Amaryllis

by Jayne Castle

New York Times bestselling author JAYNE CASTLE

Acclaimed for her novels of "delectably entertaining paranormal romantic suspense" (Booklist), the wildly popular alter ego of bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz takes off on a star-dusted excursion to a rich civilization where danger and passion are just a heartbeat away. . . .

Amaryllis Lark is one of the best psychic detectives on St. Helen's, the earth colony recently cut off from the mother planet, yet not so very different from home. . . . Lucas Trent, the rugged head of Lodestar Exploration, isn't keen on the prim type--and from her crisp business suit to her cool evaluation of his request to bust a corporate thief, beautiful Amaryllis is excruciatingly proper. But when a bold hunch heats up into a twisting murder investigation, by-the-book Amaryllis must let her guard down and break some rules--and a red-hot love affair ignites. Now, as they race to solve a puzzle of deadly intrigue, no power--otherworldly or otherwise--can keep them apart!

• ISBN10: 1451624018
• ISBN13: 9781451624014
• Publish Date: 7 September 2010 (first published 1 May 1998)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Pocket Books
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amanda]

3.5

Long before I got into book blogging--probably even as early as high school--I was a huge Jayne Ann Krentz fan. Huge fan like I trolled library shelves looking for any new Jayne Ann Krentz or Amanda Quick book I could find. (And by new, I mean anything I hadn't read yet.) I avoided her Jayne Castle books because I didn't do paranormal. (Ha. I was so funny back then, wasn't I?)

Amaryllis would have likely been a good transition to paranormal for me if I had ever picked it up. It's true that it's set in St. Helen's, a world cut off from earth. But St. Helen's is basically the Pacific Northwest--where many Jayne Ann Krentz books are set--with a few differences: coff-tea, jelly-ice, and some random other things that I don't even remember anymore. The world made me realize how masterful other authors are with their world building. St. Helen's failed to live up to my expectations in that regard.

The characters, on the other hand, were fun. They were very Jayne Ann Krentz--almost formulaic--but I like her characters (obviously, since she was my favorite author at one point) so it worked. It's been a while since I've read her books, but I was still able to predict, quite easily, certain points in Amaryllis and Lucas's relationship. The predictability didn't bother me--I was reading for the pleasure of it--so it was easy to sit back and watch it unfold.