After Glow by Jayne Castle Series: Ghost Hunters #2
Published by Jove on February 24, 2004
Genres: Futuristic
Pages: 356
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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Life is complicated for Lydia Smith. She's working at that tacky, third-rate museum, Shrimpton's House of Ancient Horrors, trying to salvage her career in para-archaeology - and dating the most dangerous man in town. Just when she thinks she might be getting things under control, she stumbles over a dead body and discovers that her lover has a secret past that could get him killed. Just to top it off, there's trouble brewing underground in the eerie, glowing green passageways of the Dead City.
Of course, all of these problems pale in comparison to the most pressing issue: Lydia has been invited to the Restoration Ball and she hasn't got a thing to wear.
I enjoy this series a lot, and I’m trying to read the books I’ve missed. This was one that popped up, so of course I dove right in. One thing though felt off. It took a bit, but this is basically a continuation of the first book, a part 2 if you will. The rest of this series is done as a closed HEA romance, but this particular book is not a great standalone. Books 1 and 2 need to be read together. The rest of the series is totally fine to read out of order, but these first two books are about the same couple: Lydia and Emmett. Book 1 is how they meet and their romance. Book 2 is tying up loose ends and cementing their relationship. Both books are good, but I would not read them out of order.
Lydia, in book 1 After Dark, has an incident where she has a lost night. She was rescued after being underground in the alien world beneath the city, but what memories she does have of that night are not trustworthy. Emmet London is a Guild Man. He’s in her city to temporarily take over for the Guild Boss who has barely survived an assassination attempt. Lydia and Emmett start a relationship, but he doesn’t fully believe her memories of that night, and she doesn’t trust the Guild. Now, in book 2 After Glow, we see Lydia and Emmett are very much in lust, but some trust issues stand in their way. But Lydia is bound and determined to figure out her missing night, and when an old archaeology professor contacts her with something important to tell her, she rushes right over. And stumbles upon his dead body. Feeling strongly that her missing night is connected with his murder, she digs deeper and the clues she finds are as untrustworthy as her own memories.
Emmett wants to help her, but mostly he’s trying to keep her out of trouble, figure out how to solve his friend’s assassination attempt, tell Lydia he loves her, and start his own business. He’s a good hero, and I enjoyed the banter and chemistry these two had. I do love when Emmett supports Lydia. And I love when Lydia gets out of her own way long enough to support Emmett. Once these two work together, pieces of Lydia’s lost night start to fall into place, and with the danger of his new temporary job they have figure out where the threat is coming from. And it may be from more than one source.
This couple took two books to get to their HEA, but it’s a fun ride, and worth the read. That being said, I’ve quite enjoyed this alien world Ms. Castle has built on Harmony, and I look forward to all of her future installments.
***I bought this book
