Title: Obsidian Prey
Author: Jayne Castle
Sub-Genre: Science Fiction/Paranormal/Suspense
If you’re familiar with Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz aka Amanda Quick), then you don’t need a plot summary. Basically, what’s going to happen is two people are going to fall in love while solving a mystery that puts them in a great deal of danger. Under her Jayne Castle psuedonym, she’ll take you to another world, cut off from earth 200 years ago, where descendents of the original colonists still seek to understand the aliens who used to live above and below the surface of the planet.
In this particular story, Lyra and Cruz actually met three months before the current events unfold. He was a cutthroat businessman who came to her undercover and took control of a valuable amethyst ruin she discovered. She, of course, has not forgiven him.
The chemistry in this book is great. Cruz Sweetwater has a paranormal talent for knowing when he has found “the one.” (Hey, why not? Many authors do this anyway and then claim it’s not supernatural.) Even though he has wronged her, he is determined to have Lyra in his life.
The mystery in this book is better than usual. (I mean both for this particular author and for mystery subplots in romance novels.) It kept me guessing until the end, where the reveal was both satisfying and satisfyingly dangerous.
If I have to make a complaint about this book, and I don’t but I will anyway, it’s that there wasn’t a moment that stood out for me. My absolute favorite romance novels bring me to a point of true emotional intensity where, despite knowing and understanding the HEA structure, I feel strongly for the plight of the main characters. In this book, the characters each pretty much knew they loved the other from the start (Cruz more than Lyra).
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
Recommended to those who fantasize about strong men who know what they want.
**Fantastic Love is a no-nonsense look at romance, from the popular to the obscure, recent to classic, and from any sub-genre I feel like reading. I’ll tell you what works, what doesn’t work, and most of all, what kinds of fantasy it fulfills. Because whether or not we’re talking about the fantasy or paranormal sub-genre of romance, it’s all wish-fulfillment fantasy.