Search - Second Sight (Arcane Society, Bk 1)

I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful, sexy, and it was an easy read. Even though the story takes place in the 1700's the women are strong characters. Both families have lots of secrets in their past that make for page turning fun.

There was not a lot of romance but what is there is wonderfully written. The scenes are romantic and very private, almost like a throw back to when people were more modest.

I can not wait to read the next book in the series.

The plot flow was all off. The story had no build-up of character development, just plopped you down in the middle of what felt like walking into a joke where you only catch the punch line. Then the author seems to try and write a secondary story after what should have been the main story, but was succinctly said in 2 paragraphs. No real character development after that first chapter really, nothing to gain my like for the characters. The love scenes stunk, and the main man was lame and had no depth; conversationally or otherwise. It just felt unfinished, disjointed, and boring. On a good note, there was little if any grammatical errors, so at least the editor did their job. Very poor book indeed. I love Amanda Quick, and was expecting something a lot different then this book delivered. It felt like someone else was writing under her name. ~Kirst

An excellent book I could not put it down. I went to work with no sleep.

Ms. Quick delivers her usual twisty plot, interesting characters and believable romance. A fun read and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Really enjoy the Arcane Society stories. A fun read.

Jayne Ann Krentz, or Amada Quick in this case, is indeed a pillar of today’s romance genre. Though I haven’t read too many of her books, I’ve quickly fallen in love with the characters from the Arcane Society, and each book has delighted me just as much, if not more, than the last. As one who unintentionally makes a habit of reading the first book in a series last, Second Sight was no less powerful for its being out of order.

I’d found Gabriel Jones fascinating from the start of Caleb’s book, The Perfect Poison. I freely admit to being a sucker for the dark, tormented souls. Not to mention if the author throws in the hunter aspect as well. I was not disappointed with Gabriel; every time he spoke I could hear his voice and every time he moved, I could see his grace and his strength. The most amazing part of that though, is that I wasn’t aware of being told about him; it was a seamless introduction that carried me right into the story. And Venetia! Rarely have I read a heroine who is that self-sufficient and sure of herself within this time period. The world of the Victorian Era is less than favorable for women who want to be independent, but Venetia manages without completely flaunting her world. Her background story is rather original too, as well as having her family be both dependent on her and very vital help in her career. Her being a photographer is another stroke of brilliance (has Ms. Quick run out of original ideas yet? It seems every novel there are so many that surely she couldn’t top them!) They say the mark of a good heroine is that you would want to be best friends with her, and if that is the going standard, then Venetia is a success.

I love the beginning, and especially getting to see Caleb again (er…for the first time, I mean.) The setting and the conversation between the cousins really set the mood for the rest of the novel. The pace and timing are also very well done. I was kept on my toes, but the events fold nicely into one and another so I wasn’t being jerked around. The climax’s start is obvious, but I wasn’t aware of having been “led up” to it, the story itself was so entertaining.

There were a number of memorable moments throughout, such as Gabriel’s stark refusal to be photographed. That was amusing to no end! And him having to sleep in the attic for the duration of the story. *giggles*

Another trademark of Quick’s books is how she gives you a recap of what the whole novel has been about, usually in a story circle format. This is helpful to those of us who don’t necessarily have an eye for mystery and might have missed a piece here or there. Not to mention that it makes for a good reason to bring the whole cast together for comparison. I’m not spilling details on the ending, but I will say that it was interesting to have two villains that were so intertwined and independent of each other at the same time.

Overall, a very entertaining read!

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