Dangerous: Amanda Quick

"From a magnificent ballroom ablaze with lights to an imposing country house steeped in shadows comes a breathtaking tale go an impetuous miss--and a passion that leads to peril...

"At five and twenty, Prudence Merrywhether knew very well the risks a woman took by visiting a gentleman in the dead of night.  But bearding the notorious Earl of Angelstone in his den was the only way to stop him from engaging her hot-headed brother in a duel.  And that was why she found herself ushered into Sebastian's forbidding presence at three in the morning--and thoroughly kissed before dawn,

"She was a country-bred innocent--and an intriguing experience for a man who dwelt more in the shadows than in the sunshine.  Yet as her boldness drew Prue into one dangerous episode after another.  Sebastian found himself torn between a raging hunger to possess her and a driving need to protect her.  And the reckless beauty would soon need all the protection she could get..."

It has been about 11 years since I last read a book by Quick.  Do yourself a favor and don't go and read my old reviews...I did and they're painfully brief and none-too-detailed.  However, I did seem to enjoy her writing quite a bit.  Reading Quick was like a breath of fresh air after the book prior ended up taking me months to finish (no exaggeration).  I read this book in a matter of only a couple of days!  Basically, this book was everything you could want in a period romance novel.  The characters were fun, the plot was unique and intriguing, and I didn't want to put the book down.

The pacing of Quick's writing was much quicker than some other authors I've read, but it worked out quite well.  This book is proof that one does not need to write about every single event, every single moment, every single conversation the characters have in order to build a story and a relationship.  I thought she was quite clever in the way in which she chose to omit certain days and events and, instead, opted to backtrack a little bit in her characters' musings and conversations as a way to "fill in the blanks."  I think this kept the pacing fun and made the story move along at an interesting clip.  Along these lines, the dialogue was witty and amusing.  I really enjoyed the back and forth between Sebastian and Prue; they were well-matched and entertaining together.

As a male lead, I found Sebastian secret hobby a great depart from the usual "black devil, evil lord of darkness" archetype which occurs so often in this genre.  This gave him more depth and personality than I thought he would have when I first began reading.  I also appreciated the lengths Quick went to develop his backstory and make her readers fully appreciate the depth of the animosity between Sebastian and his relatives.  This was no mere feud, and this was nothing to be taken lightly.

As a female lead, Prue was fun, intelligent, self-assured, and brave.  I appreciated all of these things without her and, had she been underdeveloped in any of these areas, then I probably would not have believed her capable of handling Sebastian as she did.  Her own unique hobby was intriguing and I don't believe it's something I've encountered in one of these books before.  It helped to create some common ground with Sebastian, as well as it made her stand out amongst the crowd.  I liked how well she challenged Sebastian and how she was never ashamed to do what she felt was important or right.  I will say, however, that I think her backstory really fell away after only a few mentions -- even her brother seemed to disappear quite fully.  I think a lot of his had to do with the fact that the perspective shifts much more in favor of Sebastian than Prue.  Readers gain far more insight into his musings and his movements than those of Prue.  She got a bit swallowed up by the enormity of Sebastian's character at the end.  For this, I might deduct very minor points.

Above and beyond the captivating chemistry between Prue and Sebastian, I thoroughly enjoyed the plot.  There was a blend of mystery and the supernatural woven in with the traditional romantic tones.  This kept everything fresh and interesting.  Though there were dark undertones due to the natures of Prue and Sebastian's interests, I was impressed at how the story -- for the most part -- remained light enough to lose myself in enjoyment.  The romance made me enjoy the characters, but the plot and mystery kept me turning the pages much longer into the night than I probably should have.

I have a few more standalone novels for Quick sitting on my office bookshelves.  After the year we've had and my (surprising) pathetic reading track record, I may have to dive right into another one and lose myself in what I expect to be another very entertaining read.