The Mystery Woman
4 Stars

A significant improvement on the first book in the series.

Unlike the previous installment, the plot is more focused, and the paranormal aspects are woven more successfully into the storyline. Moreover, the underlying premise involving the villain's desire to resurrect his lover using an ancient Egyptian artifact is reminiscent of one of my favorite movies, The Mummy with Rachel Weisz and Brendan Frasier.

Beatrice and Joshua's romance has the chemistry and intimacy missing from Lucius and Evangeline's relationship. As is expected from Quick, the hero and heroine share numerous traits with characters from her earlier works. In this case, Joshua, a covert operative with physical impairments, is a more traumatized version of Tobias March while Beatrice with her psychic powers and investigative skills is akin to some of the Arcane heroines.

The references to innovations from the Victorian Age as well as elements of Egyptology are an added bonus.

Overall, a satisfying read, but it is unfortunate that Quick did not complete the series with the third last of Lantern Street. Perhaps she will in the future. ( )

apparently I read this one already too.

In this second book in the Ladies of Lantern Street series, Miss Beatrice Lockwood is working for Flint & March and is undercover as a paid companion protecting a young heiress when she meets Joshua Gage who helps her foil the abduction of her charge. Joshua is recovering from injuries that happened when one of his investigations as an agent for the Crown went badly awry, He has spent the past year in isolation at his family estate and has been left with a scarred face, a week leg, and a determination to leave investigations in the past.

Joshua is called back to London from his brooding when he believes that Beatrice is the one who is blackmailing his sister. Psychic sparks fly between Joshua and Beatrice when they meet though each is wary of the other. The running joke through this whole story is Beatrice's acceptance of her psychic powers and Joshua's determination to deny that they exist and to rely instead on logic. Joshua quickly comes to see that Beatrice is in danger and it looks like the case that injured Josh so badly isn't over.

This story had all the elements of an intriguing mystery and an inevitable romance. Both Beatrice and Joshua are strong characters who have a great deal in common as they are both investigators and competent adults. However, they come from different social classes. Beatrice can't see a future for them but Joshua is not a conventional sort of man. The villains include a Russian assassin called the Bone Man and a truly mad scientist.

This was a fun story for all of Amanda Quick's fans and anyone who like paranormal historical fiction. ( )

Belinda finds her employer near death. He tells her to run. Someone has been sent to kidnap her but he does not know why. Belinda heeds his advice and runs before the murderer comes back into the room. She hides but is found by Joshua Gage, a former spy for the Crown. Now that he has found her he believes she is neither a murderer nor a blackmailer which is why he was sent to find her. She is a private detective and together they join forces to find who wants her and why. What they find is a madman.

I loved this book. I liked the historical element of Egyptology to tie the story together. I also liked Joshua and Belinda being on different sides of the debate of logic and reason vs. paranormal activity or intuition. Joshua and Belinda work well together. She has pulled him out of his year-long fog after an assignment gone wrong. The villains are hiss-worthy. I liked Joshua's nephew who is like him. The story was so interesting it was hard to put the book down.

I will be reading more of this series. ( )

In this second book in the Ladies of Lantern Street series, Miss Beatrice Lockwood is working for Flint & March and is undercover as a paid companion protecting a young heiress when she meets Joshua Gage who helps her foil the abduction of her charge. Joshua is recovering from injuries that happened when one of his investigations as an agent for the Crown went badly awry, He has spent the past year in isolation at his family estate and has been left with a scarred face, a weak leg, and a determination to leave investigations in the past.

Joshua is called back to London from his brooding when he believes that Beatrice is the one who is blackmailing his sister. Psychic sparks fly between Joshua and Beatrice when they meet though each is wary of the other. The running joke through this whole story is Beatrice's acceptance of her psychic powers and Joshua's determination to deny that they exist and to rely instead on logic. Joshua quickly comes to see that Beatrice is in danger and it looks like the case that injured Josh so badly isn't over.

This story had all the elements of an intriguing mystery and an inevitable romance. Both Beatrice and Joshua are strong characters who have a great deal in common as they are both investigators and competent adults. However, they come from different social classes. Beatrice can't see a future for them but Joshua is not a conventional sort of man. The villains include a Russian assassin called the Bone Man and a truly mad scientist.

This was a fun story for all of Amanda Quick's fans and anyone who like paranormal historical fiction. ( )