Webmaster’s note 1/17/2016: This is an old review from the previous version of the site, which we’re bringing in as a post so that it’ll be searchable in the reviews categories with newer content.

Orchid
by Jayne Castle
ISBN 0671569023

reviewed by Susan Baugh

ORCHID [author’s real name is Jayne Ann Krentz] is a Sapphire Award finalist for best Science Fiction Romance.

Of all the nominations, only this one grabbed me. I just finished reserving the other two in the series, AMARYLLIS and ZINNIA.

ORCHID is a strong mystery set on a colony planet in the future. It features a typical romance novel’s alpha male. Besides being handsome, rich, talented, and looking for a wife, this alpha male is likeable and sexy. The heroine is strong, likeable, talented and always seems to look slightly rumpled. Her day job is writing psychic vampire romances. I thought the idea that she was still a virgin in her society and at her age to be a little stretch of the imagination, but the society of New Seattle is believable. The characters are appealing, entertaining, and believable. Overall, this book is a good read for people who like soft science fiction or space opera [I recommend this title especially for people who don’t like the traditional romance novel, but like their science fiction with character development.]