Second Sight (Arcane Society, #1)

by Amanda Quick

New York Times bestselling author Amanda Quick invites you to experience a thrilling adventure filled with the lure of ancient secrets and the simmering passions of the Victorian age in the first Arcane Society novel.
 
Venetia Milton’s memories of a romantic night with Gabriel Jones—an alchemist’s descendant—are shattered soon thereafter by news of his death. Adopting the guise of his respectable widow, she embarks on a new career as a fashionable photographer in London, where her unique ability to “see” beyond her subjects makes her photographs highly prized.
 
But Venetia’s romantic whim causes unexpected trouble. For one thing, Mr. Jones is about to stride, living and breathing, back into her life. And someone he is tracking will go to any lengths, even murder, to possess an ancient, extraordinary secret that has been lost for centuries. Someone who believes that as the “wife” of Mr. Jones, Venetia is the key...

• ISBN10: 0515142808
• ISBN13: 9780515142808
• Publish Date: 27 March 2007 (first published 9 May 2006)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Jove Publications
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780515142808

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

Second Sight is a random read for me. I saw that I owned majority of the series at the store and because I clearly don’t have a stack of books to read.

Second Sight is a Victorian era romance, with a nice little paranormal twist. Venetia makes a name for herself by become the owner of a photography company. She’s fiercely independent and protective of the life she has built for herself and her family..of course all this is put into jeopardy by the unexpected return of Gabriel Jones. I love the banter between these two. Venetia is hesitant to allow him back into her life, and he’s willing to play the waiting game while they try to figure out who is trying to kill Gabriel and steal his Society’s secrets. He’s a smooth talking alpha, who wants to be challenged…and she’s the challenging woman who has a habit of letting words get away from her. It’s a fantastic match! The steam is so thick at times that a fan is required.

On top of the steamy romance it has a pretty cool plot as well! Some parts of it were a little odd, but as soon as the characters pointed out the flaw in a person’s thinking I actually let it go. There is nothing worse than a book where the characters are not challenged about their “good ideas”, and this book prevents that by having Venetia constantly give Gabriel shit over his. I love the mix of Victorian era mystery and paranormal tones, and how light of a tough the paranormal side takes. It still has that period feel to it, even with the terminology used for all the odd little powers people may have.

I can definitely see myself continuing this series! I’m interested to see how the next book goes as I think it’s set much during a current day timeline. I like the idea of an author using her three pen names for different time periods. Amanda Quick – Historical, Jayne Anne Krentz – Current, and Jayne Castle – Future.