Throwback Thursday: Scandal by Amanda Quick

Author: Amanda Quick
First published in 1991 by Bantam

From a stately country house in Hampshire to the dazzling drawing rooms of London Society, comes an exquisite tale of an elfin beauty, a vengeful lord, and a sweet love that is sheer poetry.

 If you can ignore the repetitiveness of the two terms,"Bloody Hell" and "Higher Plane" , Scandal isn't a bad book.  The story was fairly entertaining.

Simon is a man bent on revenge who marries Emily as a means to get it.  Emily, for me, was a puzzling character.  She is pretty naive in the ways of the world and likes to see the best in everyone.  However, she is very smart when it comes to business affairs.  I had a hard time wrapping my brain around her.  Just when I thought she would react one way to a situation, she ended up doing the complete opposite.  I think that enhanced the story though.

I was fun to watch Simon realize he really isn't cold hearted, especially when it comes to Emily.  I loved the ending.  Emily's father got what he deserved in my opinion.  If you missed this early work by Amanda Quick ( AKA Jayne Anne Krentz)  Why not give it a go?  Maybe it will take you to a higher plane of existence!

Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick

Author: Amanda Quick

Publisher: Putnam
Date of Publication: April 2012


Evangeline Ames has rented a country cottage far from the London streets where she was recently attacked. Fascinated by the paranormal energy of nearby Crystal Gardens, she finds pleasure in sneaking past the wall to explore the grounds. And when her life is threatened again, she instinctively goes to the gardens for safety.

Lucas Sebastian has never been one to ignore a lady in danger, even if she is trespassing on his property. Quickly disposing of her would-be assassin, he insists they keep the matter private. There are rumours enough already, about treasure buried under his garden, and occult botanical experiments performed by his uncle – who died of mysterious causes.

With Evangeline's skill for detection, and Lucas's sense of the criminal mind, they soon discover that they have a common enemy. And as the energy emanating from Crystal Gardens intensifies, they realize that to survive they must unearth what has been buried for too long...


I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Crystal Gardens.  It is the first in a new series by Amanda Quick (AKA Jayne Ann Krentz).  If you have been following this blog, you know that I haven't been thrilled with the latest Arcane books that have been coming out.  They were enjoyable, but not her best work.  Crystal Gardens looks like it is the start of a great new direction.  

While the Arcane society isn't part of the book, the paranormal aspect is still present.  Evangeline works for the Marsh and Flint  agency which employs women with a certain amount of talent.  They use their talents to fix problems in families.  They often pose as a lady's companion.  In addition to Evangeline, we also meet her 2 best friends who also work for the agency.  I assume the other books in the trilogy will involve these two women and their adventures.  

Evangeline and Lucas both possess certain levels of paranormal talent.  I loved Lucas and his instant attraction for Evangeline was very sweet.  It just took her a bit longer to figure it out.  I liked their banter and they worked well together. The other characters, mainly Lucas's family,  were  really interesting and entertaining.  I hope we get to see see more of them in the other books.  I liked the mystery in this one and I didn't call the end.  Yay! If you were debating on trying this one, I say give it a shot.  I'm glad I did.

Throwback Thursday: Reckless by Amanda Quick

Author: Amanda Quick

First published in 1992 by Amanda Quick (AKA Jayne Ann Krentz)
Audiobook: Brilliance Audio

Phoebe Layton had always imagined Gabriel Banner a brave and valiant knight, which was why she went to him when she was in desperate need of help. but when she lures her shining knight to a lonely midnight rendezvous, Phoebe finds herself sparring with a dangerously desirable man who is nothing like the hero of her dreams. She fears she's made a dreadful mistake when Gabriel sweeps her into his arms and passionately embraces her. Yet it's a kiss that seals her fate. Now Gabriel must possess her -- even if he has to slay a dragon to do it!

 I have read several of Ms. Quick's historical romances and have really enjoyed them.  While I liked Reckless, I didn't love it.  I'm not really sure why.  I did like the mystery.  Trying to figure out who keep trying to kill Phoebe was hard.  While I was able to call some of the ending, I was a bit surprised as well.  

I think it had to do with the characters.  I didn't care for Phoebe. She was brave and determined, but she was a little stupid as well.  If someone is trying to kill you, stay home.  There is a time to be courageous and a time to be smart.  I will admit that Gabriel did go about trying to keep her home the wrong way though. I would probably want to rebel if I had been ordered to stay home. I did like Gabriel though.  He was a great match for Phoebe.  I loved the scene where she is assessing his performance during her "first time".  That was pretty amusing.  Poor guy, I felt bad for him.  So, for fans of Ms. Quick, it is probably worth a listen.  Definitely not my favorite though.

Quicksilver

Author: Amanda Quick
Publisher: Penguin Group (audio version by Brilliance Audio) April 2011

Virginia Dean wakes at midnight beside a dead body, with a bloody knife in her hand and no memory of the evening's events. Dark energy, emanating from the mirrors lining the room, overpowers her senses. With no apparent way in or out, she is rescued by a man she has met only once before, but won't soon forget.

Owen Sweetwater inherited his family's talent for hunting the psychical monsters who prey on London's women and children, and his investigation into the deaths of two glass-readers has led him here. The high-society types of the exclusive Arcane Society would consider Virginia an illusionist, a charlatan, even a criminal, but Owen knows better. Virginia's powers are real-and they just might be the key to solving this challenging case.

I really wanted to enjoy the latest in the Arcane series, but I thought it was just OK. I think I am getting a little bored with the series. Ms. Quick (AKA Jayne Anne Krentz) follows her basic formula to a "T" here. I'd like to see her mix things up a little and maybe write something not related to the Arcane society for a change. I felt like the killer came out of nowhere. The characters weren't all that exciting and I didn't really feel the connection between Owen and Virginia. In past Arcane books, I felt the connection went beyond physical attraction. Not so much here. The secondary romance was barely there and was almost like an after thought. It didn't really enhance the story in anyway. I recommend this one if you have been reading this series from the start. If you haven't, you won't be missing much by skipping it.

--Kari