Sophia Rose Reviews - The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

 

The Shop on Hidden Lane by Jayne Ann Krentz

Paranormal Romance, Suspense

Publisher:  Berkley

Published:  1.6.26

Pages: 329

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

GoodReads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community.

The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.

Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored. 

Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

When two people from rival psychic families must work together to find their missing relations, more than the sizzle of attraction sparks between them and they must pool their psychic strengths and intellectual cunning if they are to stop an insidious threat.  Jayne Ann Krentz has built a dynamic world of psychics and suspense and I am always eager to settle in and enjoy a paranormal romantic suspense I am reluctant to set aside.

 

The Shop on Hidden Lane appears to be a standalone with loose connection and references to the Fogg Lake Trilogy and the author notes there will be more along the lines of this one with more characters like ‘Bruce’.

 

The Shop on Hidden Lane introduces psychic crime scene reconstructionist ‘housekeeper’, Sophy Harper, who has been hired by Luke Wells, a member of her family’s greatest rivals since their great-grandfather’s had a falling out.  While the Harpers are clever, cunning, and fly below the radar with their clandestine skills and psychic gifts, the Wells are a business powerhouse in R&D, security, and more.  Luke is thought to be a non-psychic, but it isn’t long before Sophy has hints otherwise.  This is on top of his security tech and covert skills training, his ability to ‘connect the dots’ and his large dog, Bruce, with the golden eyes and hints of ability beyond the obvious mouth full of sharp teeth. that she thinks of as a hellhound.

 

They are investigating his uncle and her aunt’s disappearance and the train starts at his uncle’s cabin near her aunt’s Shop on Hidden Lane Business and Sophy’s psychic gift shows them a murder took place- and not his uncle.   They find clues meant to be a ‘breadcrumb trail’ left behind for them.

 Just what have their relations gotten themselves involved in down at the Fools Gold Vortex in Arizona?

 

An enemies to lovers-love at first sight trope blend that stays low on the angst and allows the suspenseful side of the story to deliver on the drama.  Not, that they don’t have their stops and starts as they meet, figure out how to work together and wonder what to do with the mutual attraction.  There was a good balance of the romance and the suspense moments.  I liked that there was respect and the build of teamwork, understanding how their psychic gifts could work their case, and the addition of Bruce’s mysterious ability to act as a police dog member of the team.  They get stronger as a team, a few reveals come earlier, but there are still some good surprises and twists in the end, too.

 

All in all, greatly entertaining and another winner from Jayne Ann Krentz.  I liked that teaser at the end that hinted at more to come from this set up connected to a few of her older books and series.  Those who enjoy slightly spicy paranormal romantic suspense, this is for you.

 

Author Bio:

The author of a string of New York Times bestsellers, Jayne Ann Krentz uses three different pen names for each of her three “worlds.”   As Jayne Ann Krentz (her married name) she writes contemporary romantic-suspense.  She uses Amanda Quick for her novels of historical romantic-suspense.  Jayne Castle (her birth name) is reserved these days for her stories of futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense.

“I am often asked why I use a variety of pen names,” she says.  “The answer is that this way readers always know which of my three worlds they will be entering when they pick up one of my books.”

In addition to her fiction writing, she is the editor of, and a contributor to, a non-fiction essay collection, Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance,  published by the University of Pennsylvania Press.  Her commitment to her chosen genre has been strong from the very beginning of her career.

“The romance genre is the only genre where readers are guaranteed novels that place the heroine at the heart of the story,” Jayne says.  “These are books that celebrate women’s heroic virtues and values:  courage, honor, determination and a belief in the healing power of love.”

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.

She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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