Affair [Mass Market Paperback]

Amanda Quick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2, 1998

Charlotte Arkendale knew all there was to know about men. After all, she'd made a career out of steering marriage-minded women away from untrustworthy members of the opposite sex.

Yet nothing could have prepared her for Baxter St. Ives--an arresting stranger too daring, too determined, too dangerous to be her new man-of-affairs. Still, perhaps he was the perfect person to help Charlotte investigate the recent murder of one of her clients. So she gave him a chance, never realizing that Baxter, a gifted scientist, would soon conduct a risky exploration into the alchemy of desire, with Charlotte as his subject.

But even as he sets out to seduce Charlotte, a twisted killer lies in wait, ready to part the lovers...or see them joined together forever--in death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Regency writer Amanda Quick is one of romance's greatest authors for a reason: she can manipulate even the most discerning reader. In Affair, she takes the most unlikely hero, a nondescript, scientific nerd, and a bastard, and turns him into one of the most desirable "to-die-for heroes" ever. Of course, as the reader, you feel that you (and the heroine) are the only ones in on this fabulous secret. Of course, there's a great plot, great sex, and a happy ending, too! Don't miss this one! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Wot? A female private eye in Regency England? Quick looks to add to her string of 11 consecutive best sellers.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Bantam Mass Market Ed edition (February 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553574078
• ISBN-13: 978-0553574074
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #398,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

With a string of bestselling Regency and Victorian Era romantic-suspense novels under her quill, AMANDA QUICK (who also writes under the pen names JAYNE ANN KRENTZ and JAYNE CASTLE) entered the world of a highly secretive paranormal group, the ARCANE SOCIETY, with her novel SECOND SIGHT. The series moved into a contemporary setting when JAYNE ANN KRENTZ (Amanda's contemporary alter-ego) released the second book in the series, WHITE LIES.

This winter, the ARCANE SOCIETY continues with THE LOOKING GLASS TRILOGY. It begins with IN TOO DEEP by Jayne Ann Krentz this December. Amanda is working on QUICKSILVER, her Spring 2011 contribution is book 2 in the series. The trilogy will conclude when JAYNE CASTLE releases CANYONS OF NIGHT, the futuristic novel, in Summer 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 100 different books or the same book 100 times?, May 30, 2005

By 

Danusha Goska (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

It's said that Amanda Quick, a.k.a. Jayne Ann Krentz, has written a huge number of books ... is it a hundred?

After reading three of her works, I have to wonder ... has she written a hundred different books or the same book one hundred times?

I picked up "Paid Companion" by chance at the library; loved it. Reviewed it here.

Then I went out looking for Amanda Quick books; picked up "Wicked Widow." It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as much fun as "Paid Companion," and it used many of the same materials as found in "Paid Companion."

I thought, okay, I really enjoyed "Paid Companion;" let me give this author another try. I did, with "Affair."

I can't say what I'd think of this book if I had not read the previously mentioned books, but I had, so ... all I could think was, I've met these characters before; I've read these scenes before; I've read this exact same dialogue before.

The heroine is a spunky, high-born virgin who has lost her fortune because of nasty male relatives. The hero is unconventional but still very manly behind his glasses. The same intimate acts are performed, and they climax with the same exclamations.

There's even the same villain who makes the same appearance in the same costume at the same masquerade ball.

I know that genre novels are supposed to minimize surprises in order to maximize readers' comfort, but I find it really strange to encounter a series of men in Regency England who say the exact same thing upon completing intimate relations.

In any case, Quick is obviously doing many things very right. She does write sparkling dialogue, she does keep the plot moving along briskly, and she does create heroines a woman can like, admire, and cheer for.

I enjoyed the Quick books I've read so far, but given how similar they are, I don't know if I need to read another...although, given how much I enjoyed "Paid Companion," if someone here sends me an email saying I have to sample her favorite novel before I give up on Amanda Quick, I promise to do so.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A light romantic murder mystery with a strong heroine, June 25, 2007

By 

Tana L. Reeve "austinreadingmom" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

This Regency Romance features Miss Charlotte Arkendale who was betrayed by her stepfather and forced to make her way alone in London with her 14 year old sister. She creates a business for herself - looking into the affairs of potential husbands for spinsters and widows who have recently come into money to ensure that the men are worthy of marriage. She wants to save them from the fate of her own mother's terrible match with her stepfather. When one of Charlotte's clients, Miss Drusilla Heskett, is killed, Charlotte feels that she must investigate the murder to ensure that the murderer was not one of the suitors that Charlotte had advised her to reject. Baxter St. Ives is also investigating Miss Heskett's murder - and Charlotte is his prime suspect. I really enjoyed this light romantic murder mystery. Charlotte is a heroine with a lot of backbone and almost no fear.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing!, June 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Affair (Mass Market Paperback)

I have just finished this book and I found it very different from anything I have read so far. Firstly, the hero is (surprisingly) a scientist and this is already a difference. I was surprised actually and quite expected to find him not quite up to the Adonis kind of hero but he proved to be just as capable as if he had a title to his name and was rich. His dry wit was amusing and his fustrations very understandable. The herione, as independent and reckless as ever, was just as funny. I love the way that Amanda Quick can turn males and females who might not be perfect in looks into memorable characters that you'll never forget. I think that it's always refreshing to read about characters who are not always so perfect in every way to understand that not only true love can happen when you are attracted to looks but everyone has their own inner beauty and you just need to discover it. Another effective mystery in the book though it was a bit easy to solve but the process which they hero and heroine took to solve it themselves was just as great. A must read!