go…even if she does have to wear a nauseatingly pink maid-of-honor gown. And even if that means Davis will have to go with her.

On the way to Frequency, Celinda finds herself confessing to Davis the real reason she left Frequency City. Benson Landry was the cause, but the sex scandal was faked. When Landry shows up at her hotel door, Davis takes action, letting Landry know Celinda isn’t alone any longer and he’s more than capable of defending her. He leaves, but Landry isn’t finished yet.

Celinda figures out exactly what the ruby artifact can do in the right hands, and realizes what it can do in the wrong hands. She must do whatever she can to keep the artifact out of Benson’s hands…and out of the Guild’s hands.

I give this story THREE STARS.

Ghost Hunter

Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle

Local Guild boss and powerful ghost-hunter Cooper Boone is everything botanist Elly St. Clair could ask for - the handsome, strong, and silent type. Maybe too silent. For when Guild secrets threaten her career at the college, Elly has to call off their marriage - and leave small-town life behind...
But starting over in the thriving metropolis of Cadence City isn't easy, especially when one of Elly's new friends disappears in the eerie catacombs beneath the streets. Cooper turns up just in time to help Elly investigate. And as the mystery deepens and dangerous ghost myths and legends come to light, Cooper makes it clear he intends to stick around - and this time he's holding nothing back...

--Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©May 2006 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove Books

My Review

Botanist Elly St. Clair has discovered that her fiancée Cooper Boone—head of the Aurora Springs Ghost Hunter Guild—has been keeping secrets from her. Secrets that are getting out and threatening her career at the local college. Feeling she has no other choice, Elly ends her engagement and leaves Aurora Springs for the big city.

“Give her six months,” Cooper assures her distraught father. “She’ll be ready to come home then.”

But when Cooper arrives in Cadence City to take Elly home, he finds a completely different woman than the one that left Aurora Springs. This new Elly is confident, strong and self-assured. And she needs a Ghost Hunter to go with her into the catacombs on a rescue mission.

Elly’s friend, Bertha Newell, is a ruin-rat who regularly combs the alien catacombs under the city for alien treasures to sell in her shop. When she failed to return from her latest expedition, Elly knew something had to have gone wrong. She needs to search for her, and for that, she needs a Ghost Hunter. Luckily, her Ghost-hunting ex-fiancée happens to be in town.

They find Bertha below, but they also find a rare and dangerous blue Ghost, which Cooper has no trouble dispatching. Another of his secrets, Elly realizes. She never knew Cooper could work blue Ghost light. Unfortunately, Cooper had to melt amber to take care of the spectre, an act that comes with its own unique consequences.

Bertha remembers little of what happened to her in the catacombs, but in her pocket is a handful of twigs and leaves. Elly quickly recognizes them as the plant source of a powerful new street drug called Enchantment, or Chant. Whoever is manufacturing the drug is using the catacombs as their lab and storage site.

Cooper contacts the local Guild and offers his services as an investigator—another secret, Elly realizes. The Cooper Boone she knew was a librarian before he became Guild Boss. She knew nothing of his investigative background. All the more reason to cancel their wedding, she tells him. How can she marry someone who keeps so many secrets?

Whether Cooper likes it or not, he’s got a partner for this investigation. Can Cooper and Elly find out who is responsible for the new street drug before they themselves are arrested as the suspected drug dealers? And how is it all connected to her family and the Aurora Springs Guild?

I give this story THREE STARS.

After Glow

After Glow / Ghost Hunters Book 2 by Jayne Castle

Para-archaeologist Lydia Smith has spent her entire adult life digging into the past, and building a career. But all that changes when she finds herself lost in the catacombs below the city, with no memory of how she came to be there. Now it's her own past that is eluding her; and the secret of what happened to her will endanger everything she's worked to rebuild, including her new marriage to Emmett London, who has a dangerous past of his own to overcome.

--After Glow by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©2000 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove

My Review

When the mysterious Curtain opened, people of Earth were able to travel between our world and a new one, named Harmony. Long ago, a mysterious alien civilization abandoned Harmony, leaving behind green quartz ruins, unusual artifacts and a strange “vibe” that brought out psychic abilities in all the planet’s inhabitants. Before long, people began to colonize Harmony and travel and trade between the planets became commonplace.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the Curtain closed, stranding the colonists. Cut off from all they knew, the new Harmonics had to find a way to survive…or die.

Two hundred years later, Lydia Smith, a para-archaeologist working at a kitschy “alien horror” museum, is dating Emmett London, the temporary head of the Cadence City Ghost Hunter Guild. He’s the temporary head because the current head, Mercer Wyatt, has been shot and is in the hospital. “It’s personal,” he manages to tell Emmett, “not connected to the Guild.” That doesn’t stop Emmett from wanting answers.

Meanwhile, Lydia receives a call from a former college professor, claiming he has information that will help Lydia uncover what happened during her “lost weekend.” Seven months earlier, while exploring the catacombs beneath the city, Lydia was separated from her group and was feared lost. When she emerged forty-eight hours later, she had no memory of those hours. But before she can meet with the professor, he dies of a drug overdose. He left behind a clue for her, a newspaper article about a young man who disappeared into the catacombs fifteen years earlier.

What’s the connection behind a fifteen-year-old missing person case, Lydia’s “lost weekend” and the “personal” shooting of Mercer Wyatt? Did Lydia see something in the catacombs that connects to the missing person? Why is Mercer’s almost-murder a “personal” matter and not connected to the Guild? What’s the connection to the “Greenies,” a cult of alien worshipers that seems to have taken an interest in Lydia?

And where on Harmony is she going to find a dress for the Restoration Ball?

I give this story THREE STARS.

After Dark

After Dark / Ghost Hunters Book 1 by Jayne Castle

A race of aliens once lived on the future Earth colony called Harmony, leaving behind them the ruins of a vast, beautiful, and mysterious culture that is still protected by the psychic illusion traps and eerie ghosts that they created. Lydia Smith is a para-archaeologist who can resonate and dissolve the illusions, and those talents, combined with her lack of finances and questionable professional reputation, make her the obvious hire for Emmett London, who is trying to track down a lost antique and the nephew who stole it. Lydia's first consulting job quickly turns dangerous, however, as corpses, ghosts, and illusion traps start popping up--not to mention the rather unprofessional electricity between her and her first client.

--After Dark by Jayne Castle, Copyright ©2000 by Jayne Ann Krentz, published by Jove

My Review

When the mysterious Curtain opened, people of Earth were able to travel between our world and a new one, named Harmony. Long ago, a mysterious alien civilization abandoned Harmony, leaving behind green quartz ruins, unusual artifacts and a strange “vibe” that brought out psychic abilities in all the planet’s inhabitants. Before long, people began to colonize Harmony and travel and trade between the planets became commonplace.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the Curtain closed, stranding the colonists. Cut off from all they knew, the Harmonics had to find a way to survive…or die.

Two hundred years later, Lydia Smith, a para-archaeologist working at a kitschy “alien horror” museum, escorts a potential new client around the ruins. She’s hoping to start a new consulting business, purchasing and selling alien artifacts to collectors. Her previous job at the University came to an abrupt end after her “Lost Weekend” in the catacombs beneath the Dead City and she’s anxious to re-establish her reputation. The meeting is going well, until they stumble across a dead body that wasn’t part of the original display.

Emmett London is not put off and wants her to continue to work for him. He knows his nephew stole the family heirloom and wants both it and his nephew found. And the dead man in the alien sarcophagus was the key to finding both.

Together, Emmett and Lydia must figure out why Emmett’s nephew came to Cadence City, where he is now, where the family heirloom is, and find out where the dead man came across an alien artifact so rare, it shouldn’t even exist.

They must also figure out how to deal with the energy that is crackling between them both. Emmett is a Ghost Hunter, and it was a pair of Ghost Hunters that caused her to lose her memory on that long-ago “Lost Weekend.” She has no love or trust for the Ghost Hunters and wants nothing to do with them, but Emmett is quickly proving to be the exception to that rule.

I give this story THREE STARS.