Book and Audio Review: Orchid by Jayne Castle

Orchid
Author: Jayne Castle
Narrator: Tana Eby
Series: St. Helens (Book 3)
Publication: Pocket Books (September 7, 2010); Tantor Audio (Jan. 17, 2019)
Length: 340 p.; 8 hours and 56 minutes

Description: The wildly popular alter ego of bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz creates “delectably entertaining paranormal romantic suspense” (Booklist) in the “unique, synergistic world of St. Helen’s” (Library Journal ), the not-so-distant space colony where hearts and minds are gloriously in sync!

A top psychic for exclusive Psynergy Inc., Orchid Adams has her hands full with a baffling murder—which doesn’t exactly allow time for husband hunting. Is it even possible there’s a man on St. Helen’s who measures up to her dreams of wedded bliss? Take her new client, Rafe Stonebraker: primitive and elemental, an unlicensed P.I. with some serious secrets, Rafe is hardly marriage material. So why does his powerful presence have Orchid imagining the most outrageous affair? Rafe is embroiled in solving a strange theft while thwarting a hostile takeover of Stonebraker Shipping; he needs a wife—and fast—to salvage his credibility. Orchid Adams doesn’t fit the profile he had in mind, but she fits in his arms. Will their electrifying connection end up getting them burned?

My Thoughts: The final book of the St. Helens trilogy stars Orchid Adams and Rafe Stonebraker. Orchid is the author of some very popular psychic vampire romances and a part time employee of Psynergy Inc. because she is a very powerful and rare ice prism. Rafe is a hunter talent who tests way off the charts and who is planning to take over the family shipping business. However, Rafe needs a wife before he can do that.

Rafe has hired Mr. Batt who successfully found matches for his friends Lucas Trent and Nick Chastain. Even with his unique and somewhat primitive power, he has hopes that Hobart Batt can find a proper wife for him. Unfortunately, Rafe s under a time crunch and can't wait. So Rafe begins looking for his own full spectrum prism by hiring a selection of them from many agencies.

Once he hires Orchid, he knows he has found the right woman for him. He has lured her by encouraging her to help him with his after-hours private investigations. But a search for an alien artifact stolen from a research lab soon becomes more difficult and more dangerous than he had intended. It also links to some bad experiences Orchid had when she was part of a research project at a noted lab. 

Besides their case, Rafe and Orchid are also dealing with family issues. Rafe's cousin is his rival for the job of CEO of Stonebraker Shipping and he seems willing to do anything to get the job. Meanwhile, someone is after Orchid and the others who were with her during the research project but she isn't sure why.

This was a fun paranormal romance set in an intriguing world. I listened to this one and enjoyed the way Tanya Eby read the story. 

Favorite Quote:

He had set out to hunt himself a wife and he had found the one he wanted. He could not believe that they were not a good match. Affinity Associates had fouled up the registration. It was the only possible answer.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.