Review: Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz

Copper Beach
Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Dark Legacy #1
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publish Date: January 10, 2012
Hardcover {p.352}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Abby Radwell, Sam Coppersmith
Challenge: 100+
Buy the Book: Amazon

rare book. An ancient code. An all-new novel from the New York Times-bestselling master of passion and the paranormal.
Within the pages of very rare books some centuries old lie the secrets of the paranormal. Abby Radwell's unusual psychic talent has made her an expert in such volumes-and sometimes taken her into dangerous territory. After a deadly incident in the private library of an obsessive collector, Abby receives a blackmail threat, and rumors swirl that an old alchemical text known as The Key has reappeared on the black market.

Convinced that she needs an investigator who can also play bodyguard, she hires Sam Coppersmith, a specialist in paranormal crystals and amber-"hot rocks." Passion flares immediately between them, but neither entirely trusts the other. When it comes to dealing with a killer who has paranormal abilities, and a blackmailer who will stop at nothing to obtain an ancient alchemical code, no one is safe.

Abby and Sam are your typical quirky Krentz characters. I liked both of them from the beginning. Their connection was immediate and fast paced.
The book had its suspense moments, but my favorites were the comedic ones. Especially the book signing event. Abby’s family was even more unusual than her, but they all considered her to be the strange one.

The suspense portion wasn’t all that suspenseful. I felt that the bad guys were handled a little to easily. There was no kind of real effort involved in getting rid of them. No struggle at all, like they just gave themselves up.

With all that said, I still enjoyed the book because of the chemistry between Sam and Abby. That’s what kept me engaged in the overall story.

Teaser Tuesday: Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading. To participate, all you have to do is the following:

• Grab your current/upcoming read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2-3 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers! (You do not want to ruin the book for others.)

Share the title & author so that others who enjoy your "teaser" may add the book to their TBL pile.

"If it helps, I have been informed that there is no way Sam Coppersmith could have murdered his fiancee." "Who told you that?" "The water-taxi guy." "He's an authority?" "He certainly seemed to think so. Evidently, no one on the island thinks Sam did it." "And what proof do they offer?" Gwen demanded.
"They seem to feel that if Sam had murdered someone, he would have done better job of it."
"I beg your pardon."

page 48; Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz

Review: Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle

Canyons of Night
Jayne Castle
Series: Looking Glass #3; Arcane #11
Publisher: Jove
Publish Date: August 30, 2011
Kindle {p.237}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Charlotte Enright, Slade Attridge
Challenge: 100+, Sci-Fi
Buy the Book: Amazon

Charlotte Enright, owner of a small antiques shop called Looking Glass Antiques on Rainshadow Island, and Slade Attridge, the community's new chief of police, both have something in common: they possess strong paranormal talents.

They met several years ago when they were in their teens spending the summer on the island. Slade saved Charlotte from a gang of drunken toughs, but then at the end of the summer Slade and Charlotte went their separate ways and started their adult lives.

Now, fifteen years later, they have both been drawn back to Rainshadow Island. They will discover the adult passion they have for each other and start to explore some of the mysteries of the forbidden section of the island known only as the Preserve.

Charlotte has had a crush on Slade since the night he saved her from her attackers when she was a teen. The two of them have always had some sort of connection, but Charlotte’s talent has made it somewhat difficult for her to be in relationships. That is until Slade.

Both were the perfect match for the other. They were these quirky characters that had just the right amount of chemistry. I really liked both Slade and Charlotte from the beginning. I liked all the residents of the island.

The mystery aspect was interesting enough. I didn’t suspect the culprit at all. That person was never really on my radar.

A nice addition to the series.

Review: Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

Midnight Crystal
Jayne Castle
Series: Dreamlight Trilogy #3
Publisher: Jove
Publication Date: August 31, 2010
Audio Book {8hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal
Characters: Marlowe Jones, Adam Winters
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories

For many earthly centuries, a legendary curse has plagued the Winters family, stemming from the tumultuous founding of the Arcane Society. But now, on the futuristic world of Harmony, the curse's final mystery will be unraveled...

Head of the ghost hunters guild Adam Winters and dreamlight reader extraordinaire Marlowe Jones must break the curse, save Harmony's entire underworld-and fight a passion that could destroy them both.

Midnight Crystal takes place in the futuristic city of Harmony, which has always been one of my favorite futuristic settings. Marlowe and Adam were great together and evenly matched.

The storyline of the missing lamp was a bit lacking and didn't seem to hold my attention much. I was more interested in the romance Adam and Marlowe than the lamp storyline.

I know the author is painting a picture of the city and the characters' powers, but sometimes it gets to be too much. And if you're like me, someone who's been reading the series from the beginning, it can become rather repetitive.

Read by Tanya Eby
Duration: 8 hours
Brilliance Audio

Narration: A

The narrator was great. Tanya did a nice job of capturing the individual characters.

Review: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

In Too Deep
Jayne Ann Krentz {Facebook | Twitter}
Series: Arcane Society #10; Looking Glass #1
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: December 2010
Audio Book {10 hrs}
Source: Public Library
Genre: Paranormal, Romantic Suspense
Characters: Isabella Valdez, Fallon Jones
Challenge: 100+, Whisper Stories
My Rating:

When Fallon Jones took over the family business, he moved Jones & Jones headquarters to Scargill Cove, a secluded coastal town in Northern California. The Cove suits him just fine, as a confirmed recluse . . . and as an investigator of the paranormal. The Cove is a hot spot, a convergence point for unusually strong currents of energy, which might explain why the town draws misfits and drifters like moths to a flame.

Isabella Valdez is used to changing apartments, jobs, even names and Social Security numbers at the drop of a hat — but this is too much. She's been framed by some very dangerous men. They may be behind the disappearance of her grandmother. And now they've sent their thugs after Isabella. She would be dead if her gift of intuition hadn't told her to run.

So she's fled to California — and found employment with Fallon Jones. It's been only a few days, but Fallon doesn't remember life before his new assistant. Isabella's already organized his pathologically chaotic office, and she doesn't bat an eye at the psychic aspect of his job. She's a kindred spirit, sanctuary from a world that considers his talents a form of madness. The surest sign that he's falling for her? He doesn't even mind her cheery personality.

But after a routine case unearths an antique clock infused with dark energy, Fallon and Isabella are dragged into the secret history of Scargill Cove. Next thing they know, they're fighting for their lives in an abandoned underground lab — not exactly an ideal first date. Now their lives depend on the combined strength of their powers as they unravel a cutthroat conspiracy with roots in the Jones family business . . . and Isabella's family tree.

Isabella has escaped to Scargill Cove in an effort to get away from the men out to kill her. This is where she meets Fallon Jones, the head of Jones & Jones. She becomes his office manager, and shortly thereafter, becomes even more.

Isabella seemed to be the only one to get the real, true Fallon. Everyone else seemed to believe he was right on the edge of sanity. Fallon was the only on to know the real story behind Isabella, so they were the perfect match.

In Too Deep doesn’t hold your interest as well as some of the previous books in this series. The romance between Fallon and Isabella was a bit dry and mild. It was a lot of describing of their psychic powers but not a lot of relationship building.

Read by Joyce Bean

Duration: 10 hours

Brillance Audio

The narrator did a great job, but Joyce is one of my favorites. She always seems to capture the characters quite nicely.

Author One-on-One: Jayne Ann Krentz and Catherine Coulter

Amazon brought together two top authors and had them interview each other. Jayne Ann Krentz (Amanda Quick; Jayne Castle), who writes romantic suspense with a paranormal flare, and Catherine Coulter, who writes FBI thrillers.