I received an arc of #NightIsland from ##NetGalley. This book is a continuation of the series The lost Night File. Each book focuses on a different woman who found themselves in the desert bound to a gurney in a burning house with enchanced psychic powers. Talia's gift is finding things including dead bodies. She hooks up with Luke who is looking for the same woman, Phoebe, who might have a list of people being experimented on. Together, they go to an unplugged experience on an island while trying to look like they are not a couple. They are smart and likeable and I will finish the series but I felt that it didn't resolve things as much as the first book. I did find the vegetation interesting.

This is the second book in her new series about 3 women who have a lost night. They had never met before that night. And they wound up with psychic abilities afterwards. Each ability is different, and in their quest to find out what happened to them that night, they find that they aren’t the only people who have lost a night and wound up with some new talent.

This book is about Talia. She’s looking for clues to not just her missing night, but the reasoning behind it. She and her friends have potentially discovered the trigger: a psych eval that all of the people missing a night were given. This list is now up for sale on the Dark Web. When she goes to meet the person to buy it, she also meets Luke. Turns out, he’s also a “missing nighter.” The two of them are there for the same thing, but neither trusts each other. Going into the house, Talia’s ability allows her to find things. She finds something leading to their missing informant. The two of the band together to find her. This leads them to the Night Island.

This island was previously used by the government for some biological weaponry in the form of plants. The entire island is covered by them. Someone bought the island and turned it into a mindfulness retreat. So Talia and Luke book themselves a little retreat. The main draw is it’s a place to disconnect from everything. However, the reason it’s so easy to do that is because there’s zero cellular coverage and no wifi. There’s an old house, and several cabins or cottages. It looks like someone put the bare minimum into it. Except for the food. The food is amazing. Enough for guests to put up with the weirdness of the island.

Luke’s talent is he can calm people down. He can literally change their mood. He used it as a hostage negotiator, and he thinks he can actually kill with his talent. He said he’d always been able to do that on a smaller scale, but after his “missing night,” it’s so amped up that he can manipulate moods. His memory is missing parts, and what he does remember from that night involve a scalpel and a dead body. But he can’t be sure he’s the one who killed the person from his memory. Or if it’s even a real memory.

This series is really intriguing. We have random people who all have a missing night, all in different locations, and who all may have had a small bit of psychic power, but after that fateful night, their psychic gifts are bigger and stronger. They seem to find each other as they try to find out what happened to them. And it seems that the conspiracy theorists have gotten hold of the mystery and are now involved. Everyone with a murder/mystery podcast has started digging. I have a feeling this book will be a trilogy, but I think there’s enough here to make it longer. I will say, though, that this book was slower than the first. It didn’t have the same sense of urgency the first book had, and I didn’t feel we got enough backstory on Luke. What we did get felt rushed. That being said, I enjoyed the book, and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Oh, and for the Jayne Castle fangroup, I got Harmony cross-over vibes. I’m just saying 😉

***ARC courtesy of Berkley via Netgalley

Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, bonded by a night they all have no memory of, are dedicated to uncovering the mystery of what really happened to them months ago—an experience that brought out innate psychic abilities in each of them. The women suspect they were test subjects years earlier, and that there are more people like them—all they have to do is find the list. When Talia follows up on a lead from Phoebe, a fan of the trio’s podcast, she discovers that the informant has vanished. Jayne's books are always full of great characters and story lines. I'd recommend reading book 1, Sleep No More before reading this one but you can still enjoy this story without all the background.

After a “lost night” where three women woke up with heightened psychic abilities, Talia March has become an expert at finding what is lost. Particularly, lost bodies. It’s enough to give anyone nightmares, but on her quest to uncover what happened to her and her friends that night she won’t give up. Her search for answers leads her to a woman who may have information…only when she arrives to make the exchange for it, the woman is missing. Instead, Talia meets Luke, a man who has unique skills and a lost night of his own. Unlikely allies at first, Talia and Luke head to the isolated Night Island for the Unplugged Experience, their only lead to find the missing informant. Night Island is a place of almost otherworldly foliage and hidden dangers. If Talia and Luke want to make it out alive, they’re going to have to rely on each other.

The Night Island is an entertaining second installment to Jayne Ann Krentz’s Lost Night Files series. This time it’s Talia and Luke who take center stage and they are likable, albeit haunted protagonists who fit each other like lock and key. The have an easy chemistry which makes them an appealing couple and their romance is both swift and understated. If you’re familiar with Krentz’s work, it follows a formula. I did wish for the love story to feel a bit more earned, but I still like the formula enough that my quibbles didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

At the heart of The Night Island is the mystery on the titular location. Psychic energy, paranormal powers, lethal assassins, and deadly fauna are all things Luke and Talia have to face over the course of the story. I liked watching them work together to put the pieces of the puzzle together and find out more about the paranormal experiments that are being done. I don’t want to say too much and spoil the story, but suffice it to say this was an engaging second installment to an overarching mystery. The ever-expanding Lost Night Files team is entertaining and I am very much looking forward to seeing how they pull everything together in the next book.

THE NIGHT ISLAND brings us back into the world of heightened psychic abilities and a mystery surrounding several abductions causing memory gaps. Krentz effortlessly guides her readers back into the fray with Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers as they continue on the path to find out what happened to them. And better yet, the author is bringing a few new members to the cast.

Seriously. This series is getting better and better as Krentz focuses on three other characters in the sequel, Talia, Phoebe, and Luke. By pivoting to a different member of our favorite fictional podcast, the reader gets to expand the scope of what is trying to be uncovered. It opens the door to Talia’s perspective which I have to say is fun and sassy. Her banter and chemistry with Luke are almost as addictive as what is revealed about the list of names and the Night Island. Oh, the secrets this place holds!

What is so great about Krentz is that she has created this very complicated and deeply nuanced world, but it is accessible and entertaining. The science behind and layers of psychic abilities are not so out of reach that the reader would get overwhelmed. Her way of making the characters and their humanity the focus of the book allows the paranormal and dark nature of the experiments to be more palatable.

All in all, THE NIGHT ISLAND was a fabulous sequel to SLEEP NO MORE. It gave the reader more information, shed light on a little bit more of the mystery, and added a few more characters to help in the quest. I am ready for book three. Who is with me?

Audiobook Note: I absolutely love that Eva Kaminsky returns to narrate the second book in the series. This narrator propels the story forward with perfect pace and effortless delivery. Each tense moment showcases the author’s talent for weaving together a suspenseful and compelling narrative.

I have enjoyed this series and eagerly await a new book. This kept me glued and I held on tight for the ride. Kudos , Jayne Ann Krentz!

This story is different; different in many ways. First, this book is a part of a series that must be read in order. Missed that when I picked up this book for review.

Secondly, this story focuses quite a bit on the paranormal with quirky psychic abilities, creepy locales, and a few disturbing characters that are clearly only out to murder you.

While the plot was well laid out and interesting, the conversation and interactions between the characters seemed flat and missing a spark. The Night Island failed to engage me and many parts just felt very strange. Plus, for those who love the romantic aspect, it is almost a second thought, added at the last minute. I wanted more for them.

For me, this book brings mixed feelings. It was good but not something that sucked me in or excited my senses. Book three is still to come as well, so look for that one to complete the trilogy.

I didn't read the first book in the series, and I think it'd be beneficial for readers to read them in order. This is a mystery mixed with a lot of paranormal elements (far more than I expected). The pace was quite slow, and I struggled to get and stay engaged. There will obviously be another book in the series, so don't expect a lot of closure with this installment. I didn't care for the romance angle, which felt forced. If you like paranormal romances, this might be one to check out.

A pair of reluctant and distrustful partners come together to hunt down a missing person with answers for their private quests in a darker, edgier night world of secrets on an isolated island. Sleep No More started a captivating new Jayne Ann Krentz psychic paranormal romantic suspense series and the atmospheric, sultry tension and secrets continue for a new pair trying to get answers about their lost nights that changed their lives forever.

While, I think one could pick this one up and read it standalone, the best way to experience it is in order so the mysterious villains in the background and the podcast team of people mean more.

Sleep No More was set in a creepy sanatorium and now an island with weird exotic experimental plants hosts the setting for Night Island. I love how much atmosphere and tension are built because of it. The heroine was a background character in book one and now, her background is fleshed out a bit more as is her enhanced psychic talent. She and the other Lost Night podcast crew joined together when they realized that someone deliberately exploited them by kidnapping and experimenting on them for a mysterious purpose and now they want to know why.

Talia is hunting down an informant with evidence the team needs that might lead to answers when she encounters Luke. Now, Luke, was also a guy who was taken by those mysterious people and experimented on, but he knew the darker purpose based on what he overheard when he was escaping his captors. He was meant to be turned into a psychic assassin. He escaped and now the hunted has become the hunter. He has a dark psychic gift and he isn’t sure how Talia will take it so he’s cautious. They’re both prickly at first even though they realize they have to work together.

The romance is rapid, but I did like this pair together and I enjoyed the tension level once they were isolated on the island have to figure out who is attacking them and where the missing woman is using their talents. Things got lightly creepy and I loved the mystery of who the assassin turned out to be. The reader is allowed in on some of the bad guy side’s machinations, but some is kept secret until the reveal.

All in all, I was deeply engrossed and read it so fast. Now, I must wait until the next installment as the organization behind it all is planning to up the ante against the Lost Night podcast team. Those who enjoy romantic suspense with a paranormal element should give this series a go.

Krentz's work is normally something that I love, but this one was so slow that it took forever to get in to and even then, it took forever to get into. This made me not want to finish reading. But if you can get past the first 1/2 then you'll love it.

FINAL DECISION: I enjoyed the suspenseful narrative, gradual romance development, and interconnected world-building which harkens back to many Krentz/Quick/Castle books, but I was left with some loose ends.

THE STORY: The book continues the story of Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, who formed a bond after a night they can't remember that gave them psychic abilities, prompting them to investigate what happened. In this book, when Talia follows up on a lead about a list of other test subjects, she finds the informant, Phoebe, missing and meets Luke Rand instead, who is also seeking the list. They realize they have a common goal and join forces, pretending to be a couple to investigate the remote "Unplugged Experience" retreat on Night Island. On the technologically isolated island, Talia and Luke encounter suspicious guests, strange plants, and deaths as they use their powers to uncover the secrets of the retreat and find the list, all while beginning to genuinely fall for one another even as danger lurks. Phoebe is not the first to disappear at the retreat, and Talia and Luke must rely on their psychic talents and blossoming romance to stay alive and solve the mystery.

OPINION: From the opening disappearance, a tone of tension and mystery permeates the narrative that immediately hooked me. I enjoy getting to know Talia and Luke, who both possess psychic gifts. Krentz does a great job establishing initial chemistry between them. Krentz makes great use of the pretend relationship combined with -- "we can't be together because of our cover story."

As the book reveals the background stories of Luke and Talia, they have a shared bond that builds a strong connection between them that works both for the investigation and also for the romance. I'm always left wanting more romance in Krentz's current romantic suspense format, but what is here worked for me.

While the ending feels rushed to me, leaving key questions frustratingly unresolved (probably awaiting the third book in the series), I really enjoyed the well-paced suspense narrative.

As a longtime Jayne Ann Krentz fan, I enjoyed connecting the dots across her elaborate interconnected worlds. I especially enjoyed the connections to her historical Arcane series books. I'm happy that Krentz has apparently decided to keep going forward with these stories even thought I don't expect a final resolution of any of these bits and pieces. It is fun being reminded of books I read years ago and know that Krentz hasn't forgotten them either.

But it is Luke and Talia and their somewhat sweet romance that kept me hooked even when the central island mysteries ultimately end up lacking full resolution.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book has strong paranormal elements.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE NIGHT ISLAND is the second book in the Lost Night Files series. The romance here is self-contained and this book can be read as a standalone although there is an overarching storyline...but a reader can quickly catch up.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley in order to prepare this review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

This is the second of three books featuring the three women of the Lost Files podcast. Each of them had been to a hotel in Lucent Springs. Before they got there, the “minor psychic vibe each had possessed—a preternatural sensitivity that had seemed to be little more than especially keen intuition—had been enhanced in disturbing and unsettling ways.” The first book tells more what happened at Lucent Springs and how these three women who now have the podcast got together.

The Night Island features Talia, who goes to an informant’s house to purchase a list of other people with known psychic abilities, the informant has been abducted. Waiting outside is Luke Rand from the list who is watching to see who else might be interested in the list. They partner up to go to the Night Island in the Pacific Northwest, to the “Unplugged Experience,” from the website the informant gives them. This mysterious island once hosted a government project with bioluminescent plants and has a bunch of shady characters.

I felt this one moved similarly to the first - a woman from the podcast who meets a man interested in the same psychic situation and they work together to solve the mystery. Talia’s skill is reading the “psychic stain of the killer’s emotions—or lack thereof—and the pain and fear of the victim.” Talia and Luke are battling with a man who can “focus paranormal energy and use it as a lethal weapon.”

This one had a little spicier scenes. At the end of this one, we do get more information on the mysterious anonymous benefactor behind both projects (this book and the first). I am interested in reading the third book next year to see what happens in this trilogy.

It was a good read, kept me entertained, but for sure read the first book. I don't think it reads as a standalone. While I liked it, it's getting beyond formulaic. Take away the names and the lost night details and you have a Jayne Castle book.

THE NIGHT ISLAND is Jayne Ann Krentz at her very best. Few can even match this author when it comes to romantic suspense with a paranormal twist.

Reviewed by Annetta Sweetko for Fresh Fiction

Complete review: https://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=85226

Seven months ago, Talia March, and her two friends, Pallas and Amelia, went to Lucent Springs, thinking they were being interviewed for a job and ended up waking up the next day with no memory of what happened. Each had minor psychic talents that were enhanced and strengthened after that “lost” night. Since then, they’ve been searching for answers, starting a Podcast to shine light on the event and get answers. A tip comes in that points to how they were all selected and targeted and Talia is tasked with retrieving it. This is where she meets up with Luke Rand, a man also in search of answers after suffering a similar experience. Pheobe, the woman with the list disappears, and Talia knows she’s been taken. She and Luke band together to find her. Of course, there’s an undercurrent of attraction between them as they sort out whether they can trust each other.

Luke and Talia’s investigations lead them to sign up for the “Unplugged Experiment” on one of the islands off the coast of Seattle, where they’re supposed to leave their phones and connection to the mainland behind and achieve “inner balance”. It soon becomes apparent that the retreat is a cover for more nefarious activities. Talia and Luke use their talents to try and find Pheobe and stay alive.

On an isolated island, with shifty characters, suspicious deaths, as well as strange plants that seem out of control, Talia and Luke had a lot to contend with. There are connections to past stories that fans will pick up on: The Bluestone Project, The Foundation, and a few familiar names, but The Night Island can easily be read as a standalone.

The Night Island was another fun, action-packed installment of The Lost Files series. Jayne Ann Krentz blends romantic suspense with a bit of the paranormal and a lot of imagination for a fast-paced, entertaining mystery.

Jayne Krentz continues the Lost Night Files trilogy with the Night Island. Talia from Sleep No More partners with Luke Rand who also woke from a lost night with no memories and possible psychic interference. They sign up for a relationship workshop on Night Island which has a reputation for secret government projects. Exciting intrigue and psychic adventure. Read and enjoy.

Book & Audiobook Rating: 4.5/5

The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz is the follow-up to Sleep No More and the second novel in The Lost Night Files series. While I really enjoyed the first book, I can officially say I LOVED this one, and it was a perfectly creepy addition to the series. I'm not a huge fan of romantic suspense in general, but there is something about Krentz's writing that makes me not even care there is romance mixed in. It also isn't overwhelming and has just a handful of slightly steamy scenes, making it the perfect accompaniment to the story.

While you don't necessarily need to read the first book, I would highly recommend it as you are missing out on some important character facts if you go straight into this one. I honestly wish I had done a reread of Sleep No More beforehand although the author does provide essential details, so you aren't completely lost.

I loved the paranormal suspense aspect of the book and not only is the remote island setting outstanding, but it also holds more than a few surprises. I did listen to the audiobook and was pleased to learn the same narrator from book 1 was back for this one! Eva Kaminsky is the perfect voice for this series, and while it would definitely be nice to have a full cast, I can't deny that she does a great job. If you enjoy the genre mashup of paranormal and romantic suspense, both the series and The Night Island are for you!

The second title in The Lost Night Files continues the story of Talia, Pallas, and Amelia trying to find out who and what is behind their lost night and subsequent enhanced psychic abilities. Talia meets Luke when she's following a lead and though neither trusts the other, decide to go forward together. I enjoyed the story even though parts of it were really creepy, but that all added to the atmosphere, the challenges, and the triumphs the pair encountered as they traveled the road to discovering more parts of their story and to love. Luke is a great addition to their growing team and I look forward to the next installment of The Night Files.

Jayne Anne Krentz's The Night Island is the second installment in the authors Lost Night Files series. Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel where they all ended up after responding to a help wanted ad. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, along with Ambrose Drake, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs.

What is known is that all three women were on a list of those who took psych tests ten years before. Each experienced something that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman as well as Ambrose. Talia was once a research librarian who could find almost any object that belonged to the missing or the deceased. Now, she has the psychic ability to track down the bodies of those who died by violence.Talia and her friends, plus Ambrose Drake who joined the group and their The Lost Files podcast during the first installment, are still hoping to find answers to what really happened to them and by whom.

Nobody believes what happened to them, and for 6 months, they've received a bunch of leads that ended up nowhere. Until Talia receives an anonymous trip from a woman named Phoebe Hatch who is a fan of the podcast. The problem is that right before she gets to Phoebe, it appears someone has taken Phoebe away which leads to a meeting with Luke Rand who is also looking for Phoebe and answers to what happened to him. You see, Luke is the survivor of an experiment that some mysterious scientists tried to create super soldiers and assassins with psychic abilities.

Luke was once a teacher, and did time in the military which made him an idea candidate for testing. He also doesn't remember what happened to him, except it seems as though he may or may not have left bodies behind. It also appears that someone wants him dead. Luke's ability to read people via their emotions has also ramped up. Now he's afraid that he has become a psychic assassin who can kill people with his talent. Talia and Rand decide to join forces to find Phoebe who claims she has the full list of names of all of those who were tested 10 years for their psychic abilities.

One of the clues that Phoebe leaves behind for Talia to find is a pamphlet leading to the Night Island in the Pacific Northwest. The retreat promises to rejuvenate guests with the Unplugged Experience. Upon their arrival, Talia and Luke discover guests are quite literally cut off from the outside world because none of their high-tech devices work on the island. It soon becomes clear that Phoebe is not the first person to disappear into the strange gardens that surround the Unplugged Experience retreat.

And then the first mysterious death occurs, and then a second, and then it appears that someone is trying to kill Rand, and if Talia isn't careful, she will be next. To make matters even more dangerous, there is an assassin on the island, and Night Island was once the site of botanical experiments, and the plant life has gone feral and dangerous and it seems as though nobody is who they claim they are, and one of the guests could be the mastermind of the psychic experiments.

*Thoughts* This is one of those series where each book focuses on two particular main characters. The first was Ambrose and Pallas. The assumption is that Amelia will be the main character in the next book. While this book does alternate between Luke and Talia, there are secondary characters who you need to pay attention to because they are clues to what is really going on with Night Island, as well as those who seem to be behind these experiments. The story leaves some really important clues to think about while waiting for the sequel to be released. The reason for my rating was the ending. It was disjoined and felt rushed to me. I am hopeful the third installment will pick up the pace a little bit.

The Night Island by Jayne Ann Krentz delivered another paranormal romantic suspense story in the Lost Night Files series. This is Talia’s story as she meets Luke Rand and the two investigate the disappearance of Phoebe, a fan of the trio’s podcast who has a list of people who may be targeted like they were. Suspense and a side of heat, perfect for a chilly evening.

Talia March, Pallas Llewellyn, and Amelia Rivers, three strangers who all lost memories of a night and woke up differently, have joined to investigate. They created The Lost Night Files, a podcast dedicated to finding answers. While each book contains its own romance, there is an overall story arc. I recommend reading them in the order of their release.

Talia hears from a fan of the podcast. Phoebe claims to have a list of people who were all tested years earlier for their psychic abilities. She agrees to meet Phoebe. When she arrives, Phoebe has vanished, and she instead discovers Luke Rand. He, like Talia, is there for the list. He has a missing night and a dark secret as well. Scattered clues and intuition give them their first lead.

Both Luke & Talia have enhanced abilities. When an attempt is made on Luke’s life, they investigate together. Which leads them to a remote retreat on Night Island in the Pacific Northwest. The Unplugged Experience promises to rejuvenation. The island reminded me of previous books in Krentz’s paranormal stories with fast-growing plants and unbalanced properties.

The tale that unfolds was suspenseful, filled with danger and revealed what happened to Luke on his missing night. I liked both Talia and Luke and felt they fit as a couple, although both claimed they had commitment issues. The ending felt a bit disjointed, which kept this from being a favorite.

Krentz mixed passion with danger and the isolated location added to the overall suspension. We learned more and gained a new member. This series is perfect for fans of mystery, romantic suspense and paranormal woo-woo.