Don’t ask Janie how she knows. She wants to forget what they did to her and move on.
But when her witch friend has a premonition about a demon in Boston, Janie is forced to confront her fears. She seeks the help of her gorgeous friend and gargoyle shifter, Arto.
Little does she know that Arto considers her his fated mate. He’ll do anything to protect her, even if it means keeping his love a secret.
Janie wants to learn more about demons, so he shows her some books in the library. She reads an ancient script in a powerful old book and unwittingly summons an incubus.
The very tool Arto provided to help her instead brings her nightmares to life.
Now they must work together to stop a predator on the hunt while their relationship is tested by a growing attraction.
Demons have captured Janie before. Can she avoid their clutches this time?
PROTECTED BY THE GARGOYLE (Boston Stone Sentries Book $4) by Lisa Carlisle is another exciting trip into the paranormal romance world of gargoyles, witches and demons set in present-day Boston. Even though we met Janie and Arto in previous stories, this is their HEA romance story. While people and paranormal creatures in the series are explained so that this book can be read as a standalone, I feel you would enjoy it more if you read the entire series in order.
Janie is still working to heal her leg injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing and working to restore her sense of safety after being abducted and marked by a demon. Her best friend, Larissa has a premonition about a demon loose in Boston and Janie is terrified. She reaches out to her gargoyle friend, Arto to assist her in protecting herself.
Arto is more than willing to help Janie because he believes she is his fated mate. As they go through old magical tomes, Janie accidentally summons a demon. Now a demon is in Boston trying to abduct Janie once again. Janie and Arto work together to get rid of the demon and as they do their friendship ignites into much more.
Will Arto be able to protect Janie, banish the demon, and prove to her they are truly mates?
I enjoyed this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series. I have been waiting for Janie and Arto’s romance and this story did not disappoint. There is plenty of sexual frustration and amusing internal dialogue on both sides as they move from the friend zone into a relationship. It is fun for me when I return to a paranormal world and the characters are evolving and growing. Besides the steamy romance, this story also has action and suspense woven throughout. All the books in this series are entertaining and fast paranormal reads with captivating characters.
I recommend this addition to the Boston Stone Sentries series.
***
About the Author
Lisa Carlisle is a USA Today Bestselling author of paranormal romance and suspense. She loves to write about wounded, cursed, or misunderstood heroes finding their happily ever afters. They may be shifters, vampires, witches, gargoyles, or even military, first responders, and rockstars! She especially loves stories with fated mates and forbidden love, second chances, and enemies-to-lovers romance.
Her travels have provided her with inspiration for various settings in her novels. She deployed to Okinawa, Japan, while in the Marines, backpacked alone through Europe, lived in Paris, and now lives in New England with her husband, two kids, two crazy cats, and too many fish.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for GHOSTLY GAME (GhostWalker Book #19) by Christine Feehan on this blog tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Description
Gideon “Eagle” Carpenter is used to rolling with the punches life has thrown at him. It’s the only thing that’s kept him alive. He and his team of GhostWalkers have seen and experienced it all. He does his best to live with all the sins written on his soul. Then he hears the laughter of a woman with the ability to erase—even for a few precious moments—the darkness of his past.
Laurel “Rory” Chappel has always been a nomad. She’s accustomed to taking care of herself, despite the physical challenges she lives with. She thinks she’s too weak to find real love, but that doesn’t stop her interest in Gideon from turning into a full-on addiction. He’s all rough edges and danger contrasted with a tenderness that makes her feel safe. Still, after a life spent in motion, she’s not sure she knows how to stay in one place.
Gideon hopes he can persuade Rory to take a chance on him with every electric touch. But soon, life conspires against him, forcing the GhostWalker to risk everything to protect the woman he loves….
GHOSTLY GAME (GhostWalkers Book #19) by Christine Feehan is a slow burn paranormal romance in the long lived GhostWalker series featuring genetically engineered soldiers and the mates that are made to match them. I have read many, but not all the books in this series. Each book is easily read as a standalone paranormal romance with a secondary mystery/suspense plot with characters and their talents from other books included without the need to read them all in order.
Gideon “Eagle” Carpenter is recuperating from his last mission which almost killed him as he saved a fellow GhostWalker. He is always the protector, but never believes he is worth saving because of the terrible things he has done. As he is meditating on his roof, he hears a woman’s laughter that pulls him out of the darkness.
Laurel “Rory” Chappel is a wanderer and never stays more than a few months in any one place. She supports herself by bartending and is amazing in her abilities. She does not date because she believes her severe asthma makes her too weak for anyone to be interested in her for the long term.
When Gideon enters the bar Rory is immediately interested in the dangerous looking man who makes her feel safe, but she is not sure she can settle down in one place and she feels Gideon is hiding things from her. Gideon soon realizes Rory is a GhostWalker and he is determined to protect her from the danger around her and get her to stay.
This is a change from the other books I have read in the series. This book has a very slow burn romance due to Gideon’s healing injuries at first and then Rory’s in the latter part of the story. They work more on emotional issues and trust between them where the other books have a lot of steamy sex scenes between the H/h. The two mysteries/suspense plots are a police investigation going on around Rory and her friends in her apartment building which puts them all in danger and there is also Gideon and the other GhostWalkers wondering if Rory is a danger to them sent by the doctor who created them. For me, this was a good addition to the series, and I was happy Gideon finally met his match, but the police investigation did not feel fully developed.
Overall, I enjoyed this return to the GhostWalker series. They keep me coming back for more.
***
Excerpt
“I’m not getting the GhostWalker vibe off her,” Gideon said, his eyes on the woman talking to one of her many male customers.
It didn’t matter that her hair was piled on her head in a sloppy knot that was falling out tendril by wayward tendril; it was obvious she had masses of hair, and it was dark cherry red. The real deal. Cherry red. He’d never seen that color of hair on anyone before. Every time she moved under a light, it blazed into vibrant life. It was difficult to keep his eyes off her.
She had those eyes. A deep green. Emerald? Jade? No, emerald for certain. Her eyes sparkled when she talked to her customers. She looked directly at them even when she was mixing drinks, her rhythm never faltering. Sometimes she would laugh softly, the sound musical, turning heads no matter how low it was in the noise of the crowded bar.
“You’ve been here several times over the last couple of weeks, Javier.” Gideon made it a statement. It would be difficult to get anything past Javier.
Gideon had held out as long as he could. The doctor hadn’t given him permission to come see Rory in person, but he couldn’t resist the compulsion any longer. Javier wasn’t happy about it, but he’d come along to ensure Gideon didn’t tear open any wounds. In other words, Gideon thought a little ironically, babysitting.
“I’ve watched her closely,” Javier admitted. “I can’t see any indication that she’s a GhostWalker, other than she has extraordinary reflexes. Her bartending skills are amazing. She’s fast and can handle multiple orders. She doesn’t seem to forget faces or names. On the other hand, I’ve followed her home every night, and she doesn’t run or exhibit any kind of behaviors or skills a GhostWalker might under cover of darkness. She walks, Gideon. Even if there’s a threat to her, which, on more than one occasion, I shut down.”
Gideon didn’t like that. The bartender everyone called Rory was a very attractive woman, although she didn’t seem to notice that she was. She didn’t flirt with her customers so much as genuinely try to connect in a friendly, positive way. If a man asked her out, she gave him a grin but refused gently.
Gideon liked the sprinkling of freckles across her nose and her generous mouth. It would be easy to fixate on both. “You did a background search on her?” Javier was a genius with computers. Gideon knew Javier had. He’d read the report multiple times and committed it to memory. He hoped Javier had updated it.
“Not much to find. She moves around a lot. Lost her parents early. Put herself through bartending school and uses that to earn her way. She doesn’t stay in one place very long. She goes to a state, travels within that state for a little while and moves on to the next one.”
“Anyone following her?”
“Not that I can find.”
Gideon slid his fingers around the neck of the beer bottle and rolled it back and forth. “I’m really drawn to her, Javier, more than any woman I’ve ever been around. The chemistry for me is off the charts. That doesn’t happen. Not like this. Not just with the sound of her voice. Her laughter. Now, watching other men around her, my attraction to her could be a little on the dangerous side, and you know I’m really not that man.”
Javier studied him, one eyebrow arched.
“Not over a woman,” Gideon clarified. “How can I trust it? You know Whitney pairs us. Would he pair someone who isn’t a GhostWalker just to experiment?”
Javier shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to do anything, but what would it matter even if he did pair the two of you? Look at Kane and Rose. They’re happy together. Whitney didn’t make that happen. He might be able to make you attractive to each other, but he can’t manipulate your emotions.”
“And if she’s a plant?”
Again, Javier shrugged. “Then she’s an enemy, Gideon, and I’ll kill her. Whitney doesn’t get to have spies in our home.”
Every cell in Gideon’s body instantly rejected Javier’s casual threat. “Not happening, brother. I wouldn’t be able to let you do it,” he admitted. “That’s another black mark to put in the column against her.”
Christine Feehan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Carpathian series, the GhostWalker series, the Leopard series, the Shadow Riders series, the Torpedo Ink series, and the Sea Haven novels, including the Drake Sisters series and the Sisters of the Heart series. She also writes stand-alone romantic suspense novels set in the California backcountry.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HARMONY OF LIES (Alice & Owen Book #2) by Brian Feehan on this Berkley Mass Market blog tour.
Below you will find an about the book section, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
About the Book
After being forced away for seventeen years, Alice is finally home. But home isn’t what she thought it would be, and every day the secrets she holds from her parents grow with weight. But how do you tell your mother and father that you’re not normal? That the world is a far more dangerous place than they have ever known and you are anything but the small, innocent child who was torn from their arms all those years ago?
Owen can’t say goodbye, and Alice can’t hold on to him tightly enough as the pressures of danger and obligation grow stronger and stronger. With a broken heart, Owen is headed to San Francisco with his crew of musicians. But the Golden City is filled with history and secrets, and brutal deaths are just lying in wait for Owen and his people. To survive these trials and this city, Owen will need everything he has—even the broken parts he gave to Alice—to have any hope of doing the impossible one more time.
HARMONY OF LIES (Alice & Owen Book #2) by Brian Feehan is the second book in the paranormal/urban fantasy world centered around new types of characters; the We, the etherealists, and regular human beings. Starting right where Harmony of Fire Book #1 left off, Alice, Owen and the band have returned to Alice’s family home, but Owen and the band need to leave for San Francisco. I feel to understand this author’s world and the capabilities of the We and etherealists, you need to read this series in order.
After seventeen years of being forced to be away from her family, Alice is now a powerful etherealist hunter and she wants nothing more than to be reunited. She is afraid to reveal to her parents that she is no longer normal, but they have been keeping a secret from her, too. With family secrets revealed, Alice learns to navigate even more of her powers.
When Owen, the etherealist gatekeeper and his band get to San Francisco, they face a powerful dark magic tied to a possessed red piano and a ghost. To save his friends and beat the dark magic, Owen knows he needs Alice, the woman he loves, for everyone to survive.
This book is another powerful and intriguing trip into the musical and magical world of the We and Alice and Owen. I love all the unique characters, not only Alice and Owen, but the entire band. Their courage and love for each other makes them powerful enough to face all the trials thrown at them. My only disappointment is that Alice and Owen are separated from each other, just like in book #1, in my opinion through too much of the book. The music, the magic, the lethal danger, the intricate world-building, and the lyrical prose all pulled me in and make this a powerful paranormal series.
This is another captivating paranormal/urban fantasy book in this series.
***
Excerpt
An old wooden ladder led up toward the space Owen had claimed for himself. More importantly, it was private.
“We aren’t going up there tonight.” Owen smiled, and in that smile it was easy to see he had been looking forward to this moment.
“We aren’t going up to your bed? That’s a first. Where are you taking me?”
“This way,” he said, leading beneath the loft and deeper within. They moved past a trove of shovels and tools until she spotted a door she hadn’t used before. Owen pressed hard, and hay and dust fell off the frame as another wave of the night air broke over them both.
“So what’s out here?”
“It’s a surprise. It took a little work, but Max and I finished it this morning.”
Alice’s eyesight adjusted to the low light as Owen shut the barn door behind them. She took a glance around. She had thought this side of the barn was just where the farmer parked his rusted tractor and broken-down truck. Toss in a couple of old oil barrels and some leftover parts, and there wasn’t much to look at, particularly at night. She couldn’t fathom why Owen had brought her out here.
“You know I’m not really a tractor kind of girl. If you’re thinking we are getting kinky on that old thing, you’re far better off taking me back up to the loft.”
Owen laughed, and she felt it down deep.
It was nice spending time with the others, but every time they found a chance to be alone she saw it was easier for Owen to be himself.
“Back here. I set this up for us,” Owen said.
They weaved around an old rusted oil barrel and some empty propane canisters until she spotted a large something covered up by a sheet of old gray plywood and blue tarp.
“It’s not jewelry or a gun. For the record, I like both those things. What is it?” she asked.
“Patience,” he said, letting go of her hand and moving around the side. With practiced ease, Owen spread his long arms and grabbed both the old plywood and tarp beneath. A gentle pull and lift and a large, curved wooden hot tub was uncovered.
“How in the world did you find this? We are in the middle of nowhere.”
“We found it right off. It took some heavy lifting and more than one hour of cleaning. But the real problem was the pump and heater. You like it?” he asked.
“It’s clean?” she asked.
“Of course.” Owen used his foot to flip the metal switch that started the pump. Already there was steam rising into the air.
“And bubbles. Owen, I feel you’re giving me the full treatment.”
Owen didn’t answer.
There was something about the night sky mixed with the back-glow of the barn that framed Owen. He stood there watching her but was lost under the weight of leaving, leaving her. She could see it as clearly as his deep green eyes and strong face.
Owen reached over toward an instant propane heater and clicked it on. She heard the whoosh as gas met spark.
“Owen?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I have never met someone like you.”
And I don’t want to say goodbye.
It was his thoughts that drifted in the air between them, but she thought she could hear him and understood his view. For the last couple of weeks, he had made a point of talking about the chaos of his life. How every road traveled twisted and turned, and those devoted to living as a musician changed with every trip. In short, he was saying that now that it was time to leave, this could be the end of their relationship. That he didn’t know where he going, but he was sure he couldn’t come back.
Brian Feehan lives in his mind, creating vibrant characters who talk very loud and far too often. When real life comes knocking, it is likely to be the love of his life, Michelle, or their son, Dylan. The three of them live on the northern coast of California, which is far different from any other part of California.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SLEEP NO MORE (The Lost Night Files Book #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz on this Berkley Blog Tour.
Below you will find an about the book section, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
About the Book
New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz returns with the first novel of the Lost Night Files, an exciting new romantic suspense trilogy about a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember.
Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.
After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.
Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.
SLEEP NO MORE (The Lost Night Files Book #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz is the first book in a new paranormal romantic suspense trilogy. I always enjoy books by this author whether under Jayne Ann Krentz or Jayne Castle and this book is a good mash-up of her JAK romantic suspense and JC paranormal romantic suspense. This book did start out a little disjointed to me, but once the characters are sorted and the mystery investigation begins, I was engrossed and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
This trilogy features three diverse women, Pallas, Talia, and Amelia, who jointly experience an amnesiac day which greatly heightens their slight and varied paranormal abilities. They stick together to discover what happened to them and start a co-hosted podcast titled The Lost Night Files which is for the investigation of cold cases.
Thriller writer Ambrose Drake believes he witnessed a murder during his overnight at the Carnelian Sleep Institute for severe insomnia, but he has been having delusions since his lost night due to amnesia in San Diego. He messages The Lost Night Files for help after his personal investigation gets nowhere.
Pallas Llewellyn believes Ambrose about his lost night and is willing to help him investigate. Using the podcast as a cover, they interview the inhabitants of Carnelian, but not everyone is happy with the publicity. Feeling a sinister sensation of being watched, discovering a drug ring, and more bodies, Ambrose and Pallas work together with their enhanced abilities as the suspense ramps up to discover what is really happening in Carnelian and how it ties to them personally before they end up dead.
I enjoyed this introduction to The Lost Night Files crew and the slow burn romance between Ambrose and Pallas. The characters are all interesting with their differing abilities. This book is a complete romance and mystery which fits perfectly into the overall suspense arc of the trilogy. I am looking forward to reading Talia and Amelia’s stories and discovering answers to the overall story arc.
I recommend this paranormal romantic suspense and I am looking forward to reading the remaining two stories in this trilogy.
***
About the Author
Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. Jayne currently lives in Seattle, WA.
Perfect for fans of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series and Keri Lake’s Nightshade, Affinity for Pain is a dark paranormal romance that is steamy, action-packed, and full of emotional intrigue.
Hope Turner is the ideal human-hunting assassin, and she is damn good at her job. A daughter of the Chakal, a race of hybrid demons lacking physical sensation and emotion, Hope was always brutally efficient in her work. She never struggled with a case, that is, until she was assigned to take down Ciaran O-Connor – a stubborn, strong-willed bodyguard with a dark past and severe PTSD.
He also happens to be her soulmate.
When the omaeriku – an inescapable soulmate bond – takes hold of her, Hope is hit with a wave of emotion and physical sensation for the first time in her life. Finding herself unable to kill Ciaran and ending up on her former boss’s hit list, Hope and Ciaran must escape into hiding. Immediately, the chemistry between Hope and Ciaran is electric. However, they must try to direct their focus on finding a way to take down Marcus Dentry, their newfound common enemy, who was both Hope’s former boss and Ciaran’s former captor and torturer.
However, as they spend more time together and succumb to their physical desire for each other, the newfound emotion and pain brought forth by the soulmate bond begin to overwhelm Hope. Can Hope learn to handle her sudden emotions, both the good and the bad, before it drives her away from the only person who can make her feel? And can Hope and Ciaran track down Marcus and exact their revenge before he gets to
AFFINITY FOR PAIN (Newborn City Series Book #1) by R.E. Johnson is an intense first book in a new paranormal/urban fantasy romance that takes you into an exciting new world of demons and humans featuring a demon assassin who feels no pain. This story does have graphic scenes of sex and torture, but it is an integrated part of the story due to a sadistic antagonist.
Hope Turner is a highly successful Chakal demon assassin. Female Chakal demons feel no pain or emotion until omaraeriku, the moment they meet their soulmate. Hope is sent to eliminate a private detective she has been told is killing demons, but for some reason when she hears his voice for the first time she is hit by a wave of emotion and sensation.
Ciaran O’Connor escaped a life of degradation and torture while forced to fight demons in an illegal underground colosseum. Now confronted with an assassin who cannot kill him, they both discover their mutual enemy in Marcus Dentry. The chemistry between Ciaran and Hope is immediate and as they spend time together, even as they are evading assassins sent to kill them, the soulmate bond builds.
Can Hope and Ciaran track down Marcus before he captures them first?
WOW! This is a wonderful new paranormal world and characters to fall in love with. The worldbuilding is very well done so that you believe everything that happens in this world and the plot is fast paced. Hope goes from being an unfeeling killing machine to someone who is still a killing machine but has so many emotions and feelings after the omaraeriku she is made stronger with her emotions and bond to Ciaran. Ciaran is a tortured hero mentally and physically and yet he still has the ability to love Hope. The sex scenes are graphic in this romance, but not gratuitous. The scenes of sadistic torture were difficult to read, but I never felt they were just thrown in for shock value because Marcus was a sadist psychopath. Dimitri, Ciaran’s best friend and unknown type of demon who escaped Marcus’ torture with Ciaran originally was a breath of sarcastic and humorous relief just when needed.
I highly recommend this dark paranormal romance/urban fantasy world and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!
***
About the Author
’m an author and copywriter with a major in Professional Writing and a minor in Creative Writing. I’ve been a passionate storyteller and fantasy fan since I was in elementary school. In fact, I wrote my first novel in fifth grade.
Now, when I’m not working, I love creating stories that profess love, respect, and triumph over evil and contain strong female characters who are always ready to throw down – both in and out of the bedroom.
Currently, I reside in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I spend my free time playing Dungeons and Dragons, wrangling my two rambunctious children, and reading all the smut, fantasy, sci-fi, and mythology I can get my hands on.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SWEETWATER & THEWITCH (A Ghost Hunter/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle on this Berkley blog tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Description
If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.
But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…
SWEETWATER & THE WITCH (A Ghost Hunters/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle is another fun and exciting trip back to Harmony. This paranormal/romantic suspense matches the infamous Sweetwater with a matchmaking fire witch just trying to make a living in Illusion and the dust bunny who adopts her. This book is easily read as a standalone, but characters from previous books do appear and with the overall family and character arcs, I just prefer to read them in order.
Ravenna Chastain is a criminal profiler who volunteers to be the bait for a trap to take down a cult, but she almost ends up in a waking coma when her backup is late to arrive, but a dust bunny appears instead to help. Ravenna is ready for a change and uses her skills to work for the premiere matchmaking company in Illusion. She is excited to be given the chance to match a Sweetwater even though his past may make it difficult.
Ethan Sweetwater has gone on nine terrible dates, and he is demanding Ravenna be his final contracted date. Ravenna takes him up on his demand and then adds her own request for him to accompany her as a “fake” date to a family function. Ethan has gotten what he wants and more than he is willing to admit, but their dates never seem to go smoothly. Ravenna has dates from her past trying to kill her and Ethan’s investigations have assassins coming after them both.
I always enjoy returning to Jayne Castle’s world. The worldbuilding has been interesting from the start with the variety of para talents, the alien Underworld, the generations of families and the dust bunnies. The romance and suspense are equally represented. The banter between Ravenna and Ethan is entertaining as each attempt to keep their heart safe as they increasingly care for each other, even though it is clear Ethan purposefully picked Ravenna. The sex scene was steamy, but it was not gratuitous.
I always love the chance to return to Harmony for a romantic suspense that always satisfies. And the dust bunnies.
***
Excerpt
“You can’t dump me,” Ethan Sweetwater said. “I’ve got a contract with this matchmaking agency. You owe me one more date.”
“To be clear,” Ravenna said, “I am not dumping you. I am trying to explain that I cannot help you.”
“I don’t believe it. When my nephew Jeff recommended you, he said you have the eye.”
“Your nephew met me one time, and that was several months ago, when I was doing criminal profiling, not matchmaking. This work is quite different.”
Actually, it was not all that different, she reflected. It turned out that criminal profiling had a lot in common with matchmaking. The emotional drivers were key.
“Maybe you’re not trying hard enough,” Ethan suggested. That was nothing less than an insult.
“I am a professional, Mr. Sweetwater,” She said coldly. “ I assure you I have given your case my closest attention. In fact, all four of us here at Ottoway, including Ms. Ottoway herself, have gone through the files several times trying to find good matches for you.”
She did not add that there were only two reason Ethan Sweetwater—aka the client from green hell—was still on the books. The primary one was the contract. It stipulated that he was to receive a minimum of ten matches. The second reason, of course, was that Bernice Ottoway, the proprietor of Ottoway Matchmakers, was desperate not to lose such a high-profile client. The Sweetwater name carried a lot of weight, not just in Illusion Town but throughout the four city-states. A successful match for a member of the notoriously private clan that controlled a huge chunk of the amber market would give Ottoway a major promotional hit. It also would do a lot for her career, Ravenna thought. Sadly, a successful outcome did not appear to be in the cards.
“We will be happy to refund your money and refer you to another agency,” Ravenna said. Mentally she crossed her fingers. Bernice Ottoway never returned a client’s money if she could help it, but surely she would understand that Ethan Sweetwater was a hopeless case.
“I don’t want to waste my time starting from scratch at another agency,” Ethan said. “I was assured that here at Ottoway the process would be efficient and professional.”
“It would have helped if you had been more forthcoming on the Ottoway questionnaire,” Ravenna said.
“Don’t try to blame this on me, Ms. Chastain.” I’m the client, remember? The customer is always right.”
He was standing in front of her desk. He reached down somewhat absently to scratch Harriet behind her ears. The dust bunny was in the process of rearranging the pens in the tray. She paused to chortle appreciatively. Ravenna stifled a groan. She and the entire staff at Ottoway might have a problem with Ethan, but Harriet’s relationship with him was just fine. Uncomplicated, she thought. Unlike me.
“I must tell you that, according to the after-action reports I received from the nine dates I arranged for you, your dating technique leaves something to be desired,” she said.
“There you go, blaming the client again. If I’ve got a technique problem, you should help me fix it.”
“Ethan adjusted his black-framed glasses, turned away from the desk, and crossed the office. He took a stance at the window overlooking the quiet residential street.
She liked watching him move, Ravenna thought. He reminded her of a specter-cat, all prowling grace and elegant strength. He had the eyes to match. They were a dark amber gold and infused with the cold heat of controlled power—the eyes of an apex predator. The amber stone in his gold signet ring was the same color.
Eyes like Ethan’s probably made some people nervous, she thought. Maybe that was the reason he chose to wear glasses. Or maybe he thought they went with the rest of his persona.
Jayne Castle, the author of Guild Boss, Illusion Town, Siren’s Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow, and After Dark, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick.
