Title: The Hot Zone
Series: Rainshadow bk 3, Harmony bk 11
Author: Jayne Castle
Genre: Paranormal
The world of Harmony has its wonders, one of them being Rainshadow Island. Just beneath its surface, a maze of catacombs hides a dangerous secret……
Halloween—with its tricks and treats—is a dust bunny’s dream come true. Just ask Lyle, Sedona Snow’s faithful sidekick. But for Sedona, it’s a nightmare. Though her new job managing a small hotel and tavern on Rainshadow is helping her move on from her tragic past, a bizarre disaster down in the catacombs has brought a pack of rowdy ghost hunters to her inn.
And now, Sedona’s ex has arrived on the island, claiming he wants to get back together, just as a newcomer appears to have a strong interest in her. Cyrus Jones is the new Guild boss in town. He has his own agenda when it comes to Sedona, but even the best-laid plans are no match for the passion that springs up on Rainshadow.
Thoughts: I’ve been a fan of this series for a long time. As with the case of long running series there is a tendency to tell the same story over again after a certain number of books. That isn’t what’s happening in this series though.
The world that Castle has created is one that allows her to consistently make each story fresh and new. As a long time fan of her’s I’m glad for this. To many times have I had to stop reading a series I loved simply because the story arc had grown stale and the author was simply telling the same story over and over again just with a different set of characters.
From the beginning I liked Sedona. She’s placed in a position where she as to rescue herself, along with the help of a dust bunny who’s found her. When she finally makes it to the surface, she discovers that everything has changed. Once again she’s forced to make a new life for herself. And she does on Rainshadow. When the new guild boss arrives she wants nothing more than for him to go away. She’s lost all trust and respect for them.
Cyrus and her dust bunny however have very different ideas about what is best for her. They both believe that she needs a protector, and when someone tries to grab her again, Lyle, the dust bunny, runs straight to Cyrus for help. Before morning it’s all over the island that she’s hooked up with the new Guild Boss and while it doesn’t make her happy, she also admits that he makes her feel things she’s never felt before.
The adventure these two go on take them into the heart of the Rainshadow and back to the mainland where the truth about what really happened to Sedona and why comes out.
If you’ve read the other books in Castle’s series you know that she’s created a rich world full amazing wonders and new discoveries. In this one we get to explore a part of the catacombs we’ve never seen before and also discover new talents. Cyrus is related to one of my favorite couples from this world and it was great to catch up with them so much so that I decided a re-read of the entire series was in order and have started with the book that started it all, After Dark.
If you’ve never read a Jayne Castle book and love a good paranormal mystery then you need to make reading her a top priority.
Grade B+
I’m not that into paranormal but this one sounds good.