Quicksilver

Quicksilver by Amanda Quick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz writes quite formulaic stories, but the upside is that they are entertaining, quick reads. This latest one is set in London in the late 1800s. Virginia Dean and Owen Sweetwater team up to figure out who is murdering glasslight readers before the killer succeeds in killing Virginia. The paranormal artifacts from In Too Deep reappear in this installment of the Arcane Society series, but this time they are brand new.

The romance in this novel felt forced, but the suspense kept me turning pages.

For readers' advisors: story doorway



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In Too Deep

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The tenth installment of the Arcane Society series focuses on Fallon Jones and his new assistant Isabella Valdez. She takes on a seemingly innocent investigation of an old mansion some think is haunted, and it turns in to a discovery of a serial killer and antique paranormal artifacts. Very exciting, fast-paced story to read.

The sex scenes/romance were pretty formulaic if you've ever read any of the rest of Krentz's books, but Fallon and Isabella are a good match. And I appreciated that the Nightshade conspiracy was more tangential for most of the novel. It was nice to learn more about Fallon and Isabella's talents and histories, as well as more about the townsfolk of Scargill Cove.

For readers' advisors: story doorway, primarily, with character secondary



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Burning Lamp

Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This latest addition to the fictional world of the Arcane Society is both #8 in the Arcane Society series, as well as #2 in the Dreamlight Trilogy. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it is a solid, entertaining read.

The Winters family has a "curse"--every once in a while, one of the men will inherit a tendency to develop paranormal talent at the age of 36 that goes beyond his original talent. He must locate both a dreamlight reader (a woman) as well as the Burning Lamp his ancestor created, and persuade the woman to use her talent and the lamp to prevent him from going mad. Enter Griffin Winters, late-19th-century London crime lord, and Adelaide Pyne, social reformer.

I had a hard time believing Griffin was really a crime lord--he was too honorable and, well, nice. Not brutal or unscrupulous enough. But otherwise it was a fun read. I enjoyed the appearances of other characters from earlier novels, despite wishing I had the previous books at hand to help jog my memory.

For reader's advisors: story doorway.

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Fired Up

Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is both the start of a new spin-off series (Dreamlight Trilogy) as well as a continuation of the Arcane Society series. The hero & heroine are not Arcane Society members this time, but they are still dealing with the nefarious Nightshade organization, and we get to peek a bit more into Fallon Jones' life, which I found interesting. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same formula as the other books in this series: strong paranormal talents meet and must work together to survive and stop the bad guys...while simultaneously falling in love and having mind-blowing, psi-energy-enhanced sex. Not original, but still fun.

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The Perfect Poison

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick


My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stolen plants from Lucinda Bromley's conservatory kick off this installment in the Arcane Society series. She calls in Caleb Jones, founder of the Jones (investigative) agency, to help her find the thief and prove she did not poison Lord Fairburn. This leads to the discovery of a new attempt to create the infamous "Founder's Formula" that is rumored to enhance psychic abilities but in reality causes addiction, madness, and death.

The seduction/sex scenes often caused me to roll my eyes or wince (they are remarkably similar to most all the other ones in this series), but the overall story was entertaining. I definitely enjoyed getting to piece together more details of the overarching mystery of the "Circles" and the sinister shadow conspiracy tying them all together. I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series.

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Running Hot

Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another entertaining volume in the Arcane Society series. This one is set in modern day, so Krentz thankfully avoids the use of the word "psychical," which I greatly appreciate. Our hero & heroine are both off-the-charts in terms of psychic talent, of course, but they always are. The thing I appreciated most was that this book moved the story a little further along in terms of revealing details of the Nightshade Organization. On the other hand, if you hadn't already read the previous four volumes, you might be a bit confused by ongoing plot lines.


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