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Whispering Springs #1
Light in Shadow
Zoe Luce is a successful interior designer in the Arizona town of Whispering Springs who's developed an unusual career specialty-helping recently divorced clients redesign their homes, to help them forget the past and start anew. But Zoe knows that some things can't be covered up with a coat of paint. And when she senses that one of her clients may be hiding a dark secret, she enlists P.I. Ethan Truax to find the truth.Working together, they solve the mystery . . . and barely escape with their lives. But Ethan's exquisite detection skills are starting to backfire on Zoe: she never wanted to let him find out about her former life; she never wanted to reveal her powerful, inexplicable gift for sensing the history hidden within a house's walls; she never wanted him to know that "Zoe Luce" doesn't really exist. She never wanted to fall in love with him.
Now, no matter how much she resists, Ethan may be her only hope-because the people she's been running from have found her. And just when Zoe dares to dream of a normal life and a future with the man she loves, her own past starts to shadow her every step-and threatens to take her back into a nightmare.
Now, no matter how much she resists, Ethan may be her only hope-because the people she's been running from have found her. And just when Zoe dares to dream of a normal life and a future with the man she loves, her own past starts to shadow her every step-and threatens to take her back into a nightmare.
369 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 30, 2002
485 people are currently reading
2365 people want to read
About the author
Jayne Ann Krentz
401 books7,168 followersThe author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 283 reviews
February 17, 2017
Intense and brilliant plot.
I didn't expect much from this book but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. I was really engrossed in the story that I couldn’t seem to put it down! Ethan and Zoe’s investigation got all my attention effortlessly and it kept me anticipating what they would find out or what would happen to them, throughout the entire story.
To be honest, it was a bit dissatisfying in the romance part, but thoroughly riveting in the suspense part instead.
What to say about the romance? Well, the chemistry between Ethan and Zoe was there, and of course, the heat was there as well. Nevertheless, I still felt like there was something missing, but couldn’t yet put my finger on what it was.
The suspense part, on the other hand, was very well-written and every unexpected turn of events surprised me again and again. I wouldn’t say it was flawless in this part, but somehow, it just simply hit the mark for me. Zoe’s mysterious past initially piqued my curiosity and all the puzzles they’d tried to solve had me intrigued and guessing right up until the surprising conclusion.
And in the end, the story was neatly wrapped up and I was pretty much pleased with the answers I got. However, as much as I want this to be my 5-stars read, I have to reduce one star as there was no epilogue and The last page left me unable to do anything but stare in disbelief!
By the way, this was a good, entertaining, and fast-paced read. Another winner from one of my favorite authors!
May 29, 2018
2,5 Estrellas!
Por fin termino el libro de este mes del #RetoRitaDos llego justita!!!
Aunque he tardado un siglo en leerlo, es una historia que se lee fácil y entretenida. No ha estado nada mal, me ha gustado!!
Me ha parecido bien escrita y seguro que le daré una oportunidad a la autora y leeré algo más de ella
Por fin termino el libro de este mes del #RetoRitaDos llego justita!!!
Aunque he tardado un siglo en leerlo, es una historia que se lee fácil y entretenida. No ha estado nada mal, me ha gustado!!
Me ha parecido bien escrita y seguro que le daré una oportunidad a la autora y leeré algo más de ella
November 8, 2021
4.5 stars
March 27, 2024
First in a two-part series (followed by Truth or Dare), this book is a great re-read . Ethan Truax is a very believable three-times-divorced and financially bankrupt private investigator starting all over again in Whispering Springs. Zoe Luce (formerly Sara Cleland) is a less believable widow and fine arts major who feels emotions in the walls of rooms, particularly rooms where violence has occurred. She has relocated to Whispering Springs after escaping from the asylum in which her in-laws have imprisoned her and has started an interior design business. It is a credit to the skills of Jayne Ann Krentz that she makes a believer out of you before the end of the book. A truly delightful tale in spite of the foray into sixth sense fiction, it is well worth reading over and over again, which I do, and it is very telling that I have trouble putting it down every time. I wish I had a dollar for every hour of sleep I have lost thanks to JAK's books. You would think it would get easier when you know what's going to happen, but unfortunately for my sleep deficit, it doesn't.
December 5, 2016
This one has an excellent mystery in it.
September 10, 2024
7/4/21 review of audiobook, narrated by Joyce Bean
Zoe Luce (AKA Sara Cleland) is a widow whose husband Preston was murdered several years ago. When, at that time, Zoe kept insisting, loudly and publicly, that Preston's cousin, who is CEO of Preston's family's huge corporation, killed him in order to get control of Preston's shares of the company, the cousin had Zoe legally declared incompetent and committed her to the Candle Lake Manor Psychiatric Hospital. This institution is so evil, it reminds me of the insane asylum in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Though there is no exact duplicate of Nurse Ratched, the inmates are kept constantly drugged to sedate them into compliance, and there are brutal, rapist guards patrolling the hospital building and the grounds. In short, it is run like a private prison, where inconvenient relatives are locked away, at extortionist rates, on behalf of wealthy clients. Zoe and her best friend and fellow inmate, Arcadia Ames, an attractive, 40-something woman, nicknamed the hospital, "Xanadu," presumably as a reference to the fictional estate of Charles Foster Kane, the titular protagonist of the 1941 film Citizen Kane. The symbolic meaning of Xanadu in the years since this film has come to be a Gothic prison that one builds for oneself. The term is sarcastic for Zoe and Arcadia in that they are not in this Gothic hospital prison by choice. Zoe was trapped there for over six months until she and Arcadia brilliantly contrived a daring escape. (I am not listing this information as a spoiler, because all of this is in Zoe's backstory and is not the main plot of this book.)
At the time the main events of this book begin, it has been one year since Zoe and Arcadia fled Candle Lake. They are living under assumed identities in Whispering Springs, Arizona, a fictional small city which is a typical artsy-craftsy, New Agey, tourist destination similar in spirit to nearby Sedona. Arcadia is hiding from her on-the-lam, criminal husband, who has vowed to murder her, and Zoe is determined that her evil in-laws shall not imprison her again. Zoe has developed a career as an interior decorator, based on her degree in fine arts. Arcadia has created a thriving shop selling handmade jewelry and expensive, silver, hand-cast knickknacks to tourists. Both have taken strong steps to recover from their ordeal at Candle Lake by learning how to better keep themselves safe. In particular, Zoe has gotten training in self-defense, and Arcadia has bought and learned to use a handgun.
Ethan Truax is a three-time loser in the marriage stakes. Several years ago, his relentless pursuit of justice on behalf of his murdered younger brother, a CEO in Los Angeles, caused his third wife to desert him, both because Ethan's obsession left little emotional space for their marriage, and because Ethan had gone bankrupt and could no longer offer her a luxurious lifestyle. His highly successful, multi-million-dollar, private-investigation corporation in Los Angeles was vengefully destroyed by powerful bigwigs. They were enraged that Ethan's successful efforts to expose the murderer, a fellow mover-and-shaker in LA with whom their businesses were linked, drastically damaged their bottom line.
Ethan has taken responsibility for his sister-in-law, Bonnie, and his nephews, currently aged six and eight, stepping in as a father figure for the boys in his brother's place. He and Bonnie agreed, soon after the resolution of Ethan's hunt for justice on behalf of his dead brother, that it would be best for all of them to resettle far away from LA. They decided on Whispering Springs where Ethan's uncle, a fellow PI, lived. Due to the uncle's retiring, Ethan purchased both his uncle's PI business in Whispering Springs and took over responsibility, at a too-generous purchase price, for his uncle's unmarketable monstrosity of a house. This enormous, gaudy mansion from the 1930's is appallingly decorated, inside and out, in glaring shades of bright pink.
The inciting incident of this book, and the impetus for the first meet of Zoe and Ethan, occurs when Zoe, who is psychic, hears metaphysical screams emanating from the walls of the master bedroom in the home of a rich, potential client. The man informs Zoe that he wants his whole house redecorated due to his ongoing divorce from a wife who has deserted him, but Zoe strongly suspects he has actually murdered his wife. She hires Ethan to try and find out if the missing wife is still alive.
This is Book 1 in a duology and, fair warning, no romance reader who demands a HEA (happily ever after) will be satisfied with the "happy for now" ending of this book. To get the full story of the romance between Zoe and Ethan and a complete HEA, it's crucial to also read Book 2, Truth or Dare. I had no trouble with this ploy in this particular case, though as a general rule, I rarely bother to invest time in reading multiple-part novels by anyone else. JAK has only created multiple-part novels a few times that I can personally recall. In addition to this duology, she wrote a two-part story in the form of the first two Harmony books written as Jayne Castle, After Dark and After Glow. She also did a three-book story as Amanda Quick, the Lake & March trilogy. In all three of these cases, I enjoyed spending extra time with the sympathetic, compelling protagonists of these books.
I had previously read this particular book in Kindle format, and this past week, I experienced it a second time in audiobook format. The narrator, Joyce Bean, has also recorded many other JAK novels. I myself much prefer Barbara Rosenblat, who has narrated some of Krentz's Amanda Quick historicals. Ms. Rosenblat is a fabulous narrator, capable of voicing both female and male characters equally well. Unfortunately, Ms. Bean is only a 3-star narrator by my preferences. She does children and all ages of women's voices well, but she is merely adequate when voicing male characters because she cannot effectively deepen her voice.
JAK's protagonists are almost invariably age 30-31 for the heroine and 39-40 for the hero. She does not specifically say how old they are in this book, so readers who care about such things are left to do their own calculations based on the protagonists' backstory. Or, if you are a fan of her books, as I tend to be, you can simply assume that 30/39 are their ages. In addition, though all of JAK's heroines are slender, they are never beautiful, except in the eyes of JAK's heroes, who are always blazingly sexually attracted to her heroines. JAK's heroines, including this one, look like JAK herself and are always vegetarians who like wine, with an occasional shot of brandy to settle their nerves (which is always offered to them by the hero, who always drinks brandy as his booze of choice). Her heroes are also never handsome, but instead described as ruggedly attractive. And, of course, her heroines are always as wildly sexually drawn to the heroes as these heroes are drawn to them. All JAK's heroes, and Ethan is no exception, are always physically fit with a fine physique and are fabulous lovers, which is, of course, a genre expectation of all romance heroes, not just those of JAK.
This story has a bit of the paranormal in it, though far less than JAK's Arcane Society or Harmony books. Zoe can psychically hear screaming in the walls of rooms where violence has occurred. Beyond her paranormal ability, Zoe is a classic, feisty, JAK, romantic-suspense heroine. Like all of JAK's heroines, Zoe fights to remain on co-equal footing with the hero while solving a murder mystery, and she often takes foolhardy risks in the process, which gets her into life-threatening trouble. However, when she gets into terrible danger, also as occurs for all other JAK heroines, Zoe doesn't just sit around waiting for the big, strong hero, in this case Ethan, to rescue her from evil villain(s). She is excellent at defending herself.
Ethan is a very sympathetic romance hero. He is a loving, loyal brother-in-law and uncle, and he is a determined, accomplished, and extremely ethical PI who, once on a case, never gives up until it is solved. It is a relief to read a modern romance novel in which the hero is not a billionaire. In fact, in this case, Ethan is far from it. As mentioned above, Ethan is struggling to get out of a financial hole.
Arcadia is also a strong, sympathetic, female character, who is a survivor like Zoe. I enjoyed reading about the friendship between her and Zoe and how (as narrated in flashbacks) the two of them bravely worked together to escape the evil insane asylum.
Ethan's sister-in-law Bonnie is a third, strong, sympathetic, female character in the book. She becomes a good friend to Zoe and Arcadia, and there are some fun, female bonding scenes between the three of them.
Bonnie's two little boys provide some lighthearted diversion in the midst of the intense suspense situations in the book. They also allow the reader to directly experience what a great guy Ethan is as he kindly and affectionately parents them.
Over the course of this book, JAK introduces two other intriguing, strong, honorable, male subcharacters as love interests for Bonnie and Arcadia. Together, these six characters and the two little boys form a band of quirky misfits who become a caring, supportive family of affiliation. This element of the book is very appealing to me personally, because a family of affiliation is one of my favorite tropes in popular fiction.
There are multiple antagonists and villains in this book because, as always, JAK has both a main suspense plot and several, complementary suspense subplots. Several of her villains have a rather melodramatic, one-dimensional, Snidely Whiplash feel to them, which is fairly characteristic of JAK novels. You either enjoy that sort of thing or you don't. I don't particularly like it, but I don't actively dislike it either. What I do appreciate about the way she creates her villains is that, compared to some of the other bestselling romantic suspense authors out there, JAK is not nearly as graphically brutal in the violence portrayed in her books as those other authors are. Her books are about as gruesome as I can personally stomach.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Setting: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Suspense Plot: 4 stars
Suspense Subplots: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narrator: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
9/10/24 Reread: A new audio recording of this novel has been released, narrated by Chloe Cannon. Unfortunately, she is only slightly better than Joyce Bean. However, my opinion of the novel itself has not changed. I still find it well done.
Zoe Luce (AKA Sara Cleland) is a widow whose husband Preston was murdered several years ago. When, at that time, Zoe kept insisting, loudly and publicly, that Preston's cousin, who is CEO of Preston's family's huge corporation, killed him in order to get control of Preston's shares of the company, the cousin had Zoe legally declared incompetent and committed her to the Candle Lake Manor Psychiatric Hospital. This institution is so evil, it reminds me of the insane asylum in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Though there is no exact duplicate of Nurse Ratched, the inmates are kept constantly drugged to sedate them into compliance, and there are brutal, rapist guards patrolling the hospital building and the grounds. In short, it is run like a private prison, where inconvenient relatives are locked away, at extortionist rates, on behalf of wealthy clients. Zoe and her best friend and fellow inmate, Arcadia Ames, an attractive, 40-something woman, nicknamed the hospital, "Xanadu," presumably as a reference to the fictional estate of Charles Foster Kane, the titular protagonist of the 1941 film Citizen Kane. The symbolic meaning of Xanadu in the years since this film has come to be a Gothic prison that one builds for oneself. The term is sarcastic for Zoe and Arcadia in that they are not in this Gothic hospital prison by choice. Zoe was trapped there for over six months until she and Arcadia brilliantly contrived a daring escape. (I am not listing this information as a spoiler, because all of this is in Zoe's backstory and is not the main plot of this book.)
At the time the main events of this book begin, it has been one year since Zoe and Arcadia fled Candle Lake. They are living under assumed identities in Whispering Springs, Arizona, a fictional small city which is a typical artsy-craftsy, New Agey, tourist destination similar in spirit to nearby Sedona. Arcadia is hiding from her on-the-lam, criminal husband, who has vowed to murder her, and Zoe is determined that her evil in-laws shall not imprison her again. Zoe has developed a career as an interior decorator, based on her degree in fine arts. Arcadia has created a thriving shop selling handmade jewelry and expensive, silver, hand-cast knickknacks to tourists. Both have taken strong steps to recover from their ordeal at Candle Lake by learning how to better keep themselves safe. In particular, Zoe has gotten training in self-defense, and Arcadia has bought and learned to use a handgun.
Ethan Truax is a three-time loser in the marriage stakes. Several years ago, his relentless pursuit of justice on behalf of his murdered younger brother, a CEO in Los Angeles, caused his third wife to desert him, both because Ethan's obsession left little emotional space for their marriage, and because Ethan had gone bankrupt and could no longer offer her a luxurious lifestyle. His highly successful, multi-million-dollar, private-investigation corporation in Los Angeles was vengefully destroyed by powerful bigwigs. They were enraged that Ethan's successful efforts to expose the murderer, a fellow mover-and-shaker in LA with whom their businesses were linked, drastically damaged their bottom line.
Ethan has taken responsibility for his sister-in-law, Bonnie, and his nephews, currently aged six and eight, stepping in as a father figure for the boys in his brother's place. He and Bonnie agreed, soon after the resolution of Ethan's hunt for justice on behalf of his dead brother, that it would be best for all of them to resettle far away from LA. They decided on Whispering Springs where Ethan's uncle, a fellow PI, lived. Due to the uncle's retiring, Ethan purchased both his uncle's PI business in Whispering Springs and took over responsibility, at a too-generous purchase price, for his uncle's unmarketable monstrosity of a house. This enormous, gaudy mansion from the 1930's is appallingly decorated, inside and out, in glaring shades of bright pink.
The inciting incident of this book, and the impetus for the first meet of Zoe and Ethan, occurs when Zoe, who is psychic, hears metaphysical screams emanating from the walls of the master bedroom in the home of a rich, potential client. The man informs Zoe that he wants his whole house redecorated due to his ongoing divorce from a wife who has deserted him, but Zoe strongly suspects he has actually murdered his wife. She hires Ethan to try and find out if the missing wife is still alive.
This is Book 1 in a duology and, fair warning, no romance reader who demands a HEA (happily ever after) will be satisfied with the "happy for now" ending of this book. To get the full story of the romance between Zoe and Ethan and a complete HEA, it's crucial to also read Book 2, Truth or Dare. I had no trouble with this ploy in this particular case, though as a general rule, I rarely bother to invest time in reading multiple-part novels by anyone else. JAK has only created multiple-part novels a few times that I can personally recall. In addition to this duology, she wrote a two-part story in the form of the first two Harmony books written as Jayne Castle, After Dark and After Glow. She also did a three-book story as Amanda Quick, the Lake & March trilogy. In all three of these cases, I enjoyed spending extra time with the sympathetic, compelling protagonists of these books.
I had previously read this particular book in Kindle format, and this past week, I experienced it a second time in audiobook format. The narrator, Joyce Bean, has also recorded many other JAK novels. I myself much prefer Barbara Rosenblat, who has narrated some of Krentz's Amanda Quick historicals. Ms. Rosenblat is a fabulous narrator, capable of voicing both female and male characters equally well. Unfortunately, Ms. Bean is only a 3-star narrator by my preferences. She does children and all ages of women's voices well, but she is merely adequate when voicing male characters because she cannot effectively deepen her voice.
JAK's protagonists are almost invariably age 30-31 for the heroine and 39-40 for the hero. She does not specifically say how old they are in this book, so readers who care about such things are left to do their own calculations based on the protagonists' backstory. Or, if you are a fan of her books, as I tend to be, you can simply assume that 30/39 are their ages. In addition, though all of JAK's heroines are slender, they are never beautiful, except in the eyes of JAK's heroes, who are always blazingly sexually attracted to her heroines. JAK's heroines, including this one, look like JAK herself and are always vegetarians who like wine, with an occasional shot of brandy to settle their nerves (which is always offered to them by the hero, who always drinks brandy as his booze of choice). Her heroes are also never handsome, but instead described as ruggedly attractive. And, of course, her heroines are always as wildly sexually drawn to the heroes as these heroes are drawn to them. All JAK's heroes, and Ethan is no exception, are always physically fit with a fine physique and are fabulous lovers, which is, of course, a genre expectation of all romance heroes, not just those of JAK.
This story has a bit of the paranormal in it, though far less than JAK's Arcane Society or Harmony books. Zoe can psychically hear screaming in the walls of rooms where violence has occurred. Beyond her paranormal ability, Zoe is a classic, feisty, JAK, romantic-suspense heroine. Like all of JAK's heroines, Zoe fights to remain on co-equal footing with the hero while solving a murder mystery, and she often takes foolhardy risks in the process, which gets her into life-threatening trouble. However, when she gets into terrible danger, also as occurs for all other JAK heroines, Zoe doesn't just sit around waiting for the big, strong hero, in this case Ethan, to rescue her from evil villain(s). She is excellent at defending herself.
Ethan is a very sympathetic romance hero. He is a loving, loyal brother-in-law and uncle, and he is a determined, accomplished, and extremely ethical PI who, once on a case, never gives up until it is solved. It is a relief to read a modern romance novel in which the hero is not a billionaire. In fact, in this case, Ethan is far from it. As mentioned above, Ethan is struggling to get out of a financial hole.
Arcadia is also a strong, sympathetic, female character, who is a survivor like Zoe. I enjoyed reading about the friendship between her and Zoe and how (as narrated in flashbacks) the two of them bravely worked together to escape the evil insane asylum.
Ethan's sister-in-law Bonnie is a third, strong, sympathetic, female character in the book. She becomes a good friend to Zoe and Arcadia, and there are some fun, female bonding scenes between the three of them.
Bonnie's two little boys provide some lighthearted diversion in the midst of the intense suspense situations in the book. They also allow the reader to directly experience what a great guy Ethan is as he kindly and affectionately parents them.
Over the course of this book, JAK introduces two other intriguing, strong, honorable, male subcharacters as love interests for Bonnie and Arcadia. Together, these six characters and the two little boys form a band of quirky misfits who become a caring, supportive family of affiliation. This element of the book is very appealing to me personally, because a family of affiliation is one of my favorite tropes in popular fiction.
There are multiple antagonists and villains in this book because, as always, JAK has both a main suspense plot and several, complementary suspense subplots. Several of her villains have a rather melodramatic, one-dimensional, Snidely Whiplash feel to them, which is fairly characteristic of JAK novels. You either enjoy that sort of thing or you don't. I don't particularly like it, but I don't actively dislike it either. What I do appreciate about the way she creates her villains is that, compared to some of the other bestselling romantic suspense authors out there, JAK is not nearly as graphically brutal in the violence portrayed in her books as those other authors are. Her books are about as gruesome as I can personally stomach.
I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Setting: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Suspense Plot: 4 stars
Suspense Subplots: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Audiobook Narrator: 3 stars
Overall: 4 stars
9/10/24 Reread: A new audio recording of this novel has been released, narrated by Chloe Cannon. Unfortunately, she is only slightly better than Joyce Bean. However, my opinion of the novel itself has not changed. I still find it well done.
June 9, 2018
Leído dentro del #RetoRita2
La novela se queda en un tres raspadito porque, a decir verdad, llega un punto en que se hace muy pesada. La historia se lee rápido y bien, los personajes están diferenciados, cada uno tiene su estilo y está muy bien definidos. Pero hay detalles que, sacándolos de la historia, no hay un cambio notable, con lo que tenemos un exceso de información que abulta más que aporta. Eso no es ni bueno, ni malo, pero no me ha gustado. Por otro lado, siendo una especie de thriller con su crimen de por medio, y una historia de amor a su vez, se queda a medio camino de un lado y de otro. Esa resolución final es más bien sosa, detesto cuando el asesino es alguien que pasaba por allí de casualidad y no un personaje con el que nos hayamos quedado desde el principio. Al final, la historia nos lleva donde quiere su autora y no hay profundidad, no hay espacio para la reflexión o para que podamos meternos en el proceso de investigación. Como tampoco nos podemos meter en la evolución del romance, al final los lectores somos simples espectadores de esta película de sobremesa.
No es mal libro, solo me ha parecido insípido. Para pasar el rato, pero hay que leerlo de un tirón o acabará aburriendo.
La novela se queda en un tres raspadito porque, a decir verdad, llega un punto en que se hace muy pesada. La historia se lee rápido y bien, los personajes están diferenciados, cada uno tiene su estilo y está muy bien definidos. Pero hay detalles que, sacándolos de la historia, no hay un cambio notable, con lo que tenemos un exceso de información que abulta más que aporta. Eso no es ni bueno, ni malo, pero no me ha gustado. Por otro lado, siendo una especie de thriller con su crimen de por medio, y una historia de amor a su vez, se queda a medio camino de un lado y de otro. Esa resolución final es más bien sosa, detesto cuando el asesino es alguien que pasaba por allí de casualidad y no un personaje con el que nos hayamos quedado desde el principio. Al final, la historia nos lleva donde quiere su autora y no hay profundidad, no hay espacio para la reflexión o para que podamos meternos en el proceso de investigación. Como tampoco nos podemos meter en la evolución del romance, al final los lectores somos simples espectadores de esta película de sobremesa.
No es mal libro, solo me ha parecido insípido. Para pasar el rato, pero hay que leerlo de un tirón o acabará aburriendo.
May 30, 2018
#ritajack #retorita2
3,5 estrellas para una novela de intriga romántica de la que no esperaba mucho y sorprendentemente me ha hecho pasar un muy buen rato leyendo sus páginas. Es una lectura fácil, simpática, con una trama rápida, ágil, sencilla pero completa, lo que permite disfrutar sin muchas complicaciones de la historia que la autora nos cuenta. Tiene unos diálogos adultos, directos y correctos, quizá sea lo mejor que tiene; unos personajes que, sin estar profundamente presentados, me han parecido adecuados para este tipo de lectura; hay misterio, algo de pasión, aunque sea implícita, y deja la puerta para futuras historias de parejas secundarias.
Aunque pueda sonar a cliché, creo que es una muy buena lectura entrelecturas. No me ha supuesto ningún esfuerzo leerla, y lo he hecho de un tirón. Es verdad que no es intensamente dramática pero, como ya os he dicho, ha estado bien.
Opinión completa en el blog
3,5 estrellas para una novela de intriga romántica de la que no esperaba mucho y sorprendentemente me ha hecho pasar un muy buen rato leyendo sus páginas. Es una lectura fácil, simpática, con una trama rápida, ágil, sencilla pero completa, lo que permite disfrutar sin muchas complicaciones de la historia que la autora nos cuenta. Tiene unos diálogos adultos, directos y correctos, quizá sea lo mejor que tiene; unos personajes que, sin estar profundamente presentados, me han parecido adecuados para este tipo de lectura; hay misterio, algo de pasión, aunque sea implícita, y deja la puerta para futuras historias de parejas secundarias.
Aunque pueda sonar a cliché, creo que es una muy buena lectura entrelecturas. No me ha supuesto ningún esfuerzo leerla, y lo he hecho de un tirón. Es verdad que no es intensamente dramática pero, como ya os he dicho, ha estado bien.
Opinión completa en el blog
December 5, 2022
What a fun romp this story was.
There's a mystery... actually there's 3 mysteries (at least) and I have to admit, I didn't guess the culprit.
Zoe seems like your regular interior designer but she's really a woman of mystery. The story opens with her visiting a prospective client's home to assess what's needed. Of course she didn't expect to sense the emotional remnants of murder in his bedroom.
Zoe is psychic in that she can sense strong emotions in rooms. Her moral code forces her to seek the help of a private investigator to help find out what happened to her client's wife.
But this is just the first mystery and how Ethan (the PI) and Zoe meet. And they have chemistry from the get go, and wind up in bed after solving the first murder in the story.
Their relationship will take some rollercoaster curves when Zoe is forced to hire him again to help solve the murder of her husband.
I loved the side characters, and even Ethan's house could be called a side character. The love between Zoe and Ethan isn't the only budding romance .
And although the story ending can be taken as an HEA, it is really an HFN, as their romance continues into a second book.
The mysteries were good and justice is served for the most part. I was a little worried about Ethan finding out Zoe was psychic, that he would be too prejudiced. But really the MCs are both intelligent people who communicate for the most part and don't make quick judgments.
Safety is good.
There's a mystery... actually there's 3 mysteries (at least) and I have to admit, I didn't guess the culprit.
Zoe seems like your regular interior designer but she's really a woman of mystery. The story opens with her visiting a prospective client's home to assess what's needed. Of course she didn't expect to sense the emotional remnants of murder in his bedroom.
Zoe is psychic in that she can sense strong emotions in rooms. Her moral code forces her to seek the help of a private investigator to help find out what happened to her client's wife.
But this is just the first mystery and how Ethan (the PI) and Zoe meet. And they have chemistry from the get go, and wind up in bed after solving the first murder in the story.
Their relationship will take some rollercoaster curves when Zoe is forced to hire him again to help solve the murder of her husband.
I loved the side characters, and even Ethan's house could be called a side character. The love between Zoe and Ethan isn't the only budding romance .
And although the story ending can be taken as an HEA, it is really an HFN, as their romance continues into a second book.
The mysteries were good and justice is served for the most part. I was a little worried about Ethan finding out Zoe was psychic, that he would be too prejudiced. But really the MCs are both intelligent people who communicate for the most part and don't make quick judgments.
Safety is good.
January 15, 2024
Zoe is requested to redesign a room, but something is off about the space. She hires Ethan, a private investigator, to find the wife of her client. The investigation leads to another job and the need to stay close to Zoe.
This is my least favorite Krentz novel. The story had too many elements that didn’t meld well. Zoe’s background was enough to carry the story without all the other additions.
The peripheral paranormal element was not written as an integral piece. All the books that I’ve read by Krentz have a slight paranormal aspect. Although it’s slight, it usually has a deeper meaning or a bigger role in the story. Zoe’s ability didn’t have a big enough impact. Ethan also seemed to have a small gift related to solving investigations, but it isn’t really highlighted.
I’m a little disappointed with this book. Zoe’s past was huge missed opportunity.
It’s still an interesting story and I’m glad that I read it.
This is my least favorite Krentz novel. The story had too many elements that didn’t meld well. Zoe’s background was enough to carry the story without all the other additions.
The peripheral paranormal element was not written as an integral piece. All the books that I’ve read by Krentz have a slight paranormal aspect. Although it’s slight, it usually has a deeper meaning or a bigger role in the story. Zoe’s ability didn’t have a big enough impact. Ethan also seemed to have a small gift related to solving investigations, but it isn’t really highlighted.
I’m a little disappointed with this book. Zoe’s past was huge missed opportunity.
It’s still an interesting story and I’m glad that I read it.
June 14, 2021
As with a lot of this author's work, this is a mix of romance, suspense and extrasensory perception. Zoe is an interior designer with two secrets: one is that she picks up sensory clues from places where negative emotions have impressed themselves, often from a crime of violence. This provides the impetus for her to hire a private detective, Ethan, to investigate the possibility that a new client may have murdered his wife. The other secret is shared with a friend of hers, and provides the main plotline.
The main characters were fairly convincing and the romantic aspect not overplayed, with the sex scenes not cringe making. There was also some light and humorous interplay from Ethan's young nephews. I did find some of the dialogue more like something from a corporate brochure than how people actually speak.
There could be a trigger for some readers as two minor characters have a propensity for sexual violence against women, though they don't actually succeed in their attempted rapes. The female protagonist is active and courageous, and does not passively await rescue by the hero when danger ensues, which was positive. On the whole, a nice light read but not a keeper, so for me this rates 3 stars.
The main characters were fairly convincing and the romantic aspect not overplayed, with the sex scenes not cringe making. There was also some light and humorous interplay from Ethan's young nephews. I did find some of the dialogue more like something from a corporate brochure than how people actually speak.
There could be a trigger for some readers as two minor characters have a propensity for sexual violence against women, though they don't actually succeed in their attempted rapes. The female protagonist is active and courageous, and does not passively await rescue by the hero when danger ensues, which was positive. On the whole, a nice light read but not a keeper, so for me this rates 3 stars.
April 28, 2011
Light in Shadow is the first of a short 2 book series following two women who escaped from a mental hospital. (It's followed up by Truth or Dare.)
Zoe Luce can "feel the emotions" of a room. When working as an interior decorator, she feels something wrong in a bedroom she is about to redecorate and hires Ethan Truax to solve her little mystery. This mystery was solved in the first half of the book and really had me wondering what was going to fill the rest of the pages. But, Zoe's past comes back to haunt her and Ethan is there to help.
Jayne Ann Krentz is a prolific author and this was another solid book. Good romance, plot and character development. The touch of paranormal (with Zoe's "psychic" ability) adds a nice twist in what would be a rather ordinary story. I listened this this book on CD (which prompted my blog on audio books). The reader did a great job. If you're looking for a romantic suspense, then I'd recommend trying this book.
http://www.romancing-the-book.com/200...
Zoe Luce can "feel the emotions" of a room. When working as an interior decorator, she feels something wrong in a bedroom she is about to redecorate and hires Ethan Truax to solve her little mystery. This mystery was solved in the first half of the book and really had me wondering what was going to fill the rest of the pages. But, Zoe's past comes back to haunt her and Ethan is there to help.
Jayne Ann Krentz is a prolific author and this was another solid book. Good romance, plot and character development. The touch of paranormal (with Zoe's "psychic" ability) adds a nice twist in what would be a rather ordinary story. I listened this this book on CD (which prompted my blog on audio books). The reader did a great job. If you're looking for a romantic suspense, then I'd recommend trying this book.
http://www.romancing-the-book.com/200...
September 20, 2020
One of her best in my mind. A tight, interesting plot with 2 intriguing MC.
February 12, 2021
Every book deserves many chances if you don't get through on the first attempt you will do it on the second or third attempt. Maybe because i had something on my mind and i hadn't focused on this novel or perhaps my language was poor at that time that probably the reason which makes me unable to understand this book maybe I was reading to fast or in a hurry to finish it. I decided this time to read it carefully and focus on every sentence and picture all events in my mind, it's important to me that I take my time when I read, I care for the quality of reading more than how many books I can finish. I've chosen one from my bookcase called Light in Shadow, I know I read it in 2014 but failed to understand it, it makes me feel safe and happy to reread it this month, I like the title, so let's explore the story and enjoy the characters. Who is Zoe? Where does she come from? Why has she hired Ethan a detective? Is it to solve the mystery? This novel has a bit of everything Crime, Thriller and Romance, such an amazing style. The characters are well developed, there is a lot of suspense in this book you don't know what's going to happen next.
December 9, 2010
3.5* I loved Ethan and enjoyed Zoe. The book includes a decent suspense plot and some great dialog. I look forward to the sequel, Truth or Dare.
November 19, 2018
Loved it, of course! Lol. I've loved every book I've read by Jayne Ann Krentz and this was no exception ❤ I love how I think I can guess the ending to her mysteries, but I'm always wrong LMAO. I was so sure I was right this time and then Jayne was like "Nope, boom bitch, here's ur bad guy" 😂😂😂😂 I adored Zoe and Ethan. Also no surprise there. Jayne has a real talent for creating lovable characters. Can't wait to read the next book
September 29, 2020
This was my second time reading this book (it’s been years since the first read) and I still loved it every bit as much! Full of romance and suspense and interior design and the coolest pink house. So much to love! Now I need to go read Arcadia’s book....
June 8, 2019
Zoe Luce hears voices in walls. Well, it's more like she can feel the emotions of people who have gone before, especially if they were intense emotions. It was this ability that caused her brother-in-law to have her committed to a psychiatric asylum, a place out of the worst movies. When she escaped with another patient then changed her name, Zoe thought she was safe. But now the man who supplied her with a new identity has been hacked and people are after her again.
She hired Ethan Truax at the beginning of the book to help find out why one of her clients is giving her some bad feelings (or more to the point, the walls in his bedroom.) Now she needs his protection.
An older Krentz but I enjoy both books in the series.
She hired Ethan Truax at the beginning of the book to help find out why one of her clients is giving her some bad feelings (or more to the point, the walls in his bedroom.) Now she needs his protection.
An older Krentz but I enjoy both books in the series.
November 25, 2010
Really liked this book. Zoe is an interior decorator whose been living in a small town in Arizona for a year. She has one good friend. While she is on a job, a man has told her that his wife left him. He wants Zoe to redecorate his home. When he takes her into the master bedroom, Zoe almost passes out. She hears terrible sounds from the walls. The bed is missing and a throw rug. She gets out of there as quickly as she can and talks to Arcadia (her friend) about what she experienced. Arcadia tells her to get a private investigator to see if the man's wife has used her credit cards or if there is any trace of her.
September 29, 2010
All through this book I had the sense of deja vu, however most of the story was not familiar. There was also parts of the story that I expected to happen that never materialized. It was not until the end, that I realized that this must have been the first book in a series, and I had read part 2 which turned out to be Truth or Dare.
I really enjoyed this book. I was able to connect to the characters eventhough they were a little "different". They were still loveable.
An enjoyable, light read.
I really enjoyed this book. I was able to connect to the characters eventhough they were a little "different". They were still loveable.
An enjoyable, light read.
July 7, 2019
This could have been a five star read for me, but the author kinda went off the rails a bit at the end. Incredibly entertaining read, though. I'm exhausted, but I had to finish it. I'm gonna go pass out now.
March 6, 2017
Zajímaví a rozhodně originální námět. Ale čekala jsem, že se to bude víc soustředit na schopnosti Zoe a to se nestalo. Třeba se dočkám v druhém díle.
Většina knihy byla spíš taková detektivka. S kapkou nadpřirozena.
Většina knihy byla spíš taková detektivka. S kapkou nadpřirozena.
August 22, 2019
I'm so sorry for my review. I just felt like this book was really corny and everything that should have been subtle was really not (the romance). I'll give #2 a try in case I just needed to adjust to the writing style.
March 10, 2013
A nice, pleasant romance, but altogether quite forgettable.
February 17, 2021
Dumb. So very very dumb. Sometimes I think my mother passes books on to me just for the fun and entertainment of listening to me rant about how awful they are.
May 31, 2022
Very good story that kept me guessing all the way to the end. Several plots going on at once with different outcomes. I will be looking for the sequel to find out what happens to Bonnie and Arcadia and if Ethan and Zoe stay together.
February 16, 2025
A fun read, with a few twists and turns. The writing seems a little stilted sometimes, but I like the characters and style. Just a little of the paranormal in a modern dramatic mystery. Didn’t love the audiobook narrator (mostly the male voices) but it was ok. Going to read the second one.
June 2, 2020
This book is one of my favourites from this author. A creepy asylum, murder, and paranormal. Not to mention a handsome PI. Sign me up!
February 11, 2024
Enjoyable. Lots of suspense and tension. SO MUCH GOOD DRAMA
June 21, 2024
I thought it was a good read. Lots of twists in the plot. Didn’t figure out who the villain was! Ethan was a throwback to the past private investigators. I really liked his character.
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