Genre Fiction
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Sweetwater and the Witch (A Harmony Novel)
Welcome to the world of Harmony, where-despite its name, things are anything but-danger lurks just beneath the surface in this new novel by New York Times bestselling author, Jayne Castle.
If there's something Ravenna Chastain knows, it's when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she's a witch, it's easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.
But even a successful matchmaker can't find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it's time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client-he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents' anniversary celebration.
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he's doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up-the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that's stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn't just an engineer-he's also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…
If there's something Ravenna Chastain knows, it's when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she's a witch, it's easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.
But even a successful matchmaker can't find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it's time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client-he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents' anniversary celebration.
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he's doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up-the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that's stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn't just an engineer-he's also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…
Editorial Reviews
"In the latest stellar addition to her Harmony series, Castle once again brilliantly draws on her own bewitching brand of literary magic to concoct a beguiling novel of futuristic romantic suspense that expertly fuses propulsive plotting, deftly incised secondary characters (including a dust bunny with a penchant for pens), and a pair of protagonists whose sexual chemistry goes from simmer to sizzle in sixty seconds flat."-Booklist, starred review
Readers Top Reviews
Penne DavisMoon C
YAY - Back to a seemingly Normal Jayne Castle Harmony novel – was a little disappointed in the ending BUT this ending Just Means There Will Be MORE books to come This story kept moving along at a Great Pace. Had you remembering characters from back on Earth before the Curtain Closed – Updated on what is going on Harmony with the recent characters Just Enjoyed A Really Really Great Read
Beth LPenne Davis
Another spectacular read by Ms Castle/Krantz/Quick. JAK is still the best author, hands down, I have ever read. I have other authors who are favorites, but she is still the queen! A great addition to the Harmony books, I enjoyed the main characters and of course Harriet, the Dust Bunny. I think the dust bunnies are just about the greatest invented creatures since H. Piper Beams Little Fuzzy. You will enjoy. I also liked the tie back to The Colors of Night books.
J. HartBeth LPenn
For those who have never been to Harmony, welcome to a world where psychic powers are “normal” and dust bunnies are a woman’s best friend. Mystery, intrigue, and romance abound in Ms Castle’s latest from Illusion Town. For returning fans, this one characters with ties to the near past, and to Old Earth. Once you finish this, you’ll want to brush up on your history with a re-read of the other Harmony and Arcane books. Meanwhile, grab some popcorn and get ready for the fireworks!
Kindle J. HartBe
The dangers and responsibilities of the planet induced paranormal talents never fails to create suspenseful stories, and the dust bunny always adds the fun and charm. I've been privileged to have been able to enjoy this world through Jayne's eyes for close to 30 years and still get the thrill of challenge and scientific magic while the bad guys lose . Each book can be read as a stand alone, but having the background of the Jones on earth in the past and modern day, through Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz, enriches and deepens the depth and scope of every book.
K. M. MartinKindl
The story begins with Ravenna Chastain being held in a cage in an underworld cavern waiting to be executed for being a witch. She was supposed to be undercover for the FBPI but her backup seems to be delayed. It looks like Ravenna and her new dust bunny friend Harriet will have to rescue themselves. Using her psychic ability to create psychic fire, she manages to capture the main villain just before the FBPI finally arrives. Ravenna decides to change careers after her ordeal. After all criminal profiling and matchmaking aren't really all that different. But Ravenna has a new problem in an unmatchable client. Ethan Sweetwater has had nine unsuccessful dates and, while Ravenna wants to buy out his contract, he demands one final date - with her. Luckily, Ethan is a phlegmatic engineer with a hidden hunter talent, because when he comes to pick her up for their date, he finds that she has been attacked by the last person who was matched with her. He's come toting a gun and saying that she has to die so that he can preserve his business. Ethan rises to the occasion and takes care of things. However, that is just the first mishap the couple experiences. A number of attacks by hired killers give the couple a lot of chances for "bonding experiences." Through each of them the couple gets closer even though Ravenna is convinced, but not excited, that they are just fake dating. This was another great episode in the Harmony universe. Harriet the pen-collecting dust bunny is a great addition to the roster of dust bunnies who have bonded with the main characters in this series. I really like the dialog in this series and this one had especially crisp dialog, I liked the way Ravenna and Ethan came to trust and accept each other's foibles.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter One
"The witch will burn."
Ravenna Chastain could hear the chanting in the adjacent chamber. It was growing louder and more intense. The members of the witch hunter cult were working themselves up into a frenzy.
"The witch will burn. The witch will burn. The witch will burn."
Until a few minutes ago she had kept panic at bay by telling herself that help was on the way. All she had to do was stall for time. She had done her best, but the trial that had condemned her had lasted less than twenty minutes and had consisted primarily of a lengthy reading of the charges against her. "You have been accused of practicing witchcraft. You have presented no evidence to the contrary. You must be cleansed." At the end the Master had pronounced the verdict, which had never been in doubt: guilty.
She and the dust bunny were on their own.
The cult's head enforcer appeared in the arched doorway. He gripped a flamer in one hand. Such weapons were among the few that functioned in the heavy paranormal energy that circulated in the ancient ruins of the Underworld.
"Time to meet the cold fire, Witch." He selected a key from the metal chatelaine at his waist. "The Master and the Acolyte are waiting. The Guardians have gathered to witness the destruction of your powers."
Ravenna watched him through the bars of the cage. He wore a black, hooded robe and a black mask. His eyes glittered with a sick excitement. He called himself the First Guardian, but she knew his real name was Charles Granger.
"Tell me, Chucky, are you having fun with this crazy witch-hunting cult?" she asked.
Granger flinched. Panic flashed in his eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"Magic. I'm a witch, remember? That's why you kidnapped me. Don't tell me you've forgotten already. What's the problem? Short attention span?"
"You're going to be a flatlined witch soon." Granger shoved the key into the lock and opened the cage door. "Come on out."
"Doesn't it bother you to know that you're being used by a manipulative, deranged psychopath who gets his thrills using his talent to put innocent people into a waking coma?"
"Shut your fucking mouth. Your powers will be destroyed tonight. Tomorrow morning they'll find you wandering the streets. You won't remember who you are, let alone that you used to practice magic. You will be cleansed. If you're lucky you'll end up in an asylum."
"Between you and me, I don't think the jury is going to buy your rationale for helping Fitch psi-burn innocent people."
"The Order of the Guardians must fulfill its mission," Granger snarled. "We will rid Harmony of all those who practice witchcraft."
"Yeah, right. Do you realize just how ridiculous you sound? You believe in magic? Really? Can you even spell the word science?"
Granger grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the arched doorway of the glowing green chamber. Ravenna caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. The dust bunny was back.
"No, please," she said, willing her to remain in hiding.
She had no idea how much the creature understood, but dust bunnies were hunters by nature. That meant they probably shared a few basic takedown strategies with humans. For some reason, this one had apparently adopted her after she had been thrown into the cage. The dust bunny had been careful to remain out of sight when the cult members were around. She seemed to understand that they were outnumbered and outgunned.
If she revealed herself too soon in a valiant but futile attack on one of the enforcers, she would be killed. Dust bunnies were quick and fast, but they were as vulnerable to a flamer as any other living creature.
Ravenna was scared but she was also pissed. She was not supposed to be in this mess. Things had gone very wrong.
"Too late," Granger said, assuming she was pleading with him. He hauled viciously on her arm. "Nothing can save your magic."
"I wasn't talking to you," she said.
"Is that right? Who, then? I don't see any other members of your coven around."
"I don't have a coven," she said. She was a member of an FBPI task force team, but she didn't think that qualified as a coven. "I'm not really a witch, you know."
"The Master identified you as a witch. That's good enough for me."
"Seriously? I'd like to blame your failure to think for yourself on the defects of the modern education system, but I've got a feeling it's a symptom of a personality disorder instead. You're pretty much doomed to be a pawn for others to manipulate, aren't you? When Fitch gets arrested, which he will eventually, he'll go back to that high-security para-psych hospital for the criminally insane. But you'll probably go to prison. Once y...
"The witch will burn."
Ravenna Chastain could hear the chanting in the adjacent chamber. It was growing louder and more intense. The members of the witch hunter cult were working themselves up into a frenzy.
"The witch will burn. The witch will burn. The witch will burn."
Until a few minutes ago she had kept panic at bay by telling herself that help was on the way. All she had to do was stall for time. She had done her best, but the trial that had condemned her had lasted less than twenty minutes and had consisted primarily of a lengthy reading of the charges against her. "You have been accused of practicing witchcraft. You have presented no evidence to the contrary. You must be cleansed." At the end the Master had pronounced the verdict, which had never been in doubt: guilty.
She and the dust bunny were on their own.
The cult's head enforcer appeared in the arched doorway. He gripped a flamer in one hand. Such weapons were among the few that functioned in the heavy paranormal energy that circulated in the ancient ruins of the Underworld.
"Time to meet the cold fire, Witch." He selected a key from the metal chatelaine at his waist. "The Master and the Acolyte are waiting. The Guardians have gathered to witness the destruction of your powers."
Ravenna watched him through the bars of the cage. He wore a black, hooded robe and a black mask. His eyes glittered with a sick excitement. He called himself the First Guardian, but she knew his real name was Charles Granger.
"Tell me, Chucky, are you having fun with this crazy witch-hunting cult?" she asked.
Granger flinched. Panic flashed in his eyes. "How do you know my name?"
"Magic. I'm a witch, remember? That's why you kidnapped me. Don't tell me you've forgotten already. What's the problem? Short attention span?"
"You're going to be a flatlined witch soon." Granger shoved the key into the lock and opened the cage door. "Come on out."
"Doesn't it bother you to know that you're being used by a manipulative, deranged psychopath who gets his thrills using his talent to put innocent people into a waking coma?"
"Shut your fucking mouth. Your powers will be destroyed tonight. Tomorrow morning they'll find you wandering the streets. You won't remember who you are, let alone that you used to practice magic. You will be cleansed. If you're lucky you'll end up in an asylum."
"Between you and me, I don't think the jury is going to buy your rationale for helping Fitch psi-burn innocent people."
"The Order of the Guardians must fulfill its mission," Granger snarled. "We will rid Harmony of all those who practice witchcraft."
"Yeah, right. Do you realize just how ridiculous you sound? You believe in magic? Really? Can you even spell the word science?"
Granger grabbed her arm and hauled her toward the arched doorway of the glowing green chamber. Ravenna caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. The dust bunny was back.
"No, please," she said, willing her to remain in hiding.
She had no idea how much the creature understood, but dust bunnies were hunters by nature. That meant they probably shared a few basic takedown strategies with humans. For some reason, this one had apparently adopted her after she had been thrown into the cage. The dust bunny had been careful to remain out of sight when the cult members were around. She seemed to understand that they were outnumbered and outgunned.
If she revealed herself too soon in a valiant but futile attack on one of the enforcers, she would be killed. Dust bunnies were quick and fast, but they were as vulnerable to a flamer as any other living creature.
Ravenna was scared but she was also pissed. She was not supposed to be in this mess. Things had gone very wrong.
"Too late," Granger said, assuming she was pleading with him. He hauled viciously on her arm. "Nothing can save your magic."
"I wasn't talking to you," she said.
"Is that right? Who, then? I don't see any other members of your coven around."
"I don't have a coven," she said. She was a member of an FBPI task force team, but she didn't think that qualified as a coven. "I'm not really a witch, you know."
"The Master identified you as a witch. That's good enough for me."
"Seriously? I'd like to blame your failure to think for yourself on the defects of the modern education system, but I've got a feeling it's a symptom of a personality disorder instead. You're pretty much doomed to be a pawn for others to manipulate, aren't you? When Fitch gets arrested, which he will eventually, he'll go back to that high-security para-psych hospital for the criminally insane. But you'll probably go to prison. Once y...
