kr_gr's review against another edition
2.75
quite promising, and there were parts that were enjoyable but the number of times it's made me roll my eyes? "walk the third path" and "walk the labyrinth" honestly i was expectly a rhas al ghuul to pop out of the bushes and moment
also
"She was wet and she tasted of tropical seas and sunshine and moonlight." see what I mean? trite.
and it dragged.
also
"She was wet and she tasted of tropical seas and sunshine and moonlight." see what I mean? trite.
and it dragged.
emac021's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
emmarj's review against another edition
4.0
Independent, strong-willed Ursula Kern owns the prestigious Kern Secretarial Agency at which a miss Anne Clifton is employed. When Anne dies under suspicious circumstances, Ursula is determined to get to the bottom of it without the help of the police. Mrs Kern's current employer, eccentric adventurer Slater Roxton, is not about to let her go it alone.
This was a great, fun read. A perfect beach book, I think, if, of course, you enjoy a good murder mystery on the beach. I love historical fiction but frequently historical romance is sooo cringy. Garden of Lies isn't at all. There is no instalove, which has been the bane of my romance reading existence lately. A steady building of both plot and romance that will keep the pages turning until the end.
Not the best but far and away not the worst.
This was a great, fun read. A perfect beach book, I think, if, of course, you enjoy a good murder mystery on the beach. I love historical fiction but frequently historical romance is sooo cringy. Garden of Lies isn't at all. There is no instalove, which has been the bane of my romance reading existence lately. A steady building of both plot and romance that will keep the pages turning until the end.
Not the best but far and away not the worst.
dmwhipp's review against another edition
3.0
Ursula Kerns is a modern woman in Victorian England, running her own secretarial age. Slater Roxton is an Indiana Jones type, but born to wealth and privilege, despite his bastard son status. This book has hints of a Regency romance, but the seedy story that makes up the mystery, sex scenes, and characters that seem out of place for the period stop it short of achieving that. Enjoyable, but I'm not sure I'd read more of the series.
katiecatbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Crime. London. Not very romantic.
Story: In historic London a funeral is taking place. Widowed businesswoman Ursula Kern stands at the grave of Anna, one of her secretaries in her employ and can't stop thinking how strange Anna's death was and how she was so unlikely to have committed suicide. When Ursula visits Anne's home to sort through the deceased's belongings, she finds a note written in code which leads her to some hidden items. Based on her find, Ursula decides to look for Anne's killer.
Characters: Ursula Kern is very uptight and appears incapable of emotions. Even when faced with romance, she logics everything through cold-heartedly, appearing to take no enjoyment from any form of friendship or romance. In some parts of the book she comes across very intelligent, while in others she for no reason speaks ignorantly and naively.
Language: As a crime novel, there is zero mystery. The detectives all seem to put pieces together and get the correct answer on the first guess, which makes life convenient for them and boring for the reader. The romance scenes are very minimal in quantity and unromantic in quality, making the genre label of romance questionable. The book is long at over 350 pages, and would have been improved with a less drawn out beginning and some further editing. The story is told in third person, mostly from Ursula and Slater, the male lead's perspective. The latter is the saving grace of the novel, as Ursula is very boring and uptight and a very unlikable character.
Read this if you like: a step up from a cozy mystery, where the on-stage violence is not too descriptive, crime books set in grey, foggy London, strong female characters.
I read this as part of a genre study to read a new-to-me author of historical romance fiction. I was pleasantly surprised by the crime aspect and the slow burn of the romance, but the beginning was very slow and I disliked the main character. While the crimes were well written, the solving was way too convenient for me. The romance aspects of the book were incredibly minimal and it's unbelievable that anyone would ever want a relationship or be interested in Ursula. By the time the book was over, I was left disappointed and confused why the book was so long. The best part of the book is the atmospheric cover. I have not read any Jayne Ann Krentz or Jayne Castle novels, I can only hope her writing is stronger there.
Story: In historic London a funeral is taking place. Widowed businesswoman Ursula Kern stands at the grave of Anna, one of her secretaries in her employ and can't stop thinking how strange Anna's death was and how she was so unlikely to have committed suicide. When Ursula visits Anne's home to sort through the deceased's belongings, she finds a note written in code which leads her to some hidden items. Based on her find, Ursula decides to look for Anne's killer.
Characters: Ursula Kern is very uptight and appears incapable of emotions. Even when faced with romance, she logics everything through cold-heartedly, appearing to take no enjoyment from any form of friendship or romance. In some parts of the book she comes across very intelligent, while in others she for no reason speaks ignorantly and naively.
Language: As a crime novel, there is zero mystery. The detectives all seem to put pieces together and get the correct answer on the first guess, which makes life convenient for them and boring for the reader. The romance scenes are very minimal in quantity and unromantic in quality, making the genre label of romance questionable. The book is long at over 350 pages, and would have been improved with a less drawn out beginning and some further editing. The story is told in third person, mostly from Ursula and Slater, the male lead's perspective. The latter is the saving grace of the novel, as Ursula is very boring and uptight and a very unlikable character.
Read this if you like: a step up from a cozy mystery, where the on-stage violence is not too descriptive, crime books set in grey, foggy London, strong female characters.
I read this as part of a genre study to read a new-to-me author of historical romance fiction. I was pleasantly surprised by the crime aspect and the slow burn of the romance, but the beginning was very slow and I disliked the main character. While the crimes were well written, the solving was way too convenient for me. The romance aspects of the book were incredibly minimal and it's unbelievable that anyone would ever want a relationship or be interested in Ursula. By the time the book was over, I was left disappointed and confused why the book was so long. The best part of the book is the atmospheric cover. I have not read any Jayne Ann Krentz or Jayne Castle novels, I can only hope her writing is stronger there.
audrey042's review
4.0
Le jardin des mensonges est une romance historique, sous fond d’enquête policière, qui devrait ravir les amateurs de jolies histoires d’amour et de duos complices et complémentaires que l’on prend plaisir à suivre dans leurs péripéties et leurs échanges. Agréable et sympathique à lire, voici un roman qui offre un bon moment de divertissement alternant entre action et tendres sentiments.
Chronique complète sur https://lightandsmell.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/le-jardin-des-mensonges-amanda-quick/
Chronique complète sur https://lightandsmell.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/le-jardin-des-mensonges-amanda-quick/
andipants's review against another edition
DNF at 158 pages. I was having an awfully hard time making any progress on this book — I'd read a chapter or two, not be drawn in, put it down and go do something else (and the chapters are like 5 pages long, so I wasn't getting anywhere fast). I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was bugging me — the writing quality is only fair to middling, but not outrageously bad for mass market romance, and Ursula seemed like an interesting enough character. Then my husband asked me simply, "What's it about?" and I realized the plot is convoluted as fuck. Slater's family situation makes no sense. His maybe-feud with his former co-explorer makes no sense. His involvement with Ursula's investigation makes no sense. (And speaking of which, what happened to that? Do we ever circle back to that? Isn't that supposed to be the main plot here?) And I absolutely don't buy the chemistry between the romantic leads. Nah, I've got a big ol' TBR pile to get through; I'm done trying to give this a chance.
bookwyrm_lark's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Amanda Quick’s books are like candy bars for me – delicious, irresistible, and quickly devoured. Garden of Lies is no exception. The main characters, Slater Roxton and Ursula Kern, are enjoyable, but also familiar to anyone who has read many of Krentz/Quick’s books: Slater is strong, decisive, protective, even a bit overbearing; Ursula is independent, determined, and fully capable of standing up to him.
The plot of this book seemed a little… I’m not sure how to describe it. Not quite as tight and well-laid-out as usual, perhaps? Both Slater and Ursula have secrets in their pasts, but in the end, those secrets don’t have much to do with the present mystery. And while the various pieces of the actual mystery tie together in the end, the flow and fit don’t feel quite as natural or compelling as in most of Quick’s books. Don’t get me wrong — I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but it’s not a book that lingers in my mind. Call it a fluffy Three Musketeers bar, rather than a rich, deep Ghiradelli.
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
The plot of this book seemed a little… I’m not sure how to describe it. Not quite as tight and well-laid-out as usual, perhaps? Both Slater and Ursula have secrets in their pasts, but in the end, those secrets don’t have much to do with the present mystery. And while the various pieces of the actual mystery tie together in the end, the flow and fit don’t feel quite as natural or compelling as in most of Quick’s books. Don’t get me wrong — I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but it’s not a book that lingers in my mind. Call it a fluffy Three Musketeers bar, rather than a rich, deep Ghiradelli.
Review originally published on The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
artismyhammer's review against another edition
2.0
Woooooooooow Amanda quick sure does love ending her mysteries with the "whoops, it was really an EVIL CRAZY WOMAN all along!" twist. Just... wow. No thank you, I think I'll steer clear from now on.