Review: The Shop on Hidden Lane

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review 

Harpers and the Wellses hadn’t been known to socialize for four generations. 

I couldn't find anywhere this was labeled as part of a series (Arcane and Fogg Lake are mentioned) but it definitely reads as an off-shoot of one, I'm saying prepare to feel lost if you don't have any familiarity with the aforementioned. This was a paranormal mystery loaded up with a ton of psychic additives. Sophy and Luke, and Luke's dog Bruce, are from rival families but end up working together as they at first are searching for Sophy's aunt and Luke's uncle but then get swept into a decades old plan to, I guess rule the world?, wasn't quite sure. This was written well, because Krentz, but it also read like a second or third draft, the story, plot, and characters were there but things like transitions and padding out were missing, making it read stark and bumpy instead of flowing. 

He was communicating with her even though she was deep in the trance. For once she wasn’t alone in the ghost zone. But why did Luke Wells have to be the one person who could reach her? 

I had a little bit of a problem getting into the overreaching arc of the plot, The Foundation, Blue Stone, Kaleidoscope weapons, all the psychic abilities, and the family history/drama with Sophy and Luke's family was a lot to get thrown into and try to wade through as a murder mystery was underlining everything. Sophy has the ability to “read” a crime scene, she goes into a trance where she can see ghost like apparitions recreate their murder but it takes a huge toll on her and her dating life. Luke's still trying to get over being burned bad by a woman, so he's doing the stoic thing but his aura and Sophy's get to mixing and wham bam they have the hots for each other. As they search for their aunt and uncle they had good byplay I enjoyed but there was a ton to wade through here. 

“That’s the thing about history, isn’t it?” she said. “No two people tell it quite the same way.” 

As we get more of their family history, a business deal gone wrong between their grandparents that left them mistrustful of each other but locked in a pact to always protect the psychic weapons they had created, it starts to become clear that that history plays a part in the current murders that Sophy and Luke are investigating. There was a little bit of broaching with this commentary: Perhaps it hasn’t occurred to you that most of us in the community lack the muscle and the cash it takes to make sure the Foundation treats us with the same respect that it shows your family. It seems to think it has a right to police those of us who are just trying to make a living with our talents and be productive members of society, some added danger for Sophy, a call-back for Luke, and we get a climatic scene that reveals players and motivations but also leaves some threads dangling. Bruce the dog had a personality all his own and with a cliffhanger that deals with him, it's clear why he got some of the spotlight. If you've read the Fogg Lake series maybe you wouldn't be as confused as I was through this and would enjoy it more, others not initiated like me, there's some fun back and forth between Sophy and Luke and interesting paranormal elements but be prepared to have to work for every ounce of understanding.

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#TBRChallenge Review: Sweet Starfire

Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.3 stars 

This month's TBRChallenge (I know, I know, late again!) theme was Location, Location, Location. I can't imagine I'm the only one who's first thought was, “Get me the hell off this planet.” So, with that desire, I dove into my boxes of books and found myself on the way to the Stanza Nine system! 

"What is it you want delivered?" 

Cidra cleared her throat. "Myself." 

We're in space, folks! With povs from both our mains, Cidra and Teague, readers join them as Cidra is looking to book passage to travel the system in search of an artifact that she thinks will alter her mind to biologically become a Harmonic. While Cidra was born on Clementia to Harmonic parents, she didn't get the gene. In this time and space, humans are divided into Harmonics, intellectually and emotionally advanced, and Wolves, basic normies. Cidra's studied the Harmonic ways but can never really be them, she feels emotions in a way that doesn't cause her to be catatonic for hours. As a trained archivist, who focused on the First Families of their civilization, she thinks there's a “Ghost” artifact that can help her alter her brain. Teague's a postman and she wants to book passage on his ship to take her around to the different planets to search for it. 

Teague Severance hadn't been quite what she had expected, and Cidra had been trying to adjust to that fact. 

It's a set-up for a road romance between opposites attract, except Cidra and Teague are more alike than they want to admit, Cidra can't stop feeling those debased normie lust feelings and Teague is more kind and protective of Cidra than a Wolf should be. 

His mouth came down on hers with the urgency of a man who was running toward the promise of safety in a wild and uncontrolled land. 

On the cramped ship, these two have plenty of time to get to know one another and I enjoyed their calm, sweet, and frustrated with each other at times chemistry. There was humor and heart to Cidra being a little naïve and Teague doing some underlining talk but Cidra also pleasantly surprises with staying out of Mary Sue and waif territory. Her background of feeling lonely with not fitting in on her planet and Teague having lost a brother who was a Harmonic deliver some depth to their emotional characterization and provide for a villain in the wings. The villain thread delivered some danger and action but this was more of a sedately paced romance that took time to lean into the scifi world-building (that, ok, slowed it down a bit too much at times for me), but I accepted it because this is the start of the series and I imagine it's all building for a purpose. 

He had forced the Wolf in her to the surface after she had spent years struggling to suppress that part of her nature. 

Around 60% Cidra and Teague can't fight their chemistry anymore (not so bad lowering yourself to be with us normies now is it, Cidra!?) and we start getting sex scenes. There's more lore added to their Ghost ancestors (they were cats??? need more on this STAT, lol) and we get the calmest third act breakup when Teague is scared Cidra would regret leaving Harmonics for him. Cidra Rainforest would never waver and we get our space HEA. This was fun and had some wildly interesting additives, the aforementioned Furries, Fred the rockrug dog?cat?, a Chekhov's mantis, and the mutie evil alien dinosaurs. Cidra and Teague had just enough depth to them to pull me in and were sweet with a dash of spice to have me enjoy the ride in Stanza Nine. 

“You’ll have to trust me to come back, just as I’ll have to trust you to be waiting."

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