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Rainshadow #3
The Hot Zone
The world of Harmony has its wonders, one of them being Rainshadow Island. Just beneath its surface, a maze of catacombs hides a dangerous secret...…
Halloween—with its tricks and treats—is a dust bunny’s dream come true. Just ask Lyle, Sedona Snow’s faithful sidekick. But for Sedona, it’s a nightmare. Though her new job managing a small hotel and tavern on Rainshadow is helping her move on from her tragic past, a bizarre disaster down in the catacombs has brought a pack of rowdy ghost hunters to her inn.
And now, Sedona’s ex has arrived on the island, claiming he wants to get back together, just as a newcomer appears to have a strong interest in her. Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss in town. He has his own agenda when it comes to Sedona, but even the best-laid plans are no match for the passion that springs up on Rainshadow….
Halloween—with its tricks and treats—is a dust bunny’s dream come true. Just ask Lyle, Sedona Snow’s faithful sidekick. But for Sedona, it’s a nightmare. Though her new job managing a small hotel and tavern on Rainshadow is helping her move on from her tragic past, a bizarre disaster down in the catacombs has brought a pack of rowdy ghost hunters to her inn.
And now, Sedona’s ex has arrived on the island, claiming he wants to get back together, just as a newcomer appears to have a strong interest in her. Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss in town. He has his own agenda when it comes to Sedona, but even the best-laid plans are no match for the passion that springs up on Rainshadow….
338 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 26, 2014
557 people are currently reading
1582 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Castle
54 books2,159 followersThe 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 437 reviews
December 12, 2016
Hot Zone #3 in Rainshadow Series and #11 in Harmony Series takes us back to Rainshadow Island, where Halloween is happening right now.
Sedona Snow, the manager of the local town's small hotel and bar is trying to get her life together after the tragedies that she has had in her past life. She and her dustbunny, Lyle have been living a quiet life for a while, but things are going to change dramatically for her.
When a problem occurs in the catacombs, the ghost hunters arrive trying to sort out the problem. Danger and adventure..........
A nice, quick and enjoyable read and a fab addition to the series.
Sedona Snow, the manager of the local town's small hotel and bar is trying to get her life together after the tragedies that she has had in her past life. She and her dustbunny, Lyle have been living a quiet life for a while, but things are going to change dramatically for her.
When a problem occurs in the catacombs, the ghost hunters arrive trying to sort out the problem. Danger and adventure..........
Cyrus Jones the new Guild boss has a secret agenda regarding Sedona. Of course, Lyle has good reason not to trust this guy!!!!
The chemistry between Cyrus and Sedona is pretty hot!!!! Passion, romance....and HEA!!!!
A nice, quick and enjoyable read and a fab addition to the series.
May 26, 2017
Yeah, don't even bother trying to read this book unless you have finished all your pre-req's. It's impossible to understand what is going on unless you've done your reading.
Seriously, NASA? Who's the asshole who put this poor dog in space? Sure, it's adorable, but I'm still going to call PETA on you!
The absolute best thing about this series is the Dust Bunnies. Here is their description:
He looked like a large ball of fuzzy dryer lint studded with a pair of baby blue eyes. There were six paws and a couple of ears but they were nearly invisible in the fluff of his fur.
I would totally name my Dust Bunny Hoover.
Our Dust Bunny in this book is named Lyle. He is a total party animal and so adorable that I can't help but squeee constantly. It's probably annoying to my family. They aren't used to me getting all squicky and stuff.
"Crazy Lady? What have you done with our mother?"
Sedona is his new owner/pet/bff, and her love interest is named Cyrus. I'm not sure how I feel about their stupid names, but I liked the couple. Sedona works at a hotel and the bar was really hopping..
"Sounds like a real party going on in there."
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Sedona straightened, rounded the end of the counter, and started toward the tavern door. "And I'll bet I know who is wearing the lamp-shade."
That would be Lyle. The guys staying there have come up with several games, including
"Toss the Dust Bunny"
and Lyle is a willing participant-slash-ball. He LOVES being the life of the party.
Nothing brings out the creative juices to think up dangerous but hilarious games like inebriation.
Does this book have a giant mystery and a romance going on? Yes. But, I gotta say - the dust bunnies in these books steal the show.
I'm off to read the next one. Let the squeeeing commence.
Sorry, boys! I gotta do me.
Seriously, NASA? Who's the asshole who put this poor dog in space? Sure, it's adorable, but I'm still going to call PETA on you!
The absolute best thing about this series is the Dust Bunnies. Here is their description:
He looked like a large ball of fuzzy dryer lint studded with a pair of baby blue eyes. There were six paws and a couple of ears but they were nearly invisible in the fluff of his fur.
I would totally name my Dust Bunny Hoover.
Our Dust Bunny in this book is named Lyle. He is a total party animal and so adorable that I can't help but squeee constantly. It's probably annoying to my family. They aren't used to me getting all squicky and stuff.
"Crazy Lady? What have you done with our mother?"
Sedona is his new owner/pet/bff, and her love interest is named Cyrus. I'm not sure how I feel about their stupid names, but I liked the couple. Sedona works at a hotel and the bar was really hopping..
"Sounds like a real party going on in there."
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Sedona straightened, rounded the end of the counter, and started toward the tavern door. "And I'll bet I know who is wearing the lamp-shade."
That would be Lyle. The guys staying there have come up with several games, including
"Toss the Dust Bunny"
and Lyle is a willing participant-slash-ball. He LOVES being the life of the party.
Nothing brings out the creative juices to think up dangerous but hilarious games like inebriation.
Does this book have a giant mystery and a romance going on? Yes. But, I gotta say - the dust bunnies in these books steal the show.
I'm off to read the next one. Let the squeeeing commence.
Sorry, boys! I gotta do me.
August 5, 2014
Disclosure: Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) and I are friends.
More disclosure: We met about 10 years ago when I moved to the Pacific NW. She's been my favorite writer for much, much longer than that.
That said, the advantage to being Jayne's friend is that I whined enough she gave me an arc of THE HOT ZONE. Jayne calls the book, "Halloween on Rainshadow," and that's just right — Halloween is made for Rainshadow Island where the residents are eccentric, spooky new monsters are popping up out of the mysterious reserve, and our heroine has barely escaped (with the help of her clever dust bunny, Lyle) from a lab where she was being injected like a lab rat with a secret formula created long ago by a madman.
Sedona is alone in the world, an outcast in the Harmony civilization, and so she's understandably wary when her ex-husband shows up — the husband who never looked for her when she disappeared — and suddenly claims to want her. She's downright suspicious when Cyrus Jones arrives and shows an interest in her. The Jones boys are known for being tough and ruthless, and Cyrus claims the job as new Guild boss in town. That puts him in a unique position of power. He could help her, but Sedona is used to taking care of herself. The trouble is, they have this attraction between them…
Of all Jayne's books, I love the Jayne Castle futuristics the best, and THE HOT ZONE nails it for suspense, mystery, danger from both human predators and terrifying new beasts, and of course, there is JAK's trademark humor and banter. I love Lyle more than any dust bunny ever (even Elvis), and the Halloween celebration on Rainshadow was fun, if you discount the murders and madness.
Jayne Castle fans — THE HOT ZONE is a definite buy.
If you've never read Jayne Castle, it's a fun place to start.
More disclosure: We met about 10 years ago when I moved to the Pacific NW. She's been my favorite writer for much, much longer than that.
That said, the advantage to being Jayne's friend is that I whined enough she gave me an arc of THE HOT ZONE. Jayne calls the book, "Halloween on Rainshadow," and that's just right — Halloween is made for Rainshadow Island where the residents are eccentric, spooky new monsters are popping up out of the mysterious reserve, and our heroine has barely escaped (with the help of her clever dust bunny, Lyle) from a lab where she was being injected like a lab rat with a secret formula created long ago by a madman.
Sedona is alone in the world, an outcast in the Harmony civilization, and so she's understandably wary when her ex-husband shows up — the husband who never looked for her when she disappeared — and suddenly claims to want her. She's downright suspicious when Cyrus Jones arrives and shows an interest in her. The Jones boys are known for being tough and ruthless, and Cyrus claims the job as new Guild boss in town. That puts him in a unique position of power. He could help her, but Sedona is used to taking care of herself. The trouble is, they have this attraction between them…
Of all Jayne's books, I love the Jayne Castle futuristics the best, and THE HOT ZONE nails it for suspense, mystery, danger from both human predators and terrifying new beasts, and of course, there is JAK's trademark humor and banter. I love Lyle more than any dust bunny ever (even Elvis), and the Halloween celebration on Rainshadow was fun, if you discount the murders and madness.
Jayne Castle fans — THE HOT ZONE is a definite buy.
If you've never read Jayne Castle, it's a fun place to start.
February 8, 2017
The story begins with Lyle - the dust bunny rescuing our h- Sedona Snow. Her name is similar to a Marvel Superheros and she lives upto it. Sedona is a Gatekeeper, she can open and close the gates of The Underworld.
She was kidnapped during a mission, now she is held prisoner by a doctor who experiments on her.
After the Sweet Escape, Sedona moves to Rainshadow so she can live on her own terms.
“Suddenly I seem to be very popular. Like I said, it makes me nervous.”
Cyrus Jones is the Guild Boss for Rainshadow and he's a Jones!!! Anyone who has followed this author's books knows that the Jones are a source of mystery and excitement.
"Our history makes us a little more open-minded when it comes to dealing with unconventional talents, conspiracy theories, and secret labs where strange experiments are conducted."
The Formula is back and I was ecstatic at this point. The Formula can turn you into a psychic with multi talents but there's a catch. Side effects include addiction, followed by insanity and death. But what if someone was immune to these? This has never been explored before, my curiosity was piqued.
Cyrus was a complete Alpha, patient and protective. Sedona is suspicious of Guild Bosses due to her troubles and Cyrus has his work cut out for him. I loved seeing these two get closer.
“Don’t go there,” he said. “Please. You’ll ruin the glow.”
“What glow?” She frowned. “You mean, the paranormal glow?”
“No, the damned afterglow. I was enjoying it until you started analyzing the whole thing.”
Lyle was a dust bunny in sparkling armour and he was an adrenaline junkie.
“Looks like Lyle has become the Rainshadow Guild’s mascot.”
“Tell me about it. I can see the T-shirts now: By the Time You See the Teeth, It’s Too Late with a picture of Lyle. He’ll love that.”
If you need more reasons to give this a try - The Aliens reverse engineered dinosaurs.
Cyrus and Sedona were intriguing because they had opposite talents, manipulating ice and fire.
Sedona was an illegitimate child and her existence has been ignored by both families. I thought they were a narrow minded, self centred, vicious lot...
I liked Gwen in a minor role and hope we get a book about her soon.
She was kidnapped during a mission, now she is held prisoner by a doctor who experiments on her.
After the Sweet Escape, Sedona moves to Rainshadow so she can live on her own terms.
“Suddenly I seem to be very popular. Like I said, it makes me nervous.”
Cyrus Jones is the Guild Boss for Rainshadow and he's a Jones!!! Anyone who has followed this author's books knows that the Jones are a source of mystery and excitement.
"Our history makes us a little more open-minded when it comes to dealing with unconventional talents, conspiracy theories, and secret labs where strange experiments are conducted."
The Formula is back and I was ecstatic at this point. The Formula can turn you into a psychic with multi talents but there's a catch. Side effects include addiction, followed by insanity and death. But what if someone was immune to these? This has never been explored before, my curiosity was piqued.
Cyrus was a complete Alpha, patient and protective. Sedona is suspicious of Guild Bosses due to her troubles and Cyrus has his work cut out for him. I loved seeing these two get closer.
“Don’t go there,” he said. “Please. You’ll ruin the glow.”
“What glow?” She frowned. “You mean, the paranormal glow?”
“No, the damned afterglow. I was enjoying it until you started analyzing the whole thing.”
Lyle was a dust bunny in sparkling armour and he was an adrenaline junkie.
“Looks like Lyle has become the Rainshadow Guild’s mascot.”
“Tell me about it. I can see the T-shirts now: By the Time You See the Teeth, It’s Too Late with a picture of Lyle. He’ll love that.”
If you need more reasons to give this a try - The Aliens reverse engineered dinosaurs.
Cyrus and Sedona were intriguing because they had opposite talents, manipulating ice and fire.
Sedona was an illegitimate child and her existence has been ignored by both families. I thought they were a narrow minded, self centred, vicious lot...
I liked Gwen in a minor role and hope we get a book about her soon.
July 28, 2015
Much of a muchness with the others in the series. Castle does actually offer a certain amount of new invention, but it tends to be spread parsimoniously over several books instead of concentrated in one. Science fantasy, I guess, though hard to categorize. The supernatural does not exist, all phenomena having physical explanations, but the science is mostly pseudo, all psi and crystals and such. (Though not nearly as painful as "midichlorians".) The "woman menaced by evil psychologists claiming she is insane in order to get control of her mojo" plot is good enough, but wearing thin after a couple dozen repetitions.
Someone once remarked that the two classic ur-romance plots are "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast". To that I would add "My Bodyguard"; almost all of Castle/Krentz/Quick plots fall in this latter trope. Other observers and consumers of female idfic may be able to offer a few more patterns.
Glad we have added blue crystals to the acid green. I like blue better, and all that monotonous green was making me bilious. Also, no vegetarian pasta this trip, yay! For a while there, her heroines didn't seem to be cooking anything else. I actually do like vegetarian pasta, but not for every meal in every book.
To begin this series, start with After Dark, aka Ghost Hunters (no, not that kind) #1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Ta, L.
Someone once remarked that the two classic ur-romance plots are "Cinderella" and "Beauty and the Beast". To that I would add "My Bodyguard"; almost all of Castle/Krentz/Quick plots fall in this latter trope. Other observers and consumers of female idfic may be able to offer a few more patterns.
Glad we have added blue crystals to the acid green. I like blue better, and all that monotonous green was making me bilious. Also, no vegetarian pasta this trip, yay! For a while there, her heroines didn't seem to be cooking anything else. I actually do like vegetarian pasta, but not for every meal in every book.
To begin this series, start with After Dark, aka Ghost Hunters (no, not that kind) #1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Ta, L.
April 8, 2022
Jayne Castle, aka Jayne Ann Krentz, has done it again. I love her books under whatever name she writes, but I have a special place in my heart for the dust bunny books. In Hot Zone, the third of the Rainshadow Island series, we meet Lyle, the newest addition to the dust bunny cast.
Unlike some of the other dust bunnies, Lyle does not have a fetish for jewelry or antique clutches or dolls. Lyle likes to sort things, whether they are pieces of candy or pieces of amber. He arranges and rearranges them to his satisfaction. You have to love an OCD dust bunny.
Oh yes, the humans.
Sedona Snow is a descendent of Arizona Snow who you may know from JAK’s Eclipse Bay series. Hundreds of years later and light years away, we finally learn why Arizona was such a conspiracy theorist.
With that background, of course Sedona ends up with a Jones. Yes, one of those Jones . . . of the Arcane Society.
Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss for Rainshadow Island. Rainshadow has never needed the Guild before, but with newly discovered tunnels and monsters coming out of the Preserve, they are definitely needed now.
Of course, a Jones always has more than one motive. Cyrus is actually there looking for Sedona. Seems she has recently escaped from a mad scientist who kidnapped her and injected her with a secret Arcane formula. Yes, Arcane fans. It’s Sylvester Jones’ formula showing up once again and we all know how well that is going to turn out.
With all that going on, how could I not love the book?
You really don’t have to have read her contemporary or historical Arcane books to follow the plot, but it adds so much to the story if you have. I felt that I was meeting old friends throughout the book.
I highly recommend this addition to the Harmony/Rainshadow series. As always, the author delivers with an alpha male and a strong willed female and romance and humor abound.
Oh yes, and don’t forget the dust bunnies.
Unlike some of the other dust bunnies, Lyle does not have a fetish for jewelry or antique clutches or dolls. Lyle likes to sort things, whether they are pieces of candy or pieces of amber. He arranges and rearranges them to his satisfaction. You have to love an OCD dust bunny.
Oh yes, the humans.
Sedona Snow is a descendent of Arizona Snow who you may know from JAK’s Eclipse Bay series. Hundreds of years later and light years away, we finally learn why Arizona was such a conspiracy theorist.
With that background, of course Sedona ends up with a Jones. Yes, one of those Jones . . . of the Arcane Society.
Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss for Rainshadow Island. Rainshadow has never needed the Guild before, but with newly discovered tunnels and monsters coming out of the Preserve, they are definitely needed now.
Of course, a Jones always has more than one motive. Cyrus is actually there looking for Sedona. Seems she has recently escaped from a mad scientist who kidnapped her and injected her with a secret Arcane formula. Yes, Arcane fans. It’s Sylvester Jones’ formula showing up once again and we all know how well that is going to turn out.
With all that going on, how could I not love the book?
You really don’t have to have read her contemporary or historical Arcane books to follow the plot, but it adds so much to the story if you have. I felt that I was meeting old friends throughout the book.
I highly recommend this addition to the Harmony/Rainshadow series. As always, the author delivers with an alpha male and a strong willed female and romance and humor abound.
Oh yes, and don’t forget the dust bunnies.
August 23, 2014
I went into this book blindly, with no prior knowledge of this author, series, or the world she created. It’s not something I normally do, especially not this late in a series, but the synopsis was too alluring to pass up and I fervently hoped it could function as a standalone. As it turns out it can, or at least the main storyline can since it focuses on two previously unknown point of view characters.
It was a bit different with the world, since it’s very elaborate and well-built. It’s no wonder, considering the length of the series. I had a slightly harder time understanding the rules and the setting, but Castle made it transparent enough even for a newbie like me. Admittedly, it took me a while to realize that Harmony isn’t even on Earth, but none of it stopped me from enjoying the hell out of this story from start to finish.
Instant Jayne Castle fan, that’s me, and with good reason. I don’t much care for paranormal romance, but The Hot Zone doesn’t really read as one. For one, while the romance is strong and well-done, it’s not the only thing that matters and the moments of extreme closeness between Sedona and Cyrus (Ha! I’m the queen of euphemisms!) are few and far between. The main conflict is more than just a solid background for the romance – it’s actually pretty important and very engaging.
I quite liked both Sedona and Cyrus. They’re both strong in their own right, but they work extremely well together. They fell in love kind of quickly, but it was believable and it didn’t bother me one bit. Aside from them, Sedona’s sidekick – a dust bunny named Lyle – made this book so much more shiny and interesting. Just imagine an adorable little dust bunny with two pairs of eyes and a penchant for collecting gemstones. What’s not to love?
I will not only continue this series, but I’ll go back to read the books I’ve missed. Characters from previous installments were briefly present in The Hot Zone and I liked them enough to want to know their full stories. This series is long-running and there’s a reason for it. If you do decide to pick it up, let me know so we can compare notes.
It was a bit different with the world, since it’s very elaborate and well-built. It’s no wonder, considering the length of the series. I had a slightly harder time understanding the rules and the setting, but Castle made it transparent enough even for a newbie like me. Admittedly, it took me a while to realize that Harmony isn’t even on Earth, but none of it stopped me from enjoying the hell out of this story from start to finish.
Instant Jayne Castle fan, that’s me, and with good reason. I don’t much care for paranormal romance, but The Hot Zone doesn’t really read as one. For one, while the romance is strong and well-done, it’s not the only thing that matters and the moments of extreme closeness between Sedona and Cyrus (Ha! I’m the queen of euphemisms!) are few and far between. The main conflict is more than just a solid background for the romance – it’s actually pretty important and very engaging.
I quite liked both Sedona and Cyrus. They’re both strong in their own right, but they work extremely well together. They fell in love kind of quickly, but it was believable and it didn’t bother me one bit. Aside from them, Sedona’s sidekick – a dust bunny named Lyle – made this book so much more shiny and interesting. Just imagine an adorable little dust bunny with two pairs of eyes and a penchant for collecting gemstones. What’s not to love?
I will not only continue this series, but I’ll go back to read the books I’ve missed. Characters from previous installments were briefly present in The Hot Zone and I liked them enough to want to know their full stories. This series is long-running and there’s a reason for it. If you do decide to pick it up, let me know so we can compare notes.
July 5, 2016
Sooooo, is it just me or did I miss something? Sedona is the gazillions times great niece of Arizona from JAK's Eclipse Bay series and the J&J contemporaries on Earth - supposedly Arizona got experimented on by the US government and it changed her DNA so she is immune to the alchemical formula's effects. Which is a yea! for AZ Snow - but Arizona was a lesbian and never had any kids, so how did her genetics get into Sedona? DNA doesn't transmit by air you know.
Also, what is with JAK's continual forgiveness of really, really, really crappy family members simply because they happen to share some DNA?
In the world she has created, JAK goes out of her way to emphasize how important having a family is and yet both sides of Sedona's family abandon her completely for things that absolutely weren't her fault and moreover put her in deliberate danger and contribute to her abduction - These people should NEVER have been given another chance - indeed when Sedona does give them a shot at an acquaintance, she winds up kidnapped again and the H has to go help her out.
The family of the h was vile, and they should have been firmly booted out of the h's life - except of course they need her to teach the younger generation the proper handling of their para normal powers.
I am so, so, so sick of JAK having nematode slime parasites for family members and them getting away with literally murder sometimes to the detriment of the h or H
- these people were evil users and it is NOT healthy to have a h who has serious harm come to her because of these people just forgive and include them in her life forever more because they share a biological bond.
Really mature people recognize that such a relationship can have nothing beneficial for either side and let the contact lapse. JAK needs to do that with these folks - the kind of garbage she puts her H or h through because of biology is ridiculous - and it ruins a good story.
The dust bunnies rule for the win as always and the H and h themselves were likeable - JAK should have stopped at the dinosaurs and the evil doctor tho and left the family crap out, Sedona would have been more effective as an orphan anyways.
Overall not a bad story but the h family garbage irked me to no end. The h had no reason to want to associate with them and it degrades her character integrity to have her actually forge a relationship with them. She should have been embraced the H's family and who cares about the users who abandoned her.
Also, what is with JAK's continual forgiveness of really, really, really crappy family members simply because they happen to share some DNA?
In the world she has created, JAK goes out of her way to emphasize how important having a family is and yet both sides of Sedona's family abandon her completely for things that absolutely weren't her fault and moreover put her in deliberate danger and contribute to her abduction - These people should NEVER have been given another chance - indeed when Sedona does give them a shot at an acquaintance, she winds up kidnapped again and the H has to go help her out.
The family of the h was vile, and they should have been firmly booted out of the h's life - except of course they need her to teach the younger generation the proper handling of their para normal powers.
I am so, so, so sick of JAK having nematode slime parasites for family members and them getting away with literally murder sometimes to the detriment of the h or H
- these people were evil users and it is NOT healthy to have a h who has serious harm come to her because of these people just forgive and include them in her life forever more because they share a biological bond.
Really mature people recognize that such a relationship can have nothing beneficial for either side and let the contact lapse. JAK needs to do that with these folks - the kind of garbage she puts her H or h through because of biology is ridiculous - and it ruins a good story.
The dust bunnies rule for the win as always and the H and h themselves were likeable - JAK should have stopped at the dinosaurs and the evil doctor tho and left the family crap out, Sedona would have been more effective as an orphan anyways.
Overall not a bad story but the h family garbage irked me to no end. The h had no reason to want to associate with them and it degrades her character integrity to have her actually forge a relationship with them. She should have been embraced the H's family and who cares about the users who abandoned her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2015
This was another solid entry in the series. Indeed, it was somewhat better than the previous on practically every axis. Characters, plot, inventive new wrinkles in the underworld, and a couple if intriguing talent wrinkles should have made for a delightful read.
Should have. Unfortunately, Castle drags in a raft of references to another series and that put me off rather strongly. The Fallon Jones series got tiresome with endless go-rounds of the Sylvester formula with bad guys going insane trying to "perfect" it and good guys walking around all superior with their antidote and nobler-than-thou sermons about desire for power corrupting (funny how they were all powerful para-psychs even so). I stopped pursuing that series years ago because I just got weary of it; I hate to see it pop up here and spoil my Rainshadow sport.
Anyway, it was bad enough having the warmed-over sermonizing coming from Cyrus Jones, but even worse having Sedona being a descendent of Fallon's assistant Arizona Snow. Being from Arizona, myself, I did not miss that for some random reason the descendant was named after a city in Arizona state. I did not find that the charming wink-nod I feel Castle intended. Rather, it came across to me as an absurdity that constantly broke suspension of disbelief. Who names their child Sedona? And how would that name make its way through a space-portal and survive 200 years of subsequent isolation? There's enough tech/magic/psych hand-waving going on in the series that I kind of resented having such a transparently heavy authorial hand on the scales of this book. Ugh.
So while the story and characters would have made a solid four-star read, my personal reaction to the elements dragged from another series dropped it to three for me. The strength of the other elements kept me humming along without enough dissatisfaction to stop reading. But it was still a drag I never really got over.
A note about Steamy: Standard for the series with two explicit sex scenes. There wasn't as much flirting/kissing as some others, though...
Should have. Unfortunately, Castle drags in a raft of references to another series and that put me off rather strongly. The Fallon Jones series got tiresome with endless go-rounds of the Sylvester formula with bad guys going insane trying to "perfect" it and good guys walking around all superior with their antidote and nobler-than-thou sermons about desire for power corrupting (funny how they were all powerful para-psychs even so). I stopped pursuing that series years ago because I just got weary of it; I hate to see it pop up here and spoil my Rainshadow sport.
Anyway, it was bad enough having the warmed-over sermonizing coming from Cyrus Jones, but even worse having Sedona being a descendent of Fallon's assistant Arizona Snow. Being from Arizona, myself, I did not miss that for some random reason the descendant was named after a city in Arizona state. I did not find that the charming wink-nod I feel Castle intended. Rather, it came across to me as an absurdity that constantly broke suspension of disbelief. Who names their child Sedona? And how would that name make its way through a space-portal and survive 200 years of subsequent isolation? There's enough tech/magic/psych hand-waving going on in the series that I kind of resented having such a transparently heavy authorial hand on the scales of this book. Ugh.
So while the story and characters would have made a solid four-star read, my personal reaction to the elements dragged from another series dropped it to three for me. The strength of the other elements kept me humming along without enough dissatisfaction to stop reading. But it was still a drag I never really got over.
A note about Steamy: Standard for the series with two explicit sex scenes. There wasn't as much flirting/kissing as some others, though...
March 9, 2019
I’ve had some issues in the past with Rainshadow books being so cookie-cutter that they were boring, but I actually enjoyed this book. It had some issues that keep it from being great, but I wasn’t bored, which is more than I can say for some of JAK’s books.
All in all, it wasn’t half bad. I doubt I’ll read it again because the plot is just okay and the romance is pretty superficial but it passes the time easy enough. One thing that did strike me, though; between this book, Eclipse Bay and Promise Not To Tell, all of which I’ve read in the last two weeks, it’s struck me as odd that JAK keeps putting characters named Hannah in her books. What’s the deal with that? At first I thought maybe it was a tribute to someone she knows but, those Hannahs were a psycho killer, a prudish judgmental heroine, and a mentally unbalanced cult survivor respectively, so not exactly flattering images if she’s trying to pay tribute to someone. So was Hannah the name of JAK’s high school bully or something?
All in all, it wasn’t half bad. I doubt I’ll read it again because the plot is just okay and the romance is pretty superficial but it passes the time easy enough. One thing that did strike me, though; between this book, Eclipse Bay and Promise Not To Tell, all of which I’ve read in the last two weeks, it’s struck me as odd that JAK keeps putting characters named Hannah in her books. What’s the deal with that? At first I thought maybe it was a tribute to someone she knows but, those Hannahs were a psycho killer, a prudish judgmental heroine, and a mentally unbalanced cult survivor respectively, so not exactly flattering images if she’s trying to pay tribute to someone. So was Hannah the name of JAK’s high school bully or something?
August 27, 2014
Loved it and can't wait for the next book to come out!
August 25, 2014
Five reasons to grab a cup of joe and lose yourself in The Hot Zone:
1. It is Halloween on Rainshadow Island, and its newest resident Sedona Snow is in danger. She recently escaped from an underground laboratory thanks to the help of her new companion and faithful dust bunny, Lyle. Castle weaves a suspenseful tale complete with murder, mayhem and escalating danger that kept me on edge. Her villains will make you shiver and wish unhappy things to befall them!
2. Cyrus Jones. Meoow! Hunters are on the island to keep folks from traveling into the dangerous catacombs after reports of strange prehistoric monsters began circulating. Cyrus’s is the town’s new Guild boss but he is also here to investigate Sedona. The man has a commanding presence, and you will enjoy page time with him.
3. Lyle! Best dust bunny EVER. Unlike previous dust bunnies like the oh so adorable Elvis, Lyle does not collect shiny babbles or purses. Nope, he is a little OCD and likes to arrange and rearrange things. I am a huge fan of these cute little, dangerous creatures and dream of owning my own. I love how Castle weaves them into the story and mystery.
4. Cyrus and Sedona are both strong characters, and the banter between them and sexual tension was a delight. Could this be classified as insta-attraction/love? Probably. However, Castle made it feel genuine, and I fell completely. The heated scenes are tame, but that does not stop Castle from making the pages sizzle.
5. Paranormal Woo-Woo. Castle weaves in artifacts, secret formulas, evil dudes and aliens to make for one heck of a paranormal experience. I loved the Wonderland cave they discovered, the monsters and the side effects. She has a vivid imagination and has created an unbelievable landscape in Harmony and Rainshadow Island. From tuned amber to dust bunnies, it is a world I want to visit repeatedly.
Copy received from author full review can be found at Caffeinated.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
1. It is Halloween on Rainshadow Island, and its newest resident Sedona Snow is in danger. She recently escaped from an underground laboratory thanks to the help of her new companion and faithful dust bunny, Lyle. Castle weaves a suspenseful tale complete with murder, mayhem and escalating danger that kept me on edge. Her villains will make you shiver and wish unhappy things to befall them!
2. Cyrus Jones. Meoow! Hunters are on the island to keep folks from traveling into the dangerous catacombs after reports of strange prehistoric monsters began circulating. Cyrus’s is the town’s new Guild boss but he is also here to investigate Sedona. The man has a commanding presence, and you will enjoy page time with him.
3. Lyle! Best dust bunny EVER. Unlike previous dust bunnies like the oh so adorable Elvis, Lyle does not collect shiny babbles or purses. Nope, he is a little OCD and likes to arrange and rearrange things. I am a huge fan of these cute little, dangerous creatures and dream of owning my own. I love how Castle weaves them into the story and mystery.
4. Cyrus and Sedona are both strong characters, and the banter between them and sexual tension was a delight. Could this be classified as insta-attraction/love? Probably. However, Castle made it feel genuine, and I fell completely. The heated scenes are tame, but that does not stop Castle from making the pages sizzle.
5. Paranormal Woo-Woo. Castle weaves in artifacts, secret formulas, evil dudes and aliens to make for one heck of a paranormal experience. I loved the Wonderland cave they discovered, the monsters and the side effects. She has a vivid imagination and has created an unbelievable landscape in Harmony and Rainshadow Island. From tuned amber to dust bunnies, it is a world I want to visit repeatedly.
Copy received from author full review can be found at Caffeinated.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
June 12, 2018
This is book 11 in the Harmony series and book 3 (or 4 depending on how you are counting) in the Rainshadow series. This is obviously not a stand-alone novel, at all. You could maybe get away with reading just the Rainshadow novels, but really, the whole Harmony series is a lot of fun and dust bunnies are completely awesome! What casual readers may or may not know, is that Jayne Castle is also Jayne Ann Krentz is also Amanda Quick. Jayne Castle is her futuristic (with paranormal) pen name under which she is writing the Harmony/Rainshadow series. Jayne Ann Krentz is her contemporary (some of which is also paranormal) pen name under which she has or currently is writing the following series: Eclipse Bay, Arcane, and Dark Legacy. And Amanda Quick is her historical (some of which is also paranormal) pen name under which she writes The Ladies of Lantern Street and Arcane. And there are some trilogies that fit into the larger series that span through time and are written under each pen name, like Looking Glass Trilogy and Dreamlight Trilogy. Confused yet? Well you don't have to be. Most of the time you don't actually have to cross genres and pen names to enjoy the stories, there doesn't seem to be too much the casual reader needs to enjoy most of the books. However, if you do follow or read all of them there are fun connections between events and characters that just make everything so much more fun.
So, back to The Hot Zone. Harmony is a futuristic world where 200 years in their past, a curtain opened between that world and earth. Colonists started coming over and everything was fine until the curtain suddenly closed stranding them away from earth and her technology. Conditions on Harmony were a bit different from earth, so long story short, people started developing psychic talents and the means to control them and they also started bonding with dust bunnies. They also discover that aliens previously lived on this planet, and though they are gone, they left tunnels and artifacts behind. (This may sound like Castle's St. Helen's Trilogy, but it isn't. I consider those books to be kind of like proto-Harmony books, but they aren't connected though some of the themes and world building a very similar). This particular book features Sedona Snow (which if you have read the Eclipse Bay series ought to ring all sorts of bells), her faithful dust bunny Lyle, and Cyrus Jones (yes, one of those Jones's). Cyrus has been brought on to Rainshadow Island as the Guild Boss for the newly established Rainshadow Guild. Shenanigans are had, mysteries are solved, dust bunnies have a superb time, and two people who think they may just be all wrong for each other turn out to be exactly right.
So, yes, these books are formulaic in the extreme. But somehow, they almost always turn out to be more than the sum of their parts. The characters have different talents, different struggles and (sometimes) different personalities. Plus, there are dust bunnies and I just can't emphasize enough how they are really just as enjoyable as the romance. I find myself picking this series up and re-reading on a somewhat regular basis. They are fun, and they are fun the second or even third time you read them. And that is without all the tiny little linkings to all those other series. Digging in to the linkings just increases the fun factor, for me, exponentially.
Cross-posted http://erinsburnsbookshelf.blogspot.c...
So, back to The Hot Zone. Harmony is a futuristic world where 200 years in their past, a curtain opened between that world and earth. Colonists started coming over and everything was fine until the curtain suddenly closed stranding them away from earth and her technology. Conditions on Harmony were a bit different from earth, so long story short, people started developing psychic talents and the means to control them and they also started bonding with dust bunnies. They also discover that aliens previously lived on this planet, and though they are gone, they left tunnels and artifacts behind. (This may sound like Castle's St. Helen's Trilogy, but it isn't. I consider those books to be kind of like proto-Harmony books, but they aren't connected though some of the themes and world building a very similar). This particular book features Sedona Snow (which if you have read the Eclipse Bay series ought to ring all sorts of bells), her faithful dust bunny Lyle, and Cyrus Jones (yes, one of those Jones's). Cyrus has been brought on to Rainshadow Island as the Guild Boss for the newly established Rainshadow Guild. Shenanigans are had, mysteries are solved, dust bunnies have a superb time, and two people who think they may just be all wrong for each other turn out to be exactly right.
So, yes, these books are formulaic in the extreme. But somehow, they almost always turn out to be more than the sum of their parts. The characters have different talents, different struggles and (sometimes) different personalities. Plus, there are dust bunnies and I just can't emphasize enough how they are really just as enjoyable as the romance. I find myself picking this series up and re-reading on a somewhat regular basis. They are fun, and they are fun the second or even third time you read them. And that is without all the tiny little linkings to all those other series. Digging in to the linkings just increases the fun factor, for me, exponentially.
Cross-posted http://erinsburnsbookshelf.blogspot.c...
January 9, 2016
Taking a change from the suspense field I read The Hot Zone. This is not my normal genre preference and although I liked it, I didn't love it. There were numerous times in the book where I skipped over some world building as it felt overly detailed and boring - maybe if it had been presented differently I would have been intrigued versus bored.
Overall the plot was good, but it seemed to lose momentum at points and even felt a little disjointed. It wasn't as good the 4th book in the series. (Yeah - I found myself reading out of order.)
Overall the plot was good, but it seemed to lose momentum at points and even felt a little disjointed. It wasn't as good the 4th book in the series. (Yeah - I found myself reading out of order.)
August 24, 2014
This joint review was originally published at The Book Pushers
Marlene: I want my own dust bunny! They seem like the most awesome pets ever. A predatory tribble with a taste for candy and danger. They just sound absolutely adorable, and like a kitten on speed.
E: I look at my two furballs, remember how I had to clean up shredded candy wrappers in the past, and I think I have my own set of dust bunnies only mine just have 2 eyes each. *grin* actually I have enjoyed the dust bunnies since they showed up on screen. Their ability to get into mischief, their protective nature, and how they have an entire society/life of their own.
Marlene: I picked this book up because I just love the entire series. There, I’ve confessed.
Castle’s Harmony series is a kind of futuristic paranormal romance, where colonists from Earth who possessed too much paranormal talent set up their own planet, which eventually got cut off from the mother planet (meaning us). The neat thing about Harmony is that the planet has it’s own background of alien psi, so all the latent powers in the human population stopped being latent.
Rainshadow Island is a host of “really weird” effects on a planet where the baseline is always slightly weird. The more that the human colonists discover about the aliens who inhabited Harmony before them, the stranger things get.
There’s also a thread of plot/subplot that stretches all the way back to Earth, and some links to family history that goes way, way back. If you haven’t read any of the Arcane Society books, there are multiple places to start. The Arcane Society begins in the Victorian era (stories written as Amanda Quick), continues through our contemporary era (written as Jayne Ann Krentz) and proceeds to the future on Harmony.
E: Umm so I picked this book up because they are on my auto-buy list along with everything by Quick and Krentz. So I really can’t judge my co-reviewer for loving this series. What I have enjoyed the most I think about this world is how humans seem to continue evolving and finding ways to deal with the secrets protected by Harmony’s uncharted underground. You don’t have to be familiar with the Arcane Society to enjoy this story because Castle provides a quick overview of them and their connection to this futuristic setting.
Marlene: The heroine of The Hot Zone is the prime mover of much of the action. The story starts out with Sedona Snow rescuing herself from kidnapping and experimentation in a secret lab with the help of Lyle, a friendly dust bunny who attaches himself (itself?) to Sedona.
After discovering that she has acquired a dangerous second talent of firestarting in addition to her strong gatekeeper talent, Sedona finally reaches civilization only to discover that she has been missing for nearly a month, and that her temporary husband has dissolved their “Marriage of Convenience” without bothering to search for her.
Because multi-talents are generally unstable, Sedona lets her quite reasonable fear of either being institutionalized or simply re-kidnapped take her to Rainshadow Island, a small community that’s just chock-full of folks who are a little bit weirder than average.
She finds a place where she belongs, and settles in. Life is just starting to calm down when the Ghost Hunters’ Guild sends a new Guild Boss who wants to employ her, and both her ex-husband and her estranged family start pestering her to reconnect.
And someone tries to kidnap her again. And again.
Throughout all the escalating tension, Sedona takes care of herself. She’s not fooled by her ex or her family who suddenly want back into her life. She may not know why they’re back, but she knows that it isn’t for her good. She takes care of herself.
She’s wary enough of relationships to think that the hot new Guild Boss, Cyrus Jones, may be interested in her more for what she can do talentwise than for herself. It takes her a quite reasonable while to trust him, even though he is relatively trustworthy (at least for a Guild Boss).
E: Sedona was a very fascinating character. She had an immense amount of willpower and a stubborn refusal to let anyone get the better of her. Growing up she was taught that she was unwanted since she was the living reminder of her dead parents’ indiscretion. Neither side of her family was willing to do anything beyond the legal minimum so she learned to only depend on herself. Her sense of independence was given a booster shot when she was betrayed by the Guild and her recent Marriage of Convenience husband decided to think of her as out of sight equaled out of mind.
I loved seeing her get some of her own back during her initial escape from her kidnappers. Her actions said quite plainly she had decided to become a force and run her own life in a place she felt safe. I was even more excited watching her deal with her ex, her family, and Cyrus on her own terms.
Marlene: Cyrus is, on the one hand, a very alpha example of a paranormal romance hero. However, he is smart enough to know that what works in keeping the Guild in line is not what will work with Sedona. And he has plenty of relationship issues of his own; his talent makes him just about unmatchable for the Arcane Society matchmakers. Only Sedona has the strength and the right kind of talents to deal with his ability.
There is some very old history between the Jones family and the Snow family. Cyrus alludes to enough of the history for his initial connection to Sedona to make sense, but the full story is in In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz.
E: Cyrus was also fun. As Marlene stated, Cyrus was an alpha but he wasn’t the overbearing type. He was more subtle and seemed to know from the beginning he needed to convince Sedona, not just run roughshod over her. I loved how he was prepared to hire her and completely turned her impression of what the more secretive sect of the Guild was capable of besides making people disappear, permanently.
Yet for all of his patience and gentleness with Sedona, Cyrus wasn’t a pushover. He was perfectly capable of protecting what he considered his and commanding the respect of the Guild Hunter masses. I also enjoyed the unusual aspects of his talent and the variety of applications he has discovered.
Marlene: One of the things that is so much fun about the Harmony series is the setting. Harmony is just a cool place, and by 11 books in we know enough about the general history for the author to be able to get into some specifics.
The extra-weird weirdness of Rainshadow Island is one of those specifics. As much ambient psi as there is on the planet as a whole, Rainshadow has its completely unique elements. The aliens left behind some scientific experiments, and they seem to still be running, often with disastrous results. A factor which adds oodles of suspense.
And we have one of the more original uses of the “mad scientist trope” that threads in and out of the entire Arcane series. One of the original Jones was literally a mad scientist who invented a secret formula for increasing psi powers. Every so often, that formula gets stolen or recreated, and the hunt for his secrets is on again.
E: Oh I really enjoy how Castle has expanded this world. Things are changing on the mainland and I am sure more discoveries exist but when she started focusing on this island it was like an entirely new ecosystem came to life. The concentrated energy, the isolation, crystal acting as an amplifier, and the change in color from standard luminous green to an unusual blue was just another sign of the unknowns waiting in Harmony.
As Marlene mentioned the combination of mad scientists, potentially cross species mad scientists’ results colliding was certainly enough to keep me wondering what will they uncover next on Rainshadow Island. Not only does this island have a very strange admosphere but it also attracts those who don’t quite seem to fit in elsewhere. The combination of inhabitants who make Rainshadow Island their home also provides a lot of enjoyment.
Marlene: I love this series, and can’t wait to dive into each new installment as it comes out, no matter which of the three eras it’s in. The Hot Zone was a fast trip back to Harmony with lots of suspense, tons of romantic tension between Cyrus and Sedona, AND a dust bunny who saves the day.
I give The Hot Zone an A.
E: This was certainly another fun installment in Castle’s world of Harmony. She provided a very determined heroine who knew how to handle her business and deal with the unknown. Partnered her up with a silent but deadly man, who was strong enough to support and not feel the need to take over while handling his part. And the dust bunny who lives life to the fullest. Castle continues to stay on my auto-buy list because I know I can always sink into her stories, expect to laugh, worry, let my imagination run wild, and emerge with a happy sigh at the end.
I give The Hot Zone an A-
Marlene: I want my own dust bunny! They seem like the most awesome pets ever. A predatory tribble with a taste for candy and danger. They just sound absolutely adorable, and like a kitten on speed.
E: I look at my two furballs, remember how I had to clean up shredded candy wrappers in the past, and I think I have my own set of dust bunnies only mine just have 2 eyes each. *grin* actually I have enjoyed the dust bunnies since they showed up on screen. Their ability to get into mischief, their protective nature, and how they have an entire society/life of their own.
Marlene: I picked this book up because I just love the entire series. There, I’ve confessed.
Castle’s Harmony series is a kind of futuristic paranormal romance, where colonists from Earth who possessed too much paranormal talent set up their own planet, which eventually got cut off from the mother planet (meaning us). The neat thing about Harmony is that the planet has it’s own background of alien psi, so all the latent powers in the human population stopped being latent.
Rainshadow Island is a host of “really weird” effects on a planet where the baseline is always slightly weird. The more that the human colonists discover about the aliens who inhabited Harmony before them, the stranger things get.
There’s also a thread of plot/subplot that stretches all the way back to Earth, and some links to family history that goes way, way back. If you haven’t read any of the Arcane Society books, there are multiple places to start. The Arcane Society begins in the Victorian era (stories written as Amanda Quick), continues through our contemporary era (written as Jayne Ann Krentz) and proceeds to the future on Harmony.
E: Umm so I picked this book up because they are on my auto-buy list along with everything by Quick and Krentz. So I really can’t judge my co-reviewer for loving this series. What I have enjoyed the most I think about this world is how humans seem to continue evolving and finding ways to deal with the secrets protected by Harmony’s uncharted underground. You don’t have to be familiar with the Arcane Society to enjoy this story because Castle provides a quick overview of them and their connection to this futuristic setting.
Marlene: The heroine of The Hot Zone is the prime mover of much of the action. The story starts out with Sedona Snow rescuing herself from kidnapping and experimentation in a secret lab with the help of Lyle, a friendly dust bunny who attaches himself (itself?) to Sedona.
After discovering that she has acquired a dangerous second talent of firestarting in addition to her strong gatekeeper talent, Sedona finally reaches civilization only to discover that she has been missing for nearly a month, and that her temporary husband has dissolved their “Marriage of Convenience” without bothering to search for her.
Because multi-talents are generally unstable, Sedona lets her quite reasonable fear of either being institutionalized or simply re-kidnapped take her to Rainshadow Island, a small community that’s just chock-full of folks who are a little bit weirder than average.
She finds a place where she belongs, and settles in. Life is just starting to calm down when the Ghost Hunters’ Guild sends a new Guild Boss who wants to employ her, and both her ex-husband and her estranged family start pestering her to reconnect.
And someone tries to kidnap her again. And again.
Throughout all the escalating tension, Sedona takes care of herself. She’s not fooled by her ex or her family who suddenly want back into her life. She may not know why they’re back, but she knows that it isn’t for her good. She takes care of herself.
She’s wary enough of relationships to think that the hot new Guild Boss, Cyrus Jones, may be interested in her more for what she can do talentwise than for herself. It takes her a quite reasonable while to trust him, even though he is relatively trustworthy (at least for a Guild Boss).
E: Sedona was a very fascinating character. She had an immense amount of willpower and a stubborn refusal to let anyone get the better of her. Growing up she was taught that she was unwanted since she was the living reminder of her dead parents’ indiscretion. Neither side of her family was willing to do anything beyond the legal minimum so she learned to only depend on herself. Her sense of independence was given a booster shot when she was betrayed by the Guild and her recent Marriage of Convenience husband decided to think of her as out of sight equaled out of mind.
I loved seeing her get some of her own back during her initial escape from her kidnappers. Her actions said quite plainly she had decided to become a force and run her own life in a place she felt safe. I was even more excited watching her deal with her ex, her family, and Cyrus on her own terms.
Marlene: Cyrus is, on the one hand, a very alpha example of a paranormal romance hero. However, he is smart enough to know that what works in keeping the Guild in line is not what will work with Sedona. And he has plenty of relationship issues of his own; his talent makes him just about unmatchable for the Arcane Society matchmakers. Only Sedona has the strength and the right kind of talents to deal with his ability.
There is some very old history between the Jones family and the Snow family. Cyrus alludes to enough of the history for his initial connection to Sedona to make sense, but the full story is in In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz.
E: Cyrus was also fun. As Marlene stated, Cyrus was an alpha but he wasn’t the overbearing type. He was more subtle and seemed to know from the beginning he needed to convince Sedona, not just run roughshod over her. I loved how he was prepared to hire her and completely turned her impression of what the more secretive sect of the Guild was capable of besides making people disappear, permanently.
Yet for all of his patience and gentleness with Sedona, Cyrus wasn’t a pushover. He was perfectly capable of protecting what he considered his and commanding the respect of the Guild Hunter masses. I also enjoyed the unusual aspects of his talent and the variety of applications he has discovered.
Marlene: One of the things that is so much fun about the Harmony series is the setting. Harmony is just a cool place, and by 11 books in we know enough about the general history for the author to be able to get into some specifics.
The extra-weird weirdness of Rainshadow Island is one of those specifics. As much ambient psi as there is on the planet as a whole, Rainshadow has its completely unique elements. The aliens left behind some scientific experiments, and they seem to still be running, often with disastrous results. A factor which adds oodles of suspense.
And we have one of the more original uses of the “mad scientist trope” that threads in and out of the entire Arcane series. One of the original Jones was literally a mad scientist who invented a secret formula for increasing psi powers. Every so often, that formula gets stolen or recreated, and the hunt for his secrets is on again.
E: Oh I really enjoy how Castle has expanded this world. Things are changing on the mainland and I am sure more discoveries exist but when she started focusing on this island it was like an entirely new ecosystem came to life. The concentrated energy, the isolation, crystal acting as an amplifier, and the change in color from standard luminous green to an unusual blue was just another sign of the unknowns waiting in Harmony.
As Marlene mentioned the combination of mad scientists, potentially cross species mad scientists’ results colliding was certainly enough to keep me wondering what will they uncover next on Rainshadow Island. Not only does this island have a very strange admosphere but it also attracts those who don’t quite seem to fit in elsewhere. The combination of inhabitants who make Rainshadow Island their home also provides a lot of enjoyment.
Marlene: I love this series, and can’t wait to dive into each new installment as it comes out, no matter which of the three eras it’s in. The Hot Zone was a fast trip back to Harmony with lots of suspense, tons of romantic tension between Cyrus and Sedona, AND a dust bunny who saves the day.
I give The Hot Zone an A.
E: This was certainly another fun installment in Castle’s world of Harmony. She provided a very determined heroine who knew how to handle her business and deal with the unknown. Partnered her up with a silent but deadly man, who was strong enough to support and not feel the need to take over while handling his part. And the dust bunny who lives life to the fullest. Castle continues to stay on my auto-buy list because I know I can always sink into her stories, expect to laugh, worry, let my imagination run wild, and emerge with a happy sigh at the end.
I give The Hot Zone an A-
January 15, 2015
Halloween on Rainshadow Island with Lyle the dust-bunny, and friends. What's a dust bunny? Check it out: http://ncag.blogspot.com/2013/07/dust... ...and... http://www.themousehole.org/dustbunny...
But it's not all fun and games. Murderers and monsters are climbing out of the crypts, for this is Harmony, an alien planet colonized by humans centuries ago. The planet sizzles with great quantities of psi energy, leading to energy storms, energy ghosts, psychic monsters, etc. Here on Harmony, humans develop varied paranormal psychic talents, which they learn to control with amber crystals.
When it comes to things that go bump in the night, Rainshadow Island seems to have it the worst (or best?). It may be at the nexus of the planetary psi energy source. But who'd ever expect (hah!)
This book is just like all the others — with the exception of the Halloween theme and the cute kids in costume — but I got no real complaints (the wind chimes were lame, though). You know what you're getting with this author, and I spent the money knowing I was buying a formula (not the psychic enhancement formula integral to this book, and to the entire Rainshadow series, and to the Arcane series).
Main characters are Cyrus Jones, Sedona Snow, and a heroic dust-bunny named Lyle. Also, several scenes include couples from the prequels, Harry and Rachel, Slade and Charlotte — and their dust-bunnies, of course (see The Lost Night and Canyons of Night).
Cyrus Jones is the new guild boss of Rainshadow Island. He's always been alone and lonely because nobody can handle his high-psi cooler talent. Nicknamed Dead Zone Jones, he's a descendant of Sylvester Jones in the Arcane series of HRs set on Earth (see Second Sight, The Third Circle, The Perfect Poison, etc.).
Sedona Snow is a cast-out bastard daughter, a descendant of Arizona Snow in the Arcane novels set on contemporary Earth (see Eclipse Bay, In Too Deep, Running Hot, etc.).
Much like Cyrus, Sedona's always had to hide her high-psi gatekeeper talent. She's been able to trust herself to no one. Happily, they found each other amidst the ancient ruins, and they can handle each other's energy just fine (sound familiar?)
***************
Below, copied from the GR series page, is some background on the Arcane Series. Sylvester Jones' secret formula (a drug that enhances psychic abilities) has been central to this series, crossing worlds and centuries.
"The Arcane Society was founded in the late 1600s by a brilliant, reclusive, paranoid alchemist named Sylvester Jones. Jones possessed some unusual paranormal talents and he devoted his life to secret research in the field. He conducted his experiments and recorded the results in a fortress-like laboratory that eventually became his tomb.
The laboratory-tomb of Sylvester the Alchemist was finally discovered and excavated in the Late Victorian era by two of his descendents, Gabriel and Caleb Jones. The alchemist’s most dangerous secret was a formula that Sylvester believed could enhance a person’s psychic abilities and make the user extremely powerful. The stuff worked but, as Gabriel Jones learns in SECOND SIGHT, it produces some terrifying side effects.
Over the years the Arcane Society has gone to great lengths to conceal the secret of Sylvester’s formula but it haunts the Society and the Jones family to this day.
The Society has other dark mysteries as well, among them an eerie collection of museums that house strange artifacts and relics linked to the arcane and the paranormal. There is also a research facility where studies and experiments involving psychic phenomena are carried out."
But it's not all fun and games. Murderers and monsters are climbing out of the crypts, for this is Harmony, an alien planet colonized by humans centuries ago. The planet sizzles with great quantities of psi energy, leading to energy storms, energy ghosts, psychic monsters, etc. Here on Harmony, humans develop varied paranormal psychic talents, which they learn to control with amber crystals.
When it comes to things that go bump in the night, Rainshadow Island seems to have it the worst (or best?). It may be at the nexus of the planetary psi energy source. But who'd ever expect (hah!)
Sedona was having a tough time staying awake. Cyrus knew that she was barely hanging on but she was fighting the deep sleep she needed so desperately. “You’re afraid to go under, aren’t you?” he asked.
“Well, yes. We’re in an unknown place with unknown energy and unknown predators.”
“Listen to me, Sedona. You’ll be fine,” he said. “Lyle and I will watch over you. Go to sleep.”
She searched his face for a long moment..."
This book is just like all the others — with the exception of the Halloween theme and the cute kids in costume — but I got no real complaints (the wind chimes were lame, though). You know what you're getting with this author, and I spent the money knowing I was buying a formula (not the psychic enhancement formula integral to this book, and to the entire Rainshadow series, and to the Arcane series).
Main characters are Cyrus Jones, Sedona Snow, and a heroic dust-bunny named Lyle. Also, several scenes include couples from the prequels, Harry and Rachel, Slade and Charlotte — and their dust-bunnies, of course (see The Lost Night and Canyons of Night).
Cyrus Jones is the new guild boss of Rainshadow Island. He's always been alone and lonely because nobody can handle his high-psi cooler talent. Nicknamed Dead Zone Jones, he's a descendant of Sylvester Jones in the Arcane series of HRs set on Earth (see Second Sight, The Third Circle, The Perfect Poison, etc.).
Sedona Snow is a cast-out bastard daughter, a descendant of Arizona Snow in the Arcane novels set on contemporary Earth (see Eclipse Bay, In Too Deep, Running Hot, etc.).
Much like Cyrus, Sedona's always had to hide her high-psi gatekeeper talent. She's been able to trust herself to no one. Happily, they found each other amidst the ancient ruins, and they can handle each other's energy just fine (sound familiar?)
***************
Below, copied from the GR series page, is some background on the Arcane Series. Sylvester Jones' secret formula (a drug that enhances psychic abilities) has been central to this series, crossing worlds and centuries.
"The Arcane Society was founded in the late 1600s by a brilliant, reclusive, paranoid alchemist named Sylvester Jones. Jones possessed some unusual paranormal talents and he devoted his life to secret research in the field. He conducted his experiments and recorded the results in a fortress-like laboratory that eventually became his tomb.
The laboratory-tomb of Sylvester the Alchemist was finally discovered and excavated in the Late Victorian era by two of his descendents, Gabriel and Caleb Jones. The alchemist’s most dangerous secret was a formula that Sylvester believed could enhance a person’s psychic abilities and make the user extremely powerful. The stuff worked but, as Gabriel Jones learns in SECOND SIGHT, it produces some terrifying side effects.
Over the years the Arcane Society has gone to great lengths to conceal the secret of Sylvester’s formula but it haunts the Society and the Jones family to this day.
The Society has other dark mysteries as well, among them an eerie collection of museums that house strange artifacts and relics linked to the arcane and the paranormal. There is also a research facility where studies and experiments involving psychic phenomena are carried out."
January 2, 2021
This series has no real romance in it, but instalust and instalove instead (which in my book isn't really "love" but a cheap way out). Usually it doesn't bother me that much as the stories support themselves well and at the end of the book you almost believe those feelings :)
Unfortunately here there was instant trust too, and that was way unbelievable for the plot this book had. She has been betrayed by every one in her life since childhood, she's been kidnapped and drugged/tortured. Every one believes her mad and unstable. What we should not see here is any trust so easily given. Twice she's confronted with the fact he's lying and has a hidden agenda regarding her. She discovers the truth after they have sex. She has no reaction to it. Basically this ruined the experience for me as there was no solid foundation for the plot.
I can more easily believe in paranormal activities than I can imagine such stupidity (above all when her character is this stupid just with the hero, on the author sayso).
I don't need angst or chips on someone's shoulder, but lack of credibility in a character is a big nit for me. I understand not everyone reacts the way I do, and I think it's an author's job to make me identify with a character that is not me :)
(I'm thinking The Silence of Medair)
Mind you, they're always a pleasure to read. But easily read, easily digested. Empty calories :)
Unfortunately here there was instant trust too, and that was way unbelievable for the plot this book had. She has been betrayed by every one in her life since childhood, she's been kidnapped and drugged/tortured. Every one believes her mad and unstable. What we should not see here is any trust so easily given. Twice she's confronted with the fact he's lying and has a hidden agenda regarding her. She discovers the truth after they have sex. She has no reaction to it. Basically this ruined the experience for me as there was no solid foundation for the plot.
I can more easily believe in paranormal activities than I can imagine such stupidity (above all when her character is this stupid just with the hero, on the author sayso).
I don't need angst or chips on someone's shoulder, but lack of credibility in a character is a big nit for me. I understand not everyone reacts the way I do, and I think it's an author's job to make me identify with a character that is not me :)
(I'm thinking The Silence of Medair)
Mind you, they're always a pleasure to read. But easily read, easily digested. Empty calories :)
August 3, 2014
4.5 Cocktails
It’s fitting that a dust bunny named Lyle saves Sedona and starts this book off, since dust bunnies are one of my all-time favorite things about this series. They are these cute fluffy creatures full of character and mischief, but they also have a saying about them, “by the time you see teeth, it’s too late”, they may be cute and fluffy but they can be sleek and deadly too.
Rainshadow is a unique island in a world full of wild and crazy happening and where all humans have extraordinary abilities. I really enjoy Sedona Snow, she’s spunky and capable of saving herself, but having Cyrus Jones around doesn’t hurt, especially since he doesn’t leave anyone behind. They’re wildly attracted to each other, and find themselves compatible in every way.
This was a great addition to the Harmony series, and probably one of my favorite from the Rainshadow spinoff. I loved the new things that were revealed and I can only hope to journey back into this world in the future, I love the unique and fun characters and want my very own dust bunny.
I highly recommend this for fans of the series, and I think even new readers could enjoy this tale from Ms. Castle.
Reviewed by Sheri for Cocktails and Books
It’s fitting that a dust bunny named Lyle saves Sedona and starts this book off, since dust bunnies are one of my all-time favorite things about this series. They are these cute fluffy creatures full of character and mischief, but they also have a saying about them, “by the time you see teeth, it’s too late”, they may be cute and fluffy but they can be sleek and deadly too.
Rainshadow is a unique island in a world full of wild and crazy happening and where all humans have extraordinary abilities. I really enjoy Sedona Snow, she’s spunky and capable of saving herself, but having Cyrus Jones around doesn’t hurt, especially since he doesn’t leave anyone behind. They’re wildly attracted to each other, and find themselves compatible in every way.
This was a great addition to the Harmony series, and probably one of my favorite from the Rainshadow spinoff. I loved the new things that were revealed and I can only hope to journey back into this world in the future, I love the unique and fun characters and want my very own dust bunny.
I highly recommend this for fans of the series, and I think even new readers could enjoy this tale from Ms. Castle.
Reviewed by Sheri for Cocktails and Books
September 17, 2017
I am just chortling to my self as I write this. Maybe I will chortle as I breathe and sleep. No I will take a break and not chortle as I write this. If you hadn't guessed at least one word was used way to much. The story was enjoyable and I may read some more of them I just have to brace myself to chortling.
February 25, 2022
The Hot Zone
3 Stars
Following a daring escape from a strange laboratory, Sedona Snow seeks solace on Rainshadow Island where she fits in with all the other "weird" residents. Unfortunately for Sedona, now that the infamous Preserve is revealing its secrets, the island has also become a hotbed of Ghost Hunter activity, and there is a new Guild Boss in town, Cyrus Jones. When someone sets a trap for Sedona, she and Cyrus work together to discover the truth about what happened to her in the lab.
Series note: Although this is book #3 in the Rainshadow series, it is also book #11 in the Ghost Hunters series, and it is closely related to the Arcane Society books as Cyrus is a member of the Jones family. Moreover, Sedona is related (albeit across the centuries) to Arizona Snow from the Eclipse Bay books. While reading all of these works is unnecessary, the little Easter eggs are fun to find for long-time fans of Krentz/Castle/Quick's writing.
As with most of the Ghost Hunter/Rainshadow books, this is a light and enjoyable read overall. Sedona is an appealing character, and I particularly appreciate the fact that she is not a damsel in distress in need of rescue, but rather saves herself on more than one occasion. Cyrus is a typical Arcane hero. Quietly suffering due to the strangeness and strength of his psychic abilities, he is ecstatic to find a woman who loves and accepts him for who he is.
While Cyrus and Sedona's relationship is relatively angst-free, their chemistry is not as intense as Drake and Alice in the previous book, and Sedona overcomes her trust issues far too easily given the circumstances. Nevertheless, they are a sweet couple and their romance is believable.
All in all, this is a solid addition to the series. The next Rainshadow book focuses on a member of the Coppersmith family introduced in the Dark Legacy spin-off from Arcane. So I will be reading Copper Beach and Dream Eyes first.
3 Stars
Following a daring escape from a strange laboratory, Sedona Snow seeks solace on Rainshadow Island where she fits in with all the other "weird" residents. Unfortunately for Sedona, now that the infamous Preserve is revealing its secrets, the island has also become a hotbed of Ghost Hunter activity, and there is a new Guild Boss in town, Cyrus Jones. When someone sets a trap for Sedona, she and Cyrus work together to discover the truth about what happened to her in the lab.
Series note: Although this is book #3 in the Rainshadow series, it is also book #11 in the Ghost Hunters series, and it is closely related to the Arcane Society books as Cyrus is a member of the Jones family. Moreover, Sedona is related (albeit across the centuries) to Arizona Snow from the Eclipse Bay books. While reading all of these works is unnecessary, the little Easter eggs are fun to find for long-time fans of Krentz/Castle/Quick's writing.
As with most of the Ghost Hunter/Rainshadow books, this is a light and enjoyable read overall. Sedona is an appealing character, and I particularly appreciate the fact that she is not a damsel in distress in need of rescue, but rather saves herself on more than one occasion. Cyrus is a typical Arcane hero. Quietly suffering due to the strangeness and strength of his psychic abilities, he is ecstatic to find a woman who loves and accepts him for who he is.
While Cyrus and Sedona's relationship is relatively angst-free, their chemistry is not as intense as Drake and Alice in the previous book, and Sedona overcomes her trust issues far too easily given the circumstances. Nevertheless, they are a sweet couple and their romance is believable.
All in all, this is a solid addition to the series. The next Rainshadow book focuses on a member of the Coppersmith family introduced in the Dark Legacy spin-off from Arcane. So I will be reading Copper Beach and Dream Eyes first.
March 2, 2024
Apparently there a ton of Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz books I haven't read, and this was one of them. I listened to this in audio and dealt better with Barbara Rosenblatt as narrator in this book than I had in the last I read.
This is the third in the Rainshadow books, or the 11th in the Ghost Hunter series. I haven't read either of the earlier Rainshadow books, and plan to rectify that soon. As I typically do in any version of JAK, I liked both the heroine (Sedona) and the hero (Cyrus, a guild boss). Sedona is interesting in that as the story begins, she's been trapped in a drugged, dream-like state as an evil doctor is experimenting with her talent. Sedona manages to escape, heads back home to her Marriage of Convenience husband, only to discover he's now hooked up with someone else and had divorced her while she was in captivity.
I definitely liked the world of Rainshadow Island with its mysterious dead aliens, and plan on exploring it more soon
This is the third in the Rainshadow books, or the 11th in the Ghost Hunter series. I haven't read either of the earlier Rainshadow books, and plan to rectify that soon. As I typically do in any version of JAK, I liked both the heroine (Sedona) and the hero (Cyrus, a guild boss). Sedona is interesting in that as the story begins, she's been trapped in a drugged, dream-like state as an evil doctor is experimenting with her talent. Sedona manages to escape, heads back home to her Marriage of Convenience husband, only to discover he's now hooked up with someone else and had divorced her while she was in captivity.
I definitely liked the world of Rainshadow Island with its mysterious dead aliens, and plan on exploring it more soon
August 28, 2014
Funny and Suspense Filled Halloween on Rainshadow
In THE HOT ZONE it is Halloween on Rainshadow Island. The latest installment of Castle's paranormal futuristic Rainshadow series is about the creatures that go bump in the night. At times funny and suspenseful, this is the story of a woman who fears having been the victim of an experiment and a man who has come to see if she is a danger.
THE STORY: Sedona Snow is a gatekeeper which means that she has a talent which allows her to open gates in the underground on Harmony. While on an expedition, she is kidnapped and subjected to experiments whereby she obtains an additional talent which allows her to produce and control fire. She knows that double talents are notorious for being unstable and descending into madness. She fears for herself and ends up on the island of misfits (Rainshadow) managing an inn.
Cyrus Jones (yes, one of those Jones from Krentz's Arcane series and also in the Harmony series book MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL) is the first boss of the newly organized Rainshadow Ghost Hunters Guild. Cyrus is known as Dead Zone Jones and some people believe he has that name because he has no talent. Cyrus actually possesses a dangerous talent that people instinctively fear. Ostensibly, Cyrus in on Rainshadow to help with the dangerous preserve areas located in the previous books in the series. He is also on Rainshadow looking for Sedona who the Jones are concerned may be a dangerous multi-talent. He doesn't expect to find a sexy woman to whom he is instantly attracted.
As Halloween comes to Rainshadow, there are dangerous alien creatures, creepy new landscapes and funny costumes (especially for dust bunnies). There is also dangers that bring a man and a woman who don't think that they can ever find love together.
OPINION: This is one of my favorite Rainshadow books. Sedona is very complex and spunky. She is incredibly strong and I love how Cyrus supports her and trusts in her competence and abilities. This allows Sedona to believe in herself as well. I am also a great fan of Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane series and am happy that she has once again decided to continue the storyline from that series. I love the Jones family and am happy to read more about the Arcane's struggle with the infamous formula created by their ancestor.
I love the romantic suspense that Krentz/Castle/Quick creates in her different time periods and I especially like it when, as here, she focuses on the romance and the suspense only support and gives structure to the romance. I've complained before when her books tip too far towards suspense. Here, she has a great balance where the characters...not the plot...is the focus.
WORTH MENTIONING: Dust bunny Lyle is a cutie and a great addition to the dust bunny family. It was also nice seeing the dust bunnies of the previous books. I was also happy to have a short cameo by Marlowe and Adam from MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL.
FINAL DEICISION: I recommend this book especially to fans of Castle's Harmony and Rainshadow series. The quirky, funny, suspenseful tone is well done and it is an easy read where the characters are engaging and likeable.
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HOT ZONE is the third Rainshadow book and the eleventh Harmony series book. It is also connected with the Arcane series as well. This book might be hard for a new reader to adopt. I would recommend reading at least the first Rainshadow book before this one.
STAR RATING: I give this book a 4.5. I really love the characters and the story is engaging. I will definitely re-read.
In THE HOT ZONE it is Halloween on Rainshadow Island. The latest installment of Castle's paranormal futuristic Rainshadow series is about the creatures that go bump in the night. At times funny and suspenseful, this is the story of a woman who fears having been the victim of an experiment and a man who has come to see if she is a danger.
THE STORY: Sedona Snow is a gatekeeper which means that she has a talent which allows her to open gates in the underground on Harmony. While on an expedition, she is kidnapped and subjected to experiments whereby she obtains an additional talent which allows her to produce and control fire. She knows that double talents are notorious for being unstable and descending into madness. She fears for herself and ends up on the island of misfits (Rainshadow) managing an inn.
Cyrus Jones (yes, one of those Jones from Krentz's Arcane series and also in the Harmony series book MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL) is the first boss of the newly organized Rainshadow Ghost Hunters Guild. Cyrus is known as Dead Zone Jones and some people believe he has that name because he has no talent. Cyrus actually possesses a dangerous talent that people instinctively fear. Ostensibly, Cyrus in on Rainshadow to help with the dangerous preserve areas located in the previous books in the series. He is also on Rainshadow looking for Sedona who the Jones are concerned may be a dangerous multi-talent. He doesn't expect to find a sexy woman to whom he is instantly attracted.
As Halloween comes to Rainshadow, there are dangerous alien creatures, creepy new landscapes and funny costumes (especially for dust bunnies). There is also dangers that bring a man and a woman who don't think that they can ever find love together.
OPINION: This is one of my favorite Rainshadow books. Sedona is very complex and spunky. She is incredibly strong and I love how Cyrus supports her and trusts in her competence and abilities. This allows Sedona to believe in herself as well. I am also a great fan of Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane series and am happy that she has once again decided to continue the storyline from that series. I love the Jones family and am happy to read more about the Arcane's struggle with the infamous formula created by their ancestor.
I love the romantic suspense that Krentz/Castle/Quick creates in her different time periods and I especially like it when, as here, she focuses on the romance and the suspense only support and gives structure to the romance. I've complained before when her books tip too far towards suspense. Here, she has a great balance where the characters...not the plot...is the focus.
WORTH MENTIONING: Dust bunny Lyle is a cutie and a great addition to the dust bunny family. It was also nice seeing the dust bunnies of the previous books. I was also happy to have a short cameo by Marlowe and Adam from MIDNIGHT CRYSTAL.
FINAL DEICISION: I recommend this book especially to fans of Castle's Harmony and Rainshadow series. The quirky, funny, suspenseful tone is well done and it is an easy read where the characters are engaging and likeable.
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE HOT ZONE is the third Rainshadow book and the eleventh Harmony series book. It is also connected with the Arcane series as well. This book might be hard for a new reader to adopt. I would recommend reading at least the first Rainshadow book before this one.
STAR RATING: I give this book a 4.5. I really love the characters and the story is engaging. I will definitely re-read.
January 8, 2015
A "Meh" 2.5 stars.
I honestly don't know why I keep picking up the Jayne Castle stuff done by Jayne Ann Krentz. I don't know if I've ever really liked one of them, even in a guilty pleasure way. Even though they're all the same author, the only one of her personas I like these days is Amanda Quick (I'm the same way with Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb -- I can take or leave a NR -- usually leave -- but I will read the crap out of her Eve Dallas books) and some of her old JAK stuff.
With that out of the way I'll say that this book was... meh. Sedona Snow (and seriously, how awesome is that name?) was taken and experimented on at the beginning of the book, an experiment that left her with additional psychic powers and probable looming insanity. After escaping she returned to find that her boss had very probably betrayed her and her Marriage of Convenience Husband (basically a fancy term for a live-in boyfriend) had moved on with a new woman within days of her disappearance without any effort to find her.
Months later finds Sedona at Rainshadow, where she's approached by Cyrus Jones (yes, of those Joneses that you've probably run into at some point if you've read any of this author's other books under any of her pseudonyms), who came to the island to run the new Guild (one of the many imprecisely defined terms in JC's books that you're just supposed to figure out along the way). Before long the two of them are romantically involved and running from dinosaurs in a maze and Sedona's escaping from kidnappers and zzzzzzzzzzzz....
Seriously, I just typed that sentence and it makes the book sound sooooo much more interesting than it was. We have mad scientist experiments! And dinosaurs! And a mysterious Jones man with a secret agenda (although really, are there any other kind of Jones men?)! And being lost in an underground maze! And the ex-MC-husband coming into the picture! All of this should have been crazy-awesome exciting and just... wasn't. Seriously. Yawn. There was absolutely no tension here. Cyrus and Sedona like each other... so they get together. There's an attempted kidnapping, but no real tension there. The ex-husband returns... and beyond the first few seconds, there's no lovely melodrama. The closest we get to that is when Sedona's relatives, who shunned her the second she turned eighteen, want to bring her back into the fold and even that ended up being sort of anti-climactic.
This is a problem I have with most of the JC books I've read. It's usually interesting while I'm reading it, but once I put it down, I always have to fight myself to pick it back up again. One of these days I'm just going to stop reading this author entirely, which makes me sad because I feel like I really should like her. Despite the vaguely-defined terms, the world-building in the JC series is actually pretty interesting, but when it comes to the actual stories, I never really have fun reading them.
I honestly don't know why I keep picking up the Jayne Castle stuff done by Jayne Ann Krentz. I don't know if I've ever really liked one of them, even in a guilty pleasure way. Even though they're all the same author, the only one of her personas I like these days is Amanda Quick (I'm the same way with Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb -- I can take or leave a NR -- usually leave -- but I will read the crap out of her Eve Dallas books) and some of her old JAK stuff.
With that out of the way I'll say that this book was... meh. Sedona Snow (and seriously, how awesome is that name?) was taken and experimented on at the beginning of the book, an experiment that left her with additional psychic powers and probable looming insanity. After escaping she returned to find that her boss had very probably betrayed her and her Marriage of Convenience Husband (basically a fancy term for a live-in boyfriend) had moved on with a new woman within days of her disappearance without any effort to find her.
Months later finds Sedona at Rainshadow, where she's approached by Cyrus Jones (yes, of those Joneses that you've probably run into at some point if you've read any of this author's other books under any of her pseudonyms), who came to the island to run the new Guild (one of the many imprecisely defined terms in JC's books that you're just supposed to figure out along the way). Before long the two of them are romantically involved and running from dinosaurs in a maze and Sedona's escaping from kidnappers and zzzzzzzzzzzz....
Seriously, I just typed that sentence and it makes the book sound sooooo much more interesting than it was. We have mad scientist experiments! And dinosaurs! And a mysterious Jones man with a secret agenda (although really, are there any other kind of Jones men?)! And being lost in an underground maze! And the ex-MC-husband coming into the picture! All of this should have been crazy-awesome exciting and just... wasn't. Seriously. Yawn. There was absolutely no tension here. Cyrus and Sedona like each other... so they get together. There's an attempted kidnapping, but no real tension there. The ex-husband returns... and beyond the first few seconds, there's no lovely melodrama. The closest we get to that is when Sedona's relatives, who shunned her the second she turned eighteen, want to bring her back into the fold and even that ended up being sort of anti-climactic.
This is a problem I have with most of the JC books I've read. It's usually interesting while I'm reading it, but once I put it down, I always have to fight myself to pick it back up again. One of these days I'm just going to stop reading this author entirely, which makes me sad because I feel like I really should like her. Despite the vaguely-defined terms, the world-building in the JC series is actually pretty interesting, but when it comes to the actual stories, I never really have fun reading them.
August 14, 2014
4.5 stars
“The Hot Zone” by Jayne Castle is another imaginative and thought-provoking tale that explores the capability of the human mind with the complications inherent when artificial enhancements are explored without proper safeguards. Sedona Snow is the very talented Class 5 paranormal gatekeeper who runs afoul of those who are looking for a shortcut to enhancing their powers. Her encounters with the newly appointed Rainshadow Guild boss, Cyrus (Dead Zone) Jones, is just as life-changing as her adoption by the enigmatic dust bunny she names Lyle, she just has to decide whether she is willing to accept the new responsibilities each confers upon her, in his (or its) own way. Rainshadow has always been a place of secrets and Sedona may discover that some are far more deadly than others, but the two newcomers in her life will do their best to make sure that the secrets don’t prove fatal to the intriguing woman who has inestimable value to each of them.
Dust bunnies rule! (and apparently like Halloween candy) This is another great addition to a fun series that is part of the ongoing saga that covers the past, present and future progression of humans with psychic powers. I alternate between my preferences for the various incarnations of this author’s titles but I have to admit that I have a distinct bias toward the various dust bunnies and the idea of the alien influence left behind on the planet of Harmony. I found this particular story to be more disconcerting as the contrast between MC (marriages of convenience) and CM (covenant marriages) is highlighted, but, as always, the repartee between the determined heroine and the self-deprecating hero is a wonderful facet of a creative story. The monsters that are roaming are a creepy element and the question of the alien influence on this planet adds a twist to the evolution of the humans who have found a way to survive and thrive on Harmony. I adore these stories because they combine romance, science fiction and human ingenuity in a delightful story AND they continue to gradually reveal more about the charismatic creatures who can go from cuddly chortling companion to a being that has created the reputation, “Once you see the teeth, it’s too late!”
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
“The Hot Zone” by Jayne Castle is another imaginative and thought-provoking tale that explores the capability of the human mind with the complications inherent when artificial enhancements are explored without proper safeguards. Sedona Snow is the very talented Class 5 paranormal gatekeeper who runs afoul of those who are looking for a shortcut to enhancing their powers. Her encounters with the newly appointed Rainshadow Guild boss, Cyrus (Dead Zone) Jones, is just as life-changing as her adoption by the enigmatic dust bunny she names Lyle, she just has to decide whether she is willing to accept the new responsibilities each confers upon her, in his (or its) own way. Rainshadow has always been a place of secrets and Sedona may discover that some are far more deadly than others, but the two newcomers in her life will do their best to make sure that the secrets don’t prove fatal to the intriguing woman who has inestimable value to each of them.
Dust bunnies rule! (and apparently like Halloween candy) This is another great addition to a fun series that is part of the ongoing saga that covers the past, present and future progression of humans with psychic powers. I alternate between my preferences for the various incarnations of this author’s titles but I have to admit that I have a distinct bias toward the various dust bunnies and the idea of the alien influence left behind on the planet of Harmony. I found this particular story to be more disconcerting as the contrast between MC (marriages of convenience) and CM (covenant marriages) is highlighted, but, as always, the repartee between the determined heroine and the self-deprecating hero is a wonderful facet of a creative story. The monsters that are roaming are a creepy element and the question of the alien influence on this planet adds a twist to the evolution of the humans who have found a way to survive and thrive on Harmony. I adore these stories because they combine romance, science fiction and human ingenuity in a delightful story AND they continue to gradually reveal more about the charismatic creatures who can go from cuddly chortling companion to a being that has created the reputation, “Once you see the teeth, it’s too late!”
© Night Owl Reviews
I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review.
September 24, 2014
I haven’t enjoyed this author’s new novels in recent years, but this one, her latest, reminded me why she was on the bestsellers’ lists for decades. A surprisingly charming novel, it belongs to the genre of futuristic romance – a romantic story set in some ‘not-quite’ here and now but very close.
The action unfolds on another planet, which humans colonized a couple centuries ago. Everyone on this planet has developed some psychic powers, and the author comes up with different variations of such powers for every new novel in the series.
The society remains quasi-American, but the technology is reduced. The planet is studded by mysterious Alien ruins, above and below ground, and nothing hi-tech works in those ruins. And of course, the action must take place in those very ruins too. Very convenient for a writer who wants her plot set in a modern society but without modern gadgets. Let’s be done with computers and cell phones and drop modern Americans into a place where only knives work. And dust bunnies.
Those who follow this writer’s futuristic series know about the dust bunnies. Those who are new to her – I won’t spoil your pleasure at discovering dust bunnies for yourself. I will only say that they are pets, intelligent and funny, and they choose their masters/mistresses.
Aside from a dust bunny or two, the story is a classic romance. A young woman Sedona is on the run from her tragic past and dangerous secrets. Her pet and companion, dust bunny Lyle, is always there for her, providing a daring rescue, when needed, and a comic relief, when convenient. Sedona ends up on a small island, where she is accepted into the community of misfits. But her past is catching up with her fast, and even her faithful Lyle is not enough to help her this time.
Enter Cyrus, Sedona’s counterpart in the story. A powerful man and an alpha male, Cyrus is not as well defined as Sedona but he works too – as a foil for her. Together, they thwart the bad guys’ plans and of course, fall in love.
The story is formulaic and predictable, like everything Ms. Castle has written, but there is comfort in that predictability, and the execution is superb. The writing is clean and terse, the dialog flows, and the tension rises on schedule.
I really feasted on this story: quick and delicious.
The action unfolds on another planet, which humans colonized a couple centuries ago. Everyone on this planet has developed some psychic powers, and the author comes up with different variations of such powers for every new novel in the series.
The society remains quasi-American, but the technology is reduced. The planet is studded by mysterious Alien ruins, above and below ground, and nothing hi-tech works in those ruins. And of course, the action must take place in those very ruins too. Very convenient for a writer who wants her plot set in a modern society but without modern gadgets. Let’s be done with computers and cell phones and drop modern Americans into a place where only knives work. And dust bunnies.
Those who follow this writer’s futuristic series know about the dust bunnies. Those who are new to her – I won’t spoil your pleasure at discovering dust bunnies for yourself. I will only say that they are pets, intelligent and funny, and they choose their masters/mistresses.
Aside from a dust bunny or two, the story is a classic romance. A young woman Sedona is on the run from her tragic past and dangerous secrets. Her pet and companion, dust bunny Lyle, is always there for her, providing a daring rescue, when needed, and a comic relief, when convenient. Sedona ends up on a small island, where she is accepted into the community of misfits. But her past is catching up with her fast, and even her faithful Lyle is not enough to help her this time.
Enter Cyrus, Sedona’s counterpart in the story. A powerful man and an alpha male, Cyrus is not as well defined as Sedona but he works too – as a foil for her. Together, they thwart the bad guys’ plans and of course, fall in love.
The story is formulaic and predictable, like everything Ms. Castle has written, but there is comfort in that predictability, and the execution is superb. The writing is clean and terse, the dialog flows, and the tension rises on schedule.
I really feasted on this story: quick and delicious.
September 5, 2014
Favorite Quote: “If you ever disappeared, I would look for you and I would not stop until I found you.”
Sedona Snow, a gate keeper, came to Rainshadow when she was left for dead by a guild boss and subsequently kidnapped and experimented on. She escapes her captors with the help of a dust bunny, Lyle, four days later only to discover her “husband” has already replaced her. When Sedona begins to notice the experiments done to her have altered her original psi talents, she decides to hide on the island before the kidnappers strike again.
A bizarre accident beings Cyrus Jones and his band of ghost hunters to the island. Named the island’s new guild boss, Cyrus’s family wants to know what is happening down there and have sent him to investigate. He has his eye on Sedona but for reasons other than harm. When her ex husband comes looking for Sedona, Cyrus decides to stick close to Sedona, convinced she plays an important part in the strange happenings. His attraction to her is only an added bonus.
The Hot Zone is the third installment in Ms. Castle’s Rainshadow series. A spin off of her popular Harmony series, Rainshadow is an island that has become a refuge of sorts to those who don’t fit in with Harmony’s upper class society. People with unusual or dangerous psi talents gravitate to the island, knowing the island tends to protect its inhabitants from outsiders . The island, a hot bed of unexplored alien energy areas, keeps the local talent on their toes. Dry witty humor and a suspense filled mystery go hand in hand to create a well developed storyline that revolves around as two “misfits” who band together to investigate the island’s unusual alien infrastructure. Personable characters, intriguing plot lines, and vivid world building makes each installment a fun engaing read. Though each book can be read as a stand alone, this series does interact lightly with her Harmony and Arcane series as the three series follow specific families through time.
Read the rest of my review at Smexy Books
Sedona Snow, a gate keeper, came to Rainshadow when she was left for dead by a guild boss and subsequently kidnapped and experimented on. She escapes her captors with the help of a dust bunny, Lyle, four days later only to discover her “husband” has already replaced her. When Sedona begins to notice the experiments done to her have altered her original psi talents, she decides to hide on the island before the kidnappers strike again.
A bizarre accident beings Cyrus Jones and his band of ghost hunters to the island. Named the island’s new guild boss, Cyrus’s family wants to know what is happening down there and have sent him to investigate. He has his eye on Sedona but for reasons other than harm. When her ex husband comes looking for Sedona, Cyrus decides to stick close to Sedona, convinced she plays an important part in the strange happenings. His attraction to her is only an added bonus.
The Hot Zone is the third installment in Ms. Castle’s Rainshadow series. A spin off of her popular Harmony series, Rainshadow is an island that has become a refuge of sorts to those who don’t fit in with Harmony’s upper class society. People with unusual or dangerous psi talents gravitate to the island, knowing the island tends to protect its inhabitants from outsiders . The island, a hot bed of unexplored alien energy areas, keeps the local talent on their toes. Dry witty humor and a suspense filled mystery go hand in hand to create a well developed storyline that revolves around as two “misfits” who band together to investigate the island’s unusual alien infrastructure. Personable characters, intriguing plot lines, and vivid world building makes each installment a fun engaing read. Though each book can be read as a stand alone, this series does interact lightly with her Harmony and Arcane series as the three series follow specific families through time.
Read the rest of my review at Smexy Books
February 14, 2016
Not sure why, but I liked this one more than the others. So much that I read it through the night and suffered a terrible book hangover. Yes, I have an addiction problem and it seems to be getting a lot worse.
Sedona Snow is a woman who has been sorely screwed. Bastard love child between a couple who left their own marriages, Sedona is left on her own after she finished her schooling. As a powerful talent, she was forced to make it on her own. Successfully opening portals, she is shocked when she is left behind by a guild master and then forced into a dangerous lab experiment. Through the help of Lyle her newly bonded dust bunny, she escapes. To her dismay, her husband divorced her in the 3 weeks she's been gone and she is already replace. That mo-fo!
Relocating to Rainshadow island where the misfits go, she's fine until Cyrus Jones shows up as the new guild master to build a guild on the tiny island. I loved this book. I loved it because it ties back to earth with Arizona Snow and the Jones family. The tie ins make me happy. Plus, I really liked Cyrus and Sedona together. The both feel out of place with others. Together, they are a perfect match. This is a consistent theme from Ms. Castle which I very much enjoy. I also like how the story ends with the family reunion. It is similar to some of Ms. Castle's previous works. I like how people change, regret and try to make amends. This is a fuzzy wuzzy heart warming book. Recommended for hopeless romantics.
Sedona Snow is a woman who has been sorely screwed. Bastard love child between a couple who left their own marriages, Sedona is left on her own after she finished her schooling. As a powerful talent, she was forced to make it on her own. Successfully opening portals, she is shocked when she is left behind by a guild master and then forced into a dangerous lab experiment. Through the help of Lyle her newly bonded dust bunny, she escapes. To her dismay, her husband divorced her in the 3 weeks she's been gone and she is already replace. That mo-fo!
Relocating to Rainshadow island where the misfits go, she's fine until Cyrus Jones shows up as the new guild master to build a guild on the tiny island. I loved this book. I loved it because it ties back to earth with Arizona Snow and the Jones family. The tie ins make me happy. Plus, I really liked Cyrus and Sedona together. The both feel out of place with others. Together, they are a perfect match. This is a consistent theme from Ms. Castle which I very much enjoy. I also like how the story ends with the family reunion. It is similar to some of Ms. Castle's previous works. I like how people change, regret and try to make amends. This is a fuzzy wuzzy heart warming book. Recommended for hopeless romantics.
April 4, 2023
Rainshadow is a weird little island town and it just keeps getting weirder and I AM SO HERE FOR THAT. Seriously. I like the quirk. I like the hidden facets of the Preserve that keep getting uncovered. I like the damaged individuals who find one another in this place.
This time around, it isn't a coincidence that Cyrus ran into his lady friend. Not that she *was* his lady friend prior to them meeting. But once they did meet...BOOM. Anywho. His presence on Rainshadow has a bit of a dual purpose and I'm okay with that. Heck, even Sedona was okay with it after thinking things through.
Given the experience Sedona went through, having a big, strong, scary-talented guy like Cyrus in her corner isn't a bad thing. While she can definitely hold her own (now) against the people gunning for her, it never hurts to have a little backup. Whether it's of the dust bunny or hunky Guild boss variety.
I'm still loving this world and the weirdly beautiful, oft-times dangerous, always fun things that happen to the characters. Rainshadow's a hot bed of weirdness just waiting to be discovered (provided the things discovered don't kill a person first) and I'm digging it from beginning to end.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
This time around, it isn't a coincidence that Cyrus ran into his lady friend. Not that she *was* his lady friend prior to them meeting. But once they did meet...BOOM. Anywho. His presence on Rainshadow has a bit of a dual purpose and I'm okay with that. Heck, even Sedona was okay with it after thinking things through.
Given the experience Sedona went through, having a big, strong, scary-talented guy like Cyrus in her corner isn't a bad thing. While she can definitely hold her own (now) against the people gunning for her, it never hurts to have a little backup. Whether it's of the dust bunny or hunky Guild boss variety.
I'm still loving this world and the weirdly beautiful, oft-times dangerous, always fun things that happen to the characters. Rainshadow's a hot bed of weirdness just waiting to be discovered (provided the things discovered don't kill a person first) and I'm digging it from beginning to end.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
August 28, 2014
Entertaining book and I love dust bunnies.
February 8, 2024
Loved it
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