Reviews for The Third Circle (Arcane Society Series #4)

The average rating for The Third Circle (Arcane Society Series #4) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-05-12 00:00:00 Samm Ringgenberg May 13, 2009: It is hard for me to be objective about Jayne Ann Krentz, so I generally give any book of hers five stars on a first reading, mainly because I'm so happy to be reading something new by her. I wasn't halfway through the book before I came to the realization that it was going to be too short. I know nothing about psychic phenomena and generally don't like it as part of the plot, so I don't know how much of this is pure fiction and how much is research. If I keep reading these Arcane books, both past and present, I'll have to do some research of my own, however. The characters and dialogue are wonderful, so I raced through the book, skipping the sex parts as usual, which means I won't wait a full year to re-read it as I normally do. Any of Ms. Krentz's fans who do not re-read her books at least three times are really missing something. The second reading almost always gets a different reaction, and the third is just sheer fun, assuming you leave enough time between each reading. I recommend at least a year. Of course if you're one of those people who cannot abide knowing what is going to happen, don't bother because you can wait ten years to re-read one of these books and STILL remember what is going to happen. Most of them cling. June 11, 2011: Okay, since I found this book at the Seattle Mystery Book Store and it was autographed, it went on my autographed book shelf rather than my JAK shelves. Therefore, it was more than a year before I realized that and re-read it. I was right. On the second reading, I have had a totally different reaction. I enjoyed Thaddeus and Leona more, appreciated their reactions to each other, and did not skip the sex scenes. Being able to read it at a more leisurely pace, I found the book much more interesting and have upped the rating to four stars as a result. Arcane books are still not my cup of tea, but JAK definitely is, whatever she writes. August 22, 2013: Thaddeus's talent, hypnosis, and Leona's talent, crystal reading, were not two of my favorite possible esp's. However, I love the beginning of the book, which gets off to a fast start with a killing where Leona and Thaddeus accidentally meet over the body, not knowing if the other is guilty of murder. In spite of that, they immediately recognize something in each other that draws them together. Leona doesn't make it easy, first curing Thaddeus and then depositing his unconscious body in a wayside inn before disappearing. There's just one thing after another until you can't help but love the pace, the characters, and the dialog. April 11, 2015: I am trying to read the Arcane Society series in order since they were published out of order and have come to the conclusion that this one is the second in the series with Second Sight being the first. I read White Lies second since JAK claims it is the second in the series but it referred to characters in the Perfect Poison, so I went there next and it in turn referred to characters in the Third Circle, so I stopped reading after the first chapter and headed for this one. That means I have to go with the reader's order rather than JAK's and will continue on that basis. As for The Third Circle, it is set in late Victorian times when rules and mores were beginning to relax for women, so that there is more leeway for the female character to behave strongly. Leona is a descendent of Sybil and provides a strong counterpoint to Thaddeus, a descendent of Sylvester. Sybil and Sylvester were rivals two hundred years before. I loved the way Leona was so wary of the Arcane Society and having anything to do with it or its members and throwing in her Uncle Edward was a nice touch. Lancing gave me chills, and I wasn't sorry to see him exit the story.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-03-10 00:00:00 William Reeb The basics: Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz are the same person. The historicals are under Quick with contemporary under Krentz. All feature the Arcane Society, a secret society that studies, catalogs, and protects people who have supernatural abilities. We're not talking superhero level stuff, but some type of enhanced paranormal senses along with powerful relics/objects that can be used by those with enhanced abilities. Because of the varying time periods and author names, the order to read these in is difficult to determine. For example, the title of this one says #4, but Quick/Krentz's author pages have it listed as 1.2. This is the third book I've read in this series (1 historical and 1 contemporary prior), and I didn't have any trouble following it. I recommend reading the first historical featuring the Arcane Society before anything else, however, due to the loads of background information. The book: This was a fun read combining a murder mystery, lost artifact, and some romance. I enjoyed it. It isn't a book I'll re-read, but it was a good story that makes me want to read the others of the series. I'm particularly fascinated by a group in the story, the Janus Club. It's a club for women who dress as men, and the leader "Mr. Pierce" is a criminal mastermind. Secondary characters for both the historical romances so far, I'm hoping for a bigger role for this group in future books.