Second Sight (Arcane Society, Bk 1) Author:Amanda Quick
Book Description:
There is nothing like having a dead husband return from the grave to ruin a fine spring morning...
In financial straits and on a sure path to spinsterhood, Venetia Milton is a Victorian-era photographer who possesses the uncanny ability to see other peoples' auras. When she is hired to photograph the strange artifacts in the private collection of the Arcane Society she seizes on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engineer her own ravishment.
Her new employer -- Gabriel Jones -- is just as mysterious as the relics in the Society's museum. Not only does he have the eyes of a sorcerer, he is endowed with some unique psychic talents.
After a night to remember Venetia is prepared to cherish the memories of her romantic encounter and move on, but she is shattered when, shortly after their night together, she reads of Jones's death in the paper. As a private tribute to her one-time lover, she adopts the name "Mrs. Jones" and the guise of a respectable widow, and embarks on a new career as a fashionable photographer in London.
But her romantic whim lands her in a world of trouble. For one thing, Mr. Jones is about to stride, living and breathing, back into her life, threatening to ruin the carefully constructed illusion of respectability that is all that stands between her and financial disaster.
What does one do with an inconvenient husband? Venetia consigns hers to the attic. Keeping him there, however, is a problem.
Matters deteriorate further when Venetia witnesses a murder and sees the killers aura. It soon becomes apparent that she is the only one who can identify the truly scary individual who is after the Arcane Society's most closely held secret.
Mr. And Mrs. Jones have no alternative but to join forces in a perilous quest to track down a ruthless opponent.
Aimee D. (SheWhoReads) from ATHENS, GA wrote on 7/1/2006...
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
This book was a great deal of fun to read. Venetia is a professional photographer; Gabriel is a member of the Arcane Society. They both have psychic abilities, although they don't let each other know that until well into the book. The Society hires Venetia to photograph their artifacts, and she and Gabriel have a short-lived affair. Afterwards, she reads in the newspaper that he died, and she, thinking he is dead, takes his last name and pretends to be a widow for professional reasons. Then he shows up...
These are wonderful characters, vivid and well-drawn with a sense of humor. An excellent read!
Lisa M. (Purplelady) from APOPKA, FL wrote on 1/12/2008...
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
First book I read by Amanda Quick, I'm adding her books to my favorite list. A refreshing combination of historial, romance and paranormal. Several times I found myself laughing.... Looking forward to reading more of Amanda Quick books...