laurenjodi's review
3.0
Wicked Widow
3 Stars
Madeline Deveridge cares little about the whispers and rumors that she murdered her husband. What does concern her is the disappearance of her maid and the possibility that she is being haunted by her dead spouse. Her only recourse is to seek the assistance of Artemus Hunt, the reclusive master of arcane Vanza talents. As Artemus and Madeline work together to resolve the mystery, they realize that the threat to their hearts is as dangerous as the threat to their lives.
Amanda Quick's books are always light and entertaining. That said, the Vanza theme is too similar to the Arcane society from her later books and it is particularly excessive, repetitive and tiresome in this installment.
Artemus and Madeline are virtually identical to every other Quick hero and heroine. This would not be a problem if their romance were more believable. As it is, what little chemistry they have feels forced and their sex scenes are awkward rather than sensual.
The twists and turns in the suspense plot are predictable as is the identity of the villain and the motive. The climax and resolution are exciting though and the secondary characters are sweet, especially Madeline’s aunt and Artemus’s steward.
All in all, not one of Quick’s better stories. Hopefully the series will end on a high note with the final book.
3 Stars
Madeline Deveridge cares little about the whispers and rumors that she murdered her husband. What does concern her is the disappearance of her maid and the possibility that she is being haunted by her dead spouse. Her only recourse is to seek the assistance of Artemus Hunt, the reclusive master of arcane Vanza talents. As Artemus and Madeline work together to resolve the mystery, they realize that the threat to their hearts is as dangerous as the threat to their lives.
Amanda Quick's books are always light and entertaining. That said, the Vanza theme is too similar to the Arcane society from her later books and it is particularly excessive, repetitive and tiresome in this installment.
Artemus and Madeline are virtually identical to every other Quick hero and heroine. This would not be a problem if their romance were more believable. As it is, what little chemistry they have feels forced and their sex scenes are awkward rather than sensual.
The twists and turns in the suspense plot are predictable as is the identity of the villain and the motive. The climax and resolution are exciting though and the secondary characters are sweet, especially Madeline’s aunt and Artemus’s steward.
All in all, not one of Quick’s better stories. Hopefully the series will end on a high note with the final book.
chemist_stuck_in_fantasy's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ccgwalt's review
3.0
2.5 stars, C-
4 stars for the narration by Barbara Rosenblat, B
This book didn't do it for me on many levels. I know what I'm getting into with Amanda Quick's books, including the obstinate (and sometimes stubbornly foolish) heroines that somehow make otherwise brave, strong, intelligent heroes lose their minds. But in this book, it was too much for me. Miranda, the titular Wicked Widow, alternately acts superior to, or is yelling at the hero. And I know it's going to happen, but when you hear, "Vanza" several dozen times throughout the book, it gets really cheesy. There are even Vanza knots!
I don't know what I was thinking. The heroines always think they understand so much and we, the readers, knows they are both innocent and ignorant of the things that matter. I think Quick was trying to write strong, independent women, but she often just wrote stubbornly obtuse ones.
If I decide someday to read the rest of the Vanza series, I am going to turn it into a drinking game. A shot for every time the word "vanza" is mentioned, and the entire drink every time the heroine leaps to stupid conclusions about what the hero wants.
Barbara Rosenblat is a talented narrator and I loved her on this book, which actually kept me going. If I'd been reading in print it would have been a DNF. However, on this book I could hear more of her inhalations and an occasional swallow than in other books. It didn't happen often, but at one point, it was distracting.
4 stars for the narration by Barbara Rosenblat, B
This book didn't do it for me on many levels. I know what I'm getting into with Amanda Quick's books, including the obstinate (and sometimes stubbornly foolish) heroines that somehow make otherwise brave, strong, intelligent heroes lose their minds. But in this book, it was too much for me. Miranda, the titular Wicked Widow, alternately acts superior to, or is yelling at the hero. And I know it's going to happen, but when you hear, "Vanza" several dozen times throughout the book, it gets really cheesy. There are even Vanza knots!
I don't know what I was thinking. The heroines always think they understand so much and we, the readers, knows they are both innocent and ignorant of the things that matter. I think Quick was trying to write strong, independent women, but she often just wrote stubbornly obtuse ones.
If I decide someday to read the rest of the Vanza series, I am going to turn it into a drinking game. A shot for every time the word "vanza" is mentioned, and the entire drink every time the heroine leaps to stupid conclusions about what the hero wants.
Barbara Rosenblat is a talented narrator and I loved her on this book, which actually kept me going. If I'd been reading in print it would have been a DNF. However, on this book I could hear more of her inhalations and an occasional swallow than in other books. It didn't happen often, but at one point, it was distracting.
echosong's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hollie313's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lowbrowreaderofzerof_cks's review
3.0
3
Hard to rate, has some of the most hilarious AQ historicals moments but at the same time the hero is unbelievably broody and even has those crappy-movie style "vengeance will be mine" self-speeches.
Out loud.
I adore the heroine though so things kinda even out.
Hard to rate, has some of the most hilarious AQ historicals moments but at the same time the hero is unbelievably broody and even has those crappy-movie style "vengeance will be mine" self-speeches.
Out loud.
I adore the heroine though so things kinda even out.
annastarlight's review
2.0
I enjoyed the idea of this novel, but the execution is horribly repetitive. Vanza, a core concept of this series, is a sort of secret society that focuses on collecting this mystical kind of scholarship, including fighting skills. This in itself is quite fun, but Vanza becomes a blanket term for anything in this story without any nuance or detail. There are Vanza herbs, Vanza fight moves, Vanza mazes, Vanza books, Vanza people, and they are referred to every page. The word lost all meaning to me.
The romance wasn't my cup of tea either. The first sex scene is horrifying:the hero doesn't know the heroine is still a virgin, and basically just thrusts his way in there like a storm ram. How romantic. The hero is patronizing in stressful situations, which is one of my least favourite tropes. Meh.
The romance wasn't my cup of tea either. The first sex scene is horrifying:
kiwicoral's review
4.0
Amanda Quick books are always a fun time. This one had moments that reminded me of the Da Vinci Code (yes really). The hero is a master of a ~*secret society*~ from an imaginary country, which at least manages not to be racist (how many white historical suspense heroes are also trained ninjas or some other nonsense). Anyway, he’s engaged in a revenge plot, but is distracted by the titular widow she totes killed her husband, but it was self defence and he deserved it being haunted by her husband’s ghost. Hijinks ensue, as well as excellent banter and carriage sex.
It loses a star for too much focus on the secret society (seriously if I heard “Vanza” one more time...) but generally a delight.
It loses a star for too much focus on the secret society (seriously if I heard “Vanza” one more time...) but generally a delight.