[PGL]∎ Download Amaryllis Jayne Castle 9780671569037 Books

Amaryllis Jayne Castle 9780671569037 Books

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Amaryllis Jayne Castle 9780671569037 Books

This is a good book. I was disappointed that the heroine is a virgin. I think it's an irritating plot mechanism to have a mature woman be a virgin so she's more connected to the hero. It would be better to put the time in and write some scenes where the reader can see the couple fall in love. If I were really paranoid, I'd say that having her be a virgin makes her the property of the hero. He never says "mine", but the principle is the same.

Having said all that, I liked the characters a lot. There was more to the hero than in some of the other books written by Ms. Castle. There was some buildup to the romance and declarations of love, which is also missing from a few of her books. The setting on St. Helen's, while similar to the Harmony books, was interesting and I like the idea of having to have two people to work any psychic ability.

The plot is good and kept me interested.


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Amaryllis Jayne Castle 9780671569037 Books Reviews

Really loved the world-building in this book. It was a different take on a paranormal community and I loved the characters. Although Amaryllis was a bit of a stick in the mud, she had her reasons and they were valid. Thankfully, Lucas is patient and kind and able to roll with her brand of crazy. Am anxious to dive into the next in the series.
St. Helen's, a lush green world, is an earth colony founded by humans over two centuries before "Amaryllis" begins. The original humans, Founders, were stranded shortly after discovering the planet, and were forever cut off from their home on earth. They adapted to the new environment, utilizing native metals and materials, but much of the science and technology they brought with them was lost over time. Eventually the population of St. Helens evolved into two kinds of humans - "prisms" and "talents," both with psychic ability. Talents have significant degrees of paranormal ability, but cannot focus their energy without a prism. The necessary link between a "talent" and a "prism" has to be mutually consensual in order to accomplish any paranormal activity.

Amaryllis Lark, a professional, academically trained full-spectrum prism, is quite beautiful - but she's also a buttoned-up, prim, proper kind of gal who plays by the rules. Amaryllis is a top psychic detective at Psynergy, Inc., one of the best companies in the business. Lucas Trent, president of Lodestar Exploration and Mining, is a talent of the strongest degree, but he needs Amaryllis to work with him in order to focus his paranormal gifts, and assist him in a simple investigation. Needless to say, Lucas is definitely not prim or proper, nor does he have rules - but when the two join forces, sparks fly! Their business arrangement turns into a murder investigation, and a much closer merger than either of them bargained for.

Jayne Castle has a real winner with "Amaryllis." St, Helens is a fascinating world peopled with some real characters. Lucas and Amaryllis are polar opposites - she's Miss Priss, a real lady - and he lets it all hang out. That's why they're so good together. As a twosome they gravitate toward the middle and compromise, with many arguments and much humor along the way. The romance is steamy and the mystery exciting.

What else is there to say? If you like romance, the paranormal, novels about the future, or just a good story - this book is for you!

JANA
Okay, maybe I should have paid closer attention to the actual publication date of this book, which is 1996, but when I saw the publishing date, I assumed this was a 2010 novel and was excited to find a Jayne Ann Krentz I hadn't read yet. By the time I realized I was reading a book over a decade old, my last hope was that Jayne Ann Krentz might have revisited the story to modernize it. *sigh* Nope.

I liked how the book started, which is with Lucas and Amaryllis arguing. This means the author is going to build the story of why they should be together (instead of jumping right into bed and ruining all of the anticipation.)

But though I initially liked Amaryllis, she quickly became irritating as a much too rigid, sanctimonious, and uptight prism who lectures Lucas and other characters around her almost relentlessly. I'm sure Jayne meant it to be an endearing characteristic, maybe even funny sometimes, but it fell flat for me after the 5th or 6th time. Even though she's teased by Lucas (who has the patience of a saint) and has many examples of a world that doesn't fit her rigid views, she remains morally self-righteous for most the story.

In addition, the writing is often stiff and overly formal throughout (similar to Amanda Quick, but that's the right era for that kind of writing), and struggles to weave in the mystery of the professor's death. To me, this was an utter waste of an opportunity to explore an entirely new world. Why another detective story? Why go back to the same old formula that she uses for her stories set on Earth? We hear about pirates trying to take over the islands and that most of the world is unexplored. Why not set this story on those islands and have the pirates attack, why not set this story in an unexplored land? There were so many directions this story could have taken, and yet it took the most predictable one.

It demonstrated a lack of imagination and that Jayne Ann Krentz isn't really a good science fiction writer, but a romance writer using a science fiction setting. To be fair, this is an old book. And maybe if I had read this book when it had been written, I would have really liked it for being imaginative enough to be set on a new world, to openly acknowledge gay marriage (as one couple who is paired by the marriage service), and more. But it just doesn't stand up to current standards of romance writing.

For example, the sex is very lukewarm and hardly written in any detail. The first time Lucas and Amaryllis make love, the author spends no time really exploring their bodies or their reactions. It's quickly over and all other encounters after that are merely footnotes to the mystery plotline.

The story from Lucas' point of view is what I enjoyed the most. His uncertainties, his loneliness, his need for a family to protect and love, these all made him believable and lovable. He's an incredible man who displays loyalty, devotion, and a fierce protectiveness. Other than their initial encounter, he displays a lot of patience for her lecturing - I would deeply dislike anyone lecturing me as she did him and it amazed me that this didn't drive him away.

Eventually, Amaryllis loosens up and, with Lucas, finds true happiness. Most of all, I was happy for Lucas, who feared the entire time that he would have to give her up as an unsuitable match. I can't say much about the mystery as it was predictable and unexciting. Overall, I wish I had downloaded the sample first. I'm not sure I'll buy the next few books in the series - books this old usually don't hold up.
Jayne Castle seems to have been putting out feelers with this story because if you read her books over the last many years you will recognize the premise of this book is the beginnings of her futuristic series of books. The fact that she did a trilogy and then followed up with a continual use of the same theme, shows how popular the idea became to her followers. I have read this, and all of the others, numerous times, and still will read them again. If you haven't become a fan, by all means start with this one.
This is a good book. I was disappointed that the heroine is a virgin. I think it's an irritating plot mechanism to have a mature woman be a virgin so she's more connected to the hero. It would be better to put the time in and write some scenes where the reader can see the couple fall in love. If I were really paranoid, I'd say that having her be a virgin makes her the property of the hero. He never says "mine", but the principle is the same.

Having said all that, I liked the characters a lot. There was more to the hero than in some of the other books written by Ms. Castle. There was some buildup to the romance and declarations of love, which is also missing from a few of her books. The setting on St. Helen's, while similar to the Harmony books, was interesting and I like the idea of having to have two people to work any psychic ability.

The plot is good and kept me interested.