Crystal Flame

Lost Colony #2

by Jayne Ann Krentz

Kalena is focused on a single task…the assassination of the man who destroyed her family. Once he is gone, she will live her life as a free woman. She just has to extract herself from an arranged Trade Marriage first. She has a plan for that. Her husband, Ridge, works for Quintel, the man Kalena has been sent to kill. Ridge is the Fire Whip, Quintel’s enforcer, and not exactly the type to become involved in a Trade Marriage with an innocent country girl. But he looks forward to instructing Kalena in her wifely duties. Kalena and Ridge have no plans for a lasting relationship, but the success of their mission depends on learning to trust each other and the passion that flares between them.

Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction, Futuristic

387 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how many times I have read this book, but it remains one I look forward to re-reading. Like Shield's Lady, the plot and genre remain interesting and unusual, the characters are fascinating, and the dialogue seldom disappoints. I am grateful to Ms. Krentz for persevering with this genre, since it is hard to find. It also has a little turnabout in that it is Ridge who is unsure of himself as far as the marriage is concerned and anxious to pin Kalena down while Kalena is only willing to indulge in a temporary marriage and longs for freedom. The concepts of good versus evil and light versus dark are treated well and make the reader think about the importance of balance in anyone's life.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story had its good and bad points. I liked the alien world with a touch of magic, and the idea of there being ancient keys and stones of power that represented the different ends of the spectrum. However some other aspects of the story were less satisfying.



The hero, Ridge, had extremely chauvinistic opinions about women, especially wives, and their role in the world. And the heroine, Kalena, more or less fell in line and played the dutiful woman. She occasionally tried to assert her independence but those moments are short-lived and she frequently let Ridge just have his way because deep down she actually liked the role of subservient woman.

These issues are pretty typical for a romance novel written in 1987 but what made it harder to take in this book was that neither character started out behaving that way. When we first meet Kalena she's on an assassination mission and looking forward to having freedom for the first time in her life. She makes use of the brief period of freedom she has prior to marrying Ridge to go to a tavern, get into a brawl and ultimately get arrested. She's having reckless fun for the first time in her life and is completely unapologetic about it. Ridge is feeling protective and possessive toward her but appreciates her good qualities and passionate nature. He can't resist sleeping with her the night before their wedding because he's so drawn to her. Kalena is a willing participant in the passion and, even though it's her first time, it's a great experience because Ridge is sweet and attentive to her needs.

Unfortunately everything goes downhill after that. They get married but the time has come for Kalena to perform the assassination she was sent there to do. It's been hammered into her brain constantly since she was a child that her sole purpose in life is to kill the man who had her family murdered, who happens to be Ridge's boss. Ridge catches her going to the boss's chamber on their wedding night and he assumes she was going to sleep with the man. Kalena had already come to the realization that she couldn't kill her intended target and she feels like an abject failure because of it so she confesses her true plan to Ridge, assuming that he'll kill her and be done with it.

From that point on Ridge turns into a jerk. He belittles Kalena all the time, usually using the fact that she's a woman as the sole justification for his contempt. How could she possibly have thought that she'd succeed as an assassin? She's just a woman! Why does she believe his boss killed her family? Just because some other woman told her so? Women don't know anything! And didn't she ever stop to think how her assassination attempt would reflect on HIM, her husband of all of 2 hours?? Sure her family is dead and she just met Ridge but honestly, how self-centered is she to not realize it would damage his honor to have his wife kill his boss! Now that she's his wife (by an all-business trade contract) her loyalty should lie 100% with him, not with her debt of honor to her family!

It was irritating to read Ridge's constant comments on how women were inferior to men, and how wives should be completely obedient to their clearly much smarter husbands. Basically he felt that the husband should always be lord and master over the wife and the only duty the husband had was to physically protect his woman. Beyond that he could do whatever he wanted, including forcing himself on her in bed. Yes that happened. After the failed assassination attempt, Ridge and Kalena leave on their arranged trade journey. Ridge is extremely pissed at Kalena for her supposed crimes against HIM and sets a ridiculously difficult pace just to punish her. After three days of this followed by nights of not touching her, he decides the time has come to re-assert his "rights" as her husband and demand she do her "duty" to him in bed. He drinks a large amount of ale and then stumbles upstairs to attack the exhausted and sleeping Kalena. She tells him to go to sleep, that he'd clearly been drinking and stank of booze...and he rapes her. Because this is a JAK book, naturally our heroine "unwillingly" feels pleasure during the rape so that for the rest of the book it's never referred to AS rape, even though it was. Kalena didn't put up much of a fight after the initial refusal and isn't even that upset about the whole thing because she "understands" that Ridge has the right to demand sex from her and she in turn has the duty to service him.

The next morning, Ridge is extremely pleased with himself for having reestablished the physical part of their relationship. It's only after patting himself on the back for a while that he starts to have second thoughts about his tactics. Not because he realizes that rape is wrong, but because it's occurred to him that it must have been "galling" for Kalena to submit to him when she has so much "feminine pride". He decides that he doesn't want her to just submit in bed because she has to, he wants her to be a willing participant so therefore he won't rape her again. Gee, what a guy. Kalena then spends the next few days wondering why Ridge isn't "asserting his rights" on her every night and becomes increasingly disappointed that he won't touch her. Sigh.

When they reach their destination, a healer's commune entirely inhabited by strong, learned women, Ridge's chauvinistic side shines bright. He constantly makes comments about how the commune's magic and belief system are all a bunch of "feminine nonsense" and is disgruntled that Kalena doesn't serve him at the dinner table the way she does out in the male-run world. It seriously irritates him when he discovers his glass is empty and he'll have to refill it himself. Oh the horror! He's also rude to the commune women and wants to leave as soon as possible because he hates the feeling of powerlessness he has at not being a member of the ruling class there. It never, ever occurs to him to examine his feelings and recognize that this is exactly how women feel in the rest of the world. In point of fact, he's getting off easy at the commune. All he has to do is take care of himself. If the roles were truly reversed in this place he'd be the one expected to serve Kalena at the dinner table. Then he'd really get a taste of what it's like to be treated as subservient to half the population simply by virtue of one's gender.

But no, Ridge isn't deep enough to consider all that. All he can think about is getting Kalena out of there as fast as he can because she "belongs" to him and he's worried she might be enticed to stay and become a healer. Obviously her feelings on the subject are completely irrelevant. She's his and he's not willing to let her go so that's that. It never crosses his mind that Kalena has a right to decide for herself what she wants to do with her life. Or that forcibly binding her to him is wrong and it would ultimately poison their relationship if she didn't stay with him willingly. At one point one of the commune women makes a full fledged pitch for Kalena to stay with them, citing how she'll be free to do whatever she wants in the commune instead of constantly forced into subservience by her husband and Ridge overhears the conversation. In a modern romance this would have been the point where the hero realized he was desperately in love with the heroine but that he'd been treating her poorly all this time so she might not want to stay with him. That she had dreams of her own and a right to pursue them and he might be forced to let her go. But not Ridge. He interrupts the conversation and drags Kalena straight off to bed to reassert his position of power over her. He seriously doesn't grow at all throughout the whole book.

Aside from the romance, there's a mystery going on involving some ancient keys and an all-male cult bent on destroying all that's light in the world so they can reign supreme. For being such an alpha-male, Ridge is surprisingly stupid about picking up on the signs of danger involving this cult. At one point two members break into Ridge and Kalena's hotel room and after defeating them, the one who is still alive swallows some poison to kill himself before Ridge could question him. After that Ridge keeps suggesting that the men were just two random thieves. Seriously? Thieves don't commit suicide rather than talk. The men also have strange black-glass necklaces on them and Kalena insists that the necklaces are bad and Ridge shouldn't touch them but he scoffs at her. In fact, there are multiple times throughout the story where Kalena tries to warn Ridge that something all-black and sinister-looking is bad and he completely ignores her every single time because she's just a woman and is clearly letting her womanly imagination get the better of her. His lack of respect for her as a thinking, feeling adult really permeates every aspect of the story.

Kalena was an okay heroine. It was irritating how she constantly caved to Ridge's will and that she seemed to on some level agree that her proper place in life was as the subservient half of the marriage, even though she constantly revealed herself to be the smarter of the two. I also found it to be strangely out of character that she kept calling Ridge a "houseless bastard" because his father had never acknowledged him. Nowhere else in the story did we see evidence of her being a prejudiced snob so why did she keep throwing that in his face? She handled herself well in most of the action scenes in the story and frequently used calming touches and soothing words to direct Ridge to do things. It would have been nice if she'd had enough backbone to stand up for herself and demand to be treated as an equal, but at least she got the better of Ridge in some situations, even if he didn't realize it himself.

Overall the bones of a good story were in here. It was an interesting fictional world with neat ideas and decent action. If it had been written twenty years later and therefore with much more modern views of men, women and relationships, I think I would have loved it. As it stands now, the male chauvinist and willingly subservient female stuff really overshadows the whole thing.

Oh, and I didn't think Ridge's other name, "Fire Whip", fit well into the story. It's not a name that really roles off the tongue so it wasn't realistic to think people would use it as a nickname or whatever. And it just sounded silly whenever someone called him that in the course of an otherwise normal conversation when it would have been faster to just use his given name. And we're never given an explanation for where the "whip" part of the name comes from. The "fire" half was explained but it in no way related to whips of any kinds so what gives? All in all it seemed like something JAK thought was neat so she awkwardly shoehorned it into the narrative regardless of it's relevance.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 ½ stars. Dull and boring. I wanted it to be over.

I should have stopped reading, but I kept going for the purpose of writing a review, and hoping, maybe, something would be good later. It got a little better during the last part, but not enough. The characters didn’t intrigue me. The conversations didn’t interest me. The plot was based on a potentially interesting idea, but it was not developed well. I felt no chemistry between the couple. I wasn’t drawn to Ridge, the hero. I was bored during the first two sex scenes. Other sex scenes happened, but nothing special. Other readers may like this, but it just didn’t work for me.

STORY BRIEF:
Kalena’s parents were killed. Her aunt Olara brainwashed and raised Kalena to assassinate the man responsible, Quintel. Kalena wants certain freedoms and mistakenly believes she will have them after she kills Quintel. To get close to Quintel, Kalena must do a temporary marriage to Ridge who works for Quintel. These temporary marriages are common. The sellers of magic sand will only sell to the “wives” of traders. So Ridge marries her in order to take her on a buying trip. They are not in love. They have sex. They are influenced by traditions which say: Husbands must protect wives and give orders to wives. Wives must serve hot tea to their husbands in bed in the mornings. She likes doing that.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 344 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 7. Setting: a time when people rode animals for transportation and used swords. A place called Zantalia, similar to earth. Copyright: 1986. Genre: medieval fantasy romance.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kalena will be an independent freewoman, after she poisons Quintel, the greedy trade baron who wiped out their noble House of the Ice Harvest. Her aunt contracted a trade marriage with his trusted Fire Whip, orphan Ridge, on a mission for Healer Sand, that burns like incense for diagnostic visions. "In the depths of a Far Seeing trance", Olara sees the assassination succeed during "a large wedding party" p18 (not whose, where or when - so how accurate?). The couple's flirtations entertain me more; stimulating sheet scorching heats up the steamy romance to a boil. Legitimized by official marriage ceremony, their fruitful and permanent union forms a new House of the Crystal Flame, where "the fires of their passion would warm them the rest of their lives" p576.

The whole world is at stake. Centuries ago, wise Dawn Lords, "newcomers to this land" p543, hid a Light Key and a Dark Key, separately entombed in white ice and black fire, to prevent a cataclysmic explosion if "ever brought close together" p339. Only Kalena can release the Light Key, only Ridge, the Dark, because his anger can turn Countervail steel red-hot. Through choking black mist traps, kidnaps, the danger builds to a cavern earthquake, then personal revelations . An evil mastermind has engineered them together, believing his destiny is ultimate control of the resulting power; his identity seems clear the reclusive, scholarly, wealthy business mogul Quintel .

I preferred the core buildup to the traditional Harlequin-style elements; the promise of x-rated passion does deliver in full. She's a green-eyed curly red-head; he's older, taller, sterner; both attractive rather than "beautiful" p36. Odd words, expressions, are introduced easily, in context - sarsilk material purchased for wedding cloak, creet birds for riding, eightdays for weeks, shirts monogrammed on left shoulder p237, "by the Stones" p354. However, tenets from the Philosophy of the Spectrum are boring. Although she tires "of having everyone lecture me on the subjects of my responsibilities" p406, she obeys her duties. At least she seems to mature, realizing freedom may be willing whole-hearted choices p501.

Typos:
p77 "sweetness of the drought that was served" is draught
p242 "animal crouched" is reptile

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable and quick read, taking me a little over a day to finish. I love Jayne Ann Krentz and the romances and adventures she writes about and though this book isn't one of my top favorites, I would still recommend it for fans of this author. There were times where I felt like things were overexplained to the point that I didn't 100% understand (partly, I'll admit, because I zoned out), but got enough to keep up with the plot. Kalena and Ridge's relationship is probably one of the most extreme examples of males being overly dominant and females being considered too willful that I've seen in a Krentz novel and there were plenty of times that I wanted to smack Ridge "Gibb's style" for how he spoke to Kalena as well as about every other male in this book. However, by the end their relationship reached a healthy balance between each of their beliefs and needs. And the way that balance was achieved was phenomenal to read. I do love the psychic elements Krentz slips into most of her novels and the mystery in this one was fun to unravel.

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published in 1986, so I had prepared myself not to compare this to the awesome books published more recently. Turns out I didn't have to be concerned about that little detail at all. I will be reading the books one and three in the lost colony series. Wonderful strong characters and an awesome story. With a lot of writers, the early works just don't meet the quality of later works. This is not the case with JAK. If you haven't read the lost colony series, you need to.

[Rebecca Delio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story

I first read this story in book form as Kindle's were not around at that time. I really enjoyed the w at that time and re-read it several times. I am now happy to have this story on my Kindle so I can read it whenever I want......

[Margaret Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got and Cold

This book has fascinating aspects of both. A very good meld of both ends of the spectrum. There is nothing grey about this story. Unconventional but great,totally unusual. Will keep you enthralled.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable fantasy from Jayne Castle!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel mixes sci fi fantasy with romance, and it was more entertaining than I expected. I read it many years ago, and am glad I reread it. I wonder if I read the other books in the series.

[A.B. Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had a lot of insightful thoughts into the nature of male/female relationships. Written in the eighties when the author was publishing very different stories for Harlequin, at times it feels like a rebuttal or at least a reflection on all the familiar tropes those books contain.
There was still the arrogant husband declaring he knew best, but this was counterbalanced by the wife fretting for her freedom.
Although the three books are considered to be a series, the only thing they have in common is humans who have settled on a planet not their own. Each book shows a different society with all its rules, customs and attitudes. Perhaps the books served as testing grounds for an author looking for a world to set ongoing stories in.
The book uses the arranged marriage trope so common of romances in that era. This allowed full on sex scenes without breaking the moral code of the day. The nature and means of these pairings varied, but the essence of finding the love and trust to make these “real” marriages is the core of this and the other books in the series.
This one explores the concept of the rights of women.
Trying to manipulate the hero and heroine were a cabal of men who hated and were dismissive of women, and a group of women who were contemptuous of and had no time for men. They represented the ends of a spectrum. “Spectrum” actually being the religion of the region. There was no suggestion that one was better than the other, more that the more extreme one side became, the more extreme the other side had to go to balance it.
There were also some good depictions of the difficulty men have understanding what a woman is thinking and the frustration and often knee jerk anger that results.
No magic cure was given for this, just tolerance and the understanding that communication helps, with the sidenote that these minor skirmishes ensure the relationship is not dull.

The nagging sense of masculine helplessness began to irritate Ridge. He sought to counter it the only way he knew; he got angry again.

I think many men make the mistake of underestimating their women. Or perhaps it’s just a matter of not being able to read their minds.”

And while some readers may not be able to relate to the personalities or partnership, they were true to their fictional selves. At least Ridge understood he was being a jerk at times and regretted it afterwards.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

SFR Reading Challenge 2011- I'll keep this here even though it might be better termed a fantasy set on another planet.

3.5*

Crystal Flame is a companion book to Sweet Starfire, although both are stand-alone reads. They are set int he same universe, but have no characters or events binding them. Sweet Starfire is an excellent sci-fi romance which I highly recommend. Crystal Flame is more fantasy than romance, and while still enjoyable, was a weaker book overall.

The story starts out strong, with main characters who are well-drawn and interesting. The plot set up well done and the book involves a favorite device of mine, the "road trip" with hero and heroine. The book starts to flounder when the two traveling companions reach their destination, and the real "fantasy" part of the plot comes to the fore. The entire history of the "Keys" was vague, and from there the plot gets vague as well. I still don't quite understand the power of the Keys or how it was channeled or controlled, and why, so what should have been the pivotal scene in the book is just sort of "whatever."


At over 400 pages, Crystal Flame could have used some good editing to remove redundancies and tighten the story to about 350 pages.

All that aside, I still enjoyed the story, especially the main characters, and will definitely read the last story set in this universe, Shield's Lady.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd actually rate this one around 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the setting, especially the religion/philosophy of the culture. The romance was pretty good, but a bit heavy-handed still (alpha males, ugh). The two main characters were still likeable, however, and a lot of the awkward relationship stances came from their own inexperience and the culture they were raised in.

It's a good read in terms of understanding Krentz's development as a writer.

[Steliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

That is definitely my favourite of the Lost Colony series. And I loved the whole series, far better than the one with ghost hunters. I think the male/female principle yin/yang thing is done marvelously, and the chemistry between the hero and the heroine is just perfect. The fantasy elements are subtle and well-written - no matter what name Jayne Ann Krentz writes under, she will always be one my favourite authors.

[Mary Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, it's got old-school values, but this second-ever futuristic romance (Sweet Starfire, the first book in this series, counts as that) is a comfort read for me. Despite some very gendered values that definitely reflect the 1980s, I love the protagonists, their journey is fascinating, and the mystery is one that kept me going till the last page. Sometimes, you just have to love a classic!

[donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is too dated. The whole I am your husband and you must obey me grated on my nerves. There is one sex scene that in my opinion could be considered marital rape. The whole concept a wife wears a collar that has been locked by the husband was unsettling.

[Mara Corduneanu · Rating 5 out of 5]

### **Recenzie – *Flacăra de cristal* (Colonia pierdută #2) de Jayne Ann Krentz**

**„Flacăra de cristal”**, al doilea volum din seria *Colonia pierdută*, continuă să dezvolte universul SF romantic creat de Jayne Ann Krentz (sub pseudonimul Amanda Quick). Acest roman combină elemente de science-fiction, mister și romance, oferind o poveste captivantă despre pericol, puteri supranaturale și pasiune.

---

### **Povestea**

Acțiunea are loc pe Harmony, o planetă colonizată de oameni, dar abandonată de civilizația avansată care o populase anterior. Aici, supraviețuirea depinde de înțelegerea și controlul energiei psi, un tip de putere pe care unii oameni o pot folosi în moduri unice.

Protagonista, **Alice North**, este o femeie independentă cu un trecut misterios, care încearcă să își țină în frâu abilitățile psihice rare. Când devine ținta unui pericol necunoscut, ajutorul îi vine din partea lui **Drake Sebastian**, un bărbat enigmatic, puternic și extrem de atrăgător, descendent al unei familii influente. Împreună, cei doi trebuie să descopere adevărul despre o relicvă periculoasă – flacăra de cristal – și să navigheze în lumea periculoasă a conspirațiilor și trădărilor.

---

### **Tematici**

1. **Puterile paranormale și moștenirea trecutului**
– Autoarea explorează modul în care talentele psi influențează viețile oamenilor și dinamica socială a planetei Harmony.

2. **Romantism și tensiune emoțională**
– Relația dintre Alice și Drake se dezvoltă treptat, combinând atracția fizică cu nevoia reciprocă de încredere.

3. **Conspirații și mistere**
– Descoperirea secretelor civilizației dispărute și a relicvei periculoase menține suspansul pe tot parcursul poveștii.

4. **Lupta pentru supraviețuire**
– Pe Harmony, fiecare pas poate fi periculos, iar personajele trebuie să își folosească inteligența și abilitățile pentru a rămâne în viață.

---

### **Stilul de scriere**

Jayne Ann Krentz scrie într-un stil alert, cu dialoguri inteligente și scene de acțiune bine echilibrate. Elementele SF sunt integrate într-un mod accesibil, fără a deveni copleșitoare pentru cititorii care nu sunt obișnuiți cu acest gen. Romantismul este intens, dar nu copleșește partea de intrigă și mister.

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### **Personajele**

✔ **Alice North** – o eroină puternică, determinată să își controleze abilitățile și să își croiască propriul drum.
✔ **Drake Sebastian** – un erou carismatic, protector și cu un trecut complicat, dar loial și dedicat celor dragi.
✔ **Personajele secundare** – bine conturate și esențiale pentru dinamica poveștii, adăugând umor și suspans.

---

### **Puncte Forte**

✔ Lumea fascinantă a planetei Harmony, cu o combinație originală de SF și paranormal.
✔ Un echilibru reușit între mister, acțiune și romantism.
✔ O eroină independentă și un protagonist masculin puternic, dar nu copleșitor.
✔ O poveste captivantă, cu un ritm alert și răsturnări de situație bine plasate.

---

### **Puncte Slabe**

➖ Unele aspecte ale lumii SF ar fi putut fi mai dezvoltate pentru a oferi un context mai profund.
➖ Clișeele romantice sunt prezente, deși nu deranjează fanii genului.

---

### **Concluzie**

**„Flacăra de cristal”** este o combinație reușită de SF, paranormal și romance, perfectă pentru cititorii care adoră poveștile pline de mister, puteri supranaturale și relații intense. Dacă v-a plăcut primul volum din *Colonia pierdută*, cu siguranță acest roman nu vă va dezamăgi.

🔹 **Recomandat pentru:** fanii romanelor romantice cu elemente SF și celor care caută o lectură captivantă, cu personaje carismatice și o lume originală.

[Tim Covell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up without noticing the date (1986) or the fantasy setting. Both would have warned me about the content, though not enough to stop me reading it.

I used to read a lot of fantasy, but drifted away as I found too much fantasy was focused on the superficial elements. A pre-industrial society, magic, an ancient curse, and a chosen individual does not make a story fantasy. As Ursula K Leguin told us, in her essay “From Elfland to Poughkeepsie,” many writers don't understand that fantasy is not just a setting, but a highly symbolic form of story-telling. Krentz appears to understand that, but the yin-yang symbolism is heavy-handed at times, and from my modern perspective the setting's rigid social division into a male/female binary is uncomfortably heteronormative. I wanted to know more about the social misfits we meet. The world-building is good, helped by a more subtle approach in most cases, though there are exceptions like the awkward use of the term "eight-days" for the equivalent to our week.

The heroine was strong and relatively independent, especially considering the age of the book. She eventually accepts her role as wife, which in this society is more restrictive than ours, but she is relatively free, as wives go in this society. The setting is integral to the romance plot, a distinction often overlooked in fantasy.

The mix of romance, fantasy, and an action-adventure plot read well, though the resolution of the action-adventure plot is not completely satisfactory (and reminded me of the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone). I enjoyed the story, and wouldn't mind seeing what else happens in this setting, but although the book is part of a series, each in the series has a different setting. And this accidental foray into fantasy was not enough to make me risk further explorations in that genre.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new-to-me read of an older JAK series and Ridge did a few things that were maybe a bit problematic when it came to his attitude toward Kalena. To be fair, the divide between the male and female roles on the colony ARE one of the main issues between Kalena and Ridge, so his attitudes were addressed. It's just, you know, there was sometimes a little eww going on.

BUT...Ridge did address them. Sure, two people can't change an entire culture alone, so the larger gender disparities are still around, but Ridge and Kalena found something that worked and I'm good with that.

So. A colony world with high families, blood vendettas, legends that have more than a little truth to them, shadowy cults, and two people who have dreams for themselves that don't look like they quite align. Except they do. It just takes time for both Kalena and Ridge to realize that the things they want aren't worth anything if they don't have the other by their side.

Throw in a road trip of sorts, an all-female enclave that wouldn't mind folding Kalena in with them, and an epic battle between light and dark and there's a lot going on. Enjoyable overall despite my issues with the assigned gender roles.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Olga Godim]

DNF 70%
For some reason, this novel is booked as #2 in the same series as Sweet Starfire. I liked Sweet Starfire very much, but I didn’t like this one at all. In fact, I disliked it so much, I couldn’t even finish it.
First, I have to say: these two novels don’t belong in the same series. Everything is different: the world, the characters, the atmosphere. The only common thread between the two – they’re both romances with paranormal flavor.
The main difference lies in the attitude towards women. In Sweet Starfire , this attitude is close to what I consider right. The man and the woman are more or less equal. In Crystal Flame , on the other hand, the woman is depicted as a stupid chattel, and the man is arrogant beyond belief. “I know what’s best for you,” he keeps saying to the woman he fucks. “Your future is with me.” Eventually, she agrees with him, even though she dreamt of freedom before she met him. It disgusted me so much, I finally stopped reading.

[Don ツ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this during the pandemic. Bought it from eco shop at my hometown. I've always wanted to read Jayne Ann Krentz, but never had the time, hence when I found this copy, I was estatic. Don't mind the star. Nevertheless, I still enjoy this book at some part. Consider this 2020 & the date this book was written, I'm still new to this genre. Especially when the characters always mention the "Spectrum" = heaven, I think. Jargon to utopia world where, women -men inequality at large. Where men become traders & control the world. Women serve as wife, healer or taking low-born any traditional part. Not that much different from normal historical rom, only you get new roles, with mystical lore jumps you. Creet: as opposed to horse. Does that animal fly, I wonder. When you start reading, you'll never guess it's about The Light key & Dark key. I just thought that was new plot, for more kick and essences to the romance nothing. I'd like to talk more onto the side characters especially the aunt. But let's leave that on next time.😝

[Spinneretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kalena is the last remaining heir to a Great House, one who has been raised to believe that she has to assassinate the man responsible for the deaths of her father and brother.
Contracted in a trade marriage to Fire Whip Ridge, the two set off to find out why the trade routes have been disrupted. Along the way they learn a lot about each other, and discover that there might just be more danger than they were expecting…

Although called the second Lost Colony book, this one actually has no real link at all to Sweet Starfire. It’s not set in the same places at all, and seems to be only loosely related.
It’s not a bad thing though, since the book is a great adventure romance, with a little paranormal thrown in for pleasure!

Another older sci-fi romance, it’s an enjoyable read for those who like sci-fi romances, and a more retro theme.

[Kimm · Rating 3 out of 5]

1980s

It's hard to read this book now in the #MeToo moment. Not that he quite rapes her. It's just the 1980s schtick of "you are my wife, you will do what I want." And of course, the one night he forces her, she is overcome with lust and lets him have her. Mind you, different world and what-not, but I am glad romance books aren't written like this anymore. I know for a fact that Jayne doesn't write like this anymore.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story. This book has the smooth writing style, wonderful characters, and riveting plot that represent Krentz at her best. The story seems more complex than those more recently written by her but I think the same thing about the books that are set on Harmony. Needless to say, I like almost everything this author has written.

[Sue Gosland]

This book was fascinating. Building an entire social system and world, while capturing the romance in that world has to be Jayne Ann Krentz's biggest talent. There isn't a book she has written that is not enjoyable, tightly written and romantic. I love her books, and this one is no exception. I loved the way the story of Ridge and Kalena unfolded through the book. Classic JAK.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic world and love story

Jayne Ann Kenya creates stories that are so exceptional that I cannot stop reading and stay awake for hours. This story of Kalena and Ridge is a prime example. The world and path that she created for their HEA will keep you spell bound to find out each next twist and turn. This is story of light & dark and feminine & masculine.

[Louise A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ying and the Yang ☯️

Re-reading this story so many years later, I am still impressed with its cohesiveness. The plot resonates the theory of "for every action, there is a reaction."

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark and Light

Kalena and Ridge are the light\ice and dark\ fire of the spectrum.They are united as a trade marriage.She has secrets.He has honor.Together they begin a perilous journey.Great world building and strong characters.

[V.J. Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite book by Ms. Krentz.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man and his son are murdered and his sister raises his daughter to avenge their deaths.