I Thee Wed | Amanda Quick | I was happily surprised!

I Thee Wed | Amanda Quick | Regency Wit

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I Thee Wed

	I Thee Wed Amanda Quick Bantam, 2000 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 68 reviews view larger image
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It isn't easy making a living as a lady's companion when one possesses a sharp tongue and an original mind. That's why Emma Greyson has gone through three such positions in six months. Her current post at a tiresome country house party has her bored to tears?until an extraordinary encounter with the legendary Edison Stokes leads to a secret position as his assistant.

Stokes is on a peculiar mission, searching for an anonymous thief who has stolen an ancient book of arcane potions. He suspects his quarry is among the party's guests?and that the villain is looking for an intuitive woman on whom to test a certain elixir. A woman just like Emma...

For Emma, the new post brings unexpected passion and chilling danger. But when murder strikes, she realizes the awful truth. Unless she and Edison devise a scheme to outwit a merciless killer, she could forever lose the man of her dreams?and even her very life....

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I was happily surprised!

After reading the hoards of flat reviews for Amanda Quick's _I Thee Wed_ I was expecting a horrendous book that had not even an inkling of Ms. Quick's obvious talent. I was certainly surprised to find that _I Thee Wed_ had the same flare that I've become accustomed to from Amanda Quick.

This book had me interested from the very first page! I don't usually become involved until at least two chapters have finished, but the very first page of this book started off with a bang. As always, Ms. Quick set forth a mystery that intrigued the mind and stirred the senses. Amid this mystery, Ms. Quick expertly tailored two characters that were both passionate, intricate and well developed.

Emma is delightful! She is self-reliant, resolute and determined. She also was not quite as flighty as some of Ms. Quick's other heroines. Don't get me wrong, I really love all of Ms. Quick's heroines, but Emma struck me as the most level-headed and capable of all.

Edison is a nice change from the usual brooding, dark heroes in Ms. Quick's books and seemed to have a devil-may-care twist to his personality. It was nice to see a man, who though haunted by his past, had overcome it and still held a love of life.

Their relationship, though not quite as passionate as some, has a fairy-tale-like quality that is sweet and endearing. I loved that Emma and Edison were able to conduct a deep relationship outside of the bedroom. All too often romance authors lead you to the misconception that sex is all there is to love. Ms. Quick has never used this device, she always has her characters communicate on other levels besides the carnal and Edison and Emma pull this off quite amiably. I thoroughly believed that they loved each other and I enjoyed their chemistry.

Once again, Ms. Quick alluded to a character from another of her books and I was elated! It's something she's only recently started and I hope she continues to do from now on.

All in all, I was more than satisfied with _I Thee Wed_. It held all the magic and mystery that has made me an Amanda Quick fan. Please, if you've read this book and didn't like it, try it again -- you must have missed something the first time. Also, if you're one of the readers out there discouraged by the bland reviews, give it a try with an open mind and you won't be disappointed.

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Regency Wit

Anyone who doesn't love this book obviously has no clue what English wit is all about. I found the dialogue refreshing and the characters wonderfully alive. There has never been a book by Amanda Quick that I didn't like. I espcially like the ones about Vanza, which include I Thee Wed, Wicked Widow, and Lie by Moonlight. What a wonderful writer she is. If I've had a hard day or feeling a bit blue, I pick up an Amanda Quick book. If I've had a great day, reading one of her books makes me feel even better. She's one of the best Regency writer's ever, and I Thee Wed is one of her best.

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Relatively fun read

The independent and plain-speaking Emma Greyson is a great gal, but her refreshing personality makes her role as a professional companion problematic. She has lost at least one post in the past and fears losing her present one. She needs money badly to support her sister as they are both orphans.

Enter the iconoclastic and fabulously wealthy Edison Stokes, who is on the hunt for a psychic potion and missing book from a secret mystical society he used to belong to. Turns out one villain has big plans for Emma, plans that make her a valuable assistant for Edison.

Edison therefore secretly hires Emma, and the pleasing, often funny, banter between Emma and Edison begins. A shocking development soon pushes their relationship deeper than either had intended. I Thee Wed is at its best when it focuses on their developing rapport. Author Amanda Quick is very good at creating entertaining dialogue.

I Thee Wed has well-drawn characters, humor, an engaging plot, and a believable love story (though I would have liked for it to have been more passionate), which makes for a pretty good read.

The only thing that took away from my enjoyment was the secret society storyline. It was not developed in a believable way so often took me out of the story. Vanza came across as a childish and simplistic society, when I'm sure Quick intended for it to have more substance behind it. As it was, I couldn't imagine why our hero had ever been a member of it. Furthermore, he certainly didn't act like anyone who had ever been a member of a mystical society-he did not have a spiritual bone in his body or spiritual insight in his mind.

This lack of credibility in the suspense portion did mar my enjoyment. I hope that Quick develops this portion of her stories more fully in the future.

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I couldn't find the humor or the wit.

I think, if you are a fan of everything written by Amanda Quick, you had better stop reading now.

This book reminded me of a cross between the Keystone Cops and the Perils of Pauline. Neither have ever been favorites of mine.

Emma Greyson was working as a ladies companion because she needed to earn money to take the place of money she had invested in a speculative venture and had surely lost. She needs to be able to pay the fees for her sister to continue living at a boarding school. For all the impact the sister character had on this book she could have been completely left out and that space could have been devoted to giving Emma LOTS more depth of character. For someone who was supposed to be so smart, she surely did do a lot of dumb things. Fans of Amanda Quick call these dumb things cute, and funny, and daring. I call them dumb. There are so many plot holes in this story that a Sherman tank could drive through completely unscathed. How did Emma know which room Edison was staying in at Ware House? Why was Emma the only person with a room on the third floor of that house? How did Edison get into the wardrobe before Emma got in without her seeing or hearing him? Why did the "tea" which all the ladies drank only effect Emma? Why did Emma's employer, Lady Mayfield, instantly agree to sponsor her in society in London? She was a ladies companion with absolutely no background to recommend her. Believe me, I could go on and on and on.

The entire mystery aspect of the book was poorly done, with one exception. Ms Quick hid her major villain very well. That is a supreme compliment coming from me because I can usually spot these things and she managed to surprise me with that character. The entire mystery centered around finding a book called the Book of Secrets belonging to a group on the island of Vanzaga. They practiced a quasi religion called Vanza which did.....who knows? It was so muddled and unclear that I never really understood just exactly what that was all about. At one point the villain was asked if the recipes contained in the book were supposed to help produce a longer life so I thought maybe I had finally gotten some understanding, but the answer to the question was: no. Our hero, Edison Stokes, is the illigitimate son of a prominent member of the highest society members. His grandmother refuses to acknowlege him and yet the other members of the ton accept him willingly into their society? Humm! Money went a long way in English society but not money made from Trade! That was a stigma not easily overcome. Ms Quick never even tried to convince me that Stokes had worked and earned a place within that rarified air.

This is not a book I would recommend. I thoroughly enjoy this authors works when she is writing as Jayne Castle. So far her Amanda Quick books have left me more dissatisfied than pleased. The scene she wrote featuring Emma and Edison in the carriage needs to be erased and completely forgotten. It was awful. But of course, that is only my own personal opinion. Maybe someone likes to read about completely meaningless, awkward, undignified sexual intercourse.

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I Thee Wed

I hadn't read a Amanda Quick novel in a few years but decided to give this one a try. I won't be reading another of hers anytime soon. It seemed like the plot was stuck in one place and didnt EVER go anywhere. Frankly I was disappointed. Guess I'll stick with some other authors who can actually write a story that has more than one theme.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

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