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Crystal Gardens Amanda Quick 9780749956479 Books

Download As PDF : Crystal Gardens Amanda Quick 9780749956479 Books

Crystal Gardens Amanda Quick 9780749956479 Books

I started reading this author in the 80s. I read all her books under all her pen names. I loved them. However, over the years, I have become tired of the same hero (different name) and same heroine (slightly different occupation) in a slightly different setting with the same old problems that are solved with really strange psychic 'talents.' I hadn't read many of her books lately so I decided to try another one since the price was pretty good. I felt like I had read it before even though I hadn't. I think I'll wait a few years before I try another. There is really nothing wrong with this book unless you are like me and have read so many of her other books. If you are new to Quick, you will more than likely love it.

Sexual situations may offend some readers


Tags : ,Amanda Quick,Crystal Gardens,Piatkus Books,074995647X,Fiction - Romance,Romance - Historical,Romance - Suspense

Crystal Gardens Amanda Quick 9780749956479 Books Reviews

I love Amanda Quick. She has a unique writing style and brand of wit that makes her characters come alive and make you want to know them. I also enjoy the original way in which she weaves the paranormal, or 'psychical talent', into her stories. In this particular novel, I loved both Evangeline and Lucas as soon as I met them. And Quick does an amazing job of weaving their stories and personalities together. They seem very different when you first meet them but as they get to know each other and untangle the mysteries surrounding them both, you find they are not so different after all; in fact they are perfect complements to each other. There is more than one mystery to be solved in this novel and Quick manages to keep them both intriguing and separate as the clues uncovered from each help to move the overall story forward. I look forward to getting to know Beatrice and Clarissa in future novels of the Ladies of Lantern Street mysteries. I hope that we'll see appearances by Evie and Lucas again too!
On Lantern Street in Victorian London, Mrs. Flint and Mrs. Marsh are the respectable owners of an agency that provides companions to customers. There are two rules to become an employee of the agency which really deals with inquiries the prospect must not be afraid of danger and must possess psychical powers; as the firm employs inquiry agents disguised as governesses and paid companions to find items and prople.

Agent Evangeline Ames recuperates from a brush with death in Little Dixby. A noise awakens her from a peaceful sleep and she instantly knows she is no longer alone in her rented cottage. She assumes the intruder wants to kill her so she runs to Crystal Gardens, the haunting old abbey filled with paranormal energy next door. Owner Lucas Sebastian is on alert when the stalker arrives, but flees into the night garden where deadly vegetation and flowers are everywhere. Sparks fly and Lucas realizes the killer will not haunt anyone anymore. Luca vows to protect Evangeline while using his paranormal skills to track down a psychic killer. Evangeline normally finds the good in people, and she is attracted to her rescuer, but cannot explain why she is a target as she has no known enemies.

This Ladies of Lantern Street thriller is an enthralling paranormal historical romantic suspense filled with danger and intrigue from the onset. Readers will like the fascinating protagonists and appreciate the mysterious Crystal Gardens, which brings a Gothic like feel to the exciting storyline. Amanda Quick has written a superb paranormal take on the Victorian romance suspense.

Harriet Klausner
First of all I have been a big fan of Jayne Ann Krentz (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle)since the first books of hers that I read back in the 1980's. I always get a thrill when I know that one of her books is about to come out. This book was no different. The hero was strong and caring. The heroine was intelligent and independent. The lesser characters look like they will probably get their own stories. Yeah! On the whole, this is one of my favorite Amanda Quick books in a while, as it had just enough twist in the plot to keep things interesting. I don't like to give away the whole story, which some reviewers seem to want to do. I'll just say that the heroes are heroic, the villains are villainous and the less villainous characters have redeeming qualities. One other thing, and this is a biggie. The book has actually been edited and checked for spelling and sentence structure!! I would give a book a few stars for that alone.
I find Amanda Quick's paranormal romances a pleasant read but no more than that. I have been a fan for a long time - six of her earlier traditional Regency romances remain in my permanent collection. But although I have read all of her books as each is published, I have not kept a single one of her paranormal romances.

This is one of the early paranormals Quick wrote. It was so long ago I forgot I had bought this and then dumped it in the donation pile, years past. These stories are so formulaic now, I had completely forgotten the plot until I reached the ending.

At least this was a sale e-book. Not worth more than a buck for a few hours' read.
CRYSTAL GARDENS is the first book in the Ladies of Lantern Street series. It is the story of Evangeline Ames, a paid companion for a unique firm in London, comes to the country to recover from her last position. As the book begins, she is being chased by a man who wishes her harm. She comes to the Crystal Gardens where she meets the owner, Lucas Sebastian. The two become entwined in several mysteries who is trying to kill Evangeline, what happened to Lucas' uncle, and who is searching the grounds of the Crystal Gardens.

This story was interesting as it was being read, but I didn't feel a great connection to the characters. Nothing in the book popped for me. The book is not an Arcane book and yet the paranormal elements are similar but are less explained and less developed here. The book just doesn't stick. It is a bit forgettable. I love the Krentz/Quick/Castle books, but this one is just a middle effort to me. It was interesting enough to read completely but not enough to want to read again.

Rating 3.5.
I started reading this author in the 80s. I read all her books under all her pen names. I loved them. However, over the years, I have become tired of the same hero (different name) and same heroine (slightly different occupation) in a slightly different setting with the same old problems that are solved with really strange psychic 'talents.' I hadn't read many of her books lately so I decided to try another one since the price was pretty good. I felt like I had read it before even though I hadn't. I think I'll wait a few years before I try another. There is really nothing wrong with this book unless you are like me and have read so many of her other books. If you are new to Quick, you will more than likely love it.

Sexual situations may offend some readers