In this Arcane Society book, Leona Hewitt and Thaddeus Ware meet in the mansion of an eccentric Arcane collector while trying to steal the same rare crystal. He’s a handsome, protective, and somewhat controlling man from the respectable Jones family.
Leona has a shady background and has lost everyone she’s cared for. She’s a stubborn woman but often gave in too quickly when problems arose.
Their relationship bloomed fast (the book takes place in about a week), but the sexual tension felt believable. As with the first book, the heroine felt compelled to lie about her virginity, so the hero would sleep with her. I don’t mind virgin heroines, but I don’t like it when they claim to be worldly.
As for the side characters, the legend of Sybil the Virgin Sorceress sounds awesome, and I liked how Sybil infuriated the arrogant Sylvester Jones all those years ago. There were a few surprises about the villains, which I didn’t see coming, and I definitely like it when an author can shock me (that’s hard to do!). My favorite side character is Harrow (we met him in the first book), and I always grinned like a fool when he was in a scene.
I don’t remember noticing any typos—so that’s great—but the book was very wordy, which threw off the pacing. Unimportant scenes were told in great detail but could’ve been summed up in a few paragraphs. Likewise, other scenes were “told” instead of “shown,” and those particular scenes would’ve been very interesting had the reader been able to see them.
Overall, I liked the book, and I look forward to reading more the series.
3 Stars

Note -- Even though this book is considered number 4 in the Arcane Society series, it’s technically number 2 if you read the books in chronological order (not publication date). Personally, I read all of the Amanda Quick (historical) books first, then the Jayne Anne Krentz (contemporary) books, and lastly the (futuristic) ones by Jayne Castle. For readers who don’t know, these three authors are the same author, and she uses different names for each time period.

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion. ( )

Funnily enough I recall reading books #1 and #2 several years ago and then I somehow read book #3 and #5. Don't ask me why I skipped around like that. One good thing I can say is that the books really don't need to be read in order, however, I would suggest that readers do in order to keep certain reoccurring characters straight in their mind.

I can honestly say that this book dragged from beginning to end. It was a chore to get through and if I hadn't been sick and not in the mood to skip to another book, I would have DNFed this thing after our heroine (Leona) for the umpteenth times gets a thrill at the fact that the hero (Thaddeus) has threatened to take her (rape her). Blech.

I can say that I do like Amanda Quick books for the most part because it allows me to shut my brain off so to speak. I know that the hero/heroine are going to get together in the end and thwart their enemies. We are even going to get a steamy love scene or two. But geez oh geez this series with the Arcane Society reminded me of why I didn't read the other books. Because it's boring reading again and again about people's psychical abilities. Reading how Quick tries to explain them started making me laugh after a while. I wasn't kidding in my update about this being the Uncanny X-Men set in Victorian times because it really is.

Everyone's powers are over explained to the point that I just started to gloss over those descriptions.

Leona Hewitt is out to get back her family's crystal that legends say can enhance or destroy. While dressed as a man in order to steal the crystal from a private home, she comes across a dead woman and Thaddeus Ware. Thaddeus Ware has also entered the private home in order to steal the crystal due to it being an important artifact of the Arcane Society.

Leona I have to say that I didn't warm to at all during this book. She was not that bright that I saw when she comes across a strange man who keeps saying how he will do her harm to her getting excited and flushed about it. I don't care how good you are at helping people through their dreams/nightmares (also how is that a psychical ability?) that you think you are not going to be harmed by said stranger.

I actually didn't like Thaddeus that much either. Probably because of the whole insta-love thing he had going with Leona. I mean I hate it when women do that in romance novels, and apparently I hate it just as much when men do it. There is no rhyme or reason for them to fall in love with each other so quickly after 10 minutes. I guess you can hand-wave psychical abilities yadda, yadda, yadda, but Ms. Quick does not do a good job of setting up their romance at all in this book. Instead we focused two much on the villains in this book.

One interesting aspect of this book, and the only reason why I gave it two stars is that Ms. Quick adds in a society of women who go about living and dressing as men. I wanted to know more about them and how they were able to find one another. Other than that, bah to every other character.

The writing was typical Quick but draggy as hell. As I said above, we are given way too much time to get into the civilians heads in this book and it made everything so freaking slow.

The ending seriously reminded me of parts of the Phoenix Saga, super powerful female kicking ass, but it also made no sense either. So just like parts of the Phoenix Saga. ( )

Victorian eroticism told by a romance writer with the requisite scenes of titillation. A devious plot with an obsessive collector of paranormal artifacts And, a murder mystery with “the Midnight Monster” as one of the villains.

An enjoyable “bodice ripper” read. ( )

This is a Victorian romance that has parapsychology at its heart. I read it out of order, but thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. The romance was sweet and believable as danger does draw people together. In fact, I liked it enough that I got the earlier book in the historical series. Do be aware there are some steamy scenes in this romance.

If you like paranormal romances, this might be one that you would like. If you like Victorian romances, this should be of interest. If you like both, my goodness, stop reading this review and get the book! ( )

The Third Circle
3.5 Stars

Synopsis:
After stumbling across a corpse, Leona Hewitt and Thaddeus Ware discover that they are both seeking the same paranormal artifact – the Aurora Crystal. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones and must soon work together in order to thwart the machinations of a crazed scientist, a monstrous serial killer and a power hungry aristocrat.

Review:
In general, the premise behind the Arcane Society series is intriguing and the books are light and entertaining. Nevertheless, I find myself enjoying the contemporary installments more than the historical.

Leona is a spirited and independent heroine and Thaddeus is a lonely and semi-tortured hero. Unfortunately, their romance is subdued and had very little development beyond the fact that they meet and feel they share a profound connection. Moreover, Amanda Quick’s signature wit and banter is also missing from their relationship.

The suspense plot is unremarkable and even mundane. There are a few tense moments, such as Thaddeus’s encounter with the serial killer and Leona’s abduction, but these ultimately fizzle out. The only interesting aspects revolve around the additional information provided on the Jones family history and the establishment of organizations that appear in the contemporary books in the series.

Overall, The Third Circle is a relatively satisfying read especially for those who are working their way through the series. Hopefully, the next installment will be more substantial. ( )