Review: ‘Til Death Us Do Part by Amanda Quick

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

The queen of taking romantic suspense into any timeline

’Til Death Do Us Part By Amanda Quick

Victorian Historical Romantic Suspense

Released April 19, 2016

Berkley

Synopsis

The author of the New York Times bestseller Garden of Lies returns to Victorian London in an all-new novel of deadly obsession.

Calista Langley operates an exclusive “introduction” agency in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now, a dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest mourning—a black mirror, a funeral wreath, a ring set with black jet stone. Each is engraved with her initials.

Desperate for help and fearing that the police will be of no assistance, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive author of popular crime novels. Believing that Calista may be taking advantage of his lonely sister, who has become one of her clients, Trent doesn’t trust her. Scarred by his past, he’s learned to keep his emotions at bay, even as an instant attraction threatens his resolve.

But as Trent and Calista comb through files of rejected clients in hopes of identifying her tormentor, it becomes clear that the danger may be coming from Calista’s own secret past—and that only her death will satisfy the stalker…

Review

Reviewed by Jean

The queen of taking romantic suspense into any timeline.

I think I picked up my first Jayne Ann Krentz novel sometime in the 80’s. I fell totally in love with this author’s voice no matter what pen name she writes under. I can recall earmarking pages in her Amanda Quick novels that I would take out and read over and over again. They were that good. Over time, I fell away from reading as many historical romances. Amanda Quick novels are an exception to the rule. You can never go wrong picking up one her books.

In ‘Til Death Us Do Part, the heroine, Calista is being stalked. But what starts out as morbid stalking soon evolves into a case of serial murders. This is one of the aspects of Ms. Krentz’s writing that I totally love… the suspense that is inherent to her books no matter the time period. Another is the heroine that is extraordinary. In her Amanda Quick novels, the heroines are often well educated and involved with art or science in some form. In the case of Calista, she is involved in the scientific matching of single people with friends and potential marriage partners. And while marriage might be the ultimate outcome of her pairings it is not by any means Calista’s main goal. Herself being considered a spinster who’s been treated to the wiles of fortune hunting beaus, Calista is very careful in her screening process to avoid these situations for her clientele. Rather than balls and galas where the fortune hunters of both genders are prevalent, she offers weekly salons and lectures where like-minded lonely singles can meet and mingle. Her services are by referral only. So when one of her client’s brothers who just happens to be a very well known author requests an appointment with her, she is overjoyed at the prospect. That is until she finds out his motivation. Trent Hastings actually believes she is out to bilk her clients and take advantage of his sister. Needless to say, their relationship doesn’t start out on the best foot. At the same time, she’s having to deal with a now married ex that thinks he can pursue a relationship with her… as if. Then there is her stalker. Life has definitely become rather stressful for Ms. Langley.

Trent Hastings is a reclusive author of serial detective mysteries. Scarred years ago in a brutal act intended to disfigure his sister, he has become protective of his siblings and withdrawn. And while he would love nothing more than if his sister were to find a spouse and set up her own home rather than subject him to her overzealous organization of his own household, he’s still concerned that the men who might pursue her are naught but fortune hunters. Now she’s gone and involved herself in a dubious group as the client of Calista Langley. Well, of course, he’s suspicious. Then he meets the intriguing Ms. Langley. The woman totally sets him on edge. He can’t stop thinking of her. She stimulates him like no other woman ever has. When he discovers that Ms. Langley is being stalked he jumps into the fray as her protector, a position that soon evolves into a real-life murder mystery. Also, a position where he is thrown into close proximity with Ms. Langley at every instance as she insists on being a part of the investigation herself. Like the main character of his detective mysteries you soon find out just how resourceful and dangerous a man, Mr. Hastings can be when those he loves are threatened.

‘Til Death Us Do Part is full of suspense and plot twists. The author is a master at keeping you guessing throughout. She’s also quite skilled at keeping the sexual tension throbbing. The chemistry between Calista and Trent is off the charts. Typical of Ms. Krentz, I couldn’t put this one down. If you like your historical romance with a bit of substance you’re going to love this one.

♥♥♥♥♥

O Factor: Spicy

Add to your TBR on…

Buy Now

♥ Alibris ♥ All Romance eBooks ♥ Amazon US ♥ Amazon AU ♥ Amazon CA ♥ Amazon DE ♥ Amazon ES ♥ Amazon FR ♥ Amazon IT ♥ Amazon UK ♥ Audible ♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ Book Depository ♥ Google Play ♥ Kobo US ♥ Kobo CA ♥ Kobo UK ♥ Powell’s Books ♥

Excerpt

She belonged to him.
He was locked inside a cage the size and shape of a coffin. A dark thrill heated his blood like a powerful, intoxicating drug.When the time came he would purify the woman and cleanse himself with her blood. But tonight was not the time. The ritual had to be followed correctly. The woman must be made to comprehend and acknowledge the great wrong that she had done. There was no finer instructor than fear.He huddled inside the concealed lift, listening to the sounds of someone moving about in the bedroom on the other side of the wall. There was a narrow crack in the paneling. Excitement sparked through him when he caught a glimpse of the woman. She was at her dressing table, adjusting the pins in her dark brown hair. It was as if she knew he was watching and was deliberately taunting him.She was passable in appearance, but he had seen her on the street and had not been particularly impressed with her looks. She was overly tall for a woman and her forceful character was etched on her face. She was dangerous. It was all there in her unnerving eyes.The woman rose from the dressing table chair and moved out of sight. A moment later he heard the muffled sound of the bedroom door opening and closing.Silence.

He slid the cage door aside and opened the wooden panel. The wall sconce had been turned down low but he could make out the bed, the dressing table, and the wardrobe.

He moved out of the lift. The heady exhilaration he always experienced at such moments roared through him. With every step of the ritual he came closer to achieving his own purification.
For a precious few seconds he debated where to leave his gift. The bed or the dressing table?
The bed, he decided. So much more intimate.

He made his way out through the tradesmen’s entrance and slipped, unseen, into the gardens. The gate was still unlocked, just as he had left it.

A few minutes later he was lost in the fog. The weight of the knife in its sheath beneath his greatcoat was reassuring.

The ritual was almost complete.

The woman with the unnerving eyes would soon understand that she belonged to him. It was her destiny to be the one to cleanse him. He was certain of it. The connection between them was a bond that could be shattered only by death.

About Author

Jayne Anne Krentz / Amanda Quick

The author of a string of New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ uses three different pen names for each of her three “worlds”. As JAYNE ANN KRENTZ (her married name) she writes contemporary romantic-suspense. She uses AMANDA QUICK for her novels of historical romantic-suspense. JAYNE CASTLE (her birth name) is reserved these days for her stories of futuristic/paranormal romantic-suspense.
“I am often asked why I use a variety of pen names,” she says. “The answer is that this way readers always know which of my three worlds they will be entering when they pick up one of my books.”
In addition to her fiction writing, she is the editor of, and a contributor to, a non-fiction essay collection, DANGEROUS MEN AND ADVENTUROUS WOMEN: ROMANCE WRITERS ON THE APPEAL OF THE ROMANCE published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. Her commitment to her chosen genre has been strong from the very beginning of her career. Each year at the annual convention of the Romance Writers of America she participates in a special day-long workshop for librarians and speaks on the importance of the romance genre.
“The romance genre is the only genre where readers are guaranteed novels that place the heroine at the heart of the story,” Jayne says. “These are books that celebrate women’s heroic virtues and values: courage, honor, determination and a belief in the healing power of love.”
She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full-time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.
She is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.
Author Links