ARC Review: Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Castle

Sweetwater and the Witch
Author: Jayne Castle
Series: Harmony (Book 9)
Publication: Berkley (September 20, 2022)

Description: Welcome to the world of Harmony, where—despite its name, things are anything but—danger lurks just beneath the surface in this new novel by New York Times bestselling author, Jayne Castle.

If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.

But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.

What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…

My Thoughts: The story begins with Ravenna Chastain being held in a cage in an underworld cavern waiting to be executed for being a witch. She was supposed to be undercover for the FBPI but her backup seems to be delayed. It looks like Ravenna and her new dust bunny friend Harriet will have to rescue themselves. Using her psychic ability to create psychic fire, she manages to capture the main villain just before the FBPI finally arrives. 

Ravenna decides to change careers after her ordeal. After all criminal profiling and matchmaking aren't really all that different. But Ravenna has a new problem in an unmatchable client. Ethan Sweetwater has had nine unsuccessful dates and, while Ravenna wants to buy out his contract, he demands one final date - with her. 

Luckily, Ethan is a phlegmatic engineer with a hidden hunter talent, because when he comes to pick her up for their date, he finds that she has been attacked by the last person who was matched with her. He's come toting a gun and saying that she has to die so that he can preserve his business. Ethan rises to the occasion and takes care of things. 

However, that is just the first mishap the couple experiences. A number of attacks by hired killers give the couple a lot of chances for "bonding experiences." Through each of them the couple gets closer even though Ravenna is convinced, but not excited, that they are just fake dating. 

This was another great episode in the Harmony universe. Harriet the pen-collecting dust bunny is a great addition to the roster of dust bunnies who have bonded with the main characters in this series. I really like the dialog in this series and this one had especially crisp dialog, I liked the way Ravenna and Ethan came to trust and accept each other's foibles. 

Favorite Quote:

"What is that?" she asked warily.

"The universal solution to ninety-seven percent of life's problems. Duct tape. Hey, Harriet."

Harriet rose on her hind paws. The tips of her ears peeked out from her dryer lint fur. There was an air of alert readiness about her. She was ready for the next game.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.