'Til Death Do Us Part

by Amanda Quick

Calista Langley operates an exclusive 'introduction; agency in Victorian London, catering to respectable ladies and gentlemen who find themselves alone in the world. But now, a dangerously obsessed individual has begun sending her trinkets and gifts suitable only for those in deepest mourning - a black mirror, a funeral wreath, a ring set with black jet stone. Each is engraved with her initials. Desperate for help and fearing that the police will be of no assistance, Calista turns to Trent Hastings, a reclusive author of popular crime novels. Believing that Calista may be taking advantage of his lonely sister, who has become one of her clients, Trent doesn't trust her. Scarred by his past, he's learned to keep his emotions at bay, even as an instant attraction threatens his resolve. But as Trent and Calista comb through files of rejected clients in hopes of identifying her tormentor, it becomes clear that the danger may be coming from Calista's own secret past - and that only her death will satisfy the stalker...

• ISBN10: 0349409420
• ISBN13: 9780349409429
• Publish Date: 19 April 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 31 May 2017
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: Piatkus Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to grab ‘Til Death Do Us Part

• 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

[ibeforem]

The beginning of this book really threw me off, but I'm glad I pushed through and kept going. It's a decent historical mystery -- not the best, but not the worst either. The romance portion was pretty mild, and there wasn't a lot of chemistry between Trent and Calista. But I did enjoy the mystery portion of the story (Calista has a stalker, but who is it?), and I liked the camaraderie between the two families. I generally enjoy Amanda Quick, so I'm sure I'll read more of her books.

[lizarodz]

Quite the Novel Idea http://quitethenovelidea.com http://quitethenovelidea.com/liza-reviews-til-death-us-part-amanda-quick/Once upon a time - before I began reading YA in earnest - I read a LOT of historical romance. One of my beloved authors of that genre is Amanda Quick (she also writes contemporary romances under Jane Ann Krentz). I was so excited when I saw 'Til Death Do Us Part in Netgalley and I thank Berkley for the approval :) I read this one as soon as I got it and loved it!

Many of Amanda Quick's historical romances take place in the regency era, but 'Til Death Do Us Part is Victorian and a little darker than some of her books. It is essentially a Gothic novel with some morbid elements such as memeto mori. These are items like pictures, bells, and rings with the purpose of commemorate someone's death. Different is good in this case!

Calista and her brother brother inherited a mammoth of a house from their grandmother, but not the means to maintain it and thus she comes up with the idea of an "introduction" agency. In other words, she interviews single people that are looking for companionship and then makes monthly events in her house in which like-minded individuals are introduced to each other. One of her clients is Trent's sister and that's the reason he wants to meet Calista. However, Calista is dealing with a very disturbing series of events that seems to indicate that she's being stalked by a madman that is leaving creepy items with her initials that are meant for death people.

Trent Hastings is a famous author of crime novels (sort of like Sherlock Holmes) and he happens to be visiting Calista just when she receives one of the offending objects. Trent is intrigued by her and the strength that he finds in her and he offers his help on finding the culprit. What follows is a great game of cat and mouse. I have to confess that I did not suspect who the culprit was or the reason until almost the end. The whole plot was so well thought out and frankly amazing.

Our main characters, Calista and Trent were so good, both separately and together. They are strong characters, survivors of trauma, loyal, oldest siblings taking care of their family and breadwinners. Together, they become even stronger, even if they are not perfect. Their attraction to each other is undeniable, and given that Calista has given up on love, they take it a step further. There is certainly romance, but not the flowery kind.

Can you tell that I love 'Til Death Do Us Part? I hope you can and that if you are a historical romance fan, you give this book a chance. Amanda Quick is still - after all this years - a magnificent writer.




This review was originally posted on Quite the Novel Idea