At the end of my third decade of being a JAK fan, I find that her latest few Arcane Society books are leaving me cold.

I like the setup of the Arcane Society versus Nightshade, but the Nightshade agents are always weaker and rely on tricks or artificial enhancements of their natural paranormal abilities; as a result, the outcome is never in doubt. Nightshade villains are simply no match for the true talents of the Arcane Society, whose abilities are so rare or so far off the charts that they can't even be measured. In addition, the concept that the "gift" is coupled with emotional instability is getting old. Only in the case of Nightshade agents does having a paranormal ability drive one mad; the genuine talents only fear that they will go crazy, and they inevitably have the good sense and moral compass not to seek still more power.

Besides, the premise that these incredible paranormal abilities could remain secret in the modern day stretches credulity and takes most of the suspense out of the "romantic suspense" that Krentz has long provided.

In addition, the artificial "family" of oddballs of Waikiki's Dark Rainbow reminds me too much of the oddballs who populate Witt's End in Krentz's Hidden Talents, a book I still reread on occasion even though it's nearly 20 years old. I do like that Arizona Snow of Eclipse Bay is tied into this book and we get to learn more about her backstory. But the rest of the characters seem far more two-dimensional than the interesting people who have become my "book friends" from earlier Krentz romances.

I have sincerely tried to like these contemporary paranormal romances from JAK, and other readers may very well love them. I'm just hoping she turns to something new soon.