Amaryllis

Since they repackaged two from this series under the title of Harmony, I got these out and decided to reread them, and found I enjoyed them more the second time around. This is JAK writing as the Jayne Castle she saves for her paranormal tales, and it's her best writing of late. I have been a wee tad disappointed in her last several hardbacks, especially in her Amanda Quicks (her historical romance name). She seems to have polished her diamond too much and lost some of the spontaneity that was her trademark. But in Amaryllis, Zinnia and Orchid (and later with After Dark and After Glow) the off-world of Harmony antics show JAK at her top form. These books original received mixed reviews from fans, not completely used to JAK's paranormals. I often see the complaint JAK is a great writer, but the books are too patterned. It's in her Jayne Castle works where is her most original, yet her fans were initially resistant to the paranormal theme. Now the paranormal market has caught up with her, and is so hot, these are getting better reviews. So if you missed the Harmony tales, don't hesitate to seek them out.In this off world tale, Amaryllis Lark is a private detective, but she is also a prism. In the Earth Colony of Harmony, people evolved with two supernatural talents: either they were a prism or a psychic. The prisms serve to increase the power of the psychics by channeling their powers through them, amplifying it and keeping it stable. Even the strongest of psychics needs a prism, for without them they cannot control and maintain their powers for long periods.Lucas Trent, the founder of Lodestar, hires Amaryllis for her prism talents. He is an off the chart psychic who need the talent of a prism of his level. A psychic and a prism have to be matched. They are rated 1-10 levels and if a psychic is stronger than a prism, the prism can experience burn-out. There are few prisms who can handle Lucas Trent's strong psychic abilities, so he is delighted to discover Amaryllis can handle whatever power he channels through her. Lucas is concerned one of his Lodestone employees is selling corporate information to his competition. He, originally, hired Amaryllis to help catch the industrial spy, and to use her talents as a prism to help his focus his psychic talent to trap the spy. But soon they are involved in a murder mystery. In this case, opposites do attract, and Lucas and Amaryllis sizzle, their attraction amplified by the psy-power between them. However, Amaryllis is undergoing the rigors of a matchmaking service. All solid marriages on Harmony are founded on this service. While she is falling in love with Lucas, she fears it will only be an affair. Lucas has other plans and is not about to let his true match slip through his fingers.In order to foil nasty corporate to-dos, they are forced to join talents...and more! A super, brilliant work from the fine craft of JAK, without the narrow POV (point of view) being voiced on writers

In the not-too-distant future, Amaryllis Lark is a prism, a psychic detective, in the city of New Seattle. A prism is crucial to the well-being of the colonists of St. Helen's, as they developed into two major groups: either talents, or prisms. Talents have a number of psychic abilities, ranging from the mundane (horticultural talents) to the mysterious (illusionist talents). Prisms, on the other hand, help a talent focus his energy in order to be able to use his psychic abilities. Without a prism, a talent wouldn't be able to use his ability for longer than a few seconds at most. Lucas Trent, also known as The Iceman, hires Amaryllis for her psychic talents. He knows that a close business associate has been stealing and selling corporate secrets, and he thinks there might be more going on than simple greed. When Lucas and Amaryllis join forces, their psychic connection and attraction to each other sizzles. Soon, they're thrust in the middle of a murder investigation, and a love affair neither can resist. Jayne Castle, who writes contemporary romances under the name Jayne Ann Krentz, and historical romances under the name Amada Quick, has written a phenomenal tale in AMARYLLIS. The romance is strong, and holds its own in a complex and interesting plot. The hint of mystery also unravels nicely throughout the book and keeps the plot moving at a rapid pace. The characters are extremely well-developed and intriguing. Her writing style is outstanding as well, as she manages to add just the right touch of detail to make the setting come alive without overwhelming the story or the characters. If you're looking for a fun, captivating romance, look no further than AMARYLLIS.

I just love this book, I found the idea of two souls blending together, to create & achieve fantastic. The other two books in this series are just as good. This series would have to be my favorite style of writing form written by Jayne Ann Krantz. You have ghosts, ghouls & always a murder or mystery to solve. But you always know in the end that they end up together happy. I love the flower names & surnames of the heros it gives the books that quirky bit of information about their nature.

Being a fan of futuristic romance I was very happy to "surf" into this, the first book in the series (followed by Zinnia and Orchid). The icing on the cake for me was having psychic abilities added to the story! Amaryllis Lark and Lucas Trent get off to a rocky start, but slowly acknowledge their growing attraction to each other. This is fueled by their Prism/Talent Link that leads them into a nice little murder mystery to solve.Ms. Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) did a nice job of educating the reader about the time and place of the story without getting long winded. I loved the names for various foods, drinks, places and animals that are a combination of nouns used "here on earth!"I do not regret in the least ordering all three of these books sight unseen. I've enjoyed all three enormously.