Wicked Widow: Vanza
Written by Amanda Quick
Narrated by Katherine Kellgren
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Scandal is afoot and seduction is in the air in this, Amanda Quick's sixteenth and most deliciously entertaining novel. Now the mistress of Regency-period romantic suspense brings us a notorious widow and a man of mystery as they flirt with danger, fight temptation, and fall into the snare of desire and intrigue....
Madeline Deveridge is all too aware of the whispers behind her back, the rumors that she dispatched her husband to the next world and concealed her crime. But Madeline has a far more pressing problem than being called the Wicked Widow. She fears that she and her beloved aunt are being haunted! And all the evidence points to one improbable culprit: the ghost of her late husband. Of course it is impossible, but Madeline cannot take chances. So she dares summon the only person with the power to help her uncover the truth--Artemis Hunt.
Brilliant, relentless, reclusive, Artemis has made it his business to keep much of his private life hidden. No one knows that he's the owner of the Dream Pavilions, London's favorite pleasure gardens, or that he's a master of an arcane society. Curiosity brings him out on a fog-shrouded night to meet the infamous Wicked Widow, but his amusement quickly flees when he realizes that Madeline has learned enough about his affairs to wreak havoc on his carefully ordered existence. He must secure her guarantee never to divulge his secrets to anyone, even if it means helping her track down a phantom.
As soon as the bargain is struck, Artemis and Madeline find their arrangement complicated by a searing desire, and the frightening realization that the ghost poses a very real danger. Now they must plunge into a world of intrigue and ancient mysteries, where a tantalizing passion--and a calculating killer--will not be denied.
Amanda Quick
Amanda Quick is the pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers; there are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She lives in Seattle.
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Reviews for Wicked Widow
181 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The plot is hard to followAnd they rely too much on the vanza trope. The love scenes are quite truncated I’d give this book a pass
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5not easy to get into. dragged for a short story
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A bit too much 'Vanza' after a while, but for the remainder this is a pleasant enough read. It even gets slightly exciting towards the end.
Grade: C1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wicked 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.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5BOR-ing. By the end, I didn't care one pin for either of the main characters. I didn't credit their falling in love – clearly it was inevitable, given the book's genre, but it wasn't executed at all believably. Also, same observation that I made about Quick's I Thee Wed: characters are like late-20th C. Americans time-warped back to 19th C. England, where they overuse the same six exclamations in order to sound all 19th-century–y. The only reason I finished it is that it's about 80% mystery / 20% "romance," and I wanted to find out who the villain was. Wasn't really worth it in the end.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A typical, enjoyable Amanda Quick/Jayne Anne Krentz. A historical novel with some paranormal overtones.Madeline Deveridge has rumours of killing her former husband following her. She believes she is being haunted and possibly by her former husband. She summons the only person who might be able to help her, Artemis Hunt, who is the master of an arcane society and the owner of the Dream Pavilions a pleasure garden. They have to investigate and she is trying to resist the temptation he presents while he tries to resist her.Fun romp with a good balance of the different elements.
1 person found this helpful