Reviews

Afera by Amanda Quick

laurenjodi's review against another edition

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3.0

Affair
3 Stars

Amanda Quick's writing and plotting are as engaging as always. Unfortunately, Baxter and Charlotte's romance simply did not resonate with me. This may be due to their lack of unique characteristics as they are very similar to many of Quick's other hero/heroine pairings.

The identity of the villain is also obvious from the start, and the tension and suspension in the eventual showdown are lackluster.

Overall, an entertaining enough read but not one of Quick's best.

serena_reads_hr's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

4.5

arudnicki's review against another edition

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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? No

2.5

hananhn's review against another edition

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3.0

It has been awhile...

thunguyen's review against another edition

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3.0

As I read this book not long after reading Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose, I can't help but finding the similarities between the 2 books. Both are about an aristocratic chemist investigating a murder by finding a woman named Charlotte who had created an interesting and scandalous career for herself to survive and gain independence. Both murders had clues referenced to alchemy. Even the murderers committed the same treason of making weapons for Napoleon. I'm surprised to learn that Affair was 20 years older than Murder on Black Swan Lane, it's still feel relevant and I like everything Amanda Quick wrote so far.
Affair is not far-strayed from Rendezvous or Deception, it must be in the same series of un-dashing hero meets the scandalous heroine.

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Rereading some Amanda Quick books just because I know they're a safe escape. A bit of humour, a bit of adventure, a bit of family chaos, fair bit of sex, no complications.

smalltowncomfortreads's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious 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

4.0

nina1117's review against another edition

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3.0

It would have gotten 4 stars if she hadn't had mentioned Zamar. Interesting alchemy references. Kind of reminded me of The Arcane Society novels.

ccgwalt's review against another edition

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3.0

Affair is a very typical Amanda Quick historical novel. The male protagonist is growly and tries to be authoritarian, and the female protagonist is independent and often obtusely clueless. In this book, as in most other Amanda Quick books, I keep trying to figure out what draws the two together. The mystery plot in this one was pretty good.

I thought I remembered reading Amanda Quick books that had more character development and didn't dwell on the ancient and the paranormal, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

I'm also tired of "bluestocking" heroines that are "firmly" on the shelf at 25. The average age of marriage for women in Regency times was between 23-27. So a woman of 25 could easily expect to still get married if they desired. In Victorian times the average age of marriage was 26 years old for women.

kaixxx's review against another edition

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4.0

Another good read from Quick. I liked this book from the story to the development of the relationship between the two main characters. Charlotte and Baxter meet and begin an investigation together to find who murdered a woman they both knew. As they investigate a strong attraction starts to grow between them. It is a lovely romance that I will read again. Xxx

kaixxx's review against another edition

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4.0

Another good re-read from Amanda Quick, though I didn't enjoy it as much as her other books. I liked the book from the story to the development of the relationship between the two main characters. Charlotte and Baxter meet and begin an investigation together to find who murdered a woman they both knew. As they investigate a strong attraction starts to grow between them, it is a lovely romance. Xxx