Shattering Dawn

 Shattering Dawn (Lost Night Files #3)- Jayne Ann Krentz

Berkley

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Amelia Rivers, a member of the Lost Night Files podcast team, hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to catch the stalker who has been watching her. Amelia suspects the stalker may be connected to the shadowy organization responsible for the night that she and her two friends lost to amnesia—a night that upended their lives and left them with paranormal talents.

Gideon suspects that Amelia is either paranoid or an outright con artist, but he can’t resist the chemistry between them. He takes the case despite his skepticism. For her part, Amelia has second thoughts about the wisdom of employing the mysterious Mr. Sweetwater. She is wary of the powerful attraction between them, and deeply uneasy about the nightmarish paintings on the walls of his home. She senses they were inspired by his own dreamscapes.

Amelia knows she doesn’t have time to find another investigator, and Gideon is forced to reckon with the truth when he disrupts what was intended to be Amelia’s kidnapping. Now the pair is on the run, with no choice but to return to the haunting ruins of the old hotel where Amelia’s lost night occurred. They are desperate to stop a killer and the people who are conducting illegal experiments with a dangerous drug that is designed to enhance psychic abilities. If they are to survive, they will have to trust each other and the passion that bonds them.

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Amelia Rivers is a logical, practical woman with a problem. She has a stalker who is very likely connected to the night she and her friends lost to amnesia, their enhanced psychic talents, and the serious problems her friends have recently had (Sleep No More, The Night Island). There are people in the organization that experimented on them that don't want The Lost Night Files podcast to keep searching for the truth- and Amelia and her friends aren't about to stop. So she hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to help her with her stalker problem. 

There's instant attraction between the two, even if Amelia has serious doubts about Gideon as a PI and is pretty sure he thinks she's crazy. But after stopping a kidnapping attempt Gideon realizes how serious things are- and that the hotel where Amelia's lost night occured may be the place to find the answers. The more time Gideon and Amelia spend together the more the get to know each other, which leads to fun misunderstandings, getting on each other's nerves, and learning how well they can work together. 

Amelia is a fun character, dealing with everything life has thrown at her with stubborn determination. Her attempts to psychoanalyze Gideon and 'help' him would have sent most men fleeing for the hills and were pretty funny. Anyone who's read any of JAK's other books with members of the Sweetwater clan will be happy to add Gideon to their ranks. His curiosity, talent, and chemistry with Amelia are delightful. I enjoyed the witty one liners and banter between them.  

Overall a fun way to wrap up the trilogy. You don't need to necessarily read the trilogy in order, though I think it is more fun that way. 

Another excellent addition to the Jayne Anne Krentz cannon!

I received an DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley