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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Things are getting worse on Rainshadow. Drake and the rest of the Sebastian family need to find the remaining two crystals and soon. Alice North is being stalked by her mother-in-law, Ethel Whitcomb, who believes Alice killed her son. When Drake comes to Alice for help through her dark light talents, they get more than either one ever expected.
I adore the Harmony books, I've never made a secret of it. And who doesn't love a good dust bunny or two. But with Drake and Alice, you have two souls, both lost in their own way, finding love and family and salvation. I am looking forward to the final installment of the Rainshadow trilogy, Hot Zone, due out soon. 4.5 out of 5.
I adore the Harmony books, I've never made a secret of it. And who doesn't love a good dust bunny or two. But with Drake and Alice, you have two souls, both lost in their own way, finding love and family and salvation. I am looking forward to the final installment of the Rainshadow trilogy, Hot Zone, due out soon. 4.5 out of 5.
I quite enjoyed this addition to the Castle canon. The story falls close on the heels of The Lost Night with Harry's brother Drake becoming the hero.
Three years ago, Drake was in an explosion that made him unable to see in the daylight. In fact, any strong light causes pain. But he can see quite well in the dark and even people who are trying to make themselves invisible.
Alice North is an unusual woman. In a society that focuses on family, she was raised an orphan. Also, she is a strong enough light talent that she can literally shift light enough to make it appear as though objects disappear.
Drake and Alice meet one night when (like many of the Castle books) Alice's latest place of employment has been shut down and she is now in the midst of being attacked by two street thugs. Alice handles it herself and Drake is duly impressed (and attracted, this is a romance after all). He then propositions her. A Marriage of Convenience that will help keep her ex-mother-in-law off her back and let Alice earn some money. In exchange, Alice has to travel with him to Rainshadow and help take down the paranormal storm that is raging out of control.
What does Alice have to lose? A chance at enough money to keep her going for awhile, even some fabulous riches, get her mother off her back and all she has to do is honeymoon at the same place her last new husband tried to kill her. Piece of cake.
Three years ago, Drake was in an explosion that made him unable to see in the daylight. In fact, any strong light causes pain. But he can see quite well in the dark and even people who are trying to make themselves invisible.
Alice North is an unusual woman. In a society that focuses on family, she was raised an orphan. Also, she is a strong enough light talent that she can literally shift light enough to make it appear as though objects disappear.
Drake and Alice meet one night when (like many of the Castle books) Alice's latest place of employment has been shut down and she is now in the midst of being attacked by two street thugs. Alice handles it herself and Drake is duly impressed (and attracted, this is a romance after all). He then propositions her. A Marriage of Convenience that will help keep her ex-mother-in-law off her back and let Alice earn some money. In exchange, Alice has to travel with him to Rainshadow and help take down the paranormal storm that is raging out of control.
What does Alice have to lose? A chance at enough money to keep her going for awhile, even some fabulous riches, get her mother off her back and all she has to do is honeymoon at the same place her last new husband tried to kill her. Piece of cake.
3.5 stars
This was exactly what I was in the mood for -- light, fast-paced and familiar.
Alice "invisible girl" North was a fun protagonist--a street-smart survivor who knows how to roll with the punches. The hero, Drake Sebastien, was a pretty typical JAK hero, although less well developed than I would have liked; his sole purpose seemed to be to fall in love with/protect Alice. (Which is fine, though I prefer when characters have other interests as well.)
The villain Zara was delightfully narcissistic, the dust bunnies and supporting cast were fun, the monster hunting scene on Deception Cove reminded me of the author's earlier futuristic romances.
Overall, a fun read, though a little more development of the h/h would have bumped this up to a solid 4 stars.
This was exactly what I was in the mood for -- light, fast-paced and familiar.
Alice "invisible girl" North was a fun protagonist--a street-smart survivor who knows how to roll with the punches. The hero, Drake Sebastien, was a pretty typical JAK hero, although less well developed than I would have liked; his sole purpose seemed to be to fall in love with/protect Alice. (Which is fine, though I prefer when characters have other interests as well.)
The villain Zara was delightfully narcissistic, the dust bunnies and supporting cast were fun, the monster hunting scene on Deception Cove reminded me of the author's earlier futuristic romances.
Overall, a fun read, though a little more development of the h/h would have bumped this up to a solid 4 stars.
It gets 4 stars for the fun of reading. It's smooth and light. I loved Houdini. I loved the glimpse into Dust Bunnies. I did like the story. Communities that are cut off from the world around them are a story setting I enjoy.
Alice is stunned when the heir to a powerful business can see her when she's invisible. Drake sees things differently with his damaged vision, but it's crystal clear he needs Alice to help him find the missing crystals on Rainshadow Island.
Jayne Castle is masterful at revealing little bits and pieces about Rainshadow Island on her world of Harmony. She gives me just enough to make me eagerly anticipate her next book in the series.
Spoiler alert: in this book she explains the origin of the irrepressible dust bunnies, and like everything she writes, it will tug at your heartstrings.
Jayne Castle is masterful at revealing little bits and pieces about Rainshadow Island on her world of Harmony. She gives me just enough to make me eagerly anticipate her next book in the series.
Spoiler alert: in this book she explains the origin of the irrepressible dust bunnies, and like everything she writes, it will tug at your heartstrings.
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Full review available here on AAR - http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=9790
I have long been a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz, especially her science fiction romance novels. They are consistently fun and entertaining, and how can you not enjoy books with darling animals like the dust bunnies? If you haven’t read any of them, imagine a dust ball that purrs, with bright blue eyes and paws. Absolutely darling.
Alice North has had a trying few years. With her wealthy ex-mother-in-law making her life miserable for the unexplained death of her son, Alice has basically been on the run, changing jobs and names to try and survive. Drake Sebastian, on the other hand, is from a wealthy, well-established family with what seems to be the largest company ever at his beck and call. Drake needs Alice’s help to get back Alien crystal artifacts, the Keys, on Rainshadow island. And he convinces her to marry him, to keep her ex-mother-in-law off her back (yes, his family really is that powerful and influential).
For those who have not read any of this series, there are two different types of marriages - covenant marriages (CMs) and marriages of convenience (MCs). A MC is just that - a (usually temporary) contract that binds a couple together and is relatively simple to break out of. A CM is much more formal, and generally considered to be unbreakable - those that do divorce are subject to huge monetary payments and general social stigma as a result. Alice and her former husband had a MC. And now, Alice has one again with Drake.
Now that she has the legal assistance from a MC with Drake, Alice is able to go with him to Rainshadow in search of these keys, but there is more at stake than either of them know. Rainshadow has been becoming more and more unstable, and is now a psi hot-spot ready to explode. Drake’s brother and the town sheriff have gone missing, there are people lost on the island, mutated cockroaches, and goodness knows what else. The people in the small town are unable to leave, and then Alice finds a dead body - the ultimate locked-room murder mystery.
I have long been a fan of Jayne Ann Krentz, especially her science fiction romance novels. They are consistently fun and entertaining, and how can you not enjoy books with darling animals like the dust bunnies? If you haven’t read any of them, imagine a dust ball that purrs, with bright blue eyes and paws. Absolutely darling.
Alice North has had a trying few years. With her wealthy ex-mother-in-law making her life miserable for the unexplained death of her son, Alice has basically been on the run, changing jobs and names to try and survive. Drake Sebastian, on the other hand, is from a wealthy, well-established family with what seems to be the largest company ever at his beck and call. Drake needs Alice’s help to get back Alien crystal artifacts, the Keys, on Rainshadow island. And he convinces her to marry him, to keep her ex-mother-in-law off her back (yes, his family really is that powerful and influential).
For those who have not read any of this series, there are two different types of marriages - covenant marriages (CMs) and marriages of convenience (MCs). A MC is just that - a (usually temporary) contract that binds a couple together and is relatively simple to break out of. A CM is much more formal, and generally considered to be unbreakable - those that do divorce are subject to huge monetary payments and general social stigma as a result. Alice and her former husband had a MC. And now, Alice has one again with Drake.
Now that she has the legal assistance from a MC with Drake, Alice is able to go with him to Rainshadow in search of these keys, but there is more at stake than either of them know. Rainshadow has been becoming more and more unstable, and is now a psi hot-spot ready to explode. Drake’s brother and the town sheriff have gone missing, there are people lost on the island, mutated cockroaches, and goodness knows what else. The people in the small town are unable to leave, and then Alice finds a dead body - the ultimate locked-room murder mystery.