Customer Reviews

Dark Light (Ghost Hunters Series)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Before I get to the book (which was OK, not my favorite by this author but not bad), I have to rant about the cover art. If I was unfamiliar with the author, I would have passed on this book purely because of the cover. It is a throwback to the old days of barechested cover models but the model they chose didn't reflect Fontana's appearance or character as described in the book. Sierra thinks no one would describe Fontana as handsome but he is compelling and you would always know he was the man in charge. The cover model doesn't look like a powerful, intriguing man who is head of an organization of dangerous men. He looks like a vaguely pretty boy in a bad wig pouting because the Abercrombie and Fitch closed before he could get to the mall. Even though I wasn't wild about the book, it deserved a better cover than this one. I hope when the publishers do a reprint, they change the cover.

Now to the book. This book continues my general complaint of the author's more recent books (under all 3 of her writing names): there isn't enough romance. And by this I don't mean there isn't enough sex (though readers who want lots of sizzling sex scenes should know there is very little sex on the book). When I read a romance, I want to vicariously experience the characters falling in love. A good romance novelist (and I would definitely put the author in that category) knows how to convey this. I didn't feel much emotional sizzle in the book -- it was a zero hanky read for me.

The action/investigation part of the book is better than the romance aspect, but it wasn't the most compelling plot the author has written. I'm getting a little tired of novels about Guild ghost hunters and dust bunnies. The book references other paranormal abilities in the population so it would be nice to have books about people with those abilities. I liked that Sierra had her own paranormal abilities and it was a nice touch to reference the Arcane Society from the author's books under her Jayne Anne Krentz and Amanda Quick names, but Sierra's abilities weren't used enough except as a warning system. (I note from the excerpt at the back of the book, there is a new Arcane Society novel where the heroine has a similar ability.) The inclusion of the tabloid newspaper as a breaking news source was amusing. A dust bunny Elvis was less amusing. Doesn't anyone in Harmony have a different pet?

My opinion of this book is probably more negative because I had just finished re-reading (for the umpteenth time) "Orchid," one of the author's much earlier "through the Curtain" novels. This book did not compare favorably. "Orchid" (as well as "Amaryllis" and "Zinnia") had all the plot and action of this book plus a lot more romance. I hope the author will look back at her earlier books and remember how she wrote the emotional story.

In the meantime, I highly recommend that readers go out and find Orchid, Zinnia and Amaryllis. I think they are out of print but at least 2 of them are fairly easy to find.

It is painful for me to have to give this book three very mediocre stars but that is exactly where it falls on my enjoyment scale. I have read the other four Jayne Castle books about the planet Harmony and loved each one. I don't know what happened with this one but for me it was just not very good. The reason I gave it three stars at all is because I am hopeful that any book which follows it will get right back on track and live up to the quality of the previous books. I'm not giving up on the series just because of one middle-of-the-road product.

Years ago a mysterious curtain opened in space and a new planet was discovered. The people of Earth named this new planet Harmony and began to travel there and to colonize it. The atmosphere and conditions were very much like Earth. Then, without warning, the curtain closed again and the colonist on Harmony were stranded. Now, two hundred years later, they exhibit unusual paranormal abilities which not only allow them to survive, but to thrive.

Sierra McIntyre moved to Crystal City to get away from her family of overachievers. She considers herself an underachiever so she wants to start over someplace where she will not be compared to her other family members. Fine so far. Now for the improbable. In order to get a job she starts work for a tabloid newspaper, the Curtain, even though she has no experience in journalism. But, of course, she is writing investigative, hard hitting stories, not like the other stories which appear in the Curtain, and she wants some serious questions answered by the new Crystal Guild boss, John Fontana. The Guild boss is the man in charge of all the "ghost hunters" who have the paranormal power to control ghost energy found in the catacombs below the city. If these powers are not strictly contained they could be used in harmful ways. Fontana immediately sees the advantage of joining forces with this reporter (who has been a true nuisance for him since he took over as Guild boss) so he proposes that they enter into a Marriage of Convenience in order to investigate these problems together. Huh? What?

After being in the same room with each other for about one hour Fontana asks Sierra to enter into a Marriage of Convenience (not a permanent Covenant Marriage) with him and she agrees? Even though her family views the Marriage of Convenience as little more than a legalized affair, she still just says, OK, sure, why not! Pleeese Ms Castle, don't do this!!

None of the characters in this book are very well drawn. The entire book feels rushed, as if it was one of those Uh-Oh,-I-haven't-written-about-Harmony-in-a-long-time books. The plot is not strong, the mystery is not interesting or difficult to figure out (when they caught one bad guy, there was only one other character left!). In this series of stories each heroine has a dust bunny. Sierra states several times that dust bunnies are companions not pets. Her dust bunny is named Elvis and I think Elvis is way, way, too prominent in this story. I understand about the dust bunnies. I really do understand about the dust bunnies, but I still say that Elvis figures too prominently in this story. She took him with her when she went to get married??? Even though she just considered this a business arrangement? The romance aspect between Fontana (could we PLEASE call this man John once in this book?) and Sierra is just not real or compelling for me. At no point in their relationship did I feel that either one loved the other, even the ending was so-so, ho-hum, flat.

I will not give up on this series. I am a huge fan of Harmony and all the other books and characters. I am beginning to wonder if we aren't about to run out of cities to have Guild bosses for. I'm also afraid that Ms Castle might be giving the Harmony books less time and attention than they require and deserve. Let's all hope she gets back on track with the next one. I'll come back after one dud, but not after two.

Sierra McIntyre is an investigative reporter who is determined to uncover the Ghost Hunter Guild's secrets. Sierra has reason to suspect that homeless hunters are being kidnapped off the streets for criminal purposes, and she is determined to find out the truth. John Fontana is the newest guildmaster. Granting Sierra an interview, Fontana is immediately overwhelmed by the strong feelings he has for Sierra and offers her a business arrangement marriage in order to give her access to the guild, and at the same time woo her. Together, Sierra and Fontana, face numerous dangers to uncover the conspiracy that is going on in his guild.

This latest offering of Castle on her imaginary world of Harmony is easily the weakest yet. Castle assumes that none of her readers have discovered her previous books and spends about 100 pages retelling the history of Harmony, the ability to work amber, the different psi talents, the alien artifacts, etc. etc. I was never so bored with a book in my life. Finally, we get past all the tedious background and get to the story, which really wasn't much better. The chemistry between Fontana and Sierra seemed forced at times, the other characters seemed one dimensional and the mystery/suspense was really flat. The romance was only good in spots. Naturally one can't help loving Jayne's dustbunnies, but even this one was overdone and over the top. Do we really have a heroine who dresses her dustbunny up like Elvis and characters who make lame jokes about "Elvis has left the building"? Yes, we do. One last beef, the hero's name was John Fontana. Throughout the entire book - even in the love scenes, the heroine calls him Fontana. I don't know about you guys, but when I am in an intimate moment, I don't call my lover by his last name, even if he goes by it a lot. I waited eagerly for this book, as I truly enjoy Castle's Harmony series. Most of the books are 4 to 5 star reads. Sadly, this one stunk.

I waited for this book with much anticipation having read the other Ghost Hunter Series and I have to say this one is totally boring. This book just drags along slow and painful. The characters are just there with no real depth. Just a very disappointing book!

Story takes place in Harmony. A world that is populated with earth descendants who were able to travel there via wormhole that no longer exists. This is their new society.

Over-privileged trust-fund baby, Sierra McIntyre, leaves her posh life to be an advocate for something in another town where nobody knows her dad is like the Bill Gates of the future. She gets a job at a local tabloid and actually stumbles on a potential real story.

Her story--- veteran ghost hunters disappearing off the streets. There's this thing called "The Guild" which is like teamsters running a government branch. The parallels between the organization and mob/teamsters are relatively easy to draw. Ghost hunters are like "Special Ops" who based on their natural abilities are able to navigate the catacombs of the alien underworld left by a civilization long gone.

The head of The Guild, Fontana, is the guy she wants to interview to get to the bottom of the ghost hunter disappearances. When they meet, it is electrifying. He proposes they enter into a Marriage of Convenience (as opposed to a Covenant Marriage) which allows them to be sleazy behind closed doors while maintaining some propriety. He does so because he believes she is his best link to finding out more information and he needs to protect her because he believes she is in danger. She agrees because she believes that his role as head of the guild gives her access to things she wouldn't otherwise.

So, off they go investigating and frolicking in pseudo-marital sin while trying to determine the truth.

The whole book was pretty much okay and the juicy parts weren't all that juicy.

The best part was this dust-bunny pet/companion (although Sierra is offended that some people refer to him as a pet, but he is!). Sounded funny. Ball of fuzz that exhibited emotion. Kind of like a Star Trek Tribble. OMG. Did I just geek myself out? Yes, a freakin' Tribble.

On the bright side, the plot of Dark Light has an interesting and different premise from the others in the Harmony series. Retired Ghost Hunters are being kidnapped off the streets, and/or being lured by an illegal drug called "ghost juice". Both the main characters want to figure out the mysteries of the missing hunters and the source of the new drug. Additionally, a purple ghost light that stuns or kills and seems impenetrable needs to be found and destroyed.

A little mystery (not difficult to figure out and too easily resolved, but still different from the usual), a dust bunny with Elvis aspirations, a new Hunter Talent, romance that blossoms and eventually satisfies.

Unfortunately, there is another side...

The first problem, mentioned by several other reviewers, is the instant marriage decision (within 47 minutes after first meeting) between the main characters, Fontana (a Guild boss) and Sierra (a tabloid journalist). I'll buy an honest attraction, maybe an offer of dinner and drinks, a little dancing, a goodnight kiss (oh, hell, maybe a quick roll in the sack, I'm good with that), but instant marriage? Please. Even with the ridiculous excuse of a way to protect the heroine, the premise didn't come close to credible. Tell the little woman to watch her back, hire a few guards, take her into protective custody, anything, just don't suggest marriage before even holding hands.

Second problem. Ms. Castle, most of us really HAVE read the other books in this series. I don't need the repeated (and repeated) rhetoric about the Curtain closing, UDEMS, para-resonators, etc., etc., etc. I started skimming those references four books ago, I'm sure most of your other fans have as well. We already know the history, plunking it down during the middle of conversations and action sequences is not necessary, is annoying and delays the story.

3 stars because although Dark Light is mediocre for her Harmony books, Ms. Castle/Quick/Krentz is always readable, even when uninspired.

A huge plus for readers new to the Harmony/Ghost Hunter world is that Castle does a very thorough intro to the history of Harmony and the Curtain and explains how everything works in the Ghosthunter world where psychic talent is the power that makes their technology work. While this is good for new fans, this does make the start a bit slow for those of us that have read all 9 or so of the books.

These books have become sort of formula, but I like the world and the leads are normally pretty good, with the heroine that doesn't quite fit into her role in Harmony's society and the hero who starts from his bad boy beginnings to rise to wealth and power while retaining his honor. But of course there is an instant physical and psychic attraction. I like both tabloid journalist/socialite Sierra and Ghost Hunter/Guild Boss John Fontana but Dark Light just didn't have the intensity of previous Harmony and Ghost Hunter books. The time frame of the story is short, about a week or so and even though the leads get married the day they meet, the development of the relationship and consummation doesn't happen 'til late in the book. Though John derezes five ghosts on the wedding day and he later melts amber, both incidents happen before they've formed any type of connection, so we don't get the expected payoff either time. Which was a bit disappointing - the sizzling effects of the 'hunter burn' are one of the best parts of the Ghost Hunter formula.

Oh and dustbunnies I almost forgot, the wierd little sidekicks, I normally love them, but the whole dressing up 'piece of lint' dustbunny Elvis as 'the King', just didn't do it for me. What I did like were Sierra's fellow tabloid employees, they brought a bit of life to the story as they jazzed up the facts of Sierra's wedding and honeymoon to come up with outrageous scoops and headlines when Sierra's life becomes front page tabloid fodder.

So while this was not an episode to die for it was still entertaining. I am hoping that Castle hasn't gotten tired of writing these and she rezzes the next one back up to her normal levels. If you like these light paranormal mystery romances where the leads have psychic powers, check out Castle's Arcane Society books. She has both contemporaries and historicals written as her alter egos Jayne Krentz, and Amanda Quick. And if you are already an Archane Society fan, now you can enjoy stories set in the past, present and future.

This is Jayne's most recent story of the world on Harmony with it's great characters, Ghost Hunter Guilds, and animal companion dust bunnies. This is John Fontana and Sierra McIntyre's story of meet, instant attraction, work together to find out who is dealing the new drug "ghost juice" and what is happening to the disappearing retired ghost hunters. Of course, good triumphs over evil. Not going to spoil the plot for you. This particular bunny "Elvis," was adorable. I loved the way Jayne gave him such personality and he wore a sparkling cape, sun glasses, had a miniature dressing room and floating around in a box attached to balloons. The "King" was alive as a dust bunny. The whole story was great. Also liked that Sierra was not the normal denizen psychic powered resident of Harmony using amber, but was a non-Harmony related talent inherited from relatives of the Arcane Society that migrated to Harmony...thus tying in her Victorian and Modern Arcane Society books in with this series. Great job and an enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. I couldnt put it down. I'm curious to find out if Harmony is the setting for a future Arcane Society book. In Dark Light we found out that Sierra's entire family are still members of the Arcane Society. Her ancestors were members when they came thru the curtain. Sierra's psychic gifts have nothing to do with alien psy energy. This reader wonders what Jayne has in store for us in the future!!!

The fifth in the Castle (Krentz) Harmony series, sees Sierra McIntyre, a tabloid journalist, in danger due to her stories exposing the Crystal City Guild. Enter guild boss John Fontana who decides the best way to keep her safe is to marry her. The two delve into the mysterious disappearances of retired ghost hunters and the emergence of a new destructive street drug. All appear to be tied to the Guild. For comic relief there is a dust bunny that dresses as Elvis.
This is not one of the strongest books in the series, though it has its moments. It was slow moving in parts and the mystery was not fleshed out as well as in previous books. But if you're a fan of the Harmony series, you'll pick it up and be satisfied. It is probably a 3 1/2 starred book but couldn't give it that.