kimbacaffeinate
Written on Apr 1, 2016
- Amanda Quick is a masterful storyteller with delightfully unique characters and her historical mysteries always offer unexpected twists. I delight in gathering the clues and holding my breath when the hero and heroine face down danger. In ‘Til Death Do Us Part, Quick surprised me with the reveal and I friggin’ love when that happens.
- Quick has a way with her characters and such was the case with Calista Langley and Trent Hastings. Calista and her younger brother Andrew inherited a sizeable estate in town, but sadly are house poor. Needing a way to secure income she began an Introduction agency and hosts parties in her saloon. I liked Calista. She has a head for business and delights in offering a safe gathering place for singles to meet. She is level-headed and is very careful to protect her reputation. Trent Hastings is a bit of a reclusive after a terrible accident scarred one side of his face and body. He is also a mystery writer whose stories are the talk of London. When his sister begins attending Calista’s saloons he feels obligated to check things out, and upon meeting Calista he finds himself intrigued. Secondary characters in the form of siblings, suspects and servants offered side threads that were strong and entertaining. Quick made each character memorable and I quickly became caught up in their world.
- The mystery was both macabre and suspenseful. Calista is receiving gifts meant for someone in deep mourning. The gifts include a black mirror, funeral wreath, jar to catch and hold tears, and the newest a ring with a black stone. All of the gifts come with a note, “’til death do us part” and each engraved with her initials. The whole plot had a very gothic tone to it. Hastings becomes involved when he visits Calista as she returns home with her newest gift. It has unnerved Calista and it quite alarms Hastings.
- The romance is slow to develop but filled with banter, a touch of snark, tender moments and delicious heat that had me smiling. Despite his physical imperfections, Trent made a wonderful hero. He was smart, protective and very much like the detective in his stories. Both are a little odd, a little damaged and their chemistry felt genuine.
- Secondary characters, the death trinkets and twists in this clever mystery allowed me to devour ‘Til Death Do Us Part in two sittings. From beginning to end, the story was well paced delivering a mix of dangerous moments and delightfully intimate moments with the characters. I enjoyed how balanced all the threads were and how controlled Quick was with the mystery. One of the things that made me laugh throughout the story was Londoners critiquing Hastings newest mystery book. Each week a new chapter releases in the paper before the book is bound in a book. It is one of many clever things Quick added to the story, which gave it depth and fleshed out the characters.
Copy provided by publisher, This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer