Review from 1/14/2026:
This is one of my absolute favorites of a terrific paranormal, futuristic, romantic-suspense series. I completely agree with my previous rave review below.
I love humor that arises naturally from the particular characters in a novel, and I was frequently laughing out loud at the matter-of-fact under-reactions of the MMC Ethan Sweetwater to the outrageous situations created by the FMC Ravenna Chastain while defending herself from various villains by using her enormously powerful paranormal fire talent. He also easily accepts the fact that, like many different members of his own family, she is an extremely rare case of a dual talent who is psychically stable. Typically this situation can lead to madness.
In one of my favorite examples of crossover characters in this series, 20-something Jeff Sweetwater briefly shows up in the first scene of this novel in which he is an agent of the Federal Bureau of Psychic Investigation (FBPI). He is an important subcharacter in Obsidian Prey (Book 6 from 2009), in which his cousin Cruz Sweetwater is the MMC. The FMC Lyra Dore encouraged Jeff to follow his dream to pursue a career in the FBPI, bucking strong family resistance to become the first Sweetwater to ever work outside the clan's extremely prosperous and influential business of mining and tuning various forms of the paranormal crystal rock, amber. Ethan, the MMC of this novel, is Cruz Sweetwater's younger brother. He is an engineer who creates and tests defensive paranormal devices made with amber.
Review from 9/25/2022:
Another wonderful, Harmony, paranormal romance!
After she is almost killed during a takedown of a cult that murders women they accuse of being witches, Ravenna Chastain walks away from her career as a highly accurate criminal profiler in the Federal Bureau of Psychic Investigation (FBPI). She moves, instead, into a career as different from that dangerous life as possible, although it utilizes the same psychic talent. She becomes a matchmaker in Illusion Town, the Las Vegas of the planet Harmony. Things are going swimmingly until, after nine failed attempts, she despairs of ever finding a match that is acceptable to wealthy, gorgeous Ethan Sweetwater, a man who obviously, in her paranormal perception, has off-the-charts psychic talent, but who has failed to fully describe it as well as leaving many other questions unanswered on his matchmaking application.
Ravenna informs Ethan that she obviously isn’t the right matchmaker for him, but he insists that the only way he is willing to walk away from their contract is if she will be his date to a business function. Ravenna at first resists his offer, fearing it would be an unprofessional thing to do. Until it occurs to her that Ethan would be an ideal candidate as a fake date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration. They agree to this bargain as a simple exchange of favors—and, thus, their romantic adventure begins.
This novel is Book 15 in the romantic-suspense, paranormal, futuristic, Ghost Hunters (GH) series, set on the planet Harmony, which Jayne Ann Krentz has written under her pen name, Jayne Castle. Within that series, this novel, Sweetwater and the Witch, is Book #3 of the Illusion Town sub-series. This novel is also Book #17 in the Arcane Society (AS) series, by virtue of the fact that it involves a member of the Sweetwater clan. (Obsidian Prey AS #7, GH #6, from 2009, includes Cruz Sweetwater, Ethan’s older brother. In Quicksilver by Amanda Quick, AS #12, Ethan’s ancestor, Owen Sweetwater, is the hero. In Running Hot, AS #5, there is a cameo by a Sweetwater.) We also learn in this novel that Ravenna Chastain’s ancestor is Sierra Raines, the heroine of All the Colors of Night, Fogg Lake #2, from 2021.
The trope of the heroine as professional matchmaker, with the hero as a dissatisfied customer, also occurs in the second book in the Eclipse Bay series, Dawn in Eclipse Bay from 2001. Interestingly, Arizona Snow is a crucial character in all three of the books in that series, and JAK has linked her to the AS series several times, both on Earth and on Harmony, including: Running Hot, AS #5 (Arizona Snow cameo); In Too Deep, AS #11 (Arizona Snow cameo); Guild Boss, AS #16, GH #14 (Arizona Snow doll).
As one of JAK’s most devoted fans, I have read every book she has ever written (192, and counting), and I greatly enjoy her tendency to frequently create character and series crossovers like the ones in this book.
As is the case in all of her paranormal romances in the GH series—and all of her romantic-suspense novels as a whole—JAK offers a dynamic duo for her romantic protagonists. Ravenna and Ethan are equally brave and determined, and there is blazing sexual chemistry between them, as well as tons of amusing, snappy dialogue. In every GH novel, JAK offers a cute and clever dust bunny, who is psychically bonded to either the heroine or the hero of the novel—in this case, the dust bunny Harriet is attached to Ravenna.
I love absolutely everything about the GH books, and every couple of years I revisit the entire series. This particular book is narrated by the fabulously talented actor, Barbara Rosenblat, who has also narrated multiple other novels in the GH series (see below). Ms. Rosenblat is one of my all-time-favorite narrators. Her acting ability brings the story fully to life, and she is tremendously gifted at authentically portraying both male and female characters, of all ages.
For any fellow JAK fans who might find it of interest, I have provided below a list I made for myself of all of the novels in the AS series, including all of the GH novels that are simultaneously part of that series.
I rate this novel as follows:
Heroine: 5 stars
Hero: 5 stars
Subcharacters: 5 stars
Romance Plot: 5 stars
Dust Bunny Plot: 5 stars
Action-Adventure Plot: 5 stars
Setting: 5 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Audiobook Narration: 5 stars
Overall: 5 stars
ARCANE SOCIETY SERIES
Second Sight by Amanda Quick, Arcane Society #1 (Gabriel Jones), 2006
White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #2, 2007
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #3 (Zack Jones), 2008
The Third Circle by Amanda Quick, Arcane Society #4 , 2008
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #5, (Eclipse Bay cameo, Sweetwater cameo, Fallon Jones cameo), 2008
The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick, Arcane Society #6 (Caleb Jones), 2009
Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle, Ghost Hunters #6, Arcane Society #7 (Cruz Sweetwater), 2009
Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #8 (Jack Winters), Dreamlight Trilogy #1, 2009
Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick, Arcane Society #9 (Griffin Winters), Dreamlight Trilogy #2, 2010
Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #10 (Adam Winters), Dreamlight Trilogy #3, 2010
In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #11 (Fallon Jones, Arizona Snow cameo), Looking Glass Trilogy #1, 2010
The Scargill Cove Case Files by Jayne Ann Krentz, Arcane Society #11.5 (Fallon Jones), 2011
Quicksilver by Amanda Quick, Arcane Society #12 (Owen Sweetwater), Looking Glass Trilogy #2, 2011
Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #13 (continuation of In Too Deep & Quicksilver as Looking Glass Trilogy #3), 2011
The Hot Zone by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #14 (Cyrus Jones), 2014, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat
Illusion Town by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #15 (Sylvester Jones circus on Harmony, Arizona Snow doll), (Elias Coppersmith), Illusion Town #1, 2016, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat
Guild Boss by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #16 (Gabriel Jones), Illusion Town #2, 2021, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat
Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Castle, Arcane Society #17 (Ethan Sweetwater), Illusion Town #3, 2022, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat