Review: Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz

Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: The Lost Night Files, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense 

ISBN: ‎ 9780593639917
Release Date: January 7, 2025
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

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.

The final book in the Lost Night Files trilogy brings the answers Amelia, Pallas, and Talia have been looking for. Shattering Dawn is an entertaining, action-packed read that brought the trilogy to a mostly-satisfying close.

As with the previous two couples, Amelia and Gideon’s supernatural abilities match each other like lock and key. Amelia is a photographer whose paranormal skills work best in the dark and Gideon is an injured private investigator who is skeptical but interested in the tale Amelia brings him. His own skills are lethal and keep him from wanting to get close to anyone, but he and Amelia are of course, well suited. Their romance is easy to enjoy and they have a good rhythm that makes the pages of the book fly by.

At the heart of the story, however, is the search for answers. What happened to Amelia and her friends during their “lost night”? Who is responsible and what are they up to? To find answers, Amelia and Gideon are going to have to use all their skills and dodge supernatural-powered assassins. Jayne Ann Krentz keeps the action going for the whole story which made it an entertaining read. However, the resolution wasn’t completely satisfying for me. I won’t spoil the story, but at times it felt like Krentz was more interested in connecting and expanding her “Jayneverse” (connecting her Krentz, Jayne Castle, and Amanda Quick books together) than bringing the particular series she was in to a satisfying close. Even with that caveat, I still liked the book overall. Shattering Dawn has entertaining characters, a fast-moving plot, and is typical of Krentz’s style, which I do enjoy.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: The Lost Night Files, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense 

ISBN: ‎ 9780593639856
eBook Source: Publisher
Audiobook Source: Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, bonded by a night none of them can remember, are dedicated to uncovering the mystery of what really happened to them months ago—an experience that amplified innate psychic abilities in each of them. The women suspect they were test subjects years earlier, and that there are more people like them—all they have to do is find the list of others who took that same test. When Talia follows up on a lead from Phoebe, a fan of the trio’s podcast, she discovers that the informant has vanished.

Talia isn’t the only one looking for Phoebe, however. Luke Rand, a hunted and haunted man who is chasing the same list that Talia is after, also shows up at the meeting place. It’s clear he has his own agenda, and they are instantly suspicious of each other. But when a killer begins to stalk them, they realize they have to join forces to find Phoebe and the list.

The rocky investigation leads Talia and Luke to a rustic, remote retreat on Night Island in the Pacific Northwest, where the Unplugged Experience promises to rejuvenate guests. Upon their arrival, Talia and Luke discover they are quite literally cut off from the outside world when none of their high-tech devices work on the island. It soon becomes clear that Phoebe is not the first person to disappear into the strange gardens that surround the Unplugged Experience retreat. And then the first mysterious death occurs…

After a “lost night” where three women woke up with heightened psychic abilities, Talia March has become an expert at finding what is lost. Particularly, lost bodies. It’s enough to give anyone nightmares, but on her quest to uncover what happened to her and her friends that night she won’t give up. Her search for answers leads her to a woman who may have information…only when she arrives to make the exchange for it, the woman is missing. Instead, Talia meets Luke, a man who has unique skills and a lost night of his own. Unlikely allies at first, Talia and Luke head to the isolated Night Island for the Unplugged Experience, their only lead to find the missing informant. Night Island is a place of almost otherworldly foliage and hidden dangers. If Talia and Luke want to make it out alive, they’re going to have to rely on each other.

The Night Island is an entertaining second installment to Jayne Ann Krentz’s Lost Night Files series. This time it’s Talia and Luke who take center stage and they are likable, albeit haunted protagonists who fit each other like lock and key. The have an easy chemistry which makes them an appealing couple and their romance is both swift and understated. If you’re familiar with Krentz’s work, it follows a formula. I did wish for the love story to feel a bit more earned, but I still like the formula enough that my quibbles didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

At the heart of The Night Island is the mystery on the titular location. Psychic energy, paranormal powers, lethal assassins, and deadly fauna are all things Luke and Talia have to face over the course of the story. I liked watching them work together to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find out more about the paranormal experiments that are being done. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the story, but suffice it to say this was an engaging second installment to an overarching mystery. The ever-expanding Lost Night Files team is entertaining and I am very much looking forward to seeing how they pull everything together in the next book.



FTC Disclosure: I purchased the audiobook and received the eBook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: The Lost Night Files, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense 

ISBN: ‎ 9780593337820
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women's mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

A podcaster and a writer, both with heightened paranormal abilities, are on a quest for answers in Sleep No More. Jayne Ann Krentz kicks off her Lost Night Files series with multiple interconnected mysteries that will draw you in as you follow the heroes’ search for the truth.

Ambrose Drake is nearing his breaking point. After a stay at the Carnelian Sleep Institute something happened to him, heightening his paranormal powers to the point where he can’t trust himself to sleep and not be lost to a dreamworld or sleepwalk off a cliff. He’s also sure he witnessed the aftermath of a murder during that lost night. He goes to one of the hosts of The Lost Night Files podcast on his search for answers. Pallas Llewellyn knows all about missing memories and powerful psychic abilities. She and her two friends experienced a missing night of their own that also increased their paranormal skills. Now they investigate cold cases and the one Ambrose presents intrigues her. As the two of them dig deeper into their search, there are people in Carnelian who would do anything to stop them. Danger abounds but Pallas and Ambrose make a good team. They’re not frightened of each other’s abilities – indeed, they balance one another really well. I liked how they worked as a team and how that lead to them forming a romantic relationship.

Sleep No More is more heavy on the suspense and paranormal than it is on the romance, but it still worked because Ambrose and Pallas made such a good pair. The story was solidly entertaining but if you’re familiar with Krentz’s work it will follow a pattern that didn’t make it as exciting as it could be. The formula is one I’m well familiar with so I wanted a bit more of something new, but overall I liked the story. I enjoyed watching Pallas and Ambrose put the pieces of an ever-expanding puzzle together and I’m definitely going to want to learn what happens in future Lost Night Files books.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz

Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Fogg Lake, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense 

ISBN: 9780593337752
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Olivia LeClair's experiment with speed dating is not going well. First there was the nasty encounter with the date from hell who tried to murder her and now the mysterious Harlan Rancourt—long believed dead—sits down at her table and tells her she's the only one who can help him locate the legendary Vortex lab.

This is not what Olivia had in mind when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed package offered by the dating agency. She doesn't have much choice, though, because her psychic investigation firm works for the mysterious Foundation and Victor Arganbright, the director, is adamant that she assist Harlan. There's just one problem—no one knows Harlan's real agenda. His father once ran the Foundation like a mob organization, and Harlan was destined to be his heir. There's a real possibility Harlan has returned to claim his inheritance.

For now, however, it's a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend because others are after the secrets of the long-lost lab. Unfortunately for Olivia, the one thing friend and foe have in common is that everyone is convinced she is the key. Her unique psychic talent is required to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Vortex.

Neither trusts the other but Olivia and Harlan soon realize they must work together to survive and unlock the Bluestone Project's most dangerous secrets before more innocent people die.

Jayne Ann Krentz brings the Fogg Lake series to a satisfying conclusion in Lightning in a Mirror. Krentz ups the paranormal activity as the hunt for the legendary Vortex lab hits its climax.

Olivia LeClair is a private investigator and aura reader who is being targeted for her supposed oracle abilities. Harlan Rancourt has spent the past five years on the run after his father’s murder but is now back to find Vortex. The two are tasked by the leaders of the Foundation to work together and find the lost lab. It’s a straightforward quest made complex thanks to various factions, all with their own agendas and paranormal skills. I enjoyed diving further into the paranormal world Krentz has built over the course of the series. There are points at which this book feels a bit like paranormal Indiana Jones which is a lot of fun. Yet despite all the action I can’t quite say this is the most exciting of Krentz’s books – there was a lot of exposition which weighed things down at times.

Harlan and Olivia are at the center of Lightning in a Mirror and I really enjoyed them both. Olivia is warm, likeable, and straightforward; she’s got talent and she uses it for good. Harlan works more in the grey area due to his talent. He cloaks his skills and uses them to hunt monsters, but he sees himself as a potential monster as well. I absolutely adored Harlan and his lack of social skills. He and Olivia click from the start and just work well as a couple, romantically and on this quest. Their love story is understated but works thanks to their easy chemistry and entertaining interactions. And though the romance is really secondary to the overall story, it was my favorite part of the book.

I can’t talk much about the plot of Lightning in a Mirror without spoiling it, but suffice it to say Krentz wraps up the Fogg Lake trilogy and the Vortex lab storyline in a satisfying manner. She does, however, leave room for more stories in the same universe and I am curious to see where she goes with this. Also, if you’re a fan of Krentz’s Amanda Quick or Jayne Ann Castle books, there are mentions of the Arcane Society and the Jones family, so perhaps we’ll see more connections in future series to the “Jayneverse.”



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: All the Colors of the Night by Jayne Ann Krentz

All the Colors of the Night by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Fogg Lake, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements 

ISBN: 9781984806819
Release Date: January 5, 2021
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

North Chastain possesses a paranormal talent that gives him the ability to track down the most dangerous psychic criminals. When his father suddenly falls into a coma-like state, North is convinced it was caused by a deadly artifact that traces back to the days of a secret government program known only as the Bluestone Project. North knows his only hope of saving his father is to find the artifact. He is good when it comes to tracking down killers, but to locate the relic he’s going to need help from a psychic who knows the shadowy world of obsessive collectors, deceptive dealers and ruthless raiders…

With her reputation in ruins after a false accusation, antiques expert Sierra Raines is looking for a fresh start. She turns to the murky backwaters of the paranormal artifacts trade, finding and transporting valuable objects with a psychic provenance. When North Chastain approaches her for help, Sierra takes him on as a client, though not without reservations. North represents the mysterious Foundation, the secretive organization established to police the underworld populated by psychic criminals and those, like Sierra, who make a living in the shadows of that world.

North and Sierra soon find themselves at the scene of the Incident, which occurred decades ago in Fogg Lake. The town and its residents were forever changed by the disaster in the nearby Bluestone Project labs. The pair unearths shocking truths about what happened that fateful night, but they are playing with fire—someone in town knows what they’ve discovered and will do anything to make sure the secrets stay buried.

Magic and science make interesting bedfellows in All the Colors of the Night. Jayne Ann Krentz’s second Fogg Lake book delves further into her world of auras, light energy, psychics, and the obsessive quest for power and the ability to harness the paranormal.

North is a cleaner for the mysterious Foundation, but he’s losing his paranormal abilities. He can feel the clock counting down and isn’t sure what to do with himself once he goes psi-blind. But before his powers leave him he has to make a trip to the Pacific Northwest to find a way to save his father who was attacked because he found an artifact that traces back to a secret government program people would kill to learn more about. Sierra is a go-between who deals in the undergrown world of artifacts with psychic provenance. Together the two of them must solve the mystery of who attacked North’s father and why. I liked learning more about the Bluestone Project and the artifacts that came from it. I can’t say much because it’ll spoil the story but we delve deeper into the history of the project and the major players who may have developed light-based weapons.

Krentz weaves an engaging story with action that’s made all the more interesting by the paranormal elements at play. Sierra and North both have unique psychic gifts that aid them on their quest and I was fascinated by the way light, crystals, and auras are used in this story. North and Sierra have solid chemistry from the start so it was easy to see they’d make a good couple. They work well together in the way of many a Krentz hero and heroine so if you’ve been reading the author’s books for a long time you’ll fall into the rhythm pretty quickly. The romance moved at a steady pace over the course of the story but I did feel like it was a bit rushed at the very end.

All the Colors of the Night is the second book in the Fogg Lake series but Krentz provides enough information that you can jump in here if you would like to. And if you’re a fan of her Arcane Society series (written as Amanda Quick), you are sure to delight in the nods to that series. All the Colors of the Night doesn’t bring any surprises, but it’s a satisfying story nonetheless. I am looking forward to seeing how some of the questions left open are answered in the final Fogg Lake book.



FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Fogg Lake, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense with Paranormal Elements

ISBN: 9781984806437
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Decades ago in the small town of Fogg Lake, The Incident occurred: an explosion in the cave system that released unknown gases. The residents slept for two days. When they woke up they discovered that things had changed—they had changed. Some started having visions. Others heard ominous voices. And then, scientists from a mysterious government agency arrived. Determined not to become research subjects of strange experiments, the residents of Fogg Lake blamed their “hallucinations” on food poisoning, and the story worked. But now it has become apparent that the eerie effects of The Incident are showing up in the descendants of Fogg Lake…

Catalina Lark and Olivia LeClair, best friends and co-owners of an investigation firm in Seattle, use what they call their “other sight” to help solve cases. When Olivia suddenly vanishes one night, Cat frantically begins the search for her friend. No one takes the disappearance seriously except Slater Arganbright, an agent from a shadowy organization known only as the Foundation, who shows up at her firm with a cryptic warning.

A ruthless killer is hunting the only witnesses to a murder that occurred in the Fogg Lake caves fifteen years ago—Catalina and Olivia. And someone intends to make both women vanish.

Murder, mystery, psychics, auras, and a hint of romance make for a great combination in The Vanishing. Jayne Ann Krentz has kicked off her Fogg Lake series with a fast-paced, engaging story.

Decades ago, “The Incident” happened in Fogg Lake; an explosion in the caves that released gases and gave the residents and their decedents certain paranormal abilities. Catalina Lark grew up in Fogg Lake, but she and her best friend, Olivia, make their living as investigators in Seattle. When Olivia goes missing, Catalina learns that it’s due to a murder both witnessed in Fogg Lake when they were teenagers. The only person Catalina can trust to help her find her friend is Slater Arganbright, an agent from the secretive Foundation. Catalina and Slater have an instant connection and it doesn’t just come from them both having supernatural skills. They clicked perfectly, making it easy to fall into the rhythm of the story as they hunt kidnappers, killers, and unraveled a mystery that began before they were born.

The Vanishing moves at a quick clip and because it’s the first book in the series, Ms. Krentz throws out a lot of information. I won’t spoil the story by revealing anything, but there are mysterious organizations, multiple players with competing agendas, and quite a few point of view shifts, some of which will likely be important down the line in the series. Because of this, there’s a lot of exposition and I wish there had been more show than tell, especially near the end so the developments felt more organic. The world building and mystery are enough to keep the story going strong and Catalina and Slater are great central characters, so it also would have been nice to see their relationship develop over the course of the series. Instead the romance felt almost shoehorned in and was so rushed that it wasn’t quite believable at the end. This isn’t to say I didn’t like the book – I actually really enjoyed reading it and am looking forward to what happens next – but it was missing much-needed depth in some areas that would have made the story shine.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz

Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler, Sutter & Salinas, Book 3
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense

ISBN: 9780399585296
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

Quinton Zane is back.

Jack Lancaster, consultant to the FBI, has always been drawn to the coldest of cold cases, the kind that law enforcement either considers unsolvable or else has chalked up to accidents or suicides. As a survivor of a fire, he finds himself uniquely compelled by arson cases. His almost preternatural ability to get inside the killer's head has garnered him a reputation in some circles--and complicated his personal life. The more cases Jack solves, the closer he slips into the darkness. His only solace is Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist. After particularly grisly cases, Winter can lead Jack back to peace.

But as long as Quinton Zane is alive, Jack will not be at peace for long. Having solidified his position as the power behind the throne of his biological family's hedge fund, Zane sets out to get rid of Anson Salinas's foster sons, starting with Jack.

Foster brothers Jack Lancaster, Max Cutler, and Cabot Sutter were all raised in a cult until one hellish night when cult leader Quinton Zane burned down the compound, leaving them orphans. Supposedly Zane died years ago, but Jack, Max, Cabot, and their rescuer/foster father, Anson Salinas, know better. After years of chasing shadows, the man behind their trauma is within their grasp…if they can survive his machinations. Because Zane is tired of hiding, and with a fortune on the line he needs to eliminate the threat the four men who know too much about him present. And he’s going to start with Jack…

Untouchable is an entertaining read that brings the hunt for Quinton Zane to a satisfying conclusion. Jack and Winter are more cerebral characters which gives them and their romance a slightly different dynamic. They’re an interesting pair: a focused hunter haunted by the past who works cold cases and a skilled hypnotist with ghosts of her own. I loved watching how Jack’s mind worked through cases and he definitely fascinated me. Winter is the only person who can bring him back when he goes too far into his own head and her skills are interesting in their own right. They fit one another well, they have solid (if understated) chemistry, and there’s definitely passion. Yet while I liked them together, I won’t deny that there was a certain ineffable spark that was missing, thus making the love story feel a bit by-the-numbers. I’ll be honest and say that this didn’t bother me overmuch, but I do think it’s worth mentioning because other readers may not be as content.

As one might expect from the final book in the trilogy, the resolution of the Quinton Zane plotline shifts the balance more toward suspense. Zane has been the bogeyman of the series; the charismatic, pyromaniac cult leader who is a brilliant con man capable of eluding capture for decades. The problem with having such a powerful villain is that they work better as a shadowy, unseen figure than they do as a main antagonist. There’s so much buildup in When All the Girls Have Gone and Promise Not to Tell that there’s no way one human man could deliver when he ultimately appears (at least if you want him to be plausibly defeated by the heroes and heroines). For me, Zane was the weak point in Untouchable and I wished some of the much-touted charisma and cleverness had shown to make him a stronger villain. That being said, the action scenes were still exciting and the hunt itself was entertaining. Jayne Ann Krentz knows how to keep the pages turning and the story engaging, so I can forgive some of the weaker points in the story because I enjoyed it, flaws and all.

Untouchable is the third book in the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas series but it can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed revisiting beloved characters and I got a kick out seeing Jack and Winter in towns from other Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick books (who doesn’t love a good Easter egg?). So while Untouchable has its flaws, it was still a solid read and a satisfying end to the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas trilogy.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

When All the Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler, Sutter & Salinas, Book 1
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense

ISBN: 9780515156355
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her stepsister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one of her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way…

Charlotte Sawyer isn’t one to take risks. But her calm, orderly life is turned upside down when her stepsister, Jocelyn, disappears and Jocelyn’s best friend turns up dead. Desperate to find her sister, Charlotte teams up with Max Culter, a former profiler turned private investigator. What the two of them don’t know is that they’re about to stir up a hornet’s nest. For there are secrets buried well over a decade that are about to be turned up. Secrets someone will kill to protect.

When All the Girls Have Gone is a fast-paced romantic suspense that keeps me entertained every time I read it. Jayne Ann Krentz deftly twines together multiple players, motives, and storylines and the result is an engaging mystery I loved watching Charlotte and Max put together.

At the center of the book are Charlotte and Max, and they’re the reason I find myself coming back to this book. They’re smart, likeable, and their flaws endeared them to me as much as their strengths. Charlotte isn’t bold and she’s definitely not a risk-taker, but she’ll take on everything thrown at her with aplomb because she’s got a huge heart and won’t let the people she loves get hurt. Max has an equally big heart and he’s working to rebuild his life after his career as a profiler crashed and burned. Circumstances throw Charlotte and Max together, but the two of them make a great team from the start. Though they do fall in love incredibly quickly and their love story is understated, they fit one another so well that their slide into love just worked for me.

When All the Girls Have Gone leans more toward the suspense side of romantic suspense. A murder and a disappearance are only the beginning of the mystery. Murder, drugs, rape, and long-buried secrets all come to light and the result is a truly engaging mystery. I honestly don’t want to say much because it would spoil the fun of putting together the pieces alongside Charlotte and Max. This isn’t a pulse-pounding thriller, but Ms. Krentz definitely keeps things moving at a good pace and even during re-reads when I knew what was coming I would get sucked into the story. All in all, When All the Girls Have Gone is a truly satisfying romantic suspense and a great start to the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas series.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler, Sutter & Salinas, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense

ISBN: 9780399585272
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

A painter of fiery, nightmarish visions throws herself into the sea—but she’ll leave some of her secrets behind…

Seattle gallery owner Virginia Troy has spent years battling the demons that stem from her childhood time in a cult and the night a fire burned through the compound, killing her mother. And now one of her artists has taken her own life, but not before sending Virginia a last picture: a painting that makes Virginia doubt everything about the so-called suicide—and her own past.

Like Virginia, private investigator Cabot Sutter was one of the children in the cult who survived that fire…and only he can help her now. As they struggle to unravel the clues in the painting, it becomes clear that someone thinks Virginia knows more than she does and that she must be stopped. Thrown into an inferno of desire and deception, Virginia and Cabot draw ever closer to the mystery of their shared memories—and the shocking fate of the one man who still wields the power to destroy everything they hold dear.

Promise Not to Tell is a real page-turner. It’s fast-paced, interesting, and has some great twists and turns without ever losing sight of the main couple. I absolutely hated it whenever I had to put Virginia and Cabot’s story down, and quite honestly, by the end of the book nothing could have torn me away.

Virginia and Cabot were children living in a cult until one fiery night where they lost their mothers and were rescued by the local police chief. It’s been over twenty years since the fire but both Virginia and Cabot are still haunted by the past. And when another cult survivor plunges to her death after sending Virginia an urgent message with hidden clues, she and Cabot will have to team up and face the demons of their past. Without sounding too vague, that’s about as much as I can say about the plot of Promise Not to Tell without giving away anything. Jayne Ann Krentz did an excellent job of combining mystery, suspense, and romance in this story. Cabot and Virginia may not have seen one another since they were kids, but their shared experiences and invisible scars give them an instant bond and help them easily open up to one another in a way they might not do with strangers. They’re both interesting, intelligent characters and it was easy to root for them to fall in love because they just plain fit. They had an easy chemistry that came off the page and their connection – not to mention the heightened drama around them – made their fast-paced romance work really well.

Intertwined with Virginia and Cabot’s romance is the suspense plotline involving the cult that was first mentioned in When All the Girls Have Gone, though you don’t have to have read the that book in order to follow this one. Ms. Krentz delves deeper into the history of the cult and Virginia and Cabot’s time there. The past is coming back to haunt Virginia, Cabot, and Cabot’s family in a very real way. As I said above, I’m hesitant to go into much detail for fear of spoiling the story. Suffice it to say Ms. Krentz has a lot of excellent twists and turns planned for readers and I was as taken with the cult plot as I was with the romance. While the ending of Promise Not to Tell left me a well-satisfied reader, I cannot wait to see what happens in the next Cutler, Sutter & Salinas book!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More

Review: Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz

Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Romantic Suspense

ISBN: 9780399174483
Release Date: December 8, 2015
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

Madeline and Daphne were once as close as sisters—until a secret tore them apart. Now it might take them to their graves.

They knew his name, the man who tried to brutally attack twelve-year-old Madeline in her grandmother’s hotel. They thought they knew his fate. He wouldn't be bothering them anymore…ever. Still their lives would never be the same.

Madeline has returned to Washington after her grandmother's mysterious death. And at the old, abandoned hotel—a place she never wanted to see again—a dying man’s last words convey a warning: the secrets she and Daphne believed buried forever have been discovered.

Now, after almost two decades, Madeline and Daphne will be reunited in friendship and in fear. Unable to trust the local police, Madeline summons Jack Rayner, the hotel chain’s new security expert. Despite the secrets and mysteries that surround him, Jack is the only one she trusts…and wants.

Jack is no good at relationships but he does possess a specific skill set that includes a profoundly intimate understanding of warped and dangerous minds. With the assistance of Jack’s brother, Abe, a high-tech magician, the four of them will form an uneasy alliance against a killer who will stop at nothing to hide the truth…

Secret Sisters is part romance, part mystery, part family drama, and one hundred percent gripping entertainment. Jayne Ann Krentz knows how to hook readers and keep them on the edge of their seats, and that’s exactly what she does in this novel.

Madeline and Daphne were childhood best friends, until one fateful night when Madeline was attacked on the grounds of her grandmother’s hotel. The perpetrator died that night, but left behind information others would kill to possess. Only five people knew what really happened all those years ago, and now two of them are dead. It’s been eighteen years, but it’s clear someone wants the information Madeline’s attacker possessed, and they’re willing to kill to get it.

Now Madeline and Daphne have to return to the scene of the crime and solve an old mystery before someone takes them out. But they won’t be going alone. Madeline knows she can’t trust just anyone with the truth, so she asks for the help of her new security expert, Jack Rayner. With the help of Jack and his brother, Abe, Madeline and Daphne will unravel the secrets of one powerful, dangerous family who will do anything to stop them.

I love a good mystery and Ms. Krentz takes readers on an action-packed journey as Madeline, Jack, Daphne, and Abe dodge killers and put the puzzle pieces together. Secret Sisters has fantastic twists and turns and a compelling storyline that made it difficult to put the book down. But an exciting mystery is nothing without great characters and Ms. Krentz has delivered some great ones. Madeline and Jack are the center of the story and they’re both strong-minded, wary individuals. Jack has hard edges and a heart of gold, but his past makes him hesitant to trust people. Something about Madeline calls to him, though, and it’s easy to see why each of them couldn’t resist the other. Madeline is a tough businesswoman with a sharp mind you have to respect. She also has scars that have never been able to heal because her attack had to be kept secret, and this adds a vulnerability to her character that broke my heart. She and Jack have excellent chemistry and he complements her perfectly. Their romance was brimming with potential, but it never quite reached it because the focus of the story was more on the suspense storyline. The secondary romance between Abe and Daphne was also more in the background, which was a pity as well because these two were a lot of fun. If I had one wish for Secret Sisters, it would be that the love stories were better developed. Yet even taking this into account, I loved this book. The story is compelling, the characters fascinating, and the suspense is top-notch. Jayne Ann Krentz is a master of several genres and her talent for writing romantic suspense shines in Secret Sisters.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Read More