Til Death Do Us Part
4 Stars

At first glance, this book is typical of Amanda Quick's historical romantic suspense with an intelligent and self-sufficient heroine and a stoic, reclusive hero. However, Til Death Do Us Part has a darker tone with more overt references to the evils of the Victorian age than is characteristic of Quick's tales.

The book begins with a standard stalker storyline but quickly develops a decidedly more sinister vibe with the inclusion of the serial killer and memento mori elements. There are several red-herrings to keep the reader guessing although it is possible to deduce the final twist and the identity of the villain toward the end.

The romance between Callista and Trent is slow-burn, but their snarky banter is entertaining. They have good chemistry, and their intimacy is genuine once they give in to their attraction. In line with the grim undertones of the story, both Callista and Trent have difficult backstories, and Trent in particular displays strength and resilience in overcoming his past.

All in all, a satisfying read with engaging characters and a suspenseful plot. ( )

A typical Amanda Quick Novel.
Calista is a strong female character who has definite opinions on most things. A spinster who sees the advantage of independence. She with the help of her brother have a well-established business.
Trent is a successful author whose life is in a rut. Trent's sister Eudora is a customer of Calista.
Calista is the subject of fascination of a serial killer. Trent feels Calista may be taking advantage of Eudora and meets her. When he learns of the stalker/serial killer he is intrigued. Together they solve the murder mystery and in the process fall in love.
Most Amanda Quick follow along something similar. However, her style of bringing the characters and story together is excellent ( )

Another good romantic suspense from JAK. Nothing surprising or unique but a fun, easy read for a lazy vacation day. ( )

Well now I know why the rating for this book wasn't that high. This really read as a paint by numbers Quick book. I was disappointed because I know she can write better than this (see Ravished) but this one was pretty blah. The hero/heroine were not that memorable, the main story-line was not working for me at all and we hear about the rape of a secondary character that ultimately moved me to pity and wondered why that was even thrown in the book. We do get a happily ever after though which made me happy. I am trying to remember what series she wrote that had the two leads just investigating and sleeping together and it drove me up the wall.

The heroine in "Til Death Do Us Part" is Calista Langley that operates a matchmaking service. The synopsis calls it an "introductory agency" but I am just going to call it matchmaking. She holds salons that have single men/women that come to chat about different topics while getting to know each other. Calista has somehow been targeted by a madman that leaves trinkets and other items to show that he means to kill her soon.

The hero, Trent Hastings is an author who has done his best to avoid polite society. Due to scars on his face and some lingering anger that he could not protect his mother, Trent believes that Calista has to be running some sort of scam. He finds himself attracted to her though and gets embroiled in finding out who means her harm.

We have some interesting secondary characters, Trent's sister, brother, and sister in law, and Calista's brother who helps her out by investigating potential clients.

I think my biggest issue is that Calista and Trent really didn't do much for me as a couple. Why they were even attracted to each other puzzled me. We just see them investigating and we get two love scenes. Big whoop.

The writing was okay, but the book dragged in places. I pretty much guessed most of the book, but not all of it. And I think Quick was way too rushed to explain everything. I wish that the clues we were given took more time to find and the true guilty party had a better reasoning behind what they did.

We do get a Happy Ever After though which was nice. ( )

Easy, delicious read that is full of intrigue and romance. I wonder if this is the beginning of a new series? ( )