#BookReview – “Sizzle and Burn” by Jayne Ann Krentz

Blurb

Being called creepy can be hard on your self-esteem--even for an attractive, independent woman like Raine Tallentyre. That's what happened when she made the mistake of revealing her paranormal abilities, bringing her most recent romantic relationship to a hasty end. Her Aunt Vella, a gifted but troubled soul, had told her years ago to keep her talents a secret. And now that poor Aunt Vella—her last blood relative—has died, Raine has resigned herself to a lonely life.

But when she journeys to Shelbyville, Washington, to clear out her aunt's house--trying to ignore the locals' comments about the "witch" and the "crazy lady"-- Raine’s highly developed sensitivity leads her to a horrifying discovery: a young woman, bound and terrified, in a basement storage locker. The victim has survived, and the culprit is on the loose. Without warning, a new man enters Raine’s life—investigator Zack Jones. Surprisingly, Zack isn’t repelled by her powers: in fact, he has his own. While Raine hears voices, Zack sees visions and within hours of their meeting, Raine experiences an intense, thrilling intimacy—mental, emotional, and physical—she never dared to expect.

There’s one complication, however: Zack Jones is working for the Arcane Society. This secret organization, dedicated to the study of paranormal phenomena, shattered Raine’s family with an act of betrayal long ago, and she’s not about to trust them now. But as a killer makes her his target, and a cabal of psychic criminals known as Nightshade operates in the shadows surrounding them, Raine and Zack must rely not only on their powerful abilities but on each other as well

Review

The Arcane Society series just keeps getting better. In this installment, Raine Tallentyre finds a kidnapped woman in the basement of her deceased aunt’s house. Raine’s unique talent is she hears voices when feeling extreme emotional energy like rage, hate, and misery, which is usually left behind from murderers and their victims. After she finds the woman alive, the killer sets his sights on her.

A deadly group called Nightshade also wants Raine, believing she has information they need. It’s up to Zack Jones to find the man who betrayed the Arcane Society for Nightshade and to keep Raine alive.

Zack works for Jones and Jones as a paranormal investigator. His secret talent is he can feel the dark, possibly murderous history off anything he touches. Even though the death may have taken place hundreds of years ago, he can “see” it in his mind as though he really witnessed the event and even did the murder himself.

Raine and Zack are incredible, and one of my favorite couples in the series. They’re both considered exotic, level-ten talents on the J&J scale.

There are a few loose ends not tied up (nothing major), but I hope they’ll be explained in the next book. I loved Zack’s connection to Gabriel from book 1 since I really like family sagas. I’m dying to learn more about Fallon and Calvin, the J&J boss and a J&J agent, respectively. One of my favorite parts in this book is at the end when Raine rails down on Fallon for being an insensitive jerk. Just priceless!

The books set in the contemporary era don’t seem to be as wordy as the ones set in the historical era, and I’m grateful for that. Though I found it annoying that the characters kept referring to the killer as a “freak” (it just sounded weird to me), the book is fast-paced and it kept my attention. This is a really great story and I definitely recommend it.

5 Stars

Note -- Even though this book is considered number 3 in the Arcane Society series, it’s technically number 5 if you read the books in chronological order (not publication date). Personally, I read all of the Amanda Quick (historical) books first, then the Jayne Anne Krentz (contemporary) books, and lastly the (futuristic) ones by Jayne Castle. For readers who don’t know, these three authors are the same author, and she uses different names for each time period.

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.