Zinnia - Jayne Castle

Zinnia Spring's nickname, the "Scarlet Lady," would stop most women cold, but Zinnia rises above it by dressing defiantly in red! Ever since a tabloid ruined her reputation and her interior design business, this headstrong young woman has made a living using her psychic abilities - a highly prized skill that sets her apart on the space colony of St. Helen's. But when she's hired by casino owner Nick Chastain, their meeting of the minds - and hearts - has her seeing stars.

I have definitely been reading out of my comfort zone lately and this book is just one more example. Futuristics are not really my thing, or at least not the kind of books I grab without a glowing review from a friend. But one of these days I was looking at this Zinnia and decided to give it a go. I am very happy that I did because I actually enjoyed it very much and if ever I find the other two books in this trilogy I will definitely pick them up.

Castle (one of JAK pseudonyms) creates an alternate world, a St Helen colony where there are male and female psychic powers. To rule out problems a long time ago the elders decided that everyone would be matched by matchmaking agencies thus guaranteeing that all marriages would succeed since men and women would be paired up according to their psychic compatibility. This all sounds very rational and our hero is definitely looking for one such wedding, the problem is that his power is off the scale and he doesn't want measured (which the agencies would insist on). And our heroine was once considered unmatchable, something that she uses almost as an excuse not to take things seriously.

Nick Chastain is a casino owner, self made man and the illegitimate son of a wealthy man long deceased. There's a lot to be said, in this world, for social status and that is exactly what Nick intends to gain by marrying up. But he unexpectedly finds Zinnia, in fact he has a taste of her power before he meets her, and from then on although his plans don't immediately go away he spends all his time thinking about her and spending time with. This is made easier by the fact that they team up to find out what really happened to his father a long long time ago thus playing at being detectives.

The whole books as a very cosy feel and I really enjoyed the characters and the world.

Grade: 4.5/5