Close Up by Amanda Quick

 

Close Up by Amanda Quick -- 293 pages

Photographer Vivian Brazier never thought she would be the target of a murderer.  Then Nick Sundridge shows up at her door saying he's been sent to protect her from an assassin.  Now they must work together to solve the mystery of who is targeting Vivian.

This book is set in the author's Burning Cove series.  I enjoyed the story and the characters.  I find it interesting that the author is including more and more paranormal aspects into the series.

Close Up by Amanda Quick

Close Up by Amanda Quick - 304 pages

Vivian is a modern woman trying to make it as a photographer in 1930s California.  Nick, a private investigator, is sent as a bodyguard to protect Vivian when she is targeted by a killer.  Now they have to work together to figure out why she is being targeted and who is targeting her.

This is the fourth book in Amanda Quick's Burning Cove series of historical romantic mysteries.  While I enjoyed this book it was my least favorite of the series so far.  The only reason I can really give is that it didn't seem as if the characters had any chemistry together.  The romance seemed to come out of nowhere.

Tightrope by Amanda Quick

Tightrope by Amanda Quick - 309 pages

Innkeeper Amalie Vaughn must work with Matthias Jones to determine who killed a scientist and to stop a former secret agent from stealing a top secret cipher machine.

I listened to this on audio.  I really enjoyed the audio version of the book.  The narration was well done.  The story was interesting as was the characters.

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Adelaide Blake has started a new life in Burning Cove after escaping from a sanitarium where she was held against her will.  There she meets Jake Truitt who is vacationing with exhaustion.  They soon get caught up together when a psychic is murdered after predicting her own death.

I listened to this on audio.  I enjoyed the story.  The narration was a little distracting at times.  The narrator tried to distinguish between the voices and the choices for a couple of the male characters grated on my ears some.

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick - 342 pages
An Arcane Society Novel

Virginia Dean wakes up next to a dead body with no idea of how she got there.  Luckily she is rescued by Owen Sweetwater.  Together they must discover who killed the man and keep Virginia safe from the madman wanting to kill her for her psychical power.

This is a historical novel in the Arcane Society series.  I enjoyed the audio version of this book quite a bit.  The story was interesting and the narrator was good. 

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick - 453 pages

Lucinda Bromley hires Caleb Jones to discover who stole the fern from her conservatory.  It seems that someone is using that fern to make a poison used to kill others.  Caleb quickly figures out that the missing fern will lead him to the scientist also trying to recreate the Founders Formula to increase paranormal talents.  They must work together to discover the killer and the scientist before anyone else is killed.

This is one of the Arcane Society historical novels.  It was an enjoyable read.  I would suggest it to anyone who likes historical romance or paranormal romance with a touch of mystery.

Tightrope by Amanda Quick

Tightrope by Amanda Quick - 309 pages

A man has just been killed by a robot in front of an entire audience during a demonstration.  Amalie is horrified at what she sees.  However, she's is even more horrified when the newcomer to town shows up at her bed and breakfast investigating the murder.  Matthias has ties to local mobster Luther Pell.  Now, to save her business before it fails from all the negative publicity, Amalie must work with Matthias to discover just what happened.

This is the third book in Amanda Quick's Burning Cove mystery series set in 1930s California.  It is also the first one to reintroduce her popular Jones family from her previous Arcane Society series.  I enjoyed the book.  I thought the mystery was well done.  The book did a good job of hiding the identity of the villain until the end.  I did find it strange that after all the Arcane Society books which wholly embraced the idea of psychics that this book did its best to downplay the idea -- never coming out one way or the other on whether it was true they existed or not.

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Adelaide Brockton is working as a tearoom waitress and mixing herbal teas when a pyschic is killed.  She is drawn into the murder investigation along with her neighbor Jake Truett when it appears that a drug her parents researched is involved.  Now Adelaide must determine whether she can trust Jake with her past before it kills her.

This book is a sequel to The Girl Who Knew Too Much in that it contains some of the same secondary characters and is set in the same town.  I think I liked this book more as it was a little more complicated in its cast of villains and how they all fit together. 

The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick

The Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick - 371 pages

Beatrice Lockwood and Joshua Gage work together to solve the mystery of who is framing Beatrice for blackmail and targeting her for kidnapping.

This is a historical mystery / romance by Amanda Quick (aka - Jayne Ann Krentz).  While the villain is determined fairly early in the story, it was interesting to discover how he was located.  A great book for those who enjoy historical mysteries or romances.

Deception by Amanda Quick

Deception by Amanda Quick - 432 pages

A search for a missing treasure is complicated by secret identities, embezzlement, revenge, and love.

This is a historical romance by author Jayne Ann Krentz under her pen name Amanda Quick.  It was fun to listen to the story.  I really enjoyed the twists and turns the story takes.

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Virginia Dean and Owen Sweetwater must work together to figure out why someone is killing psychics.  They must work quickly as it appears Virginia is the next target.

This is a historical romance entry in the Arcane Society series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  (Historical entries are under the name Amanda Quick.)  I enjoyed the audio version of this book. I liked the narrator and the story kept your interest.

Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick

Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick - 387 pages

Evangeline Ames must escape her rented cottage in the middle of the night when someone breaks in.  She runs to neighboring Crystal Gardens and is rescued by Lucas Sebastian.  Now they must work together to solve two mysteries -- who is trying to kill Evangeline and why is the energy of Crystal Gardens becoming so dangerous.

This is a historical paranormal romance by Amanda Quick (aka - Jayne Ann Krentz).  It's pretty typical of her romances.  It's a fun, quick read with likable characters.  I enjoyed listening to this on audio although the voice used for Lucas was a little distracting.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick - 533 pages

Reporter Irene Glasson is determined to prove that rising actor Nick Tremayne is killing off the women in his past.  Hotel owner Oliver Ward helps her as the latest murder occurred at this hotel.

I listened to the audio version of Amanda Quick's latest historical novel.  It's a departure from her usual historical romances as she has written about 1930s Hollywood.  I thought the narration of this audio was excellent.

Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick

Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Amity and Benedict have two big problems.  First, they are trying to discover a spy that shot Benedict and stole a valuable notebook.  Second, they must find the crazed serial killer that has targeted Amity before he can try to kill her again.

This was an enjoyable historical romance by Amanda Quick (pen name for Jayne Ann Krentz).  I enjoyed the audio version of this book.  The narrator did a good job of distinguishing between the characters with accents and dialects.  The mystery aspects were well done and kept you guessing until the reveal at the end.

Rendezvous by Amanda Quick

Rendezvous by Amanda Quick - 384 pages

Augusta Ballinger is shocked to discover that Harry, the Earl of Graystone has asked her to be his wife.  He is a man concerned with the proprieties while August has taken after her more reckless family.  Surely, they're not a good match . . .

I started listening to this audiobook for last month's one-word title challenge.  However, I didn't finish it in time.  However, it also fits this month's challenge of historical fiction.  I enjoyed this audio version of Amanda Quick's historical romance.  It was fun listen with a little mystery thrown in.

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick

The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick - 355 pages

Oliver Ward is intrigued by reporter Irene Glasson who discovered a dead woman floating in his hotel's pool.  Irene is determined to expose new Hollywood star Nick Tremayne as the killer.  Oliver is determined to protect Irene . . .

This is a historical romance by Jayne Ann Krentz under her pen name Amanda Quick.  She usually writes regency romances.  This is her first romance set in the 1930s and I really enjoyed it.  She tends to write more modern thinking female characters than fit into her usual time period.  So it wasn't as jarring in this book as in some of her other historicals.

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick

The Third Circle by Amanda Quick - 342 pages

Leona Hewitt meets Thaddeus Ware in the most unusual of circumstances.  She's disguised in men's clothing in an attempt to steal back her crystal when she finds Thaddeus standing over the body of a dead woman.  Only by working together will they be able to evade and eventually catch the killer and the thief of Leona's crystal.

This is one of the historical romance novels in the Arcane Society series by author Jayne Ann Krentz.  She writes contemporary novels under her name, historical romances under Amanda Quick, and futuristic romances under Jayne Castle.  Yet they all tie together into one over-arching series.  This book was fun to listen to.  The narration was well done distinguishing between the various characters.  I definitely plan to listen to more of the books in the series.

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick - 340 pages

Lucinda Bromley hires Caleb Jones to investigate the theft of her fern.  She needs to find the thief as the fern was used to concoct a poison to murder a prominent member of society.  Caleb immediately suspects the thief is Basil Hulsey, a scientist working on a formula to enhance psychic abilities.  The search for the fern and Hulsey will bring Lucinda and Caleb into the sights of a dangerous society that will stop at nothing to get that formula . . . including killing Lucinda and Caleb.

This is one of the books in the Arcane Society series by Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz).  I enjoyed listening to this book on audio.  The narration was good.  I look forward to listening to more of the series on audio.

Surrender by Amanda Quick

Surrender by Amanda Quick - 371 pages

Victoria has started going on late night adventures to avoid the nightmares that are plaguing her sleep.  Lucas agrees to help her find adventure with the thought of keeping her safe.  Unfortunately, one of these adventures causes them to have to marry quickly and for Victoria to discover the true reason Lucas was courting her.

This is one of the historical romances that Jayne Ann Krentz writes under the pen name Amanda Quick.  I thought I had read all of her books but stumbled upon this one that I hadn't read yet.  It was a fun read if rather predictable.

The River Knows by Amanda Quick

The River Knows by Amanda Quick - 422 pages

Louisa Bryce is sure that Anthony Stalbridge must be pretending interest in her as a diversion for some other plan.  Turns out he is investigating his fiance's death a year earlier.  His investigation however is threatening to uncover her own secret.

I enjoyed this historical romance.  It was quick and fun to read.  Some of the mystery was fairly easy to figure out early on, but there were also aspects of the story that were a surprise at the end.