I’ve been reading Castle/Krentz/Quick for so many years now that it takes something extraordinary from her to stick in my mind. For those that have been reading the Castle books set on Harmony, there is really nothing new here. It was like settling in with an old friend: comforting, but not truly exciting or different, which can be a good thing sometimes. You always know what to expect. I also have to comment that her Harmony books have improved in some areas; I didn’t see one hyphenated word, like coff-tea, which used to drive me crazy in the earlier books in this series.

The world of Harmony was settled long ago by earthlings, but was cut off from Earth and evolved in some different ways as a result. Most of Harmony’s residents have some kind of paranormal ability involving the use of amber and energy waves formed by the mind. Two special skills divided between the sexes have developed. Tanglers, mostly women, have the ability to “de-rez” the traps in the underground catacombs covering Harmony. Most tanglers work in universities since their job is rather like that of an archaeologist, digging up ruins. Tanglers always have a ghost hunter on their team to deal with the unstable energy found in the catacombs, appropriately called “ghosts”. The hunters are almost always male, and dealing with the ghost energy creates interesting side effects afterwards, like an incredible sex drive and then a crash and burn phase. The more energy or bigger the ghost is, the more pronounced the symptoms become after the hunter de-rezzes the ghost. Hunters generally belong to a Guild, a deeply patriarchal organization that takes care of its own. Each Guild has a boss who directs the internal workings of the organization. Most tanglers are deeply suspicious about Guilds, since there is nothing academic about them.

Elly St. Clair grew up as the daughter of the Aurora Springs Guild boss. Her brothers are all ghost hunters and mother is a strong tangler. She herself has an unknown ability to resonate with plant essences, which has been kept hidden, since she is afraid she could never work at the university (which is known to be extremely close-minded). Elly’s life is on track, she believes, until she meets Cooper Boone. Cooper starts out at the library in town and they begin dating. It’s when her father makes him the new Guild boss that things begin to get ugly. Suddenly Cooper is late for dates, or misses them completely. When she finds out her father and Cooper hushed up a duel between Cooper and another man, she confronts them. But the duel wasn’t fought over her; it was merely Guild business as usual. Fed up with the whole situation, Elly leaves small town life and moves to Cadence City to start over.

Cooper Boone meticulously planned his life, including his rise to Guild boss and marriage. It was somewhat of a shock to say the least when Elly informed him their courtship was over. After giving her six months in Cadence City to come to her senses, he realizes that may not have been the best plan. Cooper’s special talents are needed in Cadence, and he decides Elly has had enough time on her own. Again she surprises him.

Elly has a thriving herbal business in Cadence City. Although the neighborhood isn’t great, she has a set of friends, and a dust bunny, Rose, to keep her occupied. She assumes Cooper has forgotten all about her and wishes she could do the same. When her tangler friend disappears in the catacombs beneath Cadence, Elly knows she needs a hunter, and calls Cooper after her mother informs her he is headed to town.

The chemistry between these two is great. Elly has become an independent woman with her own life and it’s entertaining to watch Cooper deal with the change in circumstances. Guild bosses tend to be overbearing, but if Cooper wants Elly in his life, it is he who will have to change his perceptions.

Cooper and Elly have stumbled into an ugly drug ring, and the most likely suspect is not necessarily the right one. Both of their unusual skills (for Cooper has a hidden talent of his own) are needed to rescue Elly’s friend and discover just what is happening in Cadence. Old friends Emmett London and Lydia, who has her own dust bunny named Fuzz, make an appearance also.

As I mentioned, there is nothing terribly different here. However, Cooper and Elly are compelling characters, and Rose, the dust bunny with the jewelry fetish, is entertaining. I always know what I am getting with this author, and this one was no exception. Cooper and Elly work together to solve their problems and it’s nice to see a couple interact together. For me, it was an enjoyable few hours, and I usually pick up her books because I like her style. Fans of Castle/Krentz/Quick will surely enjoy this one. But if you’re not that enthusiastic about reading her, this probably won’t be the book that changes your mind.