This science fiction romance written in 1989 was an entertaining story with Krentz's strong, independent characters. Sariana Dayne has fled her home to the flamboyant West when she was chosen for an elite academic academy. She is sure that if she can right the finances of the Avylyn clan of jewelers, her reapplication will be successful.

Unfortunately, in order to right their fortunes, she needs to recover a prisma cutter which has been stolen. To do so, she wants to hire a Shield named Gryph Chassyn who doesn't seem interested in the job. Her plans to drug him and kidnap him so that she can make her business proposal doesn't work out the way she would like.

Gryph has come to the city to look for a bride. He isn't interested in a job, but he becomes very interested in Sariana. He believes that she has the qualities that make a good Shield's mate and that she would be able to give him a son. She isn't interested and, in fact, isn't at all sure she believes any of the legends she's heard about Shields since she arrived in the West. She wouldn't mind having an affair with him though.

He tricks her into marriage with him during their night of passion. And when his informer is killed after telling him the cutter was taken by a rogue Shield, Gryph and Sariana embark on a journey to find the missing cutter and the rogue Shield.

They also discover that the rogue has found an intact prisma ship filled with weapons and being insane is determined to use the weapons in his quest to conquer the planet. Gryph and Sariana have to find a way to work together to defeat the rogue which they manage and to chart a whole new path for Gryph's social class under the guidance of Sariana who uses her knowledge gained in her education in the East to assist.

This is science fiction lite. It takes place on another planet which was settled some unnamed period of time earlier. The two ships sent to settle were separated when attacked by unknown enemies. One ship was assisted by the Shields who were part of an earlier migration. The Shields managed to carve out a role for themselves and their descendants in the rigid social structure that came along with the colonists. The book's main strengths come in the interesting characters especially Gryph and Sariana and the romance they have.

It was a fun story. ( )

Don't mind me, just whipping through all of Krentz' backlist now. I didn't realize, until halfway through the book, there was two books the preceded it and that Krentz had written some of the earliest romances classified as scifi (not scifi with romance, but actual marketed as romance novels with scifi elementa).

I enjoy her Harmony series, and this has a lot of similar ideas; mind talents being strengthened on an alien planet, mysterious crystal ships left behind by an alien species, decidedly adorable but abnormal pets that bond with humans, para-psychic powers. In some ways it could exist in that same universe almost.

This does however have some typical romance side eye behavior though, including some overbearing alpha male behaviors from Gryph, but largely I enjoyed reading How Sarianna largely used her wits and cleverness to win the day.

Its unfortunate it seems to be only these three in the series, but if you find yourself enjoying it (and you're not already a fan of), try out the Harmong novels. You'll find a lot of similarities and enjoyment level. ( )

I've always loved this book. A pretty good sci fi romance and better than some of the more recent sci fi romances of Ms. Krentz, which seem to be blurring together recently. This was a much clearer and crisper story. The history of the colonists was clearly told as was their development over the last couple of hundred years. Gryph is very alpha which is annoying at times and I just want Sariana to bop him upside the head. Sariana is a strong resorceful heroine and stands up to him. I just want her to win more often against his hardheadedness. I definitly enjoy books where the hero and heroine share a mental bond of some sort and that was happily fulfilled here. ( )

Let's just say I had super high hopes for this one. They were pretty well dashed. When I was halfway through I decided it rated 2 stars, however by the end, I bumped it up to 2.5. The end was great, once the heroine stopped being a whiny little child and grew up the book was wonderful, unfortunately it took almost the whole book for her to stop acting a child. Unfortunately, the ending was not enough to make up for the rest of it. The heroine made me think of a 3 year old who claps their hands of their ears and goes "La la la la la I'm not listening!" That being said, the writing was wonderful, and I truly wanted to finish the book even though I hated the heroine. ( )

One of my favorites from the marvelous Jayne Ann Krentz. Doesn't matter which name she writes under, if I find it I'll read it and I'll love it. ( )