Deception Cove (Harmony, #10) (Rainshadow, #4)

by Jayne Castle

[kimbacaffeinate]

Deception Cove is the second book in the Rainshadow trilogy and the tenth in the Harmony series. While it isn’t necessary to read them in order, I recommend you at least read the trilogies in order. Jayne Castle is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz and all of her stories take place in the future, in a world called Harmony. I love this strange world, especially the dust bunnies that dwell there. Three word review: suspenseful, romantic and entertaining.

The tale begins when we meet Alice North, a light-talent who has the rare ability to make herself and objects around her disappear. Along with Houdini, her dust bunny, they perform magic acts, moving from city to city. Alice is trying to keep one step ahead of her ex’s mother who believes Alice is responsible for her son’s death. Drake Sebastian, a high spectrum light talent, who is now day-blind after a lab accident has been searching for Alice. He and his brother’s believe she may hold the key to the unusual changes on Rainshadow Island. With her ex’s mother on her heels, Alice agrees to a Marriage of Convenience and travels with Drake to the island. There the two will face strange creatures, a psychotic villain and attempt to save the inhabitants. Along the way the attraction these two feel for each other intensifies.

Alice is one tough cookie, and I am not so sure I could have handled the cards she’s been dealt. She is fearless, and even manages to find humor in it all. Drake is swoon-worthy and confident, despite being betrayed in the past. The way he admires and protects Alice made him aces in my book. I instantly felt the connection between them, and loved how there was this intense heat, wrapped in a slow building relationship. We meet characters from book one again, and some new ones which only added to the overall suspense and believability of the tale. Houdini was adorable, and fierce, reinforcing my love of dust bunnies.

Deception Cove continues the focus on the Preserve, a strange wooded area, filled with paranormal energy left from the aliens which use to dwell on this planet. Humans end up getting lost within these woods and are never seen or heard from again. We know about the Sebastians’ link to this island and the old world crystals,and I love how Castle brought Alice into the story linking her to them. The paranormal storm, creatures and cause were wonderfully done and added to the suspense. I found myself flipping the pages wanting to solve the case and see Alice and Drake fortify their relationship. In-between chaos and danger we get some wonderfully romantic and steamy hot moments as only Castle (Krentz) can deliver. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

For those of you not familiar with Jayne Anne Krentz, she writes romantic suspense wrapped in paranormal woo-woo in three different genres. She writes contemporary as Jayne Ann Krentz, historical as Amanda Quick and futuristic as Jayne Castle. All three are on my auto-buy list, and her books give me immense pleasure.

Fans of romantic suspense, in a futuristic setting,will enjoy Deception Cover and the Rainshadow Trilogy. You just have to meet a dust bunny!

Originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer