In book one of the Looking Glass Trilogy (an Arcane Society spin-off), Isabella Valdez has stumbled upon a conspiracy that could get her killed. Raised by her eccentric grandmother, she’s lived all her life off the grid and goes to the little town of Scargill Cove, California for two reasons: to hide out and to seek the help of the Jones and Jones paranormal detective agency.
For the past three years, Fallon Jones has run the West Coast J&J branch in Scargill Cove all by himself. He’s both psychically and physically exhausted, but he’s determined to destroy the Nightshade organization that stole the Arcane founder’s formula. As a chaos-theory talent, he can see the lines and connections between seemingly unrelated problems. After Isabella claims the role of his assistant (the ballsy woman doesn’t give him a choice in the matter!), they find a bunch of dead bodies and a paranormal clock with the power to kill.
I’ve been waiting so long for Fallon’s story and it didn’t disappoint! Fallon is strong, secretive, moody, patient, and desperate for someone to understand him (even though he doesn’t realize it). Most people think he’s a kook and don’t take him seriously. His crazy predictions, however, usually come true. It’s not until he meets Isabella and starts working with her that he can finally relax and start living his life outside the pressures of the office. She’s a conspiracy theorist like him and understands how he thinks, but she prefers to look on the brighter side of life. Isabella pulled him from the darkness of his own mind. Fallon, in turn, provided her with stability. I loved their chemistry. Fallon and Isabella are one of my most favorite couples in all the Arcane books.
I really enjoyed the folks of Scargill Cove. It’s a small, protective community of unusual people with a wide variety of psychic gifts, but most of them don’t believe in the paranormal.
Zack and Raine Jones (the H/h from Sizzle and Burn) made a few appearances, so it was nice to see how their relationship is progressing through all the political backwash of the upper echelons of Arcane.
Though the Looking Glass trilogy is about energy-infused glass and mirrors, this book didn’t much play up the Quicksilver Mirror. Instead, the Bridewell Curiosities (Victorian era weapons that look like harmless dolls, clocks, etc) played the bigger role.
As with the Dreamlight trilogy spin-off, Ms. Krentz wrote this trilogy backwards. The present day story comes first, followed by the historical book, and then the futuristic book, and all the books are written under different pen names.
The story is fast-paced with lots of twists and turns. I’m a little sad that it’s over because I would love to read more about Fallon. Also, as far as I know, this is the last contemporary book in the Arcane series. That surprises me because there are some unanswered questions. In any case, this is one my favorite Arcane books and I definitely recommend it.
5 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. ( )

Comfort food. I like the Arcane series. When I was deciding which book to bring home from work yesterday, I chose this one exactly because I knew what I would be getting. No having to figure out a new mythos, no wondering what the heck was going on. No wondering if the book was going to be a total dud. JAK is a solid writer and her stories all have a similar feel. I like the mechanics of her writing. I like the way the stories evolve.

I do like the contemporary ones in the Arcane series best. I have been waiting for Fallon's story for quite a while. It was fun to see him trying to figure out how to have a relationship although I would have liked to see him from the first instant of meeting Isabella. I like the new evil mechanical toys that seem as if they are going to be the focus of this new set of books.

This one was solidly written. The romance was sweet although there are some love scenes. If you're a fan of the Arcane series, you should like this one. ( )

In Too Deep
4 Stars

Once again, the contemporary installment in the Arcane Society series has an edge over the historical and futuristic books. The mystery is intriguing, the romance is engaging and the actions scenes exciting. My one small caveat is the lack of progression in the overall Nightshade story arc.

Although the sizzle and spark of Isabella and Fallon's relationship is somewhat absent, they are a sweet couple and some of their moments together left me smiling. Isabella's sunny personality and calming aura is a perfect match for Fallon's dark and brooding tendencies.

The mystery, which focuses on a conspiracy involving the sale of paranormal weapons, is comprised of several complex threads that ultimately come together quite cohesively. JAK weaves such a successfully complex web that despite the plethora of clues, the identity of the culprit caught me by surprise for once.

The small town vibe of Scargill Cove and the quirky personalities of its inhabitants are a wonderful addition to the story and I hope that JAK will return there sometime.

Next up is Quicksilver in which we will apparently learn more about Mrs. Bridewell's curiosities - looking forward to it. ( )

This is the first in this trilogy, but like book 10 of the series. She criss-crosses the series through her three writing personas. It is a good standalone book, but I can see where going back to the beginning and coming forward would be useful.

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Didn't like it enough to read others in the series. ( )