I received this book for free from Advance Reader Copy, NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Guild Boss by Jayne CastleGuild Boss by Jayne Castle
Series: Harmony
Published by berkley on November 16, 2021
Genres: PNR
Pages: 304
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy, NetGalley
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five-stars

Welcome to Illusion Town on the colony world of Harmony—like Las Vegas on Earth, but way more weird.

Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up.

Gabriel Jones is the Guild Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her.

The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

I really was excited when I saw another Jayne Castle book! I really enjoy the world she’s built on Harmony. Quick background: Harmony is a world similar to earth colonized through a wormhole, however it closed one day cutting off the new world from earth a couple hundred years ago. This deserted world enhances psychic powers and gives some to those without. It is connected to the Arcane Society series written as Jayne Anne Krentz. The Underground is a confusing place the previous tenants of the planet have built and it’s full of psychic energy. This causes disorientation and hallucinations then death. Okay, you’re caught up! (all books can be read as a standalone book).

This book opens with our heroine Lucy lost in the underground and a very handsome man has come to save her. The problem? She thinks she’s hallucinating. She’s been hallucinating for days? hours? time has no meaning for her since she’s disoriented and lost. She’d been kidnapped she escaped and was chased Underground and dumped. The man who found her is sexy, attractive, and has a dust bunny with a pizza box in his paws. Obviously she’s hallucinating.

She’s not hallucinating.

He carries her out of the Underworld and she’s met with paparazzi and fanfare. The whole situation leads to him disappearing on to another job, and Lucy is fired then ostracized. Nobody believes she was kidnapped, her credibility is shot, and she’s become the topic of gossip everywhere. Meanwhile, she makes the best of it, and gets a crappy job with her new dustbunny sidekick. They live off of tips and pizza until Gabriel pops back into her life.

Gabriel has taken over the new guild boss job in Lucy’s town, hoping to maybe find her and date her. After he rescued her, he had to run, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. So the day he showed up at her crappy job to see her, he isn’t sure what he expected to happen, but Lucy telling him to hit the road isn’t it. He’s floored she wants nothing to do with him. He had thought they’d had a connection that night.

Lucy absolutely had a connection with Gabriel, but the whole him not believing she was drugged and kidnapped, then dumped in the tunnels doesn’t really lead her to wanting to date him.

Until her life is threatened again. The danger never left.

The two of them have excellent chemistry, and like many Jayne Castle books, the heroine and hero have excellent partnerships before they date. They work well together and I always love that. This book has everything you expect from a Jayne Castle book: romance, independent heroines, heroes who love and support them, and a dustbunny sidekick with more personality than ever!

***ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

five-stars