Canyons of Night
Jayne Castle


ISBN-10:
0515149888
ISBN-13:978-0515149883
Publisher: Penguin Group
Line: Jove
Release Date: Aug 30, 2011
Pages: 320
Retail Price: $7.99



Genre: Paranormal
Heat Level: Mild/Sensual
Rating: 4

There are many mysteries aboveground on the world of Harmony as there are underground. The island of Rainshadow is the setting for one of the greatest of those secrets: the privately owned woods known only as the Preserve...

Growing up on Rainshadow, Charlotte Enright knew better than to ever go into the Preserve, until that one fateful night with Slade Attridge--a night neither of them would forget.

Now, fifteen years later, both have returned to the island: Charlotte to take over her late aunt's antiques shop and Slade to fill the police chief's position. Able to read auras, Charlotte senses something amiss in Slade, but that doesn't stop her from wanting him--again. That is, as long as his dust bunny "deputy" keeps his paws off her merchandise.

Hiding a psi injury, Slade is afraid of his powerful desire for Charlotte. But a series of increasingly violent crimes draws them closer together--and into the darkness at the heart of the Preserve...

The island of Rainshadow is home to the mysterious, privately-owned woods known only as the Preserve. Now, after fifteen years away, both Charlotte Enright and her teen crush, Slade Attridge, have returned. But will their psi talents and Slade’s dust bunny companion be enough to keep them from getting drawn into the darkness at the heart of the Preserve?

Review

What’s not to like about anything Jayne Ann Krentz writes? No matter what name she uses or what genre she’s writing, this talented author can spin a tale sure to please even the most critical of readers.

I offer this opening to assure you Canyons Of Night is a worthy read, especially if you like your romance tinged with a little paranormal. The novel presents itself exactly as I like my fantasy…a realistic love story told within an otherworldly setting. It goes without saying that Ms. Krentz is an expert at building futuristic worlds that resonate with the average reader. Her descriptions are not so farfetched that it becomes a major task to visualize the setting. Nor is she prone to information dump where readers are overwhelmed by massive amounts of world building that forces them out of the story.

Ms. Krentz starts by building conflict between her characters and laying the groundwork for the plot, a tactic that wrapped me into the story from the first few chapters and allowed me to care about the hero and heroine. Into the mixture, she gently blends tidbits of oddities that prevail on the small island of Rainshadow,  and lurk in the depths of the psychic hotbed known as The Preserve. Since this is a continuation of a series, Ms. Krentz alludes to previous characters and events from the first two books in The Looking Glass Trilogy, and yet the story never seemed confusing because I hadn’t read the earlier releases.

The opening chapters are captivating, laying the ground work for a sizzling reunion between hero, Slade Attridge, and heroine, Charlotte Enright. With backstory carefully woven in, we learn the strengths, weaknesses and fears of this star crossed couple. Both characters are three dimensional and flawed albeit a bit predictable.

The true star of this novel, in my opinion, is the adorable impudent dust bunny, Rex. He brings humor, originality and spunk to every scene in which he appears. I think the main characters would have benefited from the same fresh voice. They were a bit too “cookie cutter” for my tastes.

The beginning of Canyons of Night was intriguing. The ending offered a twist I didn’t see coming and did a good job of tying up loose ends. The middle was a bit repetitious and redundant. That sounds better than “boring”, doesn’t it? I realize the author was building the relationship between our characters while layering in history. I would have preferred to see the pace picked up a bit. Of course, that would have cut down the length of the novel and it no longer would have qualified as a full length manuscript. Sometimes, less is more especially if it means the story is tighter. I occasionally found myself wondering how much farther I would have to read before something significant happened.

Nonetheless, I would recommend Canyons of Night to paranormal aficionados, romance enthusiasts and Jayne Ann Krentz fans who want a solid read.

Reviewed by Deb


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