"Off pairing of two JAK tales"

Reprint alert! This has to be one of the stranger pairings of Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle books. AFTER DARK is the prequel to AFTER GLOW, just out recently under the Castle name. It was a super paranormal/off-world tale that I really adored and thought it a great, vibrant tale. Strangely, it was not received well by her fans at the time before the big paranormal romance boom. It's reception was so cold that her publisher put off putting out any more in this series for nearly four years. I guess the Paranormals burning up the charts caused them to rethink that line. My, my what a time frame can mean to the readers mind?

SOFT FOCUS was a very enjoyable single title romantic Suspense. It was a very enjoyable read, but not Krentz at her best. So why the putting of the Krentz tale and the Castle Tale together, where there is nothing to connect them, especially since both are still in print?

AFTER DARK was a great Off-World tale of Harmony, where earth travelers colonized and then were cut off from Earth connections when the "curtain" closed. (See Amaryllis, Zinnia and Orchid, books set on the same planet). A race of aliens once lived on the planet, leaving behind vast underground ruins, all protected by "trap" illusions. It takes a special sort of "detangler" to derazzle the traps that were known to fry people's minds. Lydia Smith is a detangler for an archaeologist team working in the eerie green glowing underground. When something goes wrong, Lydia finds herself without a job or a professional reputation. In comes Emmett London, who is tracking down lost antiques. He hires Lydia as a consultant. Alien ghosts and "traps" start haunting the couple left and right as it's obvious someone doesn't want the team to solve the riddle of the missing alien artifacts. Lydia and Emmett sizzle. This was one paranormal that was ahead of the pack.

In SOFT FOCUS, Elizabeth is an all business heroine. She applies the same cost and profit from her business life to her romance life. So after a one night stand with Jack Fairfax, and Elizabeth ﷯discover﷯s Jack deceived her. She wants to cut her losses. Jack is not willing to let her do it, and uses their business contract to keep a leash on the spunky lady.

Jack owns Excalibur, a cutting edge technology firm. When he ﷯discover﷯s there is sabotage going on that could put them both in the red financially, Elizabeth has to let Jack back into her life. If she helps Jack save Excalibur, she stands to make millions of dollars. Together they search for a missing scientist who made off with a new special crystal. Elizabeth and Jack follow the clues to a film festival and the fun begins, with Jack keeping an eye on winning Elizabeth back as well as saving his firm.

Two very enjoyable reads. Two oddly mismatched books. If you are a JAK fan, check your shelves. You likely already own both!

Reviewed by DeborahAnne MacGillivray
Posted September 18, 2004

Summary

Soft Focus writing as Jayne Ann Krentz
Executive Elizabeth Cabot knows when to cut her losses—and she runs her personal life the same way. So when she learns that Jack Fairfax has deceived her, she's determined to end their romantic relationship. But breaking up their business deal is trickier—after all, they have a signed contract. And while she's still trying to disentangle herself from Jack's client company, Excalibur, they discover a lethal act of sabotage that could put them both out of business—for good.

If she can help Jack save Excalibur, she'll save her own company from losing a fortune. Putting her emotions aside, she joins him in the search for the scientist who's disappeared with a valuable new crystal that could revolutionize the high-tech industry. She'll go in, solve the problem, and get out. But working so closely with Jack, she's finding it harder and harder to deny the passion she feels. And now, with millions of dollars at stake, Elizabeth begins to worry about an entirely different sort of risk.
(originally published in hardcover 12/99)

After Dark writing as Jayne Castle
Life is tough enough these days for Lydia Smith, licensed Para-archaeologist. Still reeling from a seriously nasty incident in an alien tomb, she is obliged to work part- time in Shrimpton's House of Ancient Horrors, a very low- budget museum. She has a plan to get her career back on track, but it isn't going well—things keep getting in the way.

For instance, the dead body that she discovers in one of the sarcophagus exhibits. Or how about finding out that her new client, Emmett London, is one of the most dangerous men in the city? That isn't helping matters either. But what really puts a crimp in Lydia's plan is her own unfortunate attraction to Emmett, and the exciting, unsettling knowledge that he feels the same way about her...
(originally published 09/00)