Customer Reviews

Wicked Widow

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(26)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

This latest Quick novel is heavier on intrigue/plot. I was pulled along by the uncertainty of the real identity of the villain, but like other readers, I had seen this plot in action before.

The intrigue plot forms the backbone of this book more than other Quick books. The heroine's dead husband's ghost is supposedly haunting her, she seeks help from the hero for this and other issues. The hero is pursuing a vengeance of his own. Most of the book is spent on one of these two aspects.

The romance aspect of Wicked Widow was curiously played down, I'm not sure why. Their relationship was beleivable, but lacked the 'one true love' feeling I expect from a romance novel. They seemed to be two nice people with awful pasts who make a nice relationship.

The Vanza aspect will probably turn off some people. I found it less annoying in this book than in I Thee Wed, but certainly not as well done as in Deep Waters (writing as Jayne Ann Krentz). In Deep Waters, the psuedo-martial art formed a major part of the hero's character-it gave him an identity and workable approach to life. Although the hero in Wicked Widow is a master of Vanza, and the heroine studied it under her father (and strangly associates every Vanza practicioner with her insane dead husband instead of with her beloved, deceased father), the philosophy seems more a plot devce than a character philosophy.

That said, this Quick book was much better written in my opinion, than the past several. It was beleivable for the most part (except the demises of the hero's revenge plot, which was dropped rather abruptly) and I found myself caught up, wanting to know what happened next.

Also, Quick has supplied some fun secondary characters-she's excellent at them. These characters are as good and fun as early, classic Quick. The new plot had enough twists to it that I still wasn't sure how it would turn out, and the dialogue was snappy.

I wish she would consider trying out a new angle though. I wasn't as frustrated with this book ( I was with her last couple). Wicked Widow provided me with a comfortable and enjoyable couple of hours. I hope she makes some changes though, especially with her character types (maybe the hero could be quirky, spunky, and fun and the heroine could be stoically bent on revenge and honor). It's not that I don't like them so much-it's that she seems bored with them.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy comfortable reads. There are no surprises here, but instead a steady (if not spectacular) enjoyment.

The book contained many elements previously visited by the author. The only thing wrong with this is that her fans know for a fact that the author can do a much better job with all of them than she has in her recent works.

Heroine has undeserved reputation: This was fairly well developed in Zinnia (Jayne Castle), but I never felt like the 'the wicked widow' suffered from her reputation, juicy as it was.

Hero plots long and complicated revenge: In this book I felt like the revenge was too long in coming, yet not very complicated. Surely it didn't take him 5 years to come up with a phony-investment con job? Not to mention the way he loses interest before following through. It disturbed me to find him calmly interviewing one of his dead lover's rapists because his new lover's problems have become his priority.

Heroine has prejudices that cause relationship conflict: While the heroine plays lip service to not trusting Vanza types, I never felt like this was truly a barrier between her and the hero. This was much better done in the Gift of Gold/Fire books (Jayne Ann Krentz), and much more humorously done in Zinnia.

I can only assume that the author's getting tired of the same ol' thing. I hope that she finds material that she can be passionate about again.

I have been waiting to read this book for a year, so I was quite disappointed that it didn't live up to the expectation I was harboring. For the past few years, Jayne Anne Krentz's historicals (written as Amanda Quick) have been sadly lacking. The heroes are no longer titled, the attraction between the heroes and heroines are no longer so ... I don't know ... what's the word ...primal, maybe? And now Quick is placing more emphasis on the mystery than on the relationship. Even then I'd have given the book a 4 if the mystery didn't read like something straight out of a Scooby Doo show.

Granted, Krentz/Quick is an author I'm more critical of than others because she's so exceptionally talented. Nevertheless, her historicals and contemporaries have both been missing that something special lately that makes it worth paying for a hardcover.

My advice is two-fold: (1) wait for the paperback and switch to her futuristics (under the name Jayne Castle). Her futuristics are still 5+ stars.

Having been an Amanda Quick fan from the beginning(Seduction is a wonderful book) I am saddened by the deterioration reflected in her last 4-5 books. Her earlier books were characterized by intricate plots and layers of character development. Her heroes and heroines had depth and in fact were people you wanted to invite for dinner. I stopped buying them( I get them from the library) several books ago. Having just read the Wicked Widow, I am now going to stop reading them.PS, is it my imagination or have all successful paperback authors undergone similar transformations as they move to hardback? Elizabeth Lowell is also quickly degenerating as well,

I'm not a fan of historicals; however, the title of Ms. Quick's latest release caught my eye several months ago so I ordered it. I am so glad I did. This is a delightful romp with wonderful characters and the sharp, witty dialogue that has been missing from her last couple of books.

Madeline Deveridge is known as the Wicked Widow. They say she killed her husband. The gentlemen of society have placed wagers for the man who can spend the night with her and live to tell about it. Madeline is being haunted by her late husband. She enlists the aid of Artemis Hunt to help her find him. Artemis, like her late husband, is involved in Vanza, a philosphy featured in past novels by Ms. Quick. Artemis doesn't know how Madeline has learned so many of his secrets, but he is determined to find out. Sparks fly between them and the story takes off.

This is one of the best books by Ms. Quick in a long time. If you love drama, great dialogue, the characters that capture your interest, you will want to read this book!

It was OK. Not like her other books and it did not quite hold my attention. I could put it down and get back to it. It seemed that Madeline and Artemis met each other, searched for the bad guy, had sex, fell in love, thwarted the bad guy, and wanted to get married all in one day. Since I usually enjoy ready her books I will continue to buy her hard covers although the price seems awfully steep for this book.

Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz needs a vacation. She keeps cranking out the same old plot, over and over again. Where are the intellegent, strong women and passionate, interesting men that drew me to her writing in the first place? Now you get wimps of both genders. And boring sex. Heck, I don't need to buy a book for that!

OK, so you want the plot -- young woman is trying to solve a crime and enlists the assistance of a mysterious man with his own revenge agenda. They fall in love (she earlier than he). They face some type of physical danger from an mysterious person who should be dead but maybe isn't. And let's not forget the unpleasant subplot of a young woman abducted and gang-raped. Sound familiar? If not, then you haven't read any of her last four books under both names.

Amanda/Jayne Ann, I beg you. Take a break and get your edge back. I really enjoyed your earlier works. But you've either burned out under the pressure of performance or have taken to hiring trained chimpanzees to write your novels for you. Either way, it's an insulting waste of my good money.

Boring and weak is the best way to descibe this book. A rip off because this book could have very easily been sold in the paperbook mode and not the very expensive hardback. No need to review the book because if you have read her last two you will know the plot and the characters and of course the bad guy. Oh well, now I know that I will wait to purchase her next one after it becomes available in the paperback release. Better yet hit the library and save myself my hard earned cash.

Every year I eagerly await the latest addition to my Amanda Quick collection. This one was a disappointment. The whole Vanza angle has been exhausted. Character development was not as extensive as previous Quick works.Had a hard time finishing this one.

Having just finished re-reading Scandal, Desire, and Deception, I settled down with Wicked Widow with anticipation. Before the end of the first 100 pages, I was wondering if Amanda Quick was on sabbatical and a high school creative writing student had taken her place. Where, I wondered, is the richness and fun of her previous books? Reading Wicked Widow was like a eating a TV dinner when I expected at least a respectable repast. Compared to Quick's previous works, Widow is flaccid, catchpenny and slipshod. Where are her usually wonderfully developed characters? The satisfyingly thick plots with lots to chew on? By the time I finished it, I wanted to call up Jayne Krentz (the real Amanda Quick) and ask her "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

As for the Wicked Widow, the Quick fan is better served going back to her previous novels, which are funny, romantic and fulfulling. Wicked Widow is not up to the Quick standard.