Bridal Jitters

Ghost Hunters #0.5

by Jayne Castle

Virginia Burch, a psychic archeologist, can't believe her luck when she meets Sam Gage, a ghost hunter and owner of prime real estate in the Old Quarters of Cadence, above the Dead City. He offers her his space to live and start up her business. What follows is an even more intriguing proposal-to become his wife. Strictly for professional reasons, of course. Their marriage of convenience would lead to a very lucrative business partnership, Gage & Burch Consulting. Until something throws a wrench into the plan: the undeniable sensual energy that naturally exists between them-and a love so strong that it could wake the ghosts below.

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

112 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, 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.

Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.

Pseudonyms:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Amanda Quick
Stephanie James
Jayne Bentley
Jayne Taylor
Amanda Glass

Reviews

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read novella that introduces the reader to Jayne Castle's futuristic world of Harmony, a planet inhabited by descents of colonists from Earth, 200 years before when an energy field in space opened allowing travel between Earth and other planets. However, when the energy curtain closed down, humans were left stranded in Harmony and had to build a new society, which have given their descendants paranormal abilities.

Previous inhabitants of Harmony have left behind signs of their civilization. Abandoned cities, underground tunnels, catacombs composed of glowing green quart. So far, no one knows who built these cities, why and when they left the planet.

This story deals with Sam, a ghost hunter and Virginia, a tangler, who have created a business venture together and working on their first case.

We get a glimpse of the world that the author is building and this shows promise to becoming quite an interesting series.

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridal Jitters introduces a far-away world of Harmony. The human history of the place starts when colonists arrive to this new planet and the Curtain opens enabling them to travel. However, the Curtain closes at one point leaving all those people on Harmony.

The thing about the planet and Cadence City in particular is that it belonged to something else before. Those previous inhabitants left all kinds of unexplored places booby-trapped. Some of the characters in the series are para-archaeologists and some are, in layman terms, ghost hunters.
Bridal Jitters introduces the world but also features a para-archaeologist and a ghost-hunter who are really into each other. If only they'd talk about it.

Overall, an interesting premise and as an introduction Bridal Jitters does its job well. I don't know too much about this world, but this story makes it sound interesting enough to try the first book.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short story...not one of her best, but it had a dust bunny!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars.

[Cee · Rating 3 out of 5]

tbh, no idea how I really feel about this one. Interesting world and concept, but it raises a lot of questions. There are a lot of terms and things thrown in, but I'm hopeful its more explained in the first novel, so I think I'll give it a try. The thing is, this series is older meaning how romances play out and the dynamics might not be what I prefer these days, as the romance here felt pretty meh to me. Still, think I'll give the first in the series a try before discounting the whole thing.

[Lexie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally read this more then a decade ago when I was looking for more scifi-rom (having read through all of Linnea Sinclair's stuff). It introduced me to Harmony and boy am I forever grateful.

Objectively speaking this is heavy on exposition (which from what I remember the rules that govern Harmony are oft repeated in the books), built around a strong lack of communication and an off screen villain mastermind (and an on screen two bit thug). Nostalgia paints the fact I enjoyed this, though Virginia and Sam were interesting enough.

Bonus points for the mention of Mercer Wyatt being basically a gangster, you're not wrong Virginia.

I recommend this if you want a taste of the world - its more paranormal (despite the alien catacombs and alien ghosts and alien world) then scifi, but an enjoyable world to dip in and out of.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific novella set on the planet Harmony

This 1999 novella is where it all began for the fabulous, futuristic romance series set on the planet Harmony. I have read it multiple times over the years, most recently today, and I have enjoyed it every single time. Virginia and Sam are wonderful protagonists. Both of them displays integrity, compassion, generosity, and determination. They are clearly soulmates, and they work together extremely well as a team for their paranormal investigative business.

Though this novella is short, it is a terrifically well written romantic-suspense story in every way. There are sensual moments, action-adventure moments, and humorous moments in the form of witty repartee. Every loose plot thread is satisfyingly resolved, and there is a delightful, well earned HEA.

[Emma Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another short one like Scargill Cove, but it introduced the Harmony series that ties in with the others I’ve read. They’re all literally the same exact story line, and some are much better than others. I’m truly not sure how I feel about the books (outside of the Burning Cove series which I loved), but now that I’ve started her books I can’t stop 🥴

[Aarann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute short story, but probably not one I'd ever re-read. Virginia Burch has agreed to a Marriage of Convenience to Sam Gage, her landlord and now business partner. I'm not 100% sure I understood why they had to do an MoC instead of just merging their businesses (it had something to do with keeping a house, but I'm still not sure how that necessitated a marriage), but maybe I just misunderstood that. Virginia has been in love with Sam for... some amount of time (it seemed like they only knew each other a couple of months, but it's been a few days since I finished the story, so maybe I have already forgotten that part) and is re-thinking the MoC because she doesn't think she'll be able to let him go at the end of the arbitrary two years. It isn't long before the two of them are embroiled in a scheme involving a psychic waterfall, a runaway truck, and what I like to think of as Danger Pheromones.

This one was too short to really get a read on the characters, yet I'm not sure a longer story would have served it well. I wasn't bored, but this one was sort of a "meh" story for me. It's strange -- Jayne Ann Krentz writing as her own name is hit-and-miss for me (sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it but it rarely is in the middle). Her writing as Amanda Quick is heroin for me. Her Jayne Castle stuff is usually just sort of "meh". I do the same thing with J.D. Robb (love!) and Nora Roberts (meh). It's odd.

Anyway, if you like Castle's other stuff, you'll like this. As much as I tend to like psychic storylines, she's just not my thing, but I was in the mood for something a little different. Not sorry I read it, but I doubt I'll ever pick it up again. I'd recommend this for die-hard Jayne Castle fans or people who like futuristic stories about psychic societies.

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy reading the world of Harmony this won't be an exception. I've enjoyed these books and realized along the way I missed this one. This is a short story, set pretty early in the series. Virginia is a para-archeologist and Sam is a ghost hunter. They have decided to merge their businesses and enter into a marriage of convenience (MC) but Virginia is getting cold feet. She has feelings for Sam but he only seems interested in business and she isn't sure she made the right decision when she agreed to the marriage of convience. Sam has actually has feelings for Virginia but he thought his best shot at a relationship was starting with a MC. Their first business deal together as a partnership brings trouble and danger to the couple and now Virginia and Sam must work together to stay alive and survive in the tunnels of Dead City. Sam has to convince Virginia to stay with him not just in business but forever and keep her safe. This has all the trademark romance, humor and fun of the Harmony series and I really enjoyed it. A quick, light read.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short Harmony story! Very enjoyable!

2022 reread! Good ghost hunter story! I had forgotten parts of it!

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was the first Castle's story set on Harmony, a futuristic romance novella first published in 1999. I don't think the author's forte lies in short form - she is better at writing novels - but it wasn't bad.
The thing that struck me in this story was the emotional response of the heroine to the alien catacombs. In all the later novels, characters enjoy the thrill of the alien paranormal powers they experience underground. In this one though, the heroine is disturbed and excited in equal measures.
Other than that one difference from the rest of the series, it was a quick and easy read. Lots of sex. Nothing to remember about the plot or the characters in a day or two.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jayne Castle presents his new futuristic world called Harmony, where things are a little different, especially after dark.
Seems that something in the environment on Harmony is bringing out the latent psychic talents in people...but love is always the same.

======================================================

Jayne Castle presenta su nuevo mundo futurista llamado Harmony, donde las cosas son un poco diferentes, especialmente después del anochecer.
Parece que algo en el ambiente en Harmony está sacando a relucir los talentos psíquicos latentes en las personas...pero el amor es siempre lo mismo.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty sure I read this long ago. It is an ok intro to the world, but I think book 1 is better as we all know the big draw is dust bunnies and there isn't one in this book.

It does introduce the world and the characters are fine, but since it is such a short story, you don't get much depth.

Virginia and Sam have decided to go into business together and enter a marriage of convenience (2 year limit) and both are having second thoughts as they both want more but don't communicate. When they get in trouble on a work assignment the truth finally comes out.

[MissKitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a re-read. I had read this years ago. Its a very short novella but cute and satisfying. The Hero and heroine have crazy chemsitry from the start. Ita not as explicit as many modern books, but a hot read nevertheless.

I rated this highly since this novella started me on the path of Jayne Castle and her futuristic romance books. I’ve since enjoyed many of her other ones in this series.

Excited to rediscover them.

[Holly Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short story (82 pages) and is the beginning of the Ghost Hunter series. I have a great time reading this series there is a good mix of funny and serious. Jayne Castle doesn't disappoint if you like para with your normal...Sam Gage and Virginia Burch are the MC's in this story.

[Noi (in & out)]

Thought I'd get some background as this is a 0.5, not what happened...

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars:)

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable short story intro to the Ghost Hunters series.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read novella that introduces the reader to Jayne Castle's futuristic world of Harmony and the Dead City in Cadence. We get to see two types of paranormal talent that exist in this world - ghost-hunters and tanglers, and the type of work and challenges presented to them as they explore the tunnels and the catacombs of the Dead City. The story deals with the attraction between Sam, a ghost-hunter, and Virginia, a tangler, as they attempt to solve the first case in their business partnership. It was a good enough story that I would have liked to read a much longer version. Looking forward to other books in this series.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute book. Still had a bit of a mystery in it and an adorable romance. Definitely would have helped to have read this before I got into the Harmony and Rainshadow stuff... then again starting 4 books in wasn't smart either.

It's a great little romance, a quick read, set in Halloween (which is a whole week for them... lucky them) so I probably should have read that one then instead of around Christmas but it was a lovely change of pace. wouldw definitely read again.

[Amber Daulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the prequel novella to the Harmony series, Virginia and Sam have agreed to combine their businesses and enter into a temporary two-year Marriage of Convenience contract. It’s just a business arrangement for them, but Virginia is having second thoughts. Sam knows she’s ready to call it quits, and he’s desperate to convince her otherwise.
Though I really liked Sam and Virginia, they really needed to talk. A little communication would’ve solved their problems without all the confusion, nervousness, and hurt feelings.
When it comes to their jobs, I’m a little confused. As far as I could figure out, she can sense unnatural shadows and unravel the psi-energy from objects (she’s a tangler), and he can destroy dangerous psi-energy (he’s a ghost-hunter). Hopefully I’ll understand this better in the later books.
Life is a little different in the futuristic world of Harmony. A few centuries ago, humans traveled from Earth to the planet of Harmony through what’s known as the Curtain. It’s like a breach or a crack in space that connected the two worlds and allowed passage between them. After the Curtain unexpectedly closed, the trapped settlers on the new planet moved forward as best they could and created a new society. The best thing about Harmony is that all the human residents now have psychic gifts because of the underground green quartz that runs through the planet. Two hundred years have passed since the Curtain closed and things are pretty good for the new inhabitants of Harmony.
The story is well-written, fast-paced, and kept my attention. I look forward to reading more in the series.
4 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.

[Mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

RATINGS DEFINITION
5 Stars - I have a copy and read it over and over again. If the book is ever in tatters, I will repurchase
4 Stars - I love it and either have a copy or it's on my "to buy" list.
3 Stars - Interesting but I would read it from the library first before buying
2 Stars - Borrow it from the library
1 Star - Read it only if you are completely bored and have no other book to read.

Maybe it's because I've read her full-length Harmony series but this book was just bad. I wasn't invested in the characters or the story. I think I was expecting the timeline to be earlier than her other books considering it was a prequel to the Harmony series, but the setting was the same. On the other hand, if this was written before the other Harmony books, it was interesting to see the evolution to After Glow or Ghost Hunter.

There was such potential in this book. It just felt really rushed. It seemed like Virginia and Sam met, started a business together and got engaged in a matter of weeks. There was one part where they both doubted the other's abilites but still stayed cause they felt they had to support them. Which to me seems like they really don't know each other that well and Virginia even mentions she doesn't really know Sam. This made absolutely no sense to me because

1. why are you getting married to him if you don't know him
2. how can you be in love with him if you don't know him (she wants to break off the engagement because she's in love with him and she thinks he's marrying her to save the building).

Also, the huge misunderstanding could have been cleared if they just had a discussion with each other. So as you can see, there's a lot of holes in this book.

Please don't judge the other Harmony series by this. They are so much better. I suggest you try them instead.

[Chanel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to try out Jayne Castle's Harmony series because I picked up a couple books at a library sale and I recently saw it a list of sci-fi author picks of book to tv/movie adaptions. Bridal Jitters is a sort of novella that could be read at the beginning or later in the series. The concept of the world building was a little slow for me to comprehend. You have Sam and Virginia who are entering a partnership for an investigative start up business. He's a ghost-hunter and she's a psychic archaeologist. They are contracted out to visit an area full of psi and para energy to investigate what could be a nefarious plot. They are also trying to figure out the relationship between themselves because in this world you have marriages of convenience and marriages of the covenant. The former is a 2 year contract while the latter is forever.

Both Sam and Virginia are able to "de-rez" things that are full of negative psi energy I think. I'm still not exactly sure what Sam does besides channeling amber objects for power whereas Virginia is a tangler and is able to deactivate illusion traps. The story was good up until the main focus become solely based on Virginia and Sam and their conflicting feeling for one another that somehow ended up being instant love. Even the ending left me wondering why it was even added. It started out thought provoking and ended with a question mark.

For now I think I'll hold off on the rest of this series but I can only hope when I come back around that it grew some substance in the later books. I know it sounds like I hated it but I didn't. I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

[Smiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okayish novella, but nothing was explained. This world is clearly something very different than everyday normal life. I understand that they’re on a different planet, but other than that it’s just a whole load of confusion. Firstly throughout the entire story I was just thinking “wtf is UDEMs”. Do you know when I found out? Like 3 pages before the END! Yep the END! Ahh it’s soo frustrating. Why couldn’t the writer just be a little clearer. I swear this novella is supposed to be like an introductory to this series.. it just put me off a whole load because now I’m thinking that she’s going to just throw random terms in like the reader is just supposed to understand. If you’re creating a story with a different world, ESPECIALLY one that’s on a different planet, I expect some world building.

I do fully understand that this was a novella, so perhaps the first novel will be more detailed and explain things more clearly *she says in desperation and hope*. So despite my harsh review I will read book 1.

Finally, the main characters were sweet if not a little silly and pretty much insta-love but they didn’t tell each other that they liked one another... they were just planning on having a “contract marriage”.......... figures *rolls eyes*.
Having said that, it was a very quick easy read. Probably less than an hour, and was a good filler.

[A-reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

My reviews always contain spoilers, I write them so I can remember the story.

Virginia and Sam are business partners who are going to enter into a marriage of convenience (MC) to help their small business. Sam is a ghost hunter and Virginia is a psychic archeologist who is a tangler, she can de-rez illusion traps. Their first client needs them to deal with a waterfall of energy. A guild ghost hunter hired by the client says it can’t be done, but Sam and Virginia go to see the waterfall in the catacombs. While they are looking at the waterfall the guild hunter tries to kill them, to escape Sam grabs Virginia and jumps through the fall. It causes him to melt him amber and uses a lot of energy. Scared Virginia whispers I love you, and Sam hears. In the afterburner they end up having sex on what they eventually believe was an ancient alien sarcophagus. When Sam awakens from his afterburn, they try to have a discussion about their impending MC but are interrupted by bad guys who trigger some kind of ghost energy and are both taken down. Both Sam and Virginia are safe in their hiding place. They later discuss their marriage and Sam tells her he wants a covenant marriage, something permanent because he loves her too. Bad hunter shows up but Sam gets him with a ghost. They get married, more I love yous, and talk of making a family together.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Bridal Jitters after reading After Dark. It is doubtful I would have continued the series if I had read this first. There isn't any background or explanation to comprehend what is going on. I thought perhaps it was a prequel to After Dark and of course, it is, there just isn't an explainable tie-in.
I love the Amanda Quick paranormal historics and Jayne Ann Krentz contemporaries so I will try a few more of these and see if they don't begin to resonate.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another re-read for me and I'm kinda digging going back into the Ghost Hunters world. There's a little danger, a little steam, and some intriguing paranormal things happening both above and below ground.

This time around we have Virginia and Sam. They're entering into a marriage of convenience for business reasons, but they both have more than MC feelings for the other. Naturally, neither say anything until they're in a rough spot and the potential for death is present. Also, they, uhh, hash out some of their issues in an underground alien palace because ghost hunters don't like to be boring. (Which is actually something I like about them. Just so you know.)

Energy ghosts, illusion traps, bad guys willing to do bad things, and two people who need to spill their guts if they plan on being anything more than simple business partners. *thumbs up*

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

(inglés). (Explícito). El último libro que leí (wild cat de Christine Feehan) me dejó con un bloqueo de lector. Traté de comenzar a leer cuatro libros diferentes y de varios géneros pero simplemente no tenía ganas de nada, ni siquiera de releer algunas escenas de mis libros favoritos.
Al leer un poquito del primer capítulo de este libro, investigué su sinopsis y como vi que era una introducción (precuela) de Ghost Hunters y que sería breve, seguí leyendo. Después de la ligera confusión que tuve con esa fiesta de halloween, poco a poco empecé a entender el nuevo mundo. Me gustó, se ve muy prometedor, muy futurista.
Al final sí es un libro corto con final feliz pero ayuda mucho para entender las ramificaciones del planeta Harmony, creo, de la superficie y sus catacumbas.
Narrado en tercera persona y ofrece los puntos de vista de los protagonistas.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novel (115 pages) takes place on Harmony (but there are no dust bunnies!). Sam Gage is an independent hunter and Virginia Burh is a tangler. They meet when she rents office space and an apartment from him. They decide to form a partnership and combine their businesses. They also plan to enter into a marriage of convenience. Virginia has second thoughts since she's fallen in love with him and doesn't want a temporary marriage. He's fallen for her and is hoping to convince her to marry him for real during the course of their marriage of convenience. These plans are changed when they find themselves hunted in the underground and stumble onto a very different sort of ruin. Nice romance.