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A review by bookwyrm_lark
Deception Cove by Jayne Castle
3.0
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
The third Rainshadow book hits the ground running as light-talent Alice is threatened by two thugs in an alley. Not coincidentally, Drake Sebastian comes to her rescue -- needlessly, as it turns out, because Alice is pretty good at taking care of herself. She should be; she's had a lot of practice.
There are two intertwined plots in Deception Cove: the need to find the missing crystals that are wreaking havoc on Rainshadow Island's mysterious Preserve, and the thugs and stalkers someone keeps sending after Alice. As usual, Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) blends paranormal futuristic fantasy, thrills, sizzling passion, and humor in more-or-less equal measure. After a bad first marriage, Alice is predictably cautious about getting involved with Drake, but an MC (Marriage of Convenience, a "trial marriage" on Harmony) appears to be the best way to keep her safe from her stalker while she and Drake track down the crystals. I enjoyed the relationship between them, as they find themselves having to trust each other in order to stay alive.
No Harmony book is complete without a dust bunny, and Houdini is a charmer. We also see a few old friends, particularly Charlotte and Rachel from the previous two Rainshadow novels. Unfortunately, their husbands, Slade and Drake's brother Harry, are off in the Preserve on a rescue mission, so we don't see them until everything is resolved.
My only quibbles with Deception Cove are that it's a little harder to follow and a little less believable than most of the previous books set in this world (insofar as any of them are believable -- which is, of course, half the fun.) The plot seemed a hair less well thought-out and tightly executed as I generally expect from Castle/Krentz, but it was still an exciting and throroughly escapist read.
Deception Cove isn't a good starting place if you're unfamiliar with Castle's Harmony novels. At the very least, start with Canyons of Night, the first Rainshadow book. Better yet, go right back to the beginning and read After Dark, the first in the Ghost Hunters series.
FTC disclosure: I bought this book.
The third Rainshadow book hits the ground running as light-talent Alice is threatened by two thugs in an alley. Not coincidentally, Drake Sebastian comes to her rescue -- needlessly, as it turns out, because Alice is pretty good at taking care of herself. She should be; she's had a lot of practice.
There are two intertwined plots in Deception Cove: the need to find the missing crystals that are wreaking havoc on Rainshadow Island's mysterious Preserve, and the thugs and stalkers someone keeps sending after Alice. As usual, Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) blends paranormal futuristic fantasy, thrills, sizzling passion, and humor in more-or-less equal measure. After a bad first marriage, Alice is predictably cautious about getting involved with Drake, but an MC (Marriage of Convenience, a "trial marriage" on Harmony) appears to be the best way to keep her safe from her stalker while she and Drake track down the crystals. I enjoyed the relationship between them, as they find themselves having to trust each other in order to stay alive.
No Harmony book is complete without a dust bunny, and Houdini is a charmer. We also see a few old friends, particularly Charlotte and Rachel from the previous two Rainshadow novels. Unfortunately, their husbands, Slade and Drake's brother Harry, are off in the Preserve on a rescue mission, so we don't see them until everything is resolved.
My only quibbles with Deception Cove are that it's a little harder to follow and a little less believable than most of the previous books set in this world (insofar as any of them are believable -- which is, of course, half the fun.) The plot seemed a hair less well thought-out and tightly executed as I generally expect from Castle/Krentz, but it was still an exciting and throroughly escapist read.
Deception Cove isn't a good starting place if you're unfamiliar with Castle's Harmony novels. At the very least, start with Canyons of Night, the first Rainshadow book. Better yet, go right back to the beginning and read After Dark, the first in the Ghost Hunters series.
FTC disclosure: I bought this book.