Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz Series: Fogg Lake #3
Published by Berkley on January 18, 2022
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Suspense
Pages: 322
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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Olivia LeClair's experiment with speed dating is not going well. First there was the nasty encounter with the date from hell who tried to murder her and now the mysterious Harlan Rancourt—long believed dead—sits down at her table and tells her she's the only one who can help him locate the legendary Vortex lab.
This is not what Olivia had in mind when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed package offered by the dating agency. She doesn't have much choice, though, because her psychic investigation firm works for the mysterious Foundation and Victor Arganbright, the director, is adamant that she assist Harlan. There's just one problem—no one knows Harlan's real agenda. His father once ran the Foundation like a mob organization, and Harlan was destined to be his heir. There's a real possibility Harlan has returned to claim his inheritance.
For now, however, it's a case of the enemy of my enemy is my friend because others are after the secrets of the long-lost lab. Unfortunately for Olivia, the one thing friend and foe have in common is that everyone is convinced she is the key. Her unique psychic talent is required to defuse the ticking time bomb that is Vortex.
Neither trusts the other but Olivia and Harlan soon realize they must work together to survive and unlock the Bluestone Project's most dangerous secrets before more innocent people die.
I’ve been enjoying the Fogg Lake series. I think this is the end of the trilogy and I would have liked to learn much more about the world and its magic. It could have been much more developed and we don’t get to understand all of it . There are some things which carry along in all the books such as the Foundation which is sort of the collector / developer for the magic and its user, also kind of its police force. Fogg Lake is part of each book since so many of those with magics are from there or live there. The original lab found was there.
Each book has a couple which have a romance plot. There is also the overall series ARC of the Foundation and the labs. Everyone is trying to find the Vortex for its weapons to control that technology. I think each book could be read as a standalone because the connections between books are a bit loose and most characters aren’t in each book.
Harlan Rancourt has been hiding since his father was murdered. At first, he thought the Foundation caused his death and wanted revenge. He also thought he was probably supposed to die too. He has learned some other things and brings things to a head with the Foundation to finally track down the Vortex lab. He needs some assistance.
Olivia is an aura reader and has set up a private investigation business with her best friend Cat, who was a main character in the first book. They grew up together in Fogg Lake. The Foundation hires her to work with Harlan, who believes her ancestry has given her oracle talents.
Harlan and Olivia work well together. The romance is a bit too insta-love for me. The close proximity of working together and the dangerous situations do give them more opportunities to learn about each other and spend lots of time together.
I was glad to have some of the storylines wrap up, like the Vortex lab. Overall, I didn’t learn quite enough about the world or characters though. It may have helped if the books had been more connected.
About Jayne Ann Krentz
The 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.
Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
I haven’t read Jayne Ann Krentz in a while now. This one sure sounds interesting.
I liked this trilogy but somehow the first two were better for me.
I have the first one in this series on my TBR list already; I need to start reading faster. ;D
I really liked that one. I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve read every book in this world weaving between Castle, Krentz and Jayne, so I like this a bit more than you. Lovely review.
So this connects to some of her other series, by other pen names even?
I ended up loving it, but no worries. I wonder if your sense that it lacks background development is because it is tied to an earlier series where maybe there was more development. I didn’t read that one, but I did notice the crossover spots and thought I should go back for the older series. But, another backlist series, ugh. LOL
I didn’t notice those issues as much in the first 2 books but this one I felt some holes I guess. I didn’t even realize it was connected to other series before now. The romance felt better developed in the first two books also.
She doesn’t usually write paranormal, right? Maybe that’s why the world didn’t feel developed enough. But at least you’ve finished the series.
I don’t know. It just seems like she didn’t fully develop the world and its magics. And she didn’t fully develop the romance either. The first two books were better.
I’m glad you liked it, even if you didn’t like it as much as you wanted to. Happy reading Sophia!
I did like it.
The previous two books didn’t leave a lasting impression on me so I decided to skip this installment. Sounds like I made a good decision. The cover is really pretty, though.
Maybe. It was enjoyable enough to read but it didn’t feel complete in some ways.
It’s been so so long since I haven’t read one of her books!
I’ve read one book of hers and this series.
Believe it or not, I’ve never read this author!
I hadn’t either until fairly recently. I enjoyed this series but I’m not racing to read her other works. I might actually like the historical mysteries she has though since I’ve expanded my reading more to that genre. She’s definitely a romance author and I’m fine with that but I wish it was better developed.
I think that I have only read a couple of this author’s books. It sounds like there were a few missed opportunities in this series since so much was left unexplained.
I am not sure if it is that or because apparently it is related to another series? The relation wasn’t clear to me or I would have read the other series first. I really wanted more development.