Reviews

Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick

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laurenjodi's review against another edition

3.0

Burning Lamp
3.5 Stars

Once again, the historical installment is not on a par with the contemporary. In fact, Burning Lamp reads like a mediocre retelling of Fired Up.

The nature of Griffin's "curse" remains ambiguous and it is never clear whether or not the issue is resolved. Nevertheless, he is a compelling hero and his characterization as a crime lord with a soft spot is endearing. Adelaide is an intriguing heroine and her past is definitely colorful. Unfortunately, the romance falls flat as Adelaide and Griffin's chemistry is virtually non-existent and their declarations of love seem tacked on as an afterthought.

The mystery surrounding the Burning Lamp is interesting enough - there are several villains each with their own agenda and it all comes together nicely at the end.

The next book is Midnight Crystal, which is set in the future. I'm a bit wary as I've never read any of the books under the Jayne Castle pseudonym and I'm not a big fan of futuristic novels.

hoosgracie's review against another edition

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4.0

As with the first book in this trilogy (Fired Up), I had not read an Amanda Quick book. The feel was quite different from Castle or Krentz's books. I enjoyed the mix of history and this was quite a bit tamer (sexually) than the other two books. The only thing I didn't like was the narrator. I thought she was very nasally in her narration.

thunguyen's review against another edition

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3.0

The last Arcane legend that was set in Victorian era. This story is the most action packed with paranormal references out of 4 Amanda Quick books in the Arcane series. The newly wed Mr and Mrs Jones made a few appearances in this story, totally setup the background for Arcane stories set in the future. I find the story is told in quite a different style to all other Amanda Quick books. Dialogue is more modern and direct, romance is simple and easy, mostly because both the heroine and the hero were not upper class, so less proprietary focused like in typical historical romance. Not my favourite AQ book but this is my last AQ book to read as I have read all the ones that were set in London.

mazza57's review against another edition

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3.0

the second and eighth in a series but stands well alone - just seems a little "safe" or predictable

rclz's review against another edition

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4.0

This is the eighth book in Jayne Anne Krentz's Arcane Society series. These books are always enjoyable. They have good plots and characters but they are written light enough that you know the bad guys are never going to win and there will be no killing of good characters. This one was no different.

ccgwalt's review against another edition

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3.0

The romance was too abrupt. It needed much more focus and time spent developing it. Other than that, the story was just fine and I liked the characters. I agree with those who've said the story is Fired Up revisited and repackaged as an historical. But that doesn't really bother me. I liked Griffin as a character and thought Adelaide was fine, but not well-developed. The "bad guys" don't figure into the book much at all. I can't help but feel JAK is getting a little tired of her own series. The series needs something fresh, and more character and story development.