Now this is the Amanda Quick I was expecting to find when I picked up Mystique earlier this week. The ingredients in the general AQ formula that I have come to know and love are all there:
Victorian Era? check.
Virginal "spinster" with a Slightly Shady and/or unusually liberal-thinking past masquerading as a widow to gain more freedom in society? check.
Dashing but slightly grumpy and mysterious hero with a title and hard-earned wealth? check.
Pair thrown together by some twist of fate, usually involving a murder or other scandal? check.
Shadowy evil character roaming the streets, pitting his wits against the new lovebirds, but ultimately no match for their combined forces? check.
Honorable motives and inevitable attraction leading to stolen kisses, melding of souls, and eventually a marriage of equal partners? check!
Perhaps most importantly, fun Victorian-Era characters' names and sketches of Victorian balls and clothing trends? check.
(For those who don't know her work, past heroines include: Venetia Milton, Prudence Merryweather, Concordia Glade, and my personal favorite, Lavinia Lake. Lavinia's love interest happens to be named Tobias March, which I love, but she should totally keep her maiden name.)
So, nothing terribly surprising here, but as usual, it was an enjoyable and very fast read.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The River Knows
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2 comments:
Ack! This is a novel I have been trying and trying to finish. I checked it out first right around the time by son was born, and since then I have rechecked it out, renewed it, returned it, put it back on hold, rechecked it out, renewed it, etc., probably half a dozen times. The kicker is that I can't remember if I finished it or not that first time!
I'm glad to hear that it was a good Amanda Quick -- I will try harder now to figure out where I am and finish it. I really should have written down a page number if I'm still in the middle. I started from the top last time and realized I'd already read at least the first several chapters.
I used to be the library prig who never got fines and couldn't understand the softy library amnesties of canned-goods-for-fine-forgiveness programs -- and then I had a baby. Sigh. It's much easier to read a glowing screen in a darkened room when I'm jackknifed in some weird position to nurse a not-yet-sleeping boy. I honor you and your reading list.
I understand COMPLETELY! I haven't even bothered to blog about all the books that I started but got sidetracked and/or forgot what I was reading and/or ran out of time for...
But yeah, if you know you like Amanda Quick, this was one of her usual books...but right before I read it, I read another that was just weird. I liked it, and I hope you do too if you get around to reading it! But if it doesn't keep your attention...I say give up! You obviously have plenty of other things to keep you occupied. ;)
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