Review – The Lost Night by Jayne Castle

Publisher: Penguin
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: ARC from the publisher

Even the mysterious world of Harmony has people who don’t quite fit in. They’re drawn to places like Rainshadow Island, a beautiful sanctuary where anyone can feel safe—and where secrets are closely guarded…

But her tranquil new life is thrown into chaos when Harry Sebastian, the descendant of a notorious pirate, arrives to investigate strange developments in the privately owned woods known as the Preserve.
Immediately drawn to the amber-eyed woman, Harry must tread carefully. While Rachel’s special talents can help him track down dangerous rogues who have violated the Preserve, they can also sense the heart of darkness within him. But desire can weaken the strongest of defenses—and leave even the strongest man wanting more…
This blurb came from the author’s website here

I opened up the pages of The Lost Night and gave a comfortable sigh. I have been a fan of Jayne Castle also known as Jayne Ann Krentz since she first started publishing her Lost Worlds books. I was extremely pleased when she went back to the Castle name and continued expanding the world of Harmony. I have to admit that I got a bit lost when she had the trilogies that wove throughout her three names, worlds and time periods so it was great to read the first book of a series that will stay entirely in Harmony. I do recommend that you read Canyons of the Night first because it is also set on Rainshadow Island and provides some nice-to-know-but-not-required background information.

Rachel was a fun heroine. She had been raised in a rather secluded community that focused on peace, harmony and balance but she didn’t quite fit. On her last trip to Rainshadow Island she developed amnesia for about 12 hours of her life. As a result of that, she left and tried to find her way in the more corporate worldly environment and also didn’t quite fit. After realizing that she didn’t fit in, Rachel made her way back to Rainshadow Island. She had this great way of dropping quotes from the Harmonic Enlightenment way of life that both fit the situation and also seemed to be poking fun at herself at the same time. I got several chuckles from them as I was reading.

Harry on the other hand appeared rather grim and dark on the outside. The combination of his past and his particular type of talent certainly gave him good reason to appear rather forbidding. While he never gained the opinion that the world was all flowers and rainbows it was still good to see him realize that he wasn’t the monster others had claimed. Not to mention that his particular talent was certainly a useful one in certain tight situations.

I enjoyed watching Rachel and Harry deal with the growing issue on Rainshadow Island while dancing around both their mutual attraction and the small town protectiveness the residents had towards Rachel. The number and type of warnings Harry received was very amusing. I also really liked seeing Rachel basically let Harry know that he didn’t intimidate her she also didn’t appreciate his attempt to test her skills.

”Excuse me,” she said.
Harry was halfway to the door. He paused.
“Yes?” he said.
“You didn’t pay for your tisane. That’ll be ten dollars.”

The vivid world building was trademark Castle. Even with the fog and storms there still seemed to be a brilliance to the Island and its inhabitants. Between the dust bunnies and their adventures to the underwater monsters and the eclectic people who lived there I never knew what to expect. Castle also threw in some twists about the villain and things fell into place regarding certain events. I found The Lost Night to be a satisfying return to the world of Harmony and I look forward to seeing what happens next on Rainshadow Island.

I give The Lost Night a B

Links to purchase

Amazon | Kindle | BN