Siren's Call (Rainshadow Series Book 4)

I loved that this was a good story about a Siren (Running Hot, Arcane Society #5, had a very demented Siren). And what a fantastic story this was too!Ella has kept her talent a secret, with good reason. Sirens are the stuff of myth and legends, after all. But Rafe guessed her talent after a chance meeting in the underworld.Rafe has a huge problem - he needs someone that can resonate with the dinos musical frequency so they can explore Wonderland. He knows of only one person that can help him.I really loved seeing the Coppersmiths again. Plus a good Siren to sing the dinos music. I really loved this book. I am sad that it looks like the next one isn't set on Rainshadow, but I'm looking forward to reading it.

I love Jayne Castle’s world of Harmony, and this story is set on Rainshadow Island, where in the alien catacombs singing dinosaurs reign, with deadly results, which is keeping explorations at a stand still. Ella Morgan is brought to the island by Rafe Coppersmith to help with the problem, since she’s a strong music talent, maybe even a mythical Siren. Rafe and Ella had met previously, before an accident that cost him his paranormal ability and made his recovery from the event difficult. He doesn’t want to share his troubles with Ella, but it appears that her strong abilities, which she keeps secret, are just the thing to help Rafe, not only on Rainshadow Island, but personally as well. Throw in some thugs using alien technology to try to kidnap either Ella or Rafe (or both), and this is a great adventure on the weird and wonderful world of Harmony.

Jayne Ann Castle, AKA Jayne Ann Krentz, writes some wonderful stories about the humans that got stranded on the planet they call Harmony. The world building, from the indestructible green quartz ruins of the alien cities to the maze of the green quartz tunnels and rooms underground, to the underground rainforest and its denizens and to the unusual psi energy in the Rainshadow Foundation Preserve and the magical appearance of the underground frozen crystal forest, is absolutely magnificent.The people on Harmony have responded to something in the environment and have evolved in the 200 years they’ve been there. Some have developed unusual psychic abilities that enable them to deal with the unstable atmosphere in the underground tunnels and some have developed even more exotic talents.In this book, Ella Morgan is a Siren, a rare talent where she can project psychic music and interweave the frequencies with those of other creatures to attract, control, repel or even kill them. Rafe Coppersmith has a talent for locating and utilizing the unique properties of quartz and crystal, which helps with his family’s mining operations. However, shortly after Rafe met Ella, he was injured in a quest for a fabled “Ghost City”. He suffered from intense hallucinations and what is referred to as a psi fever.In the Rainshadow Preserve, the explorers have stumbled into a frozen crystal forest where animals resembling dinosaurs have awoken and Rafe wants Ella to use her talent to help the lab professionals come up with a weapon that will protect their people from being eaten by the animals. Before Ella can do that, she and Rafe share some harrowing adventures together.This book is another fine example of Ms. Krentz’s skill in crafting a story that takes place on an alien world and infusing the tale with mystery, humor and romance, not to mention suspense. And let’s not forget the dust bunnies, an indigenous species that looks like a large ball of dryer lint, with 2 baby blue eyes that are always evident and another set of amber eyes. Dust bunnies are carnivores and they say that by the time you notice the four eyes, it’s too late. Dust bunnies adopt certain people and they love having fun and have a particular fondness for pizza and powdered sugar donuts! Give this book or any other of the Harmony or Rainshadow books a try and see if you love them as much as I do!

SIREN'S CALL, the latest in Jayne Castle’s Harmony series, is fast, formulaic, and fun. Castle’s futuristic romantic-suspense novels are like the donuts that Ella’s dust bunny Lorelei craves: delicious and addictive. I raced through this one in a few hours.Rafe Coppersmith and Ella Morgan are a fairly typical Castle hero/heroine pair. Rafe is an alpha male with very high psi talent (off the charts); as usual, he has been wounded in some way, in this case a bad psi-burn. Ella is off the charts too, a Siren with a talent that most people think is just a myth–one which would scare off anyone who found out about it. Her choices seem bleak: spend her life alone, or spend it lying to her spouse, hiding a huge part of who she is. Rafe, of course, figures out her talent and it doesn’t scare him a bit.Castle manages to carry off the insta-love thing because while Rafe is instantly drawn to Ella (and vice versa), their actual relationship takes some time to develop–or rather, while it develops relatively quickly, Ella is sure Rafe will pull away eventually, so she holds herself back emotionally.The plot holds together better than one or two of the earlier ones in the series, and again it’s typical of Castle/Krentz’s romantic suspense: The two main characters are brought together unexpectedly; Rafe then needs Ella’s talents for a specific and dangerous job; and things keep going from bad to worse. Ella is competent and “rescues” Rafe several times, in various ways, but she also needs rescuing herself occasionally. Throw in a slightly anemic cult, a murder, a secret organization, and several law enforcement groups along with the series’ signature alien ruins and psychic weapons, and you’ve got a fast-paced, suspenseful ride. Yes, it’s formulaic, but it’s also a lot of fun, although you need to keep that “willing suspension of disbelief” going strong.As a musician myself, I would have liked more real music in the book (rather than just the psi kind), but it was interesting to see what a Siren could do without being able to sing in real life, as it were. (Krentz introduced the Siren concept in one of her Arcane Society novels; this series is loosely tied to that one as well as to her two Dark Legacy books.)And of course, there’s a new dust bunny to fall in love with. Lorelei is deeply attached to powder-sugared donuts, pizza, and a bridal veil she takes with her everywhere. I find some aspects of Castle’s worldbuilding a bit over the top, but I love her dust bunnies. Fluffy, adorable, loyal little predators–I want one!A few friends from previous books are also mentioned, but the only ones we see more than a glimpse of are Slade and Charlotte. Given that the book takes place on Rainshadow Island, I was quite surprised not to see Sedona and Cyrus, at least–Cyrus is the Guild boss for Rainshadow, after all. (The Guild, for those unfamiliar with the series, is an organization of “ghost hunters”, people with the talent to control sheets or globs of paranormal energy. Because their protection is needed in the underground alien ruins, the Guilds are powerful and basically control the ruins.)Honestly, I don’t recommend starting this series partway through, and especially not here. There’s too much you need to know about how this world works, that isn’t really explained in this book. But it’s such a fun series (as long as you don’t take it too seriously!) that it’s worth going back to the beginning.REVIEW ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 11/20/15 on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog

It feels like its been long time since the last Rainshadow novel soI am pleased to say that I did enjoy it now it has finally arrived. This was a fast paced and very readable tale of Ella and Rafe. They face some challenges that test and ultimately cement their relationship and it is not a spoiler to say there is a Happy Ever After. However this is not the best in this series. It is a bit predictable and the bad guys are pretty obvious, which is a shame as this kills the tension of the suspense/thriller aspect of the story. I was also a little disappointed with the story of the relationship. I felt this story could have been better told in a slightly longer novel. For me there was a lack of build up and a lack of emotional intensity between the main characters which made it all feel a bit rushed. Overall this is a good novel but I would say if you haven't read any of this series before , don't start with this one. My rating has been rounded up as It is really a 3.5/5 stars.

Another terrific read. I love her books and have read everything she has written as Stephanie James,Amanda Quick, Jayne Ann krentz and Jayne Castle. Still have all the books as well as all on my kindle. The stories are always exciting, I read them over and over while waiting for the next one to come out, keep em coming babe especially those from Harmony.

I love this series - especially the dust bunnies who are an inspired creation. So what if the stories tend to be the same formula ( tall dark and handsome meets small talented and feisty, cue fireworks, baddies and chases with a guaranteed HEA), they are fun to read and make me smile.

Just love Harmony & dust bunnies in particular. Also the contuing generations of family like Copperfield, Winters & not fogetting the Jones'. Can't wait for the next installments from either Amanda Quirk, Jayne Anne Krentz or Jayne Castle.

The Krentz/Castle books are my favourites from this author. Hot romance and thriller elements in a futuristic setting. And I cannot resist the dust bunnies. I want one of my own!