Book overview Harmony, Book 18 Jayne Castle

It Takes a Psychic: A Harmony Series Romance

Spoiler Warning: This guide contains major plot details, including the ending. If you haven’t read the book yet, proceed with caution.

Quick Facts

  • Title: It Takes a Psychic
  • Author: Jayne Castle (Jayne Ann Krentz)
  • Series: Harmony
  • Publication Year: 2025
  • Genre: Romantic Suspense, Paranormal Romance
  • Setting: The colonized planet Harmony, including Illusion Town, the Underworld, and Lost Creek
  • Narrator: Third-person limited, alternating between Leona Griffin and Oliver Rancourt

Short Summary

Para-archaeologist Leona Griffin flees an Antiquarian Society gala after freeing caged dust bunnies and stumbling upon a murder. She escapes with Oliver Rancourt, a museum director whose talent for social invisibility masks a fierce determination. The pair discovers a pyramid crystal inside the legendary Pandora’s box—a stone that resonates with Leona’s own pendant, linking her to a secret family history. When Leona is fired from her university job, she and Oliver travel to the secluded town of Lost Creek to investigate a centuries-old cult, a lethal enhancement machine, and a prophecy that names Leona the bride who can awaken a sleeping madman. As their mutual suspicion blossoms into rare trust and passion, they must confront a triple-talent adversary who will stop at nothing to unlock the Vortex machine—and who has been manipulating them from the start.

Full Summary

The story begins at a gala hosted by the Antiquarian Society, where Leona Griffin, a para-archaeologist with the dangerous ability to activate Alien artifacts, is pressured to authenticate a mysterious psi-locked box. She refuses to open it publicly, but later frees a group of dust bunnies being held as test subjects in a hidden lab. There she encounters Oliver Rancourt, a man who moves almost invisibly through crowds, and together they witness the aftermath of a murder—a waiter killed because she wore a pendant linked to the Vincent Lee Vance return cult.

A Federal Bureau of Psi Investigation raid scatters the reception. Oliver reveals he is a confidential informant and has recovered Pandora’s box for his secretive Rancourt Museum. Fleeing through the Underworld, they open the box and find six round crystals plus an unaccounted-for yellow pyramid. The pyramid resonates powerfully with the crystal pendant Leona wears—a stone her sister Molly stole from the kidnapper Nigel Willard years ago. The resonance confirms the artifact is tied to the Griffin Family Secret, and Leona refuses to surrender it.

After the escape, Leona is fired from her university job in a damage-control move. With the support of her adoptive mothers—Charlotte and Eugenie Griffin, who run a private investigation firm—she decides to investigate the crystal’s origins. Oliver, obsessed with a dangerous Old World device called the Vortex machine, proposes a trip to Lost Creek. He has already arranged to meet a collector, Norton Thacker, who claims to possess a Bluestone Project file. Leona agrees to go, posing as a consultant.

In Lost Creek, a storm isolates the town, and the pair discovers that many residents wear pendants identical to the one found on the murdered woman. A ghost hunter mentions a legend: Vincent Lee Vance, the cult leader who once tried to overthrow the colonies, locked himself inside an enhancement machine and vowed to return when a bride presented a key. Disturbingly, the townspeople believe Leona is that bride. The pair learns that someone has been broadcasting telepathic messages to reinforce the prophecy.

An attack on Oliver using Alien crystal leaves him nearly comatose. Leona saves him, and they retreat into the Underworld, following the pyramid crystal’s signal to a hidden chamber containing the original Vortex machine—a coffin-like device radiating dangerous paranormal energy. Here they are ambushed by the cult, led by housekeeper Hester Harp and innkeeper Edith Fenwick. Forced to unlock the machine, Leona psychically opens it to reveal not Vance, but the mummified body of Cyrus Willard, who died in terror. The revelation shatters the cult’s faith. Oliver throws the pyramid key into the device, causing an explosion that destroys the machine and all the crystals.

Escaping through a back entrance, the pair recover Thacker’s journal, which details the Willard family’s obsession with Vance and their experiments. Back in Illusion Town, Leona confesses to Oliver that she and Molly are products of prenatal enhancement experiments. Oliver accepts her completely, and the couple starts a genuine relationship.

The true mastermind, Melody Palantine—who had posed as paranormal investigator Darla Price—is revealed to be a descendant of Vincent Lee Vance and a triple talent. She kidnaps Leona, planning to force her to unlock a rebuilt Vortex machine. Leona uses her emerging third talent to channel energy through another person’s amber, freeing an unconscious ally and disabling Melody. Oliver, arriving with Roxy the dust bunny, uses his nightmare projection talent to subdue the remaining cultists.

The FBPI covers up the incident; Melody is institutionalized. Oliver and Leona register with a matchmaking agency and receive a positive Covenant Marriage match within twenty-four hours. The novel closes with the pair celebrating and a dust bunny heist at the Underworld Adventures theme park, highlighting the playful chaos that now permeates their lives.

Main Characters

  • Leona Griffin: A para-archaeologist who can neutralize psi-locks and activate Alien artifacts. She is fiercely protective of her family secret and struggles with guilt over her sister’s childhood kidnapping. Full profile
  • Oliver Rancourt: Director of the Rancourt Museum, whose talent for social invisibility makes him nearly unnoticeable. Beneath his calm exterior, he harbors a devastating nightmare-projection ability and a deep sense of honor. Full profile
  • Roxy: A bold dust bunny who steals the pyramid crystal and becomes Leona’s licensed emotional support companion. She repeatedly disrupts enemy plans with intuition and chaos. Full profile
  • Melody Palantine: A triple-talent cult leader who believes she is the heir to Vincent Lee Vance. She uses hypnosis and forged artifacts to manipulate an entire town. Full profile
  • Norton Thacker: An eccentric hoarding collector who possesses the Willard journal and a forged Vance letter. He unwittingly supplies the key to Leona’s past. Full profile
  • Charlotte Griffin: Leona’s adoptive mother, a former casino enforcer who co-owns Griffin Investigations. She anchors the family with pragmatic loyalty. Full profile

Themes

  • The Burden of Psychic Gifts: Leona and Oliver both hide talents that terrify others, forcing them to confront the fear of being seen as monsters. Explore theme
  • Trust and Reluctant Intimacy: The couple moves from mutual suspicion to deep vulnerability, breaking their own rules about sleepovers and matchmaking. Explore theme
  • Family and Found Identity: The Griffin adoption, Molly’s kidnapping, and the bond between sisters and mothers anchor Leona’s sense of self. Explore theme
  • The Corruption of Legacy: The Vance cult and Willard experiments show how the desire for enhanced power poisons generations. Explore theme
  • Exploitation of the Past: Artifacts are forged, kidnapped children are used as test subjects, and Old World technology is weaponized by the unscrupulous. Explore theme

Symbols

  • Pyramid Crystal: The yellow stone from Pandora’s box that resonates with Leona’s pendant. It serves as the literal key to the Vortex machine and a clue to her genetic heritage. More on this symbol
  • Dust Bunnies: Roxy and her kin embody untamed psychic intuition, loyalty, and chaotic grace. Their interference repeatedly saves the day. More on this symbol
  • The Vortex Machine: An Old World coffin-like device that promised psychic enhancement but delivered death and insanity. It represents the dangers of unchecked ambition. More on this symbol
  • Crystal Pendants: Unified by an inscribed phrase, these pendants allow the Voice to hypnotize townspeople and mark cult members. More on this symbol

Ending Overview

Leona’s third talent—channeling quartz energy through another’s amber—allows her to break Melody’s hold on the hypnotized Baxter Richey and incapacitate the triple talent. Oliver then subjects Burt to a nightmare projection, and the authorities arrive to a cleaned-up scene. Melody is imprisoned in a para-psych hospital. Oliver’s earlier annulment and his terrifying talent are fully accepted by Leona, who sees his true nature as honor and decency. They register with the Banks matchmaking agency and receive an immediate positive Covenant Marriage match. A celebratory dinner is interrupted only by Roxy’s disappearance, a harbinger of a dust bunny pirate raid at the theme park. The novel closes with the couple committed to each other and their unusual family. Full ending analysis

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

Chapter 1: Titles by Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Jayne Castle – Front matter listing the author’s Harmony, historical, and contemporary suspense works.
Chapter 2: A Note from Jayne – Author’s note explaining the Harmony universe: the energy curtain, colonization, psi, and the guilds.
Chapter 3: Chapter One – Leona flees the gala, frees caged dust bunnies, and is caught by Oliver.
Chapter 4: Chapter Two – Leona refuses to open Pandora’s box on stage, and a murdered caterer is discovered.
Chapter 5: Chapter Three – An FBPI raid forces Leona and Oliver to flee through the Underworld with the box.
Chapter 6: Chapter Four – Leona neutralizes the psi-lock; the pyramid crystal resonates with her pendant.
Chapter 7: Chapter Five – The pair evades Society enforcers; Oliver reveals he directs the Rancourt Museum.
Chapter 8: Chapter Six – Oliver walks Leona home; she sees through his camouflage, and they exchange numbers.
Chapter 9: Chapter Seven – Roxy the dust bunny delivers the stolen pyramid crystal to Leona.
Chapter 10: Chapter Eight – Oliver discovers the crystal missing and calls Leona, who admits Roxy took it.
Chapter 11: Chapter Nine – Leona’s nightmare about Molly’s kidnapping intensifies; she decides to keep the pyramid.
Chapter 12: Chapter Ten – Melody Palantine confirms the pyramid is active and resolves to lure Leona to Lost Creek.
Chapter 13: Chapter Eleven – Leona’s family learns she was fired; the mothers start investigating Oliver.
Chapter 14: Chapter Twelve – Eugenie reveals Oliver’s annulled Covenant Marriage and his foundation’s secrecy.
Chapter 15: Chapter Thirteen – Leona confronts Oliver about his illusion talent and his past at a café.
Chapter 16: Chapter Fourteen – Oliver mentions the Vortex machine; Leona recalls her sister Molly’s abduction.
Chapter 17: Chapter Fifteen – Oliver explains Vortex’s deadly history; they agree to travel to Lost Creek together.
Chapter 18: Chapter Sixteen – Oliver rescues Roxy from a toy boat malfunction, demonstrating his practical calm.
Chapter 19: Chapter Seventeen – Leona packs, tells her mothers about the Vortex connection, and leaves with Oliver.
Chapter 20: Chapter Eighteen – At the Lost Creek Inn, they learn about the Vance legend and hoarder Norton Thacker.
Chapter 21: Chapter Nineteen – A local man, Burt, threatens Roxy and flashes a pendant identical to the murder victim’s.
Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty – Over whiskey, Leona and Oliver share the painful reasons their past relationships failed.
Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-One – Oliver asks Leona why she avoids matchmaking; she admits her artifact talent, and he accepts her.
Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty-Two – Leona recalls confronting her ex-boyfriend Matt, who stole her research.
Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty-Three – A Vance recruitment video plays on Leona’s rez-screen at 1 a.m.; she confesses about the lab explosion.
Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Four – Leona and Oliver share an intense night that triggers aura resonance and deep trust.
Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Five – Leona’s nightmare leads Oliver to reframe her childhood guilt: she saved Molly.
Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Six – The bridge washes out, trapping them; ghost hunters suggest the broadcasts are faked.
Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty-Seven – At Thacker’s mansion, Hester Harp refuses Roxy entry; the house is a hoard of unstable artifacts.
Chapter 30: Chapter Twenty-Eight – Thacker reveals the “bride” legend and that the town named Leona the prophesied key.
Chapter 31: Chapter Twenty-Nine – Thacker produces a forged Vance letter and mentions a Willard journal; Harp attacks Roxy.
Chapter 32: Chapter Thirty – Leona spots a Vance cult pendant on Harp; Oliver realizes the documents are forgeries.
Chapter 33: Chapter Thirty-One – They discover the bridge was deliberately sabotaged; Oliver plans to break into the broadcast station.
Chapter 34: Chapter Thirty-Two – Ex-Guild artist Dwight Starkey warns that pendants transmit a hypnotic Voice.
Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty-Three – Leona refuses to abandon the investigation; Oliver agrees to let the Foundation secure the pyramid.
Chapter 36: Chapter Thirty-Four – Oliver is nearly killed by an Alien crystal bowl; Leona stabilizes him and they flee to the Underworld.
Chapter 37: Chapter Thirty-Five – Oliver, exhausted, admits someone lured him to Lost Creek to kill him.
Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Six – The pyramid crystal leads them to the Vortex machine; Leona fears it is the source of her origin.
Chapter 39: Chapter Thirty-Seven – Hester Harp ambushes them, declaring Leona the bride who must unlock the machine.
Chapter 40: Chapter Thirty-Eight – Forced to open Vortex, Leona releases a mummified corpse, not Vance.
Chapter 41: Chapter Thirty-Nine – Oliver throws the crystal key into Vortex; the machine explodes, shattering all pendants.
Chapter 42: Chapter Forty – The trio traverses an Alien funeral chamber where a crystal canoe serves as a coffin.
Chapter 43: Chapter Forty-One – They climb into Thacker’s vault via an ancient staircase; Thacker welcomes them.
Chapter 44: Chapter Forty-Two – Harp starts a fire; Thacker gives Leona the authentic Willard journal as thanks.
Chapter 45: Chapter Forty-Three – Oliver hands Lost Creek over to the FBPI; Leona learns Cyrus Willard’s diary mentions an unstable sister.
Chapter 46: Chapter Forty-Four – Leona reveals the Griffin Family Secret: she and Molly are survivors of enhancement experiments.
Chapter 47: Chapter Forty-Five – A dust bunny pirate raid on a theme park ride ends with pizza.
Chapter 48: Chapter Forty-Six – Matt Fullerton begs Leona to stabilize a quicksilver Alien gate at the Society mansion.
Chapter 49: Chapter Forty-Seven – Leona opens the gate, saves the team, and asserts her new role as a private consultant.
Chapter 50: Chapter Forty-Eight – Leona is kidnapped by Melody Palantine using drugged gas; Roxy goes under.
Chapter 51: Chapter Forty-Nine – Leona uses her third talent to break Melody’s hypnosis; Oliver subdues Burt with nightmare projection.
Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty – Afterward, Leona and Oliver commit to a Covenant Marriage; he reveals he already spoke to her mothers.
Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-One – A positive matchmaking result arrives; Oliver and Leona celebrate over champagne.
Chapter 54: Chapter Fifty-Two – A pack of dust bunnies hijacks a dark ride, then demands pizza.
Chapter 55: Another Note from Jayne – Author’s afterword about dust bunnies and links to other Harmony books.

Common Questions & Answers

  1. What is the Griffin Family Secret?
    Leona and her sister Molly were conceived as part of Nigel Willard’s illegal prenatal psychic enhancement experiments. Both are stable multi-talents who survived the process and were later adopted by the Griffins. Leona’s ability to activate artifacts and channel energy through others makes her uniquely powerful—and a target.

  2. Why are dust bunnies so important in this book?
    Roxy steals the pyramid crystal, setting the plot in motion. Dust bunnies also act as emotional support companions, intuitive allies, and chaotic disrupters. Their actions repeatedly foil the villain’s plans, from a pizza heist to a theme park pirate raid.

  3. Who is Melody Palantine, and what does she want?
    Melody is a descendant of Vincent Lee Vance and a triple talent (hypnosis, artifact activation, and more). She believes she can perfect the Vortex enhancement machine and needs Leona’s unique talent to unlock it. She poses as a paranormal investigator and masterminds the cult in Lost Creek.

  4. How does the pyramid crystal connect to Leona?
    The yellow crystal inside Pandora’s box resonates with the pendant Leona wears—a stone her sister stole from their kidnapper. Both crystals were part of the Willard experiments. The pyramid acts as a locator for the original Vortex machine and is the “key” that opens it.

  5. What is the Vortex machine?
    An Old World device designed to enhance human psychic abilities. The version built by Vincent Lee Vance drove users insane or killed them. The original machine, hidden beneath Lost Creek, contained a mummified body—proof that even Vance’s own family fell victim to its danger.

  6. Why does Oliver need Leona to go to Lost Creek?
    Oliver is obsessed with the Vortex machine because of a dark family legacy. He initially needs a para-archaeologist to examine the Bluestone file, but once the pyramid crystal appears, he realizes Leona is the only person who can unlock the machine and uncover the truth.

  7. Does Leona accept Oliver’s true talent?
    Yes. When Oliver reveals that his honeymoon ended because he attacked his wife with nightmare projection, Leona insists his real talent is honor and decency. She sees through his camouflage and loves him entirely, even after witnessing his terrifying power firsthand.

  8. What happens at the end of the story?
    Leona and Oliver defeat Melody, destroy the Vortex machine, and confess their love. They register with a matchmaking agency and receive a Covenant Marriage match within a day. The novel ends with them celebrating and Roxy orchestrating a dust bunny pizza heist at a theme park.

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