'Til Death Do Us Part
by Amanda Quick~ Goodreads ~
Rating: 2.5 Stars
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...
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...
Okay, so this is my first Amanda Quick book (fourth work by this author as I had read three other stories written as Jayne Castle that I very much enjoyed), but I get the feeling that this wasn't her best work. In fact, I almost had the distinct feeling that the author might have slept through the writing of this book, because it felt sloppy and almost juvenile.
'Til Death Do Us Part was enjoyable. But at the same time, I just felt like it could have been better. It had a great premise and wonderful characters to play off of. Not to speak of the fact that Amanda Quick has decently serviceable writing. Unfortunately, it was the entire execution of the story that felt awkward, maybe even forced.
I mean, it's not like I was expecting Grade A material mystery stuff, but all the surprises, twists, and secret reveals seemed so conveniently laid out that I could just see the author pulling plot devices from a jar and laying them in all of the most deliberate spots in her story to get from Point A to Secret Reveal B without much effort. It was a little disappointing actually, because the book started off pretty intriguing.
And also, Exposition Fairies--every last character in this book! I suppose I'm just not familiar enough with historical mysteries to really form a proper opinion.
Anyway...
There was a bit of a detachment among all the characters which made it really hard to relate with them. The character bios are pretty great on paper, but in action, they're actually kind of boring. Add onto that a lot of random filler material and this book was a whole can of 'meh', really. Even the romance felt a bit comedic, and the sex scene was kind of awkward, honestly.
Still, I can't say that I didn't enjoy it even if I found it a bit lacking.
Also, did the main characters remind anyone else of a “Scooby Gang” type of investigating team?
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2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
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