ARC Review: People in Glass Houses by Jayne Castle

People in Glass Houses
Author: Jayne Castle
Series: A Harmony Novel (Book 10)
Publication: Berkley (May 7, 2024)

Description: Two people desperate for answers wade through smoke and mirrors within the alien world of Harmony in this new novel by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Castle.

His name is Joshua Knight. Once a respected explorer, the press now calls him the Tarnished Knight. He took the fall for a disaster in the Underworld that destroyed his career. The devastating event occurred in the newly discovered sector known as Glass House—a maze of crystal that is rumored to conceal powerful Alien antiquities. The rest of the Hollister Expedition team disappeared and are presumed dead.

Whatever happened down in the tunnels scrambled Josh’s psychic senses and his memories, but he’s determined to uncover the truth. Labeled delusional and paranoid, he retreats to an abandoned mansion in the desert, a house filled with mirrors. Now a recluse, Josh spends his days trying to discover the secrets in the looking glasses that cover the walls. He knows he is running out of time.

Talented, ambitious crystal artist Molly Griffin is shocked to learn that the Tarnished Knight has been located. She drops everything and heads for the mansion to find Josh, confident she can help him regain control of his shattered senses. She has no choice—he is the key to finding her sister, Leona, a member of the vanished expedition team. Josh reluctantly allows her to stay one night but there are two rules: she must not go down into the basement, and she must not uncover the mirrors that have been draped.

But her only hope for finding her sister is to break the rules…

My Thoughts: The tenth science fiction romance set on Harmony was another excellent book in the series. Molly Griffin is determined to find her sister who was lost in the alien tunnels underground. She was part of the Hollister Expedition. Only the navigator - Josh Knight - managed to make it out alive. But he is psi-burned and has disappeared after escaping from a psychiatric hospital.

Molly is an artist who tunes crystal but her adopted mothers run a detective agency. They manage to track Josh down to a creepy old mansion made of fireglass and filled with tuned mirrors outside a small town. The house is built on a hot zone and filled with psychic influences. 

Molly shows up, determined to help him get over his psi-burn so that he can find her missing sister. He's cranky and irritable; she's stubborn and determined. It's a match made in Harmony heaven. Or it would be if Molly believed in matches. She's keeping secrets that she feels make her ineligible for the Covenant Marriage that most on Harmony eventually enter. 

Since Josh's mental problems after the ill-fated Hollister Expedition mean that he was dropped from the matchmaking agency who was looking for a covenant marriage for him, he isn't all that concerned about a future marriage either. He's much more interested in restoring his ruined reputation.

Teaming up - and using Molly's psychic talents to heal Josh's - is the only way that both will be able to get what they want. Luckily, Molly's dust bunny Newton is glad to go along for the ride as long as she keeps supplying the Zing Chips!

This was another excellent romance between two people who feel that they are well outside the norms for their culture. Both have strong powers that they feel the need to conceal from everyone until they learn to trust each other enough to share. 

I enjoyed the witty banter, the dust bunny, and the adventure. 

Favorite Quote:

"I'm sure it will do nicely," she said.

"Let's hope so, for your sake, because if it doesn't 'do nicely,' you'll be sleeping on a sofa or the floor."

"Your skills as a gracious host are a tad rusty, aren't they?"

"Try nonexistent."

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