Customer Reviews

Silver Master (Ghost Hunters Series)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Celinda Ingram is a professional matchmaker and has been living in Cadence for four months. Her particular paranormal ability as a para-resonator makes it possible for her to feel whether two people are compatable and would make good candidates for a full Covenant Marriage. Only her family and a few close friends know just how powerful her ability really is, people can get very uncomfortable being around a person they believe can read their mind. She, of course, cannot go that far, but she can read much more deeply than usual para-resonators. She lives in the Old City part of town with her dust bunny Araminta and just wants to get on with her life after the horrible scandal in Old Frequency, her hometown.

Davis Oakes is the owner of Oakes Security and is a fourth generation descendant of a ghost hunter family. His ties to the Guild are strong but he is not a ghost hunter himself. After suffering a traumatic experience while rescuing a kidnapped child, he cannot afford to pull any ghost light because his ability comes from a spectrum of color unknown to most people. Using it has unusual and possibly deadly consequences. His dust bunny pal is Max.

I really liked this book. It is not necessary to have read the three previous books in the series (After Dark, After Glow and Ghost Hunter), but if you have you will be delighted to catch up with the lead characters from those stories. Lydia and Emmet London are very prominent in this book and we get to attend the wedding of Elly St.Clair and Cooper Boone. The dust bunnies, Fuzz and Rose, also make an appearance. The Jayne Castle style of writing paranormal romance books is slightly different from most other authors I've read. Her books tend to be less violent than others. And even though they contain some really bad guys, you don't have to wade through blood and gore to get to your hoped-for conclusion. I am also enjoying the fact that all the Ghost Hunter series, so far, have been connected. This has given me the feeling of getting to know the characters and being involved in their lives for a long time. If you are just starting the series, you may want to know that After Dark is the first, Lydia Smith and Emmet London meet then. After Glow continues the story with Lydia and Emmet. Ghost Hunter is the story for Elly and Cooper.

I would highly recommend this particular book and this entire series. Just be warned that these are, in my opinion, love stories first and foremost. The paranormal element adds an exciting dimension and this one in particular has a wonderful surprise element to Davis' powers. I am never bored reading this series but readers more accustomed to authors such as J.R. Ward, Angela Knight or Sherrilyn Kenyon may find the intensity level in the Ghost Hunter books a little too tame for their liking. Personally, I like them all. They are just different.

Ms Castle also managed to introduce a mention of the Arcane Society here. It was very subtle and very well done.

Another wonderful read by Jayne Castle aka Jayne Ann Krentz. With this return to the planet Harmony we find there are other kinds of Ghosthunters who wield a different kind of psi. We now have Green, Blue and Silver. No matter where or when you read a Jayne Castle, Amanda Quick or Jayne Ann Krentz we get that magic that only she weaves into her romances. I love the fact she tells her stories from both the hero and heroine's point of view.

Celinda Ingram is a matchmaker, she has the ability to see a person's psychic profile and match it to another's. On the planet where Covenant Marriages are almost impossible to break, she is a necessary and very welcome part of the marriage process. She has just relocated to Cadence City from Frequency City. She is trying to rebuild her life after a frightening experience. Just like other Castle heroines she is a very strong woman and doesn't take things at face value.

Davis Oakes is a P.I. he is on the hunt for a stolen relic, belonging to Mercer Wyatt, the head of the Cadence Guild. It leads him to Celinda who purchased the item as a toy for her pet dustbunny, Araminta. Davis has has a bad experience with a matchmaker and doesn't care for the strong pull of attraction he feels for Celinda. Both of them have secrets that they will not reveal.

When Araminta hides the relic Davis has to stay and try to recover it. Also there is someone trying to kill both him and Celinda. Davis has his own dustbunny, Max. These cute and endearing characters have alot to do with the story and the romance. I wish I could get one, but they choose who they befriend.

The story is fast paced and full of the humor and sexual tension we expect from a Jayne Castle read. It was just much too short. I love to visit Harmony and I hope she continues to write these paranormal futuristic books. A good read, do not miss it.

Jayne Ann Krentz returns under the Jayne Castle penname to give us another paranormal tale in the Harmony series (After Dark, After Glow and Ghost Hunter), and again, I think it JAK at her very best. I think she is fresher, more like her peak style in the Castle books, and I look forward to each new addition. It's great world-building - Covenant Marriage, psi powers, dust bunnies, powerful guilds and even more powerful men who control them.

Celinda Ingrams is the leading authority on Covenant Marriages, which are similar to old marriages of the ton really, people marrying for the advantage of both parties. Only, her matchmaking ended in trouble, so now she is flying low - or so she hopes. Her dust bunny convinces her she needs a toy, only the toy turns out to be something else entirely. It's one of the relics left over by the mysterious alien race that once lived on Harmony. The relic was stolen from the Guild at Cadence, and the Guild boss is determined to see it fetched back. To the aim, he employs Davis Oakes to aid in it's return. Davis owns and runs Oakes security, but he is also a Ghost Hunter. He has rare talents, even for a ghost hunter, and also has secrets, both which he tries to keep under his hat.

Readers won't be surprised when his psi clicks with Celinda. Celinda is not too thrilled with the prospect, as all this brings her too close to the Guild again, which threatens to bring out all the old secrets she has been trying to avoid. As the pair becomes a target, they are force to join their psi talents in order to stay one step ahead of the person who will stop at nothing to possess the relic.

I highly recommend the whole series, as well as Amaryllis, Orchid and Zinnia.

Given the current crop of raunchy sex, little (very little) romance novels flooding the market, reading a Jayne Castle book (or her other pseudonyms, Jayne Ann Krenz, Amanda Quick), is like coming home. I occasionally need the comfort of a gentle plot, honest sexual attraction and romance based on both parties actually LIKING, even "respecting" each other. Ms. Castle can write a sensual love scene without adding "naughty" words or magical compulsion. She can add humor without being viciously sarcastic or snarky. Villains don't need to rape, plunder or torture their victims to be recognized as bad guys. Alpha heroes can be handsome without being six foot six with abs of steel and bad attitudes. Women heroines don't have to be stunningly gorgeous with incredible powers, just spunky and a little courageous. Yes, these books can be a little corny and fluffy, but I am and will remain a fan.

Silver Master takes us back to Ms. Castle's land of Harmony. The plot has been described by others, there is no need to reiterate, but you can safely assume it is generally the same as her other books in this series, with just enough twists and turns to keep you happily interested. Dust bunnies, a few old friends, a satisfying ending.

A pleasant afternoon read, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else needed. I recommend it if you need a little true love, or a reminder of simple Romance.

Celinda Ingram has secrets. Few know the full extent of her unusually powerful psi abilities or the reason the professional matchmaker had left Frequency, her family, and her business behind four months ago under a cloud of scandal. Fortunately Celinda's reputation as a leading authority on Covenant Marriages (she wrote the book) landed her a job with the exclusive Promises, Inc. in Cadence City. Now all she wants to do is keep a low profile and do what she did best, match the psychic profiles of her high profile clients to those best suited for a happy permanent commitment and avoid any association with the Guilds which she likens to organized crime.

Unfortunately the latter becomes impossible when Celinda's dust bunny Araminta persuades her to purchase what she believes to be a cheap toy from a local antique shop. In fact her five dollar purchase happens to be an extremely rare and powerful relic left over from the previous alien civilization and had recently been stolen from the Cadence Guild. The Guild boss wants it back and has employed Davis Oakes of Oakes security, to recover the item.

Oakes has rare abilities as well. Davis has secrets too. Born into a long line of Ghost Hunters, he is a hunter by nature. However his personal talent is much more unique having the ability to pull silver ghost light from a different part of the spectrum than the others. Unfortunately his talents can rarely be used without severe consequences to his health and in dream state can have interesting side affects as well.

Surprisingly his psi also resonates very strongly with Celinda's causing her to tag him "Mr. Perfect" and although she has no respect for Guild business and he's been recently burned by another professional Covenant matchmaker, they are instantly intrigued with each other. Each would have no doubt gone their own way if Araminta has not had strong objections to her toy being given to the detective. When the dust bunny makes off with the relic, Davis has no choice but to keep Celinda close and asks her out to dinner. She accepts but from there things get complicated.

When the pair is almost taken out following their dinner meeting and return to Celinda's ransacked apartment, it soon becomes obvious that someone else knows about the relic and will stop at nothing to possess it. Elsewhere a unethical parapsychologist has the relic's twin and is fully aware of its potential for mind control when used by one with his own unique psi abilities.

Celinda is expected back in Frequency over the weekend due to her sister's wedding. Davis believes she needs a bodyguard and proposes himself -- as her date for the affair. This poses additional problems, explaining why a Covenant matchmaker would bring a man of such short acquaintance to a family affair and returning to the scene of her unsavory experience with the unbalanced Guild member she'd refused to take as a client. (The true reason she left town).

Naturally they wind up on the run and in life threatening positions in which only their own rare talents and strong emotional attachment to each other will save the day. This adventure was a complete thrill ride. Although Silver Master is the 4th title in Ms. Castle's Ghost Hunter series it is the first I have read. It won't be the last. I felt the story stood well on its own, with the preface explaining the major premise of Harmony. However from reading other reviews I realize that many of the secondary characters that appear briefly in Silver Master have appeared previously. I will certainly be acquiring the series backlist as soon as possible. An excellent futuristic read that I highly recommend.--- Reviewed for PNR Reviews

Jayne Castle returns to her Ghoster Hunter world in this 4th installment to the series, and 8th story set in the space colony of Harmony. While the story is enjoyable and all her familiar elements are present, for some reason this story seems more lightweight than Castle's previous tales.

Maybe the reason that it feels that way is that the books starts with a flash back of Celinda before she is introduced. Done this way the chapter doesn't have the impact it would have if it had come later in the book, when we knew Celinda and of the consequences of the incident. It didn't really feel like part of the story. Also there isn't any tension built in the romance between Celinda and Davis (or between the dustbunnies either.) Celinda and Davis' relationship is such a 'done deal' that there is no question that they will be together.They have a couple little tiffs, but they are quickly and easily forgotten.

Celinda and Davis were different from Castle's other Harmony pairs. While Davis is hunky and his talent is an awesome one, his talent is also a liability that goes way past the hunter burn and leaves him vulnerable to slipping into a nonrecoverable coma if he pushes it too far. So even though he is the macho he-man, he really needs Celinda's back-up. Celinda is more than capable of saving him and her versatile gift has great potential beyond its use in her matchmaking career.

If you enjoyed the other Harmony books, you will enjoy this one too. Castle does a nice job with the love scenes between Celinda and Davis, avoiding the heavy handed anatomy lessons that are present in so many contemporary romances. If you haven't read the other books in this series, you really should they are even better. If you have already exhusted these and are looking for another series in the same vein to tide you over until your next Ghosthunter fix, give Robin Owen's Heartmate series a try.

Other Harmony books by Jane Castle:
After Dark (Ghost Hunters, Book 1)
After Glow (Ghost Hunters, Book 2)
Ghost Hunter (Ghost Hunters, Book 3)
Bridal Jitters (Ghost Hunters)
Orchid
Zinnia
Amaryllis

Heartmate books by Robin Owens:
Heart Mate (Celta's HeartMates, Book 1) (Berkley Sensation)
Heart Thief (Celta's HeartMates, Book 2) (Berkley Sensation Showcase)
Heart Duel (Celta's HeartMates, Book 3) (Berkley Sensation)
Heart Choice (Celta's HeartMates, Book 4) (Berkley Sensation)
Heart Quest (Celta's HeartMates, Book 5)
Heart Dance (Celta's HeartMates, Book 6)

This is a good book,always like the characters in Jayne Ann Krentz.
Yes,she writes as Jayne CAstle

This was another "good" read from Jayne Castle. It's the 4th book in her "Harmony Series." While this is only the 2nd book that I've read in the series, (I read the Ghost Hunter previously) it wasn't hard to follow. What else can I say...it was simply a "good" book.

The plot: Celinda's a matchmaker who's running from a scandal. Davis is a private investigator who was hired by the guild to find an alien relic. They meet when Celinda buys the relic and Davis follows the sale back to Celinda. Now, throw in a couple of dust bunnies (Harmony's resident pets) and a few strange powers (silver light, strange psy energy) and you get this story, hi-jinx excluded. Like I said, it was a "good" book.

And while this story was "good," (this is the only word I can think of to describe this story) I must admit, it was a little too safe. I think it's great that Jayne tries to "mix it up" by throwing in different powers for the characters, but it's still a very "safe" read. Safe meaning bordering on BORING. I really wish she would throw her readers something new, like maybe adding some sort of diversity to her cast of characters. Or heck, just something different.

Davis sounded like Cooper and Celinda was Elly. I felt as if I had read the same characters all over again. Nothing new. And while I enjoyed Silver Master as well as Ghost Hunter, I'm really not compelled to buy any other books in this series. I'm not compelled to buy the books that I haven't read either.

This book is marketed as a paranormal romance, but it really isn't. I love paranormal novels, and they are usually stories that are different with a lot of fantasy thrown in. This book fell a little short of the fantasy. It probably should be marketed as a "futuristic" romance. Anyway, it was still a "good" book. Definitely something you can curl up with to put you to sleep. I recommend it to insomniacs everywhere.

I really enjoyed this book. I just wish it had been longer, it took me less than a couple of hours to read. The beginning was a little slow with the rehashing of the "Curtain" story and the other background, but the overall plot and characterisation, together with the introduction of 2 more "talents" was masterful. I do wish that the titles she is writing under the Amanda Quick name were as good. They all seem to be slow and tired lately, especially since she has been using the Victorian period as a background. The early titles were much fresher and a lot better. The JAK titles have imprived with the last few books. Less of the "CEO meets witty young lady", and more plot. This one I heartily recommend, together with the previous titles in the Harmony series.

Reading Jayne Castle's "Silver Master," which is part four of her Ghost Hunter series, made me eager to read the other three novels that preceded it. In this book, a talented matchmaker with para-resonator abilities finds herself "matched" with a handsome security specialist when they must reclaim a missing relic. Although their bond is for professional reasons, a personal relationship soon develops as they fight freaky ghost hunters, analyze people's psi energy, chase their mischievous dust bunny pets, and hunt for the mysterious alien artifact.

Told with great humor and style, "Silver Master" beautifully blends the romantic and paranormal aspects in a delicate balance that's hard to find in most sub genres of romance.

Leslie Halpern, author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies and Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science.