Veena’s review of It Takes a Psychic (Harmony, Book 18) by Jayne Castle
Paranormal Romance published by Berkley 03 Jun 25
Leona and Oliver meet under interesting circumstances. She’s a guest brought to authenticate an alien artifact; he might have been the one to supply the artifact. The evening, however, has many surprises to offer, including trapped dust bunnies, a dead body, a waiter wearing an alien artifact with special significance to Leona, and a police raid to end things on a high note. Of course, there’s more to come, since this is just the beginning.
Leona ends up with a dust bunny who adopts her and will look after her, along with a security guard from the guild who is to be the new guild boss in town. She and Oliver follow the clues that lead them to an island in search of answers.
The plot thickens with a huge pool of suspects. In fact, the entire town may be up to no good – or is there an alien force in play that has the entire town turned into zombies who follow orders?
I always enjoy these tales from Harmony, exploring the glowing underground tunnels and the unexpected nature of the traps, ghosts, and twists and turns that the characters have to get through in order to come to a happy ending. The highlight of these stories are the antics of the dust bunnies that make you want to take one home, despite the lethal teeth and sleeked-out exteriors.
Another winner for Ms. Castle.
Grade: A
Summary:
Leona Griffin is at the height of her career as a para-archeologist thanks to a recent Underworld discovery. Her high profile attracts the attention of an organization of elite, secretive collectors. They want her to authenticate the artifacts that aspiring members submit as evidence to join their group. The ceremony takes place at a glittering reception where Leona is shocked to discover that one of the relics is a powerful Old-World object known as Pandora’s Box. But she’s not the only one interested in that artifact.
Oliver Rancourt, a man with a unique talent—they say you never see him coming—is also there. Leona knows she must not underestimate him. Attempting to make a discreet exit, she stumbles over the body of a waiter wearing the emblem of a dangerous cult. Before she can alert authorities, a police raid sends the reception into chaos. To avoid being arrested, Leona slips away with Oliver—a risky decision that gets her fired.
Now forced to work together, Leona and Oliver pursue an investigation that leads them to the town of Lost Creek where the locals are obsessed with a chilling legend involving a long-dead cult leader and illicit paranormal experiments. But Leona knows the real danger may be the irresistible attraction between herself and Oliver.
