Sizzle and Burn

The Arcane Society series just keeps getting better. In this installment, Raine Tallentyre finds a kidnapped woman in the basement of her deceased aunt’s house. Raine’s unique talent is she hears voices when feeling extreme emotional energy like rage, hate, and misery, which is usually left behind from murderers and their victims. After she finds the woman alive, the killer sets his sights on her.
A deadly group called Nightshade also wants Raine, believing she has information they need. It’s up to Zack Jones to find the man who betrayed the Arcane Society for Nightshade and to keep Raine alive.
Zack works for Jones and Jones as a paranormal investigator. His secret talent is he can feel the dark, possibly murderous history off show more anything he touches. Even though the death may have taken place hundreds of years ago, he can “see” it in his mind as though he really witnessed the event and even did the murder himself.
Raine and Zack are incredible, and one of my favorite couples in the series. They’re both considered exotic, level-ten talents on the J&J scale.
There are a few loose ends not tied up (nothing major), but I hope they’ll be explained in the next book. I loved Zack’s connection to Gabriel from book 1 since I really like family sagas. I’m dying to learn more about Fallon and Calvin, the J&J boss and a J&J agent, respectively. One of my favorite parts in this book is at the end when Raine rails down on Fallon for being an insensitive jerk. Just priceless!
The books set in the contemporary era don’t seem to be as wordy as the ones set in the historical era, and I’m grateful for that. Though I found it annoying that the characters kept referring to the killer as a “freak” (it just sounded weird to me), the book is fast-paced and it kept my attention. This is a really great story and I definitely recommend it.
5 Stars

Note -- Even though this book is considered number 3 in the Arcane Society series, it’s technically number 5 if you read the books in chronological order (not publication date). Personally, I read all of the Amanda Quick (historical) books first, then the Jayne Anne Krentz (contemporary) books, and lastly the (futuristic) ones by Jayne Castle. For readers who don’t know, these three authors are the same author, and she uses different names for each time period.

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

Sizzle and Burn
4 Stars

Synopsis:
Raine Tallentyre and J&J agent, Zack Jones, have one thing in common - their paranormal abilities. Raine can hear voices while Zack has visions. With Raine in the sights of a deranged serial killer and a secret cabal of psychic criminals intent on obtaining the Tallentyre family secrets, Raine and Zack must rely both on their abilities and on each other in order to survive.

Review:
The most entertaining in the series so far. The romance is wonderful even if the plot is lacking in suspense.

Once again, Krentz excels with her dialogue and characterization. Raine uses wit and sarcasm to conceal her insecurities but is, nevertheless, a self-sufficient woman with a powerful sense of justice. Zack is absolutely show more gorgeous, and I really enjoyed the way in which he helps Raine come to terms with her abilities. Their chemistry definitely sizzles and burns and it was interesting to see their relationship develop from extremely hot and sensual to intensely emotional. I also liked the fact that their romance is not plagued by any contrived misunderstandings or trust issues.

My only real problem with the story is that the serial killer plot is so minor as to be almost non-existent and has very little relevance to the main storyline. As a fan of serial killer books, I was hoping for more details on the victims and the murderer but this is not forthcoming and is ultimately resolved very quickly and almost as an afterthought. The psychic cabal plot is more complex and better developed with additional details provided about the Nightshade organization introduced in the previous book. There is also a nifty plot twist and cliffhanger at the end to keep the reader guessing.

It should be noted that it is not necessary to read the series in order. There is no direct connection between the plots of the individual books perhaps because some are contemporary while others are historical. The only common thread is the Jones family and the Arcane society, and it is fairly easy to grasp their significance in the series arc. On the whole, I prefer Krentz’s historical romances written under her pseudonym, Amanda Quick, but the Arcane series is very entertaining and enjoyable. I look forward to reading the next installment. show less

I loved this book, it was really good; lots of crazy villans, very exciting, I really wanted to know who the murderer was, but it was a bit lacking as a love story. I liked both Raine and Zack, but I can't say their romance was very interesting. Four and a half stars.

Zack is dreamy, Raine is suitably complex and mature, their relationship has a beautiful back and forth, the mystery is compelling, the backstory is suitably tragic, and the ending has a delicious twist. Love, love, love this book!

This was my first "Arcane Society Novel" and I enjoyed it very much so the title can definitely be read as an 'independent story'. A portion of the Library Journal review stated, "Krentz continues her action-packed psychic paranormal series." Let's also share that the leading characters of Raine Tallentyre and Zackary Gabriel Jones definitely 'sizzle' and with just the right amount of unexpected twists and turns, and suspenseful moments.

Raine Tallentyre is closing up her aunt's house. Aunt Vella heard voices and ended up her days in an insane asylum. Raine also hears things but she's convinced that it's paranormal stuff, at least it's helped solve some cold cases, and managed to ruin any possibility of romance with the cop involved. When she discovers a young woman tied and helpless in a storage locker in the basement this brings Zack Jones into her life. Zach is a psychic, part of Jones & Jones and the Arcane Society, a society that threw her father out and contributed to his death.

They find themselves attracted and being chased by a number of bad guys!

It's light fun. The two characters were people I enjoyed reading about with problems, issues and interesting show more moments. They also had some very human flaws. show less

Once you get used to the fact that almost all of Krentz's heroes and heroines are cut from the same mold, with a few differing identifying characteristics, e.g., glasses or a different talent, you can enjoy her books. She writes zippy dialog, the book moves along speedily, and sometimes the plots are interesting. This one was enjoyable and I do want to to read the next one in the series. But I'm resigned to the sameness in the overall characters of the heroes and heroines.