A Missing Partner, A Rave, and Half a Lame Photo Essay

Okay, so I had hoped to have the Viking post up, but someone who shall remain nameless cough*Missie*cough hasn't mailed me her comments yet. I wonder what has happened to her? Maybe she was intimidated by my wit.

Maybe the daunting task of snarking an actual Viking cover finally got to her.

Whatever the reason, we'll postpone the Nordic goodness and instead tell you of a wonderful book.

You heard right. I finally liked one. Really liked. As in keeper. As in DING DING WE HAVE A WINNAH!!

My regular blog buddies know I love Jayne Ann Krentz. And I love her historical alter-ego, Amanda Quick, even more. I just finished Second Sight, and I'm pleased to tell you that AQ's back, baby. Better than ever. All the charm and mystery of her classic Victorian romances, but grown up. By that I mean, her heroine isn't a booksmart idiot.

AQ's girls all seem to be the brainy type, not quite bluestockings, but educated past the norm. But for all their intelligence, they're kind of...well, naive, maybe...hmmm. The word I guess I'm looking for is stupid. When one of her classic heroines is on a ladder getting a book from the top shelf in her library, she gets felt up by an amorous neighbor. She excuses him with a wide eyed protestation of his innocence- he was obviously letting his hand creep up her leg because he was overcome by the intellectual stimulation of their discussion of sociology! Of course he was. Heavens, I'd hate to see what a treatise on philosophy or calculus would do to him!

But the heroine of Second Sight is a little more street smart. Venetia's a photographer when the art was just starting, and photographs the collection of a group called the Arcane Society. It is highly exclusive, highly reclusive, and somewhat paranoid. When she travels to Arcane House with her camera to catalog their artifacts, she meets Gabriel Jones, the master's son and 'heir to the chair' of the Arcane Society. She is her family's sole support, and as such must guard her reputation. But for this outing, she is alone and doesn't have to worry about her aunt, sister and brother walking in on her, nor does she have to be concerned with propriety. Yep, you got it. She jumps Gabriel, who is very happy to be jumped.

Later, she reads that he died. Saddened but determined to carry on for her family, she reinvents herself as a widow, Mrs. Jones, whose husband died while on honeymoon in America. She soon becomes Society's darling and rakes in money as she takes portraits of the elite. But as you've probably guessed, Mr. Jones is not quite dead yet.

I won't go into the rest of it- you'll want to read it yourself. Suffice to say that Venetia has a paranormal talent for reading auras. Gabriel has a talent as well, and the secrets of the Arcane House founder puts them both in danger. Gabriel worries that his ability may not be a sign of man's evolution-ala X-men- but rather a throwback to a more primitive era. Venetia isn't totally happy with her 'husband' showing up and curbing her independence. Of course, they help each other find their way.

There's a reveal in the book that I didn't see coming, and I loved it. I stand up and cheer when authors can throw me a curve. And since the book is billed as "An Arcane Society Novel" one can assume there are more to come. I hope so. The first read like a Victorian X-Files, and I ate it up.

Missie, wherever you are, come back soon. If you don't, I'm sending the Vikings out to find you.