Silver Master

Celinda Ingram is a matchmaker who was forced out of Frequency after a scandal ruined her business. Now in Cadence, she finds that she might be in the middle of another problem. Her dust bunny Araminta encouraged her to buy a strange item from a local antique store. Celinda can feel its psy vibes but it looks like a red plastic handle from something the original settlers brought to Harmony.

The next thing she knows, she has drawn the attention of the police and also of Investigator Davis Oakes who want to know how the object - now identified as a relic stolen from the Guild museum - came to be in her possession.

Celinda takes one look at Davis and realizes that he is the Mr. Perfect she's been looking for all her life. Only, Davis has show more just gotten out of a bad relationship and is determined to never again trust a matchmaker with his future. Besides, he is in the middle of rebuilding his career too. He spent two months in hospital after an incident with his own psychic talent.

Both Celinda and Davis have psychic powers that are really strong and really unusual. She is able to read the paranormal energy of others which are as distinct to her as faces or fingerprints. He is able to use silver light and also to use silver light to make himself invisible which has come in useful a time or two in his career as a private investigator. However, if he uses it for too long he risks falling into a permanent coma.

Meanwhile, someone else is after the relic that Celinda bought for Araminta and is willing to leave a strong of bodies behind.

This was a fun story with a really nice romance... and two dust bunnies. Besides Celinda's buddy Araminta, Davis has been adopted by Max. show less

In this fourth volume of the Ghost Hunters series, the author returns in some respects to the territory previously explored in her earlier trilogy set on a similar planet with a colony cut off from Earth. Before now, we haven't heard about marriage bureaus despite the fact that Covenant Marriages are for life - on Harmony, Marriages of Convenience allow people to see if they are compatible first. But the heroine in this book is a marriage counsellor.

In the prologue, a woman is attacked in an underground carpark and drugged. It is some time before we discover what happened to her. We switch immediately to the heroine Celinda who is visited by the police - a cameo appearance by Detective Martinez who has been a minor character in show more previous volumes - in company with Davis Oakes of Oakes Security. It transpires that a small object Celinda purchased in a junk shop for the amusement of her 'companion animal', a dust bunny called Araminta, is connected with the death of a drug addict and small-time thief. The object is actually a relic from the alien ruins which cover much of Harmony, especially underground. It was stolen from the ghost hunter Guild in the city, and the chief of the guild has hired Davis to get it back. (To explain, pyschic powers are routine on Harmony and one of the most important is that of ghost hunting - the ability to control/manipulate the energy clouds which manifest in and around the underground catacombs and which are dangerous to humans. The guild provides protection for anyone who works underground to retrieve alien artefacts, the trade in which is an important part of the economy of Harmony, as well as creating a lot of research jobs in universities.) Most ghost hunters are male as the talent is very bound up with testosterone.

Celinda is about to give Davis the object when her dust bunny, objecting, grabs it and runs off with it. For quite a bit of the story following, they attempt to find out where she has put it, without success. The object of course turns out to have special properties, and a couple of very dangerous people are after it. Various threads are interwoven in the novel: the continued search for the artefact and the evil machinations of those working against them go on alongside the mutual attraction which Celinda and Davis are fighting. They end up attending a family wedding as a couple so that he can provide her with protection, to the surprise of her family. And even there, they are not safe.

In previous volumes, we saw the author expand on the psychic powers developed by the human population since the colony was cut off from Earth, with some individuals not being dependent on amber, the stone which allows most people to focus their psychic power most effectively. We also saw the discovery of an artificial environment underground - rain forests created and left behind by the long-departed aliens. As part of this, came the revelation that some ghost hunters can manipulate energy elsewhere on the spectrum, rather than the normal green light. It transpires that Davis is one of these: he is the Silver Master of the title, and silver light has particular properties which I won't divulge to avoid spoilers. The downside is that to use it heavily doesn't just put him into the normal post burn situation - ghost hunters experience strong sexual desire followed by an irrestible urge to sleep for several hours - it can put him into a coma. His past experience of hospital treatment after such an episode has left him paranoid about the medical profession. Meanwhile, Celinda has her own past traumas to deal with, and her own particular psychic ability, which makes her a good matchmaker - she can pick up on the mental and psychic characteristics of others, and in extremis influence them. We have the usual situation in this series where the characters are strongly attracted to each other, but resist it to the bitter end.

Light relief is provided this time by Davis' partner in the business, a down-to-earth character called Trig, who is reading Celinda's book on how to make a good Covenant Marriage, and the protagonists are a little more developed than in the previous volume, and more interesting as a result. And for double cuteness, both the heroine and the hero have dust bunny 'companions' this time. A 3-star read: satisfying but not spectacular. show less

Silver Master
4 Stars

A former celebrity matchmaker in Frequency, Celinda Ingram is forced to reinvent herself in Cadence City after a lurid scandal ruined her reputation. But now her livelihood is threatened once again when security specialist Davis Oakes turns up in her office with disturbing information on a mysterious relic that Celinda recently purchased for her dust bunny. It seems that there are several parties interested in the innocuous-looking ruby toy and are willing to go to any lengths to obtain it - even murder.

While the adage "If you've read one, you've read them all" certainly applies to the books in this futuristic romance series, they are, nevertheless, entertaining with unique world-building, engaging characters, and show more satisfying plots.

Davis and Celinda have an instant connection bordering on "lust at first sight". Nevertheless, an emotional connection develops alongside the physical once they spend more time together. They each have interesting abilities and complement each other very well.

The villains in this installment are at the higher end of the disturbing and creepy scale, and it is good to see them getting their just reward.

The dust bunnies, Araminta and Max, are simply adorable and it worth reading the book just for them. show less

The heroine is desperate to start over after a scandal in her past resulted in the loss of her business and reputation. Now, a Guild detective is asking questions about an artifact in her possession and her dust bunny has hidden the damn thing so he refuses to leave. But she admits to herself that though he's not someone to be taken lightly, she's drawn to him. At first she imagines him to be the perfect man but the fact that he's associated with the Guide, an organization she believes to be thieves and mobsters puts a damper on things. In turn the hero is torn between the fact that he's just as drawn to her but is distrustful of marriage matchmakers after the debauchal of his fiancé. I loved the fact that though they always spoke show more respectful to each other-they argued over everything to do with the Guide and marriage. But at the same time, the were able to argue and still have a comfortable meal afterwards. They were very much in tune with each other and it was almost like they were already an old married couple. I enjoyed this book more than other in the series because I really liked the characters. The heroine wasn't afraid to take a chance on the hero-though he's completely opposite in personality to herself. The hero was almost completely in control of his emotions and powers and kept a tight hold of that control-scared of the possibility that the loss of self control will send him back to the institution. That beings said-he would instantly fight and use those abilities to help the heroine whenever possible. Like I aid- it was an enjoyable read-loved the damn dust bunnies. I wish the author would include a picture of those little guys as I'd be curious to see just how she envisions them to look. show less

In the fourth Harmony series book, professional matchmaker Celinda Ingram moves to Cadence City to start her life and her career over. After she buys a small red plastic relic from an antique store, she ends up in the middle of a murder/theft investigation. The thief stole the relic from the local Cadence Guild, so she’s more than willing to give it to the private investigator who showed up at her office. Unfortunately, her pet dust bunny, Araminta, had other plans and absconded with the relic.
Davis Oakes owns a private investigation firm, and it’s up to him to retrieve the relic for his client, CEO/Guild Boss Mercer Wyatt. Sparks of attraction fly when he and Celinda meet, but his guild connections worry her. Davis has some show more secrets of his own—he’s not a normal ghost hunter—and he definitely has issues when it comes to his heart and to marriage.
Celinda and Davis are perfect for one another. They both needed each other to work through their past traumas and to learn to trust again. When up against the bad guys, they worked together and used their unusual skills to turn the tide in their favor. Not only are they a great couple, Araminta and Davis’s dust bunny, Max, are so cute and totally in love.
This book seemed shorter than the previous ones, but it’s still a full length novel with complete, well thought out plots. Though I like the author’s writing style, the amount of adverbs can be annoying at times, and it’s odd when one character knows something that he/she shouldn’t know. For example, in one scene, Davis knew the secretary’s name when they’ve never met and no one has ever told him the name. He’s not a mind reader, so how does he know it?
I really liked this story and plan to read more in the series.
4 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. show less

A matchmaker with good reason not to trust Guild men and a Guild-connected private investigator with good reason not to trust matchmakers clash heads in this Harmony novel by Castle. Once again, the dust bunnies steal the show.

I don't usually like paranormal romances, but Castle handles the fantastic elements well.

The best of Castle's Harmony series, in my opinion. Celinda and Davis are in possession of a new kind of artifact which enhances the unique psi power Celinda has. Davis has a rare and interesting talent as well. Both also have a dust bunny who helps them keep the artifact out of the hands of a crazy para-psychiatrist.
Castle has cut down on the annoying device of tacking -rez to every other word in her paranormal series, and the narrative is much better for it.