Series Review: Vanza

Vanza

by Amanda Quick
Book #1: With This Ring | Goodreads | Rating:  3.0 Stars
Book #2: I Thee Wed | Goodreads | Rating:  3.0 Stars
Book #3: Wicked Widow | Goodreads | Rating:  2.5 Stars
Book #4: Lie by Moonlight | Goodreads | Rating:  4.0 Stars

Average Series Rating:  3.125 Stars

I find it hard to review a book series by Amanda Quick (or Jayne Ann Krentz, if you will) without ultimately clumping the entire series together into one post.  Mainly because the stories become so by rote that there's little to say about them outside of the typical admissions of enjoyment, entertainment, and fun had by all.

Leo Drake, the "Mad Monk of Monkcrest," is notoriously eccentric and unquestionably reclusive.  But he is also a noted antiquities expert, which is why Beatrice Poole has demanded his reluctant assistance.

The freethinking authoress of "horrid novels," Beatrice is searching for the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite, a mythic treasure she suspects played a role in her uncle's death.  Beatrice finds Leo every bit as fascinating as one of the heroes in her novels--and she's convinced he's the only one who can help her.  But after only five minutes in her company, Leo is sure he's never met a woman more infuriating...and more likely to rescue him from boredom.

Yet the alliance may well prove to be the biggest mistake of their lives.  For a villain lurks in London, waiting for the pair to unearth the Forbidden Rings--knowing that when they do, that day will be their last....

I came across a short review of someone's who described this book as kind of ridiculous, yet highly enjoyable.  I'm in agreement.  Although not as highly enjoyable as other Amanda Quick books I've already read, this book DOES indeed contain the typical Amanda Quick charm... even if nothing really stood out.

It isn't easy making a living as a lady's companion when one possesses a sharp tongue and an original mind.  That's why Emma Greyson has gone through three such positions in six months. Her current post at a tiresome country house party has her bored to tears—until an extraordinary encounter with the legendary Edison Stokes leads to a secret position as his assistant.

Stokes is on a peculiar mission, searching for an anonymous thief who has stolen an ancient book of arcane potions.  He suspects his quarry is among the party's guests—and that the villain is looking for an intuitive woman on whom to test a certain elixir.  A woman just like Emma...

For Emma, the new post brings unexpected passion and chilling danger.  But when murder strikes, she realizes the awful truth.  Unless she and Edison devise a scheme to outwit a merciless killer, she could forever lose the man of her dreams—and even her very life....

It's hard to say how I felt about this one.  It was a bit more memorable, maybe, but I had a hard time liking the hero, because he was more jackass than the usual Amanda Quick hero.  The heroine was standard for Amanda Quick.  And I probably would have liked to see more from the secondary character partners-in-crime, so kind of enjoyed the grandmother's ultimate involvement nearing the end.

That's about all.

Madeline Deveridge is aware of the whispers behind her back, the rumors that she dispatched her husband to the next world and concealed her crime.  But she has a far more pressing problem than her reputation as the Wicked Widow.  It's impossible to believe that her late husband is haunting her and her aunt, but something odd is happening, and Madeline doesn't dare take chances.

Summoning the brilliant, reclusive Artemas Hunt, secret owner of London's favorite pleasure pavilions and master of arcane talents, she blackmails him into providing help.  As soon as the bargain is struck, Artemas and Madeline find their arrangement complicated by searing desire, and the frightening recognition that the ghost poses a very real danger.  Now they must plunge into a world of intrigue and ancient mysteries, where a calculating killer — and a tantalizing passion — will not be denied.

I gave this book in the series the lowest rating and I barely recall why.  I didn't really like it and found the main hero, Artemas to be even more jackass than the jackass of the previous book in this series.  But that's about all I remember.  Sad, isn't it?

While investigating a suspicious death, private inquiry agent Ambrose Wells finds himself on the grounds of Aldwick Castle---and in the midst of utter chaos.  The ramshackle castle is in flames--and a beautiful woman and four young girls are taking flight on horseback.  It turns out that the strong-minded Miss Concordia Glade and her four bright students are on the run from a notorious London crime lord who'll stop at nothing to destroy them.  Now, their only hope is Ambrose, a confirmed loner with more than his share of secrets--and more than his share of desire for the unconventional teacher.  And as Ambrose and Concordia risk everything to bring down a criminal mastermind, they will also be forced to battle something even greater: the steamy passion that threatens their hard-worn independence...

This final book in the Vanza series is on more familiar ground with me pertaining to Amanda Quick.  The hero is broody, but not a big jackass, as the previous two heroes were.  I even like that we're nearing a more modern age where issues of women's suffrage comes up.  Both Concordia and Ambrose are quite enjoyable characters and very likable, as are typical of Amanda Quick characters.

The investigation felt a bit better handled, and I loved the inclusion of the four young girls, Concordia's students.  They made the book more entertaining, especially watching the interactions between them and Concordia, as well as with Ambrose.