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Mystique by Amanda Quick
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Mystique (edition 2005)

by Amanda Quick

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927622,643 (3.8)12
Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:A tantalizing tale of a legendary knight and a headstrong lady whose daring quest for a mysterious crystal will draw them into a whirlwind of treacheryâ??and desire.

When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone coweredâ??except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothalâ??one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance… (more)
Member:lunanshee
Title:Mystique
Authors:Amanda Quick
Info:Bantam (2005), Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***1/2
Tags:Amanda Quick, Romance, England, History

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Mystique by Amanda Quick

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» See also 12 mentions

English (4)  Spanish (1)  Dutch (1)  All languages (6)
Showing 4 of 4
Disclaimer: I am totally partial to this book because I share the same name as the heroine. I'm easily swayed. However, even that couldn't convince me to give a book five stars if I didn't feel like it deserved it. One of the best things about Quick's novel Mystique is that you are always in for a surprise. If you think you know romance, this one will shake up everything. Of course, it still has several romance tropes like the heroine who runs off only to need saving later, the brusque and dark hero, chauvinistic father figures, a fake betrothal, and a MacGuffin. But those tropes only ground the novel in familiar territory while the story takes off in unexpected direction.

This book is a great read for many reasons: if you love Medieval romances that aren't gritty or violent, if you love girl power and women banding together, and if you prefer a sense of realism over magical intervention. This book is just delightful from beginning to end as the heroine proves to actually be intelligent without rude, capable, and reasonable while the hero proves to be sensitive and caring with only the trappings of a brute. Quick is a skilled writer, and this book can perfectly satisfy your craving for a happy ending. ( )
  readerbug2 | Nov 16, 2023 |
Actually this is a re-read. :-) Which kinda says it all doesn't it? ( )
  KarinShah | May 13, 2015 |
A fun historical romp that has a mystery attached. Strong female (Alice) finds a stone with a legend attached and wants to study it, strong male (Hugh) wants it to fulfil the legend, they team up to find the stone. He's relentless and strong, she's clever, red-headed and stuborn. It's clever, fun and an easy read. I particularly liked where she had a book of healing recipies but the author avoids telling us exactly what was used (excepting a potion with poppies that another character was using and there is some tutting) ( )
  wyvernfriend | May 22, 2006 |
Though it’s well past the decade mark since publication, Mystique is one of Amanda Quick’s best; it employs conventions that she uses in other novels, but that work particularly well here. Newly landed knight Hugh the Relentless persuades Lady Alice to enter into a temporary betrothal for both their advantages, but with the goal of persuading her to marry him for real. That’s a favorite device of Quick’s, along with the shared quest, a heroine seeking love matched with a hero who doesn’t believe in it, and the hero’s assistance with the younger male(s) in the heroine’s charge. No, there’s nothing surprising here, but that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Moreover, some of the tics that annoy me in other books by Quick are not included. Often, Quick’s heroines act recklessly and get themselves in trouble from which they must be rescued. That does happen here, but Alice also does things right, and her interests and authority are respected, as when she decides to come to the rescue of the family of Hugh’s sworn enemy. Great beach reading! ( )
  jholcomb |
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» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Amanda Quickprimary authorall editionscalculated
Clarens, ElizabethTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gonzalez Vicentesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hege, UtaÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
MazĂ­a, AnaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosenau-Hes, JannyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rosenblat, BarbaraNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tröger, EmilComposersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:A tantalizing tale of a legendary knight and a headstrong lady whose daring quest for a mysterious crystal will draw them into a whirlwind of treacheryâ??and desire.

When the fearsome knight called Hugh the Relentless swept into Lingwood Manor like a storm, everyone coweredâ??except Lady Alice. Sharp-tongued and unrepentant, the flame haired beauty believed Sir Hugh was not someone to dread but the answer to her dreams. She knew he had come for the dazzling green crystal, knew he would be displeased to find that it was no longer in her possession. Yet Alice had a proposition for the dark and forbidding knight: In return for a dowry that would free Alice and her brother from their uncle's grasp, she would lend her powers of detection to his warrior's skills and together they would recover his treasured stone. But even as Hugh accepted her terms, he added a condition of his own: Lady Alice must agree to a temporary betrothalâ??one that would soon draw her deep into Hugh's great stone fortress, and into a battle that could threaten their lives...and their only chance

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