Deception Cove is the second novel in Castle’s series set on the psi-drenched Rainshadow Island on her alien planet Harmony. As with the two other series novels I read, The Lost Night and The Hot Zone, the plots revolve around the extraordinarily strange Preserve at the island’s center and three rocks that the Sebastian family brought from Earth to Harmony. These rocks are dangerous when combined with the alien paranormal structures in the Preserve and someone has somehow taken them from their safe cache.
The three novels also have similar character interactions, women with very strong psychic gifts and very little money or social standing who collide with handsome, sexy men also gifted with strong psychic profiles. The pairs team up to save the island from the dangers in the Preserve.
Alice North is having a very bad year. A year ago her Marriage of Convenience ended when her husband tried to murder her; her ex husband ended up dead in his home; her ex mother in law is convinced Alice murdered her son and has stalked and harassed her, getting her fired and evicted several times over. Her luck is now changed as Drake Sebastian needs her help finding those pesky rocks and getting Rainshadow under control. Things progress emotionally and the two end up in love.
Deception Cove is quite enjoyable. I read nine other Jayne Castle Harmony novels and Jayne Krentz Arcane novels in the past week and find they tend to blur together. The plots vary but the romantic leads stay about the same, differing only a little in personality. That said, I wouldn’t have read so many books by the same author if they aren’t so darn good!
Deception Cove feels less immediate and I didn’t feel as invested in the characters. The romance feels rushed. The setting also is less vivid to me. I’m familiar with Rainshadow after reading the other novels so the spooky fog and small town vibe are there, just not compelling. I think this sense of not-quite-as-good is more because I read so many Jayne Castle books recently than due to any fault of the author, so I’m not reducing my rating.
Be aware Deception Cove has a couple more sex scenes than most Jayne Castle books and there is a little vulgarity.
4 Stars
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