Night of the Magician

If you have not discovered that Jayne Ann Krentz also wrote as Stephanie James, you are in for a treat. Silhouette re released several of her Stephanie at a delightful price! Though written in the 1980's, JAK's writing does not date, with her characters always well drawn and so involving. Ariana has two rules in dating men 1) they have to have as much money as she does 2) they have to be honest. This is a result of her falling in love with a con artist four years before and him running off with all her money. But right now, Ariana desperately needs the help of a professional magician - one who deals in trickery and it testing her limits. Lucian Hawk is that magician, and illusion is his whole world. He loves the mystery and the intrigue, the games, the showmanship. When he first meets Ariana at the request of her brother, he sees an uptight, prissy, mercenary woman. But Lucian is adapt at looking below the surface of everything to see what is really beneath. Lucian was burned by his first wife, who valued money more than love, so he is not about to let any woman know just how rich he is until that woman takes a chance on HIM. This naturally but them at opposite end of the battle of the sexes. Ariana needs Lucian to catch a man claiming he is making contact with Aliens - and need big bucks from her aunt Phil in order to help the aliens break through. Ariana wants Lucian to put a stop to the swindle. It is all in good fun, as Ariana breaks rule number 1 for Lucian. But the fur flies when later Lucian reveals he is worth 3 to 4 times her in money. What Lucian does not understand is he just broke rule number 2. It is witty fun with Aunt Phil nearly stealing the show. Highly recommended collector's edition!

I didn't discover JAK until the 1990's (under her Amanda Quick pen name). It is fun to read some of her earlier books, although I noticed 3 or 4 with the same copyright year - suggests she was cranking them out, and to some degree it shows. This book was an especially fun blend of romance and mystery.

It took me a while to warm to the story's heroine, Ariana, given her intense focus on money. However, Ariana's prejudice plays nicely against Lucian's more freewheeling lifestyle as a "magician for hire." The two team up to investigate a paranormal guru Ariana believes is preying on her wealthy aunt. The main characters have a good chemistry with just enough conflict to be fun. The plot is fast paced and her aunt's outlook on marriage adds a fun twist.