Customer Reviews

The River Knows

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I may be a man, and not just a man, but a family man, but even I like to spend Sunday afternoons lying in my hammock with the latest Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) novel in one hand and a frosty brew in the other, so completely lost in the Victorian world of Quick's imagination that the noises of my kids playing in the yard, my neighbor mowing his lawn, and my wife yelling at me to get off my lazy bum all fade into the dim background. That's usually when I get the urge to pee.

That doesn't compare, of course, to Louisa Bryce's urge to uncover Elwin Hasting's dark secrets, one of which may have something to do with the recent drowning of several women in the Thames, one of whom was the fiancee of wealthy, handsome Anthony Stalbridge.

The unlikely partnership of the "unimportant, unfashionable, excessively dull" Louisa Bryce and the dashing Anthony Stalbridge begins with an expedient but passionless kiss but soon leads them into danger, suspense, and even possible romance as they investigate the mysterious Elwin Hasting in the dark underworld of Victorian England. Quick writes not only a compelling tale, but a quick-footed and quick-witted one, leading our intrepid duo further into the privileged world of the upperclass and the dark belly of the underclass, both shrouded in secrets and dealings that, dare I say it, only the river knows.

THE RIVER KNOWS reminds me of all the great older Quick novels. No Arcane Society or psychic powers just a wonderful mystery and romance set in the time of Queen Victoria.

Lousia Bryce is persuing a career as an informant and writer for one of the Newspapers that circulates in London. She writes under the name I.M. Phantom. She is currently investigating Mr. Elwin Hastings. He is suspected of funding one of the many brothels in London. Lousia is the companion of Lady Ashton and as a result has the ability to travel amongst the titled and wealthy. Being a companion she is rarely noticed, until Anthony Stalbridge takes an unwanted interest in the widow.

Anthony is the scion of a wealthy, eccentric family. A year earlier his fiancee committed suicide by jumping from a bridge. He has been searching for a reason or a killer, since he does not believe she killed herself. The search has led him to Mr. Hastings and now to Louisa. The very fact that she tries so hard to be invisible and suceeds at it, fasinates Anthony and when he rescues her with a kiss he finds there is a fire hidden under the drab exterior.

While seeking a chance to go through Hastings papers she is almost discovered and only the quick thinking of Anthony saves them both for he is also wanting to search Hastings safe. Discovering that both are interested in Hastings they join efforts and share information. Anthony knows that his fiancee went into a garden where Hastings and his wife were and she never came out. A few days later Hastings wife jumps or was pushed from the same bridge and a week later the owner of a bookstore committed suicide by jumping from the bridge. Something tells him it is no coincidence. Lousia is disgusted by the brothel which forces ladys and women whose husbands leave them in debt to work as ladies of the evening to pay off the debts. Togather they investigate Hastings. The only trouble is Louisa has her own secrets that could cost her her life. As she falls helplessly in love with Anthony she knows she can never have a life with him. He is also very friendly with a detective from Scotland Yard.

I really loved this book, one of the best she has written in some time. Do not miss it.

"This is the thing with an illicit affair....It cannot end happily." Oh, but yes it can --- and it does --- in Amanda Quick's latest romance novel, THE RIVER KNOWS. Where love and romance and excitingly dangerous liaisons are concerned, "There are exceptions to every rule" --- and we wouldn't have it any other way. Amanda Quick, a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, shows us the way to romantic bliss.

Steamy Victorian passion and devastating kisses are what fans of Quick desire. The New York Times bestselling author reveals that the Victorian Age was not quite so straight-laced after all. It was a time of romantic trysts inside the crested carriages that clop-clop-clopped down foggy London streets, long walks in moonlit gardens that led to stolen moments behind large, perfectly trimmed bushes. The seclusion and humidity of the conservatory provided a private location for the passion that novelists and playwrights wrote about. Lovers seeking to ravish and indulge their passions stole away from elegant balls for exhilarating interludes.

Not only do we enjoy a peek behind closed carriages, we also read that there were many bright, educated and talented women who secretly and/or openly engaged in journalism, playwriting, painting and mercantilism. Some even presided successfully as a scantily clad brothel Madam. In a time when it was common for a young woman to wait patiently until she was swept off her feet by a wealthy, handsome Lord, it is refreshing to read here about a Victorian family with "razor-sharp intelligence and forceful willpower" and the young women who forged the very beginnings of the sexual revolution.

THE RIVER KNOWS revolves around Louisa Bryce, who has a secret that only her employer, Lady Ashton, knows --- one that surely would send her to jail. Louisa is determined to flush out the rogues of Society by writing tabloid articles under the name "I.M. Phantom" for the Flying Intelligencer, a "disreputable paper that thrives on the most lurid sensations." Louisa's romantic experience is limited to what she has read in sensation novels; she is captivated by the portrayal of illicit passion as a "transcendent experience."

When Louisa meets Anthony Stalbridge, a handsome member of Society with impeccable bloodlines, at the Hammond ball, Louisa falls in love at that first moment. Louisa undertakes a brazen quest to expose the shocking activities within Polite Society, including the murder of Fiona Risby, Anthony Stalbridge's fiancé. Louisa and Anthony find themselves in intimate circumstances as they delve into the business affairs and blackmail schemes of Elwin Hastings, a prominent member of Society who is at the center of several mysterious deaths. Anthony fears that he failed to protect Fiona from the circumstances that led to her suicide in the river Thames. The clues take the reader from brothels to an attempt on Anthony's life in London's Arden Park to clandestine meetings in foggy alleys and straight to Elwin Hastings's former wife --- who comes back from the murky waters to expose Hastings.

When the servants have the afternoon off, the young lovers bring to life a scene from one of the many sensation novels Louisa has read. Anthony leaves Louisa breathless with kisses and the "transcendent experience" of an illicit tryst. However, danger lurks as the pair gets closer to the truth behind the deaths, and Anthony must rely on his eccentric family to help him save Louisa from the depths of a darkened dungeon.

The "Polite World" of Victorian London had its share of secrets, romantic trysts, villains and marriages based on money, property and family connections. What I was surprised to learn was that Louisa possessed a "wide assortment of sensation novels...filled with stories of illicit love affairs." Quick's books portray an age of privilege and passions, contrary to the belief that Victorian London was staid and proper.

Novels of romantic bliss are not without peril and insecurities. Matters of the heart are mostly complicated, and Louisa finds herself thinking, "Live for the here and now; it is all you will ever have with Anthony." If you believe, as I do, that it's possible to fall in love (or lust) at first sight, then prepare to abandon yourself to the fantasy of romantic bliss a la Amanda Quick.

--- Reviewed by Hillary Wagy

Anthony Stalbridge is highly placed in society even though his family is considered very eccentric. At present his image is tarnished because his fiancée committed suicide and there are rumors that he was breaking off their engagement. Although Anthony is sure she was murdered, he wants to find the killer in the hopes that it was nothing he did or didn't do that caused her demise. He believes Edwin Hastings had something to do with her death and he tries to break into the man's bedroom safe.

Coming out of his Hasting's bedroom is Louisa Bryce who is looking into Hastings investment in a brothel. They meet up with each other and he grabs and kisses her because he hears a guard coming. After they leave, they talk about why they are interested in the same man. Louisa wants to write a story about him and Anthony wants to prove he murdered his fiancée. Later that night he breaks into the safe and finds his fiancée's necklace there as well as proof that the man is an investor in the brothel. As Louisa and Anthony work together to bring Hastings down, they fall in love but she has a dark secret that she hides from everyone and fears when she tells Anthony he will turn from her in disgust.

Taking place in the late Victorian era, THE RIVER KNOWS is a fantastic romantic thriller. Like any Amanda Quick novel, this book is a charmer due to the realistic characters who don't quite fit the society mold. Their amusing antics will have readers chuckling out loud while the support cast moves the plot along quite subtly in a tantalizing tale filled with plenty of action and quite a few surprises.

Harriet Klausner

In my opinion, The River Knows is one of Amanda Quick's best! From the opening, the air of suspense builds until the action packed end. The search for truth brings Anthony Stalbridge and Louisa Bryce together. Louisa is spirited and independent and Anthony is something of a free thinker, too. As fans of Ms. Quick will know, the romance between the two is lots of fun. I enjoyed the mix of humor, suspense, and romance -- the mystery left me guessing to near the end. The River Knows was lots of fun to read. I highly recommend it to fans of romantic suspense.

As a long time Amanda Quick fan, I wanted to like this book but was horribly disappointed. As other reviewers have said the slow moving, improbable plot dragged until the last several chapters when everything was hurriedly tied up with a neat little bow. The characters were one dimensional, poorly developed and lacked any sort of chemistry. I also feel that neither the hero nor the heroine were especially bright. The "widow" is still a virgin? No problem. A fashionably dressed woman in black is stalking you while you are investigating a murder? Must be a hooker accidentally in the wrong neighborhood. You killed someone and faked your own death? Let's not even talk about and jump straight to the bit were we live happily ever after with my kooky yet lovable family, who hardly knows you but thinks you're wonderful anyway. Several scenes and supporting characters seemed to be lifted straight out of earlier books. All in all, this book was a waste of the time I spent hoping it would get better. I am glad I got it from the library instead of wasting the money on a hardcover as well. If you must read this book, I suggest you do the same.

When she is forced to murder a London gentleman who sneaks into her home, Joanna Barclay decides to fake her own suicide and reinvent herself as Louisa Bryce, the distant relative of an old Society matron. With the past behind her, it would be easy for Louisa to accept her new role in life and forget about the past. Still, she finds herself drawn to the scandal and intrigue that forced her from her old life and takes on a role as a correspondent for one of London's sensation papers The Flying Intelligencer. When her journalistic investigations involve her in the case of Elwin Hastings, a gentleman who has secret connections to a notorious brothel, Louisa joins forces with someone else who is investigating Hastings, Mr. Anthongy Stalbridge. When Louisa and Anthony get together, their mutual attraction begins to distract them from their investigations. Soon they are involved in an illicit romance while carrying on secret investigations into Hastings' affairs.

The River knows was fine, but not great. It's the kind of book that is utterly forgettable. I doubt I'll remember much of this one in about a week and, instead, it will probably blend in with all the other Amanda Quick novels I've read in the past. Which is a shame. I really like Amanda Quick. Her books are funny, romantic, and mysterious. I usually like her heroines and storylines, but this one was filled with lackluster characters and a plot that was reminsicent of so many others that came before it. There was nothing new or exciting here, and I'm starting to think I might just have to wait for her books to come to paperback from now on. I've been disappointed the last few times I've gone for the hardback (most notably Second Sight, which was a waste of my time and hers). Anyway, if you're a Quick fan, I guess this book is worth reading. It's got all the things I've come to know and love about Quick's writing, but there's nothing new to distinguish it from the rest of the pack.

Louisa Bryce, the mysterious sensational journalist known as I. M.Phantom, has another secret that she must keep from the authorities or risk the hangman's noose. Anthony Stalbridge is searching for the answers to his fiance's apparent suicide by drowning in the Thames. The two join forces to find the truth and, in the process,love.

Amanda Quick has written a suspenseful Victorian thriller with fascinating main characters, sinister villians, and a host of supporting characters that neatly round out a tightly plotted, satisfying romantic suspense novel.

It was not that the story was so sensational, but that the main characters were so darn likable they made the story highly amusing and enjoyable.

Only a year or so ago, Louisa Bryce, a very intelligent woman, faked a suicide to run from the supposed murder of a very prominent, but very evil, man. Hired by Emma Ashton as a companion, someone to write her memoires, Louisa and Emma quickly become fast friends, where Louisa confesses all. In order to help, Emma is playing off Louisa as a distant cousin from the country who is now widowed. "Unimportant, unfashionable and excessively dull", Louisa manages to squeeze around the Polite World, uncovering deep secrets of the weathly Society ton. She is, after all, a journalist for the Flying Intelligencer, a notorious rag; pen name: I. M. Phantom. No one knows her background, and she intends to keep it that way.

Convinced that Elwin Hastings is up to no good, let alone a possible murderer, she sets off to investigate and find the truth. During a ball, she slips unoticed up the stairs to search his rooms. Leaving his bedroom, she is caught by Anthony Stalbridge, saving her from almost being caught by one of Hastings's personal hired guards. Seems that Anthony is convinced that Hastings murdered his fiancee, Fiona Risby. He's looking for proof - regardless if Hastings pays for his crimes, he still wants the proof. With a quick-witted discussion, the two become unlikely partners, both after the same goal.

And that's when the fun begins. Evidence is found in the way of business papers and one of Fiona's very expensive necklace (the one she was wearing the night she disappeared from a party); now Anthony and Louisa are sure there is more afoot and continue to dig. Louisa would like nothing more than to expose him to the Society he so desperately wants to belong to. Anthony wants him to confess to murdering Fiona. Will they get what they covet most?

Oh, you most certainly bet they do - almost more than they bargain for. Yes, you find out early on the who and what, but it's how the plot came about and to a close that keeps your attention. The more they dig, the more facts come to light, the more questions answered and more arise, that have you focussing on the story, and the main characters.

Louisa is a strong and intelligent woman, regardless of her naivete. She fights for what she believes is right, even if she's putting herself unknowingly in harm's way. Anthony is the only person in his family with a head for finances; seems his father, mother and sister are the eccentric artists of the family. Strong-willed and relentless, he had spotted Louisa right off and became intrigued by the unknown woman; he could see the intelligence in her eyes, no matter how dull she made herself seem in the form of dress and conversation. And the more time they spend together, the more they fall in love with each other. But Louisa believes that it can be nothing more than an illicit affair, especially knowing that, if anyone discovered her past, she'd be hanged for murder.

Quick-witted conversations, discussions and the hot passion they feel for each other will have you believing they are made for each other - two halves of a whole. I liked how Quick touched base on what it was like for woman in that day in age, where women were really considered the weaker sex, where they were valued for their looks, bloodline and money, not for their mind. I like how, not once but twice, Louisa rises above, first after her father dies, then after her faked suicide. It was nice to see Anthony falling in love with her, first and foremost, for her intelligence and integrity. Perfect match. Great climax to the story, even if you did see it coming. Couldn't have asked for better!