tamaralgage1's review against another edition
4.0
In the time of the Great Depression, good daughters were expected to marry the men their parents arranged for them to marry. But in this entertaining story, the young lady dares to pursues a career as a photographer and is cut off from the family fortune. But she is paying the bills photographing crime scenes for local paper. When she notices something special about the scenes of a serial killer, the police have their first clue and she becomes a target of the killer. It's an entertaining story from an old friend … (aka, mind candy)
studyingangel's review against another edition
5.0
Book 4, what a series. You will not be let down at any point in this book. Hair-raising fights, plot twists and other surprises. If you are a-fan of paranormal and/or historical romance you should pick his book up. Extremely like able characters, human, or some sense of it.
I received this advanced copy as part of Sweepstakes last Christmas
Amanda’s once again on point with this novel
I received this advanced copy as part of Sweepstakes last Christmas
Amanda’s once again on point with this novel
bobbiec's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. While this is not the first book by Amanda Quick that I have read, it is the first book I’ve read in this series. She did not disappoint! I read this book every chance I got - waiting at appointments, lunch breaks, bedtime (just finishing this one chapter, lol) - you get it. I will be getting the first three books in this series next!
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
3.0
This was a rather perfect escapist listen.
It wasn't a great read and I kept on feeling that the book should have ended several times before it ended.
There were some abrupt developments a little more convoluted than believable which explains the 3 instead of more stars.
But the first part was rather enjoyable.
It wasn't a great read and I kept on feeling that the book should have ended several times before it ended.
There were some abrupt developments a little more convoluted than believable which explains the 3 instead of more stars.
But the first part was rather enjoyable.
musicalmuppet's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kathleenmcg's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
thatbookishbrunette21's review against another edition
5.0
Close Up is the fourth book in Amanda Quick's her Burning Cove series, although this is the first book I have read from the series. I can't believe I haven't read this series before though because this book was so good. I shouldn't be surprised though because I love her Arcane Society books.
Close Up and the entire Burning Cove series is set in 1930s California. Our heroine Vivian Brazier is an aspiring art photographer who makes a living taking photos of crime scenes for newspapers and headshots for aspiring male actors. She finds herself the target of a killer after noticing similarities in the crime scenes of the killer's victims. Nick Sundridge, a private investigator, is sent to help protect Vivian.
Amanda Quick, who also writes as Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle, seamlessly weaves romance and suspense in all her novels, and Close Up is no different. It was beautifully written and had me on the edge of my seat guessing the whole time. And the romance between Vivian and Nick was sweet, their connection clear and instantaneous.
I've never read a historical romance set in this era before so it was a fun experience. As Vivienne was a photographer, it was particularly interesting to read about the photography process back then.
While this book is not directly connected to her Arcane society books, both our characters clearly have special intuitive abilities seen in the characters in those books and I did enjoy the reference to Caleb Jones, a character from that series.
I very much enjoyed this read and will definitely be going back to the beginning of the series. On that note, it is clear that each book can be read as a standalone, as I had no problem reading this book without having read the previous three. Some characters from the first books do appear but other than that there is nothing that prevents the book from being read on its own.
I definitely recommend this book.
Close Up and the entire Burning Cove series is set in 1930s California. Our heroine Vivian Brazier is an aspiring art photographer who makes a living taking photos of crime scenes for newspapers and headshots for aspiring male actors. She finds herself the target of a killer after noticing similarities in the crime scenes of the killer's victims. Nick Sundridge, a private investigator, is sent to help protect Vivian.
Amanda Quick, who also writes as Jayne Ann Krentz and Jayne Castle, seamlessly weaves romance and suspense in all her novels, and Close Up is no different. It was beautifully written and had me on the edge of my seat guessing the whole time. And the romance between Vivian and Nick was sweet, their connection clear and instantaneous.
I've never read a historical romance set in this era before so it was a fun experience. As Vivienne was a photographer, it was particularly interesting to read about the photography process back then.
While this book is not directly connected to her Arcane society books, both our characters clearly have special intuitive abilities seen in the characters in those books and I did enjoy the reference to Caleb Jones, a character from that series.
I very much enjoyed this read and will definitely be going back to the beginning of the series. On that note, it is clear that each book can be read as a standalone, as I had no problem reading this book without having read the previous three. Some characters from the first books do appear but other than that there is nothing that prevents the book from being read on its own.
I definitely recommend this book.
juliaem's review against another edition
3.0
If stars were based on reading time, this would be 5; I accidentally polished it off in one sitting last night. It hums along at a nice, quick clip, both the heroine and her lover are a little dark and stormy but not obnoxiously so, and the plot is clever - I didn't see the end coming, but also didn't get the feeling that it was because it was wildly implausible, either. Good heat in the sex scenes, although I could have stood for one or two more! The 1930s setting is interesting, as there's some "modern woman" talk sprinkled throughout that I liked. My one quibble, which grew as I kept reading, was that many of the details feel "historical fiction," but the dialogue didn't, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., "pros" for prophylactics/condoms) that actually make the rest of the language stand out more. Obviously, I have no real idea what people sounded like in the 1930s, but there was some very modern-sounding conversation that distracted from the otherwise immersive setting of Hollywood that Quick created. Actually! Another quibble. Both of the protagonists had intuition that was described as sort of paranormal, but it's almost like Quick didn't commit to that idea. I would rather she had just left it as very deft interpersonal awareness, or amped it up to more actual magical realism.