Reviews for Second Sight (Arcane Society Series #1)

The average rating for Second Sight (Arcane Society Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-05-27 00:00:00 Michelle Gonzalez I am not exactly an historical romance lover and you probably thinking…if so, why did I even pick this book up and what made me like it so much………….. ? Having read and liked 5 of the books in Jayne Ann Krentz's Arcane Society Series, I have wanted to read the rest of the series and discovered that Second Sight was Book 1 and it would give me the back-story on the series and how the secretive Arcane Society was started and what it represents. Men and women with paranormal abilities!!!! The book blurb: According to the blurb, Second Sight is set in Victorian England. The characters include Gabriel Jones, one of the infamous Jones men of the secret paranormal organization, the Arcane Society and Venetia Milton, a photographer with a special way of "seeing" beyond her subjects. The other two high ranking Jones men, Thaddeus Ware and Caleb Jones, are also involved in the mystery. Gabriel and Venetia must pose as husband and wife as they work to track down a dangerous opponent of the Joneses. This was a quick-paced, well-thought out and intriguing story set in the late Victorian era, filled with romantic suspense, likeable and endearing characters, paranormal forces, twists and unexpected turns, witty dialogue and some sizzling and sexy moments between the two main characters. Nothing I was expecting from an historical novel….. Just some of the things I liked about this book: The heroine - She was a woman before her time!!!!! I loved how she was comfortable with who she was and did exactly what she wanted to do with her life!!!! The hero - I liked that, whilst he had this over protectiveness towards Venetia, he still admired her independence and her adventurous spirit. And he was a hell of a hot guy!!!!! I so enjoyed the historical detail in the story and the vivid writing almost made me feel I was living in the Victorian time in London… A really good read. What baffles me about this series is why it's not written under one name but two!!!! Jayne Ann Krentz and one of her pseudonyms Amanda Quick!!!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-03 00:00:00 Sam Satullo 3.5 Stars Historical Fiction + Paranormal Elements + Sexy Times. Well, well, well this is right up my alley. I like the idea of adding Paranormal aspects in a Victorian setting. The romance/sexy times isn't as much in the forefront of the story as I would have liked for a book like this but the Murder Mystery was fun and made up for it. In this setting some individuals have evolved to have certain Arcane powers of some sort. Venitia can see auras and sense energies on artifacts. She is the eldest daughter of a recently orphaned family and has taken up photography to support them. She meets Gabriel when she is commissioned to take photographs of some peculiar artifacts for Arcane House. In the brief time they spend together she becomes infatuated with him and knowing that she will most likely never marry due to her financial and familial situation decides to have a liaison with Gabriel. While Venitia is prepared for it to be a brief fling he is not, but before they can get it all figured out someone interrupts with a robbery and a murder attempt so they are separated. I liked both Venitia and Gabriel as characters. Amanda Quick likes to write of woman who are smart and just a little bit quirky. In this Victorian setting it is difficult to be a woman and hold any kind of power. Venitia is able to bypass some of society's rules by posing as a Widow to set up her business. She is resourceful and will do whatever is necessary to provide for her family. Gabriel is a scholar who has also spent his life learning how to control the predatory instincts that are as much a gift as they are a curse. He reminds me a lot of a were-anything except it is all sensory and he doesn't change shapes. The mystery to figure out who is looking for the alchemist's recipe and killing off the people around Venitia was interesting but not overdone; this is more of a romance than anything else. I had a good time following them around society and enjoyed the way that the world and powers were set up. This isn't a super strong PNR but had just enough elements that it made the HF part of it even more interesting for me.