A fun, light, quick-witted read!Only a year or so ago, Louisa Bryce, a very intelligent woman, faked a suicide to run from the supposed murder of a very prominent, but very evil, man. Hired by Emma Ashton as a companion, someone to write her memoires, Louisa and Emma quickly become fast friends, where Louisa confesses all. In order to help, Emma is playing off Louisa as a distant cousin from the country who is now widowed. “Unimportant, unfashionable and excessively dull”, Louisa manages to squeeze around the Polite World, uncovering deep secrets of the weathly Society ton. She is, after all, a journalist for the Flying Intelligencer, a notorious rag; pen name: I. M. Phantom. No one knows her background, and she intends to keep it that way.Convinced that Elwin Hastings is up to no good, let alone a possible murderer, she sets off to investigate and find the truth. During a ball, she slips unoticed up the stairs to search his rooms. Leaving his bedroom, she is caught by Anthony Stalbridge, saving her from almost being caught by one of Hastings’s personal hired guards. Seems that Anthony is convinced that Hastings murdered his fiancee, Fiona Risby. He’s looking for proof - regardless if Hastings pays for his crimes, he still wants the proof. With a quick-witted discussion, the two become unlikely partners, both after the same goal.And that’s when the fun begins. Evidence is found in the way of business papers and one of Fiona’s very expensive necklace (the one she was wearing the night she disappeared from a party); now Anthony and Louisa are sure there is more afoot and continue to dig. Louisa would like nothing more than to expose him to the Society he so desperately wants to belong to. Anthony wants him to confess to murdering Fiona. Will they get what they covet most?Oh, you most certainly bet they do - almost more than they bargain for. Yes, you find out early on the who and what, but it’s how the plot came about and to a close that keeps your attention. The more they dig, the more facts come to light, the more questions answered and more arise, that have you focussing on the story, and the main characters.Louisa is a strong and intelligent woman, regardless of her naivete. She fights for what she believes is right, even if she’s putting herself unknowingly in harm’s way. Anthony is the only person in his family with a head for finances; seems his father, mother and sister are the eccentric artists of the family. Strong-willed and relentless, he had spotted Louisa right off and became intrigued by the unknown woman; he could see the intelligence in her eyes, no matter how dull she made herself seem in the form of dress and conversation. And the more time they spend together, the more they fall in love with each other. But Louisa believes that it can be nothing more than an illicit affair, especially knowing that, if anyone discovered her past, she’d be hanged for murder.Quick-witted conversations, discussions and the hot passion they feel for each other will have you believing they are made for each other - two halves of a whole. I liked how Quick touched base on what it was like for woman in that day in age, where women were really considered the weaker sex, where they were valued for their looks, bloodline and money, not for their mind. I like how, not once but twice, Louisa rises above, first after her father dies, then after her faked suicide. It was nice to see Anthony falling in love with her, first and foremost, for her intelligence and integrity. Perfect match. Great climax to the story, even if you did see it coming. Couldn’t have asked for better!
http://notjustnonsense.blogspot.com/2...Amanda Quick is the kind of hit-or-miss author for me. Either I love her stories from the very first page, or I just instantly know I won't be interested enough to finish it.Thankfully, this one was a delight from beginning to end. Very much like Mischief was. When Quick gets it right, boy, she gets it VERY right. Her heroines are all so very independent, self-suficient and practical about things, they are very fresh sights for sore eyes in the middle of the sea of too-young and too-silly heroines we usually find in historical romances. No, her heroines are in their middle-twenties, they are generally alone in the world and just have to be clever enough to survive in a world where women are nothing without a man to stand beside them. Or in front of them. When women found themselves alone and without means during that time, they were expected to do anything, ANYTHING, mind you, be it becoming a governess, a companion or even a prostitute, anything BUT go into trade. And that was what our heroine did. At least in the beginning of the book. Before she killed a man who was trying to rape and kill her. After that she was forced to fake suicide, and sometime later managed to reapper in Society as a widow called Louisa. She also managed to attract the eye of gentleman Anthony Stalbridge. But that was not all she managed to attract... now there's a killer on the loose and what started with the investigation of a couple of crimes soon becomes three, then four... and, if she is not careful enough, her murder might be next on the list.Quick's heroes are always very likeable as well. They are the first ones to notice how much they care about the heroines, and then have to convince them to be with them. It's most unusual and diverting. Yes, Quick is very good with influencing her readers to use new/more 'archaic' vocab. :PI loved Anthony and Louisa and their misadventures. I could almost feel their chemistry, they were so good together. Too bad Miss Quick isn't much of a fan for steamy scenes, because they sure would have been great at one of those. LOL!!! Anthony's family were delightful as well. Very unconventional, like most of her characters. That is the perfect word to describe Quick's books: 'unconventional'. That and 'unexpected'.If you like books like that with strong, proud heroines and amazing, heart-warming heroes, then Quick is the author for you.
Do You like book The River Knows (2007)?
This was a fun story and I liked it, but without anything truly outstanding to raise it above the average. I liked Louisa. A lot. But Anthony was kind of Victorian standard—capable, worldly, rich, and prone to falling in love with strange, bookish women.There were a few laugh-out-loud moments (I've never laughed so hard during a love scene), but also some real groaners with the villains. And yet again, I have to say I'm beyond tired of inserting sections from the viewpoint of the villains (particularly when said villains' motivations don't really withstand scrutiny).Anyway, if you like historical romance, this one is a great choice.A note about Steamy: A couple of explicit sex scenes of moderate length. So the middle of my normal range. I really enjoyed Louisa's mixture of adventurousness and timidity. And no, laughing didn't at all spoil the moment...
—Jacob Proffitt
Though this is a romance, shaken with a light dressing of mystery, some very serious topics are tackled.First off is the absolute inability of a woman in Victorian times to control her destiny. Employment opportunities for women were few and far between, and even honest employment could lead to very dangerous situations for a woman alone.Also, this book directly addresses how justice was very different for the gentry than for the non-gentry. Even one with money was not as important as one of the right birth. And if a gentleman was suspected of wrongdoing, he could refuse to answer police questioning. Forget about warrants!We've come a long way, baby.Beyond all this, though, the book contains a wonderful romp. Louisa Bryce is an intrepid Lois Lane for a dime rag. She uncovers the wrongdoings of the "polite" world for all to see. She has her own secrets, however. Anthony Stalbridge is the bad-boy gentleman who, despite her unpromising plumage, becomes quite taken with Louisa. Together they solve a relatively complex mystery. (the solution came as a complete surprise to me!)There is evil, there is tension, and of course there is sex. It gave me a fun afternoon.
—Judith
This is the 24th book by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) and subsequently the 24th that I've read. If you like one of her books, you will probably like them all. They all (if memory serves) have a darkly handsome and worldly hero and a slightly irreverent heroine, who are nearly always bespectacled. The chemistry between the two leads is always politely passionate. They get into just enough peril to make for a slightly mysterious plot, and they consistently have surprising (to the heroine) sexual chemistry. The dialogue is ceaselessly clever, catchy and, yes, polite. In this story Anthony Stalbridge and Louisa Bryce get into just the right amount of danger to make for that fairytale Quick finish
—Virginia Hill
