Book Review: The Lady Has a Past by Amanda Quick

The Lady Has a Past

by Amanda Quick (Quick)

 

Amanda Quick, aka Jayne Ann Krentz, is back with another historical romance title in her Burning Cove series. Burning Cove is a seaside California town that caters to the rich and famous in the 1930s. Each of the five titles in the series features a strong female character who stumbles into a murder mystery and uncovers the dark truth with the help of a handsome, strong male counterpart. Some of the books carry over characters and places, but it’s not mandatory to read the books in order to enjoy the titles.

 

This installment features a novice private investigator, Lyra Brazier. After a bumpy first day on the job in which she kills a man with a golf club, the next day she returns to find her boss and mentor Raina Kirk leaving the office to help an old friend. But it soon becomes clear that something else is brewing as Raina disappears from the lavish Labrynth Springs Hotel and Spa.

 

When Lyra is determined to look into Raina’s disappearance, nightclub owner Luther Pell (Raina’s boyfriend) employs a “bodyguard” of sorts to aid in her investigation. Enter Lyra’s love interest. Instead of a muscle-bound gangster, Lyra is paired with the cool, quiet antiquarian book dealer Simon Cage. Behind his steely eyes Cage hides a special paranormal ability that hopefully will save Raina–and both of them–from an untimely end.

 

I enjoyed this book because it was a fun read with quick action, steamy romance, and short chapters that keeps you intrigued until the end. Krentz is a bestselling author for good reason and I look forward to the next Burning Cove installment..

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick or Tightrope also by Amanda Quick.]

[ official The Lady Has a Past page on the official Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz web site ]

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Services

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Northern Lights [on dvd]

Northern Lights
by Nora Roberts [DVD Northern]

Another in the series of eight made-for-TV-movie adaptations of Nora Roberts bestsellers. This one features country singer LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian as the leads, and is set in a remote Alaskan outpost town, Lunacy. Cibrian plays Nate Burns, a former Baltimore cop, escaping from a personal tragedy by taking a job as the new Chief of Police in Lunacy. Rimes plays Meg Galligan, a bush pilot with some skeletons in her own personal closet. When mountain climbers discover the preserved, murdered, body of Meg's father -- who had disappeared 15 years earlier -- this sets off a chain reaction of violence and suspicion in the small town. Cibrian and Rimes have good chemistry together, and Rosanna Arquette plays well against Rimes as Meg's estranged mother. The mystery in this romantic suspense tale is pretty flimsy, but you watch this type of movie for the relationships, and this one doesn't disappoint in that area. An entertaining 90 minutes. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print and book-on-cd formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Northern Lights web site ]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Customer Review - The Honeymoon

The Honeymoon
by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

This book makes a great summer beach read. It has suspense, romance, and lots of twists & turns! Once I started reading the book I had a hard time putting it down. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing as to what will happen next. James Patterson has outdone himself with this one!!! -- recommended by Mistie P. - patron of the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you enjoy this review? Would you like to submit a recommendation of your own?

Library customers can submit reviews of Lincoln City Libraries materials two ways -- you can submit a review of an item directly in the libraries' online catalog, which can be seen by people searching for that particular item. Or you can submit a reading suggestion for general recommendation, to appear on BookGuide on our Customer Reviews page.

Carolina Moon on DVD

Carolina Moon
by Nora Roberts

One of eight Nora Roberts novels that have been adapted as TV-movies/DVD-movies in the past few years. In this one, Claire Forlani plays Tory, a young woman returning to her childhood hometown to relaunch her life and mend some broken fences. Tory has a psychic ability to see flashes of a brutal killer's crimes...that date back to when Tory's best friend was killed when they were both pre-teens. As Tory reconnects with both friends and enemies from her past, she has to decide whether to use her special ability to help catch the killer before they strike again. Both Forlani and Oliver Hudson turn int fine performances as the leads, as does Josie Davis, as Tory's former antagonist Faith. This is definitely a "romantic suspense", but with more emphasis on the suspense than the romance. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print, unabridged audiotape, unabridged book-on-cd, and Large Type formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ Lifetime TV Network's official Carolina Moon web site ]

Have you seen this movie on DVD? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Blue Smoke [on DVD]

Blue Smoke

by Nora Roberts

I grabbed this one off of the DVD display because it featured Alicia Witt, who I had enjoyed as the daughter on the Cybill show back in the late 1990s. This is a traditional romantic suspense drama, with Witt playing Reena Hale, an arson investigator who's been obsessed with the danger and beauty of fire ever since her family's pizzeria was destroyed by an arsonist when she was 11. Two past boyfriends of Reena's have met grisly ends, and Reena is determined to prove that a series of seemingly unconnected fires is all connected to her and her family. Meanwhile, her new next-door neighbor, Bo, proves to be a charming distraction....until a vengeful figure from her past threatens to make Bo a third fatality in Reena's love life. The performances were all above average, especially Witt, who brings a sense of strength laced with vulnerability to Reena. Scott "Quantum Leap" Bakula is solid as Reena's investigative mentor, and the various actors (including Talia Shire) portraying Reena's extended family truly do seem like a family. If you're looking for a light romance with a dark suspenseful edge, I recommend this one. It won't stay with you for long, but it'll entertain you while you're watching it. This is one of a series of Nora Roberts stories adapted simultaneously to DVD. You might want to look for some of the other volumes, like "Carolina Moon", "Montana Sky", "Sanctuary" or "Northern Lights" (to name but a few). -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print, book-on-cd, and Large Print formats.]

Have you seen this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.