It Takes a Psychic

 

It Takes a Psychic (Ghost Hunters #17)- Jayne Castle

Berkley 

Release Date: June 3, 2025

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Leona Griffin is at the height of her career as a para-archeologist thanks to a recent Underworld discovery. Her high profile attracts the attention of an organization of elite, secretive collectors. They want her to authenticate the artifacts that aspiring members submit as evidence to join their group. The ceremony takes place at a glittering reception where Leona is shocked to discover that one of the relics is a powerful Old-World object known as Pandora’s Box. But she’s not the only one interested in that artifact.

Oliver Rancourt, a man with a unique talent—they say you never see him coming—is also there. Leona knows she must not underestimate him. Attempting to make a discreet exit, she stumbles over the body of a waiter wearing the emblem of a dangerous cult. Before she can alert authorities, a police raid sends the reception into chaos. To avoid being arrested, Leona slips away with Oliver—a risky decision that gets her fired.

Now forced to work together, Leona and Oliver pursue an investigation that leads them to the town of Lost Creek where the locals are obsessed with a chilling legend involving a long-dead cult leader and illicit paranormal experiments. But Leona knows the real danger may be the irresistible attraction between herself and Oliver.

________________________________________________________

After being kidnapped by artifact pirates and saved by her sister (People in Glass Houses) para-archeologist Leona Griffin is ready to give a few lectures and work her way up the tenure ladder at her university. Finding a dead body at a collector's meeting ends that plan rather spectacularly. Excaping the police raid that follows with the mysterious Oliver Rancourt makes things even more complicated. But also a great deal more interesting. When Leona and Oliver (and dust bunny Roxy) decide to work together to uncover the truth behind leads too strange to be coincides, things start moving fast- and getting dangerous. Good thing all three of them have some tricks to pull along the way!

Leona is Molly's sister from People in Glass Houses, so it helps if you've read that book first, but I think you could also read this one as a stand-alone. Glass Houses would just give you a little character background for Leona's story, as well as already knowing Molly and their moms heading into this book. Like Molly, Leona has been raised to take care of herself. She has no problem relying on her own instincts and training but is also caring and compassionate. The first night Oliver (and the reader) meet her she frees dust bunnies and follows him into the Underworld where she sets her dress on fire to help them escape some bad guys. If that doesn't make you like her (or Oliver fall for her) what will?! Oliver is more subtle than some of Castle's men. A Museum Guy, as Leona thinks of him, and not a Guild man as many of Castle's previous heroes, Oliver has no trouble with the idea of calling in the Guild and the cops when he thinks there might be more trouble than he, Leona, and Roxy can handle on their own. But underestimate him at your own risk, because he's not above taking care of business when he needs to protect his people. Although Leona got to protect him in this one pretty nicely too.

On a completely random note, I've always been slightly disappointed that Castle describes characters (usually the men) as having specter-cat eyes but we never get to find out more about wild specter-cats or see one. So the sculpture of the specter-cat in this book for some reason made me extremely happy.

Cut-throat collectors and academics, ruthless cults, a fashionista dust bunny, and Castle's trademark banter between her main characters: It Takes a Psychic was just what I needed to read when it came out and I needed something to take me away from a particularly difficult life situation for a few hours. 

A fun addition to the delightful dust bunny world of Harmony

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review

Affiliate link

People in Glass Houses

 

People in Glass Houses (Harmony #16)- Jayne Castle

Berkeley

Release Date: May 7, 2024

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: His name is Joshua Knight. Once a respected explorer, the press now calls him the Tarnished Knight. He took the fall for a disaster in the Underworld that destroyed his career. The devastating event occurred in the newly discovered sector known as Glass House—a maze of crystal that is rumored to conceal powerful Alien antiquities. The rest of the Hollister Expedition team disappeared and are presumed dead.

Whatever happened down in the tunnels scrambled Josh’s psychic senses and his memories, but he’s determined to uncover the truth. Labeled delusional and paranoid, he retreats to an abandoned mansion in the desert, a house filled with mirrors. Now a recluse, Josh spends his days trying to discover the secrets in the looking glasses that cover the walls. He knows he is running out of time.

Talented, ambitious crystal artist Molly Griffin is shocked to learn that the Tarnished Knight has been located. She drops everything and heads for the mansion to find Josh, confident she can help him regain control of his shattered senses. She has no choice—he is the key to finding her sister, Leona, a member of the vanished expedition team. Josh reluctantly allows her to stay one night but there are two rules: she must not go down into the basement, and she must not uncover the mirrors that have been draped.

But her only hope for finding her sister is to break the rules…

____________________________________________________________

When Molly's sister Leona goes missing during an Underworld expedition, Molly and her adoptive moms refuse to accept the official decision that the team is dead. When the team's navigator, Joshua Knight, returns they are sure he has the answers they need to find Leona- despite the fact that he came back psi-burned and with no memory of what happened. Dropping her new business days before the biggest wedding of the year (Guild Boss cameos!) to head into the middle of nowhere and meeting a man who doesn't seem to want anything to do with her might not be the best plan, but it's what you do for family. And it helpfully allows her to forget about the dead body that turned up in her shop the night before.

Molly may be stubborn and determined to walk through green hell to save her sister, but Joshua has a stubborn streak of his own. He's also pretty sure he's not entirely sane anymore. Between whatever happened in the Underworld, his shattered senses, and now living in a murderous house full of mirrors, the only thing he does know is that his home is no safe place for Molly and her dust bunny friend. But of course they do stay, and things get complicated.

Molly is a delightful main character. She knows what she can handle and what can go wrong in the world, but she's determined to have a positive outlook on life anyway. Her talent for crystal art lets her bring positivity and beauty to others but she doesn't ignore life's other aspects. Her moms have made sure that she and her sister Leona can handle themselves and there's nothing flighty about this artistic free spirit! She may have a para-profile that has her thinking she isn't a candidate for a traditional long-term relationship, but as we've seen in other Harmony books, where's the fun in 'normal' anyway?

Joshua isn't really sure what to do with Molly and her approach to things, but to give him credit, he's had a rough month by the time we meet him. He's in full survival mode. But even he can't say no to a Zing chip addicted dust bunny like Newton, so he falls in with Molly's plans and (of course!) it ends up being exactly the right thing to do. I enjoyed Joshua's practical approach to things and the entertaining banter between Joshua and Molly.

If you've read any of Jayne Castle's books before you pretty much know how things will go, and Castle delivers delightfully. Newton, as the new dust bunny on the block, is entertaining and gets his moments to shine. If you're new to the series this is an ok place to start, you can pretty much jump into the world anywhere, and you'll have fun catching up on the rest of the series once you're hooked.

 A fast and fun read for Harmony fans that will leave you ready and waiting for the next one!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review  

Sweetwater and the Witch

 Sweetwater and the Witch (Harmony series)- Jayne Castle

Berkley/Penguin Random House

Release Date: September 20, 2022

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.

But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.
 
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…

_____________________________________________________________

Ravenna Chastain, criminal profiler turned matchmaker, has been put in the awkward position of having to fire her company's highest profile client as unmatchable. Ethan Sweetwater didn't make things easy at the start by not filling in most of his profile questionnaire and he doesn't make it easy to fire him as a client. He needs a date to a business function, she (with over 30 failed dates to her credit) needs a date to a big family function. What could go wrong? When Ethan arrives to pick up Ravenna for their date (which is also going to involve some clandestine spying for the Arcane Society) and finds her standing over the unconscious body of the man who just tried to kill her, he rolls with it. That freaks Ravenna out more than a past date trying to kill her. Is Ethan a mob connection? Who else knows just what to do with duct tape? Things heat up from there with more attempted assassinations, high drama family functions, and dust bunny shenanigans. 

This was definitely a fun book for me. You don't have to have read previous Harmony novels (Guild Boss, Illusion Town) to enjoy it, although being familiar with Harmony and the Krentz/Quick/Castle Arcane Society world helps you spot some fun Easter eggs along the way. Ravenna has enough FBPI training to handle herself as more than a matchmaker in the increasingly tense situations she winds up in as collateral to a much larger picture, but enough sense at the beginning to worry when her date is willing to help her disappear a body like its a normal thing. Most women would worry, even as they found it convenient. Ethan is the mild mannered engineer who is much more than he seems, and is stubborn enough to keep going for what he wants. I loved the declaration and "it's always been you" moment at the end! 

Sweetwater and the Witch was fast paced, full of fun, wry humor, danger and mystery, and everything a reader expects from Jayne Castle. Also, I loved Harriet the dust bunny! With her love for pens and popcorn, I think we may be soul mates. 

A book not to be missed for the Jayne Castle fans!

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

Guild Boss

 Guild Boss (Harmony #15)- Jayne Castle

Berkley 

Release Date: November 16, 2021

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up.  

Gabriel Jones is the Ghost Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her. 
 
The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

________________________________________________________________________

 

When Gabriel Jones rescues Lucy Bell from the alien catacombs, immediately leaves for another Guild assignment, then returns to Illusion Town two months later hoping she'll be thrilled to see him, he learns a very important lesson: don't wait two months and expect the lady to be thrilled to see you, even if you did save her life. No one believes Lucy's story about being drugged and kidnapped, including Gabriel at first. But as strange events and dead bodies begin to pile up, Lucy's story looks a lot more believable. The only problem becomes- the kidnappers failed the first time, and will now have to try again.

Jayne Castle fans rejoice! Readers get to return to Harmony, and here Illusion Town- Harmony's answer to Las Vegas. The thrills are real, the laws are flexible, and anything can be had for a price. Except things might be changing, because now Illusion Town has its own Guild- with a Jones as Guild Boss. Long time Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle fans know exactly what that means: powerfully psychic and intelligent men and women who are more than up to some strange challenges. And Gabriel Jones (a descendent of my personal favorite Amanda Quick hero from Second Sight) more than lives up to his family reputation. Dry sense of humor, interesting psychic profile, and more than willing to partner with a dust bunny to see a mission through. As the new Guild Boss starting a new Guild poor Gabriel suffers terribly for the sake of public relations and image, but at least he as Lucy and PR whiz Aiden on his side to remind him to smile as they pile on the torment. 

Lucy is more than a match for Gabriel. Despite everyone telling her she's crazy, she has never doubted that she knows the truth of what happened to her, even if she doesn't know why. She hangs on to her pride and professionalism even when she's driving a tour bus. She's not looking for a handout or a rescue, but she's not too proud to turn down a job even when she's not sure what she wants from Gabriel on a personal level. I loved how Gabriel was so openly in awe of her talent and supported her ever every step of the way. They fit together perfectly. And who can not love Otis? Another adorable dust bunny, Otis has an addiction to cheese and olive pizza and a bit of a diva complex when it comes to direction for what he sees as not good reason- which is pretty funny. Apparently dust bunnies might love having their pictures taken, but are not destined to be stars of the silver screen. Or would it be amber screen on Harmony?

A fun romp through Illusion Town, Jayne Castle fans won't be disappointed with Guild Boss. Full of Castle's trademark dry humor, crackling chemistry, and dust bunny fun, Guild Boss was entertaining from start to finish. Plenty of "Easter eggs" for long time readers of Krentz/Quick/Castle books, newer readers won't feel too left out- but should definitely end the book feeling like they have whole new worlds they want to explore before the next new release!

Illusion Town

Illusion Town (Harmony #13) -Jayne Castle
Penguin Group
Release Date: July 26, 2016

Rating (out of 5):
📚📚📚📚📚

Synopsis: Hannah West isn’t the first woman to wake up in Illusion Town married to a man she barely knows, but she has no memory of the ceremony at all. For that matter, neither does Elias Coppersmith, her new husband. All either can remember is that they were on the run…
With Hannah’s dubious background and shaky para-psych profile, she could have done much worse. The cooly competent mining heir arouses her curiosity—as well as other parts of her mind and body. And even her dust bunny likes him.
But a honeymoon spent retracing their footsteps leads Hannah and Elias into the twisting underground catacombs, where secrets from both their pasts will come to light—and where the energy of their clashing auras will grow hot enough to burn…

                 ___________________________________________________________________

The newest addition to Jayne Castle's Harmony series introduces us to Illusion Town- Harmony's version of Las Vegas.  A desert town full of casinos, it's an easy place to get a quick marriage.  Problem is, Hannah West and Elias Coppersmith don't remember getting married.  They remember going on a first date and then . . .  ? Their problems quickly become less about regaining their memories and more about trying to figure out who's trying to kill them- and why!

Hannah and Elias travel through mysterious Alien catacombs, the Rainforest, and Illusion Town in search of answers, accompanied by Hannah's delightful dust bunny companion Virgil.  Long time Harmony readers will not be disappointed by Virgil, who steals every scene simply by being himself (and having a fondness for cupcakes and Arizona Snow). Hannah and Elias are both great, strong characters who work well together.  I especially liked Elias.  His dry humor, understated strength and talents, and engineer's views of life (like always bring a toolkit on a date and make sure your car can take care of itself) made him a lot of fun to read and another great Castle hero. Elias never makes the mistake of treating Hannah as anything less than an equal.  Despite a rough start to life, Hannah is a confident woman who doesn't let "expert" opinions of her para-psych profile and unusual dream light talent question how she views herself or affect her confidence   It was fun watching Hannah evade thinking about the marriage and brushing it off as temporary while Elias was confident almost from the beginning that he quite liked being married to Hannah and plotting how to make it permanent.  

Castle fans will enjoy Illusion Town's referrals to previous Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz books: the Midnight Carnival's way of keeping Arcane Society history alive, Mrs. Bridewell's mysterious clockwork toys/weapons, and Arizona Snow.  We get to explore new areas of the underground tunnels and new paranormal talents.  Readers new to the Harmony or Arcane Society series won't feel left out, or like they are entering a world they can't keep up with, but hopefully by the end of the book they'll be hooked and go on to read at least the rest of the Harmony series, if not all Amanda Quick's and Jayne Ann Krentz's books as well.  

Full of passion, suspense, and dust bunnies, Illusion Town is a great read for Jayne Castle fans and a great introduction to those only now discovering the world of Harmony.  I hope we'll continue exploring this new aspect of Harmony in future books.

Welcome to Illusion Town, the thrills are real.