Product Description

Financially straitened and on the path to spinsterhood, Venetia Milton thought her stay at the remote, ramshackle Arcane House would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engineer her own ravishment. She was there to photograph the artifacts collected by a highly secretive organization, founded two centuries earlier by an alchemist. And the alchemist's descendant-her employer, Gabriel Jones-has the eyes of a sorcerer.

But despite Venetia's intent to seduce Mr. Jones and move on, she is shattered upon her return home to read in the press of his violent demise. Using the sizable fee Mr. Jones paid her, Venetia establishes a new life, opening a gallery in London. Of course, posing as a respectable widow makes it easier to do business, so-in a private tribute to her lost, only lover-she assumes the identity of "Mrs. Jones."

Her romantic whim, however, will cause unexpected trouble. For one thing, Mr. Jones is about to stride, living and breathing, back into Venetia's life. And the two share more than a passionate memory-indeed, they are bonded by a highly unusual sort of vision, one that goes far beyond Venetia's abilities as a photographer. They also share a terrible threat-for someone has stolen a centuries-old notebook from Arcane House that contains a formula believed to enhance psychic powers of the kind Gabriel and Venetia possess. And the thief wants to know more-even if he must kill the keeper of the Arcane Society's treasures, or the photographer who catalogued them, to obtain such knowledge.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #102843 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-09
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Writing as Amanda Quick (Lie by Moonlight, etc.), Jayne Ann Krentz offers another spirited Victorian romance, light on Victorian, heavy on romance. Photographer Venetia Milton supports her brother, sister and maiden aunt while keeping secrets: her late father's bigamy, her paranormal gift for seeing people's auras ("like looking at a negative image of the world") and her more-than-willing ravishment by client Gabriel Jones. Heir to a generations-old clandestine association of alchemists, scientists and dabblers in psychic phenomena, Gabriel has a few secrets of his own. After his servants report his death to authorities to confound his enemies, grieving Venetia begins posing as his widow, with Gabriel soon showing up on her doorstep very much alive. Miffed, she consigns him to the attic, but their chemistry quickly reignites; while tracking down one murderous, blackmailing thief after another, they steal opportunities for fervent encounters in the garden, in the carriage, in the society's mansion and at home. But the evildoers still want Gabriel's family secrets—and now they want Venetia as well. Women masquerade as men and criminals masquerade as aristocrats in a society so full of disguise that not even second sight provides much protection. But with Quick's stylish dialogue, compelling secondary characters and near-operatic denouement, fans won't need or want it. (May 9)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
A briskly told Victorian-era suspense, SECOND SIGHT begins a new series about the mysterious Arcane Society. Further books will be published by Quick's alter ego, Jayne Ann Krentz, beginning in January 2007. One can only hope that they'll be as witty and engaging as this one, which pairs aura-seeing photographer Venetia Milton with psychic Society member Gabriel Jones. Anne Flosnik's reading is competent but not exceptional, though she does do credit to Quick's sparkling dialogue and spicy love scenes, which are certainly the most important aspects of the story. The exchanges between Venetia and Gabriel--in and out of bed--are the most fun of all. C.E.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Photographer Venetia Milton is a spinster by Victorian standards. Economically strapped, she's also the sole support of her aunt and younger siblings. Things start to look up when she is chosen to photograph a collection of artifacts belonging to the Arcane Society, a 200-year-old clandestine organization founded by an alchemist. The collection is housed in an isolated gothic mansion, and Venetia finds herself there in the company of handsome and mysterious Gabriel Jones. Deciding that it's now or never for love, Venetia seduces him, only to lose the man of her dreams in a fire set by a nefarious enemy. Venetia resourcefully moves on, opening a portrait shop and assuming the persona of Gabriel's grieving widow. The talented Mrs. Jones becomes the toast of London, a surprising turnaround, but not nearly as astonishing as Gabriel's reappearance, and the danger she finds herself in. Quick's latest is a clever and entertaining tale about secrets, from a secret society to secret powers to a secret theft. Quick also slips in serious observations about the status of women, debunking the all-too-common assumption that feminism isn't alive and well in the romance genre. With her witty dialogue, multidimensional characters complete with eccentricities and psychic abilities, clever plotting, and generous humor, the perennially popular Quick has penned another surefire winner. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Krentz fans will love!
I was wary of switching from reading Jayne Ann Krentz novels to any of her psudonyms because I knew they would be different tones and/or voices, but I'm so glad I did. Second sight was the second Amanada Quick novel I've read (The River Knows was the first one), and now I'm hooked. Her writings of the Polite World and its inhabitants are just as good as those set in more modern times. It's a good thing too since I've read all the ones by Krentz published as herself. I now have a whole new set of books to read!

Fun bits of suspense, romance, and the paranormal all rolled into one great book
It didn't take me long to read this historic romantic suspense novel. Amanda Quick has a way with prose that draws the reader into each chapter alongside the characters.

In "Second Sight", photographer Venetia Milton has a romantic encounter with Gabriel Jones, heir to the Arcane Society, immediately after which she is whisked away to safety while he stays to try and capture intruders before they can steal any valuable artifacts. After reading that Gabriel has supposedly been killed, she moves with her family to Victorian London, using the alias of the widowed Mrs. Jones when she sets up her studio. What follows is a fun bit of suspense, a love story, and a tale of psychical powers all rolled into one.

Blah Blah
I am a great fan of Amanda Quick and this book did not move me at all. I really could not get with the whol aura business. But because I like her books I read it anyway. I would recommend it if you had nothing else to read.