"Second in the flower paranormal series is a delight"
They recently repacked Amaryllis and Zinnia into a single
volume called Harmony, so I got these out and decided to
reread them. I found I enjoyed them more the second time
around. These St. Helen's books, set on Harmony a planet
where Earth travelers colonized are written as Jayne
Castle, and writing at the very top of her form.
Originally, her fans had mixed reviews over these books.
This was before paranormal romance hit big in the sales.
Now they are getting a much-deserved second look.
Amaryllis, Zinnia and Orchid are the trio of tales set in
this Futuristic world, with After Dark and After Glow
continuing the sagas. Zinnia Spring was called the Scarlet Lady by the press. She
was mistakenly caught in the middle of a tacky tabloid
triangle scandal. An interior decorator, she decides to
take lemons and make lemonade. Instead of trying to shout
her innocence or trying to hide, she plays the reputation
for all its worth, creating a real Lady in Red. She dresses
red, she drives red. When ??sex??y Nick Chastain, owner of a Casino, hires her
things really heat up for both. Nick and Zinnia, like all
the off-worlders, have a little something extra to their
make up. In the Earth Colony of St. Helens on Harmony,
people evolved with two supernatural talents: they were
either a prism or a psychic. The prisms serve to increase
the power of the psychics by channeling their powers
through them, amplifying it and keeping it stable. Even the
strongest of psychics needs a prism, for without them they
cannot control and maintain their powers for long periods. Though he has hired Zinnia for her decorating ability, he
needs something more from her. He wants his respectability.
He is an off the chart top psychic, but he needs the
perfectly matched prism and that is Zinnia. Nick's father
was Bartholomew Chastain, a member of the elite of St.
Helens, and a respected explorer. However, Nick's father
died, leaving the legitimacy of Nick's birth unclear. Nick
maintains his father married his mother just before his
last expedition, but the family disputes this. Nick craves
finding his father's journal and proving he is his heir. He
craves that respectability. As Zinnia falls in love with Nick, she views her Scarlet
Lady as nothing more than a passing affair for Nick. How
can a man, who desires respectability above all else, want
the Scarlet Lady for his wife? This is ONE super read for Jayne Anne Krentz Fan. Don't
miss the first in the series Amaryllis and then Orchid.
Jayne Anne, whatever name she is using, is at the peak of
her prose with this book. I compliment her deft use of
Multi-POV (Point of View) so missing from many of today's
new writers. It makes the story richer and gives you a full
sense of the story and characters instead of limits the
writer and reader. Posted September 18, 2004
Reviewed by Deborah Macgillivray
Posted December 5, 2006
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Rendered unmarriageable because of her psychic talents,
Zinnia Spring, an inhabitant of the space colony of St.
Helen's, foresees a risky love affair with casino owner
Nick Chastain, who is in the market for a society wife. Genre: Paranormal Romance, Furutistic
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