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wonder_in's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
creaser's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
irishgypsie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
okaybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
Not more than two days into her new job as a private investigator for Kirk Investigations does Lyra's boss, Raina Kirk, decide to take an unexpected trip to a health resort and spa. No one buys the idea that Raina just needs a little rest and relaxation so Lyra and fellow investigator Simon Cage leave Burning Cove to follow Raina to the resort posing as a newly married couple on their honeymoon. When they get there, Raina is nowhere to be found, but a woman fitting her description mysteriously checked out of the hotel late the same evening she arrived. Now, Lyra and Simon must unravel the tangled threads that have caught Raina and hope to avoid getting caught up themselves.
Raina Kirk (and by extension Luther Pell) have kind of been the touchstone characters of this story. Something I didn't realize until maybe book 3. They've both made appearances and contributions to the others books while readers have slowly, and tentatively, gotten glimpses of their own stories. I was excited when I learned that Raina would be more of a focal point for The Lady Has A Past and I think that Amanda Quick did a great job of wrapping Raina's own story kind of within another unfolding mystery. So we get the satisfaction of learning about Raina's past, but then Lyra and Simon are also featured characters who get their own story.
At the start, this book just took off. As it was building the pieces of the story and setting things into motion, I didn't want to put it down. I was a tad disappointed when, towards the very end, the story lost that momentum in favor of clicking the last pieces of the puzzle into place. That's pretty much my only complaint is that I wish the pacing could have been kept evenly throughout.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. Lyra especially was a standout character. Her never-ending curiosity and the way she just seamlessly asserts herself is flawless. I loved every time Lyra gave her two cents and didn't back down on her assertions. She might be new to the private investigation business, but that doesn't mean her views aren't valid, and that she doesn't bring some great perspective to the search for Raina. For the most part, Simon is in her corner, barring a few instances of the alpha-male protection gene rearing up. Due to Simon's penchant for being able to feel the strong emotions left on objects, I think, in a way, he understands Lyra's need to solve puzzles and figure things out. I'd say Simon takes a bit of a backseat to Lyra which is fine by me. I like seeing the man in more of a supportive role to a strong woman.
This series kind of abruptly threw in the idea of ESP abilities for some of it's characters in, I want to say, the second book. I don't really remember it being a thing in the first book. I've since come to not be quite so surprised when a character exhibits an innate sense for feeling emotions or being able to parse out lies, etc. While it's an added layer I'm not sure sways my overall feelings of the story / series one way or another, I kind of feel like it fits into the setting of the 1930's when the ideas behind extrasensory perception started to gain interest. It's another element that kind of enriches the setting that Amanda Quick has created with Burning Cove.
The Lady Has a Past certainly feels like it could be the last entry in the series. I almost feel like tackling Raina Kirk's backstory was the final box to be checked but also in that regard each book in the series has featured a different hero / heroine so it would not be completely unexpected to have someone else wind up in Burning Cove getting involved in another mystery. I'd have to say I'd happily keep reading this series and interacting with these characters for as long as Amanda Quick would decide to write them.
If you haven't read the series, you can most certainly pick up any of the books and enjoy them on their own. I'd say this one has featured a bit more build up, but in no way would hinder someone unfamiliar with the other books in the series.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Not more than two days into her new job as a private investigator for Kirk Investigations does Lyra's boss, Raina Kirk, decide to take an unexpected trip to a health resort and spa. No one buys the idea that Raina just needs a little rest and relaxation so Lyra and fellow investigator Simon Cage leave Burning Cove to follow Raina to the resort posing as a newly married couple on their honeymoon. When they get there, Raina is nowhere to be found, but a woman fitting her description mysteriously checked out of the hotel late the same evening she arrived. Now, Lyra and Simon must unravel the tangled threads that have caught Raina and hope to avoid getting caught up themselves.
Raina Kirk (and by extension Luther Pell) have kind of been the touchstone characters of this story. Something I didn't realize until maybe book 3. They've both made appearances and contributions to the others books while readers have slowly, and tentatively, gotten glimpses of their own stories. I was excited when I learned that Raina would be more of a focal point for The Lady Has A Past and I think that Amanda Quick did a great job of wrapping Raina's own story kind of within another unfolding mystery. So we get the satisfaction of learning about Raina's past, but then Lyra and Simon are also featured characters who get their own story.
At the start, this book just took off. As it was building the pieces of the story and setting things into motion, I didn't want to put it down. I was a tad disappointed when, towards the very end, the story lost that momentum in favor of clicking the last pieces of the puzzle into place. That's pretty much my only complaint is that I wish the pacing could have been kept evenly throughout.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. Lyra especially was a standout character. Her never-ending curiosity and the way she just seamlessly asserts herself is flawless. I loved every time Lyra gave her two cents and didn't back down on her assertions. She might be new to the private investigation business, but that doesn't mean her views aren't valid, and that she doesn't bring some great perspective to the search for Raina. For the most part, Simon is in her corner, barring a few instances of the alpha-male protection gene rearing up. Due to Simon's penchant for being able to feel the strong emotions left on objects, I think, in a way, he understands Lyra's need to solve puzzles and figure things out. I'd say Simon takes a bit of a backseat to Lyra which is fine by me. I like seeing the man in more of a supportive role to a strong woman.
This series kind of abruptly threw in the idea of ESP abilities for some of it's characters in, I want to say, the second book. I don't really remember it being a thing in the first book. I've since come to not be quite so surprised when a character exhibits an innate sense for feeling emotions or being able to parse out lies, etc. While it's an added layer I'm not sure sways my overall feelings of the story / series one way or another, I kind of feel like it fits into the setting of the 1930's when the ideas behind extrasensory perception started to gain interest. It's another element that kind of enriches the setting that Amanda Quick has created with Burning Cove.
The Lady Has a Past certainly feels like it could be the last entry in the series. I almost feel like tackling Raina Kirk's backstory was the final box to be checked but also in that regard each book in the series has featured a different hero / heroine so it would not be completely unexpected to have someone else wind up in Burning Cove getting involved in another mystery. I'd have to say I'd happily keep reading this series and interacting with these characters for as long as Amanda Quick would decide to write them.
If you haven't read the series, you can most certainly pick up any of the books and enjoy them on their own. I'd say this one has featured a bit more build up, but in no way would hinder someone unfamiliar with the other books in the series.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Not more than two days into her new job as a private investigator for Kirk Investigations does Lyra's boss, Raina Kirk, decide to take an unexpected trip to a health resort and spa. No one buys the idea that Raina just needs a little rest and relaxation so Lyra and fellow investigator Simon Cage leave Burning Cove to follow Raina to the resort posing as a newly married couple on their honeymoon. When they get there, Raina is nowhere to be found, but a woman fitting her description mysteriously checked out of the hotel late the same evening she arrived. Now, Lyra and Simon must unravel the tangled threads that have caught Raina and hope to avoid getting caught up themselves.
Raina Kirk (and by extension Luther Pell) have kind of been the touchstone characters of this story. Something I didn't realize until maybe book 3. They've both made appearances and contributions to the others books while readers have slowly, and tentatively, gotten glimpses of their own stories. I was excited when I learned that Raina would be more of a focal point for The Lady Has A Past and I think that Amanda Quick did a great job of wrapping Raina's own story kind of within another unfolding mystery. So we get the satisfaction of learning about Raina's past, but then Lyra and Simon are also featured characters who get their own story.
At the start, this book just took off. As it was building the pieces of the story and setting things into motion, I didn't want to put it down. I was a tad disappointed when, towards the very end, the story lost that momentum in favor of clicking the last pieces of the puzzle into place. That's pretty much my only complaint is that I wish the pacing could have been kept evenly throughout.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. Lyra especially was a standout character. Her never-ending curiosity and the way she just seamlessly asserts herself is flawless. I loved every time Lyra gave her two cents and didn't back down on her assertions. She might be new to the private investigation business, but that doesn't mean her views aren't valid, and that she doesn't bring some great perspective to the search for Raina. For the most part, Simon is in her corner, barring a few instances of the alpha-male protection gene rearing up. Due to Simon's penchant for being able to feel the strong emotions left on objects, I think, in a way, he understands Lyra's need to solve puzzles and figure things out. I'd say Simon takes a bit of a backseat to Lyra which is fine by me. I like seeing the man in more of a supportive role to a strong woman.
This series kind of abruptly threw in the idea of ESP abilities for some of it's characters in, I want to say, the second book. I don't really remember it being a thing in the first book. I've since come to not be quite so surprised when a character exhibits an innate sense for feeling emotions or being able to parse out lies, etc. While it's an added layer I'm not sure sways my overall feelings of the story / series one way or another, I kind of feel like it fits into the setting of the 1930's when the ideas behind extrasensory perception started to gain interest. It's another element that kind of enriches the setting that Amanda Quick has created with Burning Cove.
The Lady Has a Past certainly feels like it could be the last entry in the series. I almost feel like tackling Raina Kirk's backstory was the final box to be checked but also in that regard each book in the series has featured a different hero / heroine so it would not be completely unexpected to have someone else wind up in Burning Cove getting involved in another mystery. I'd have to say I'd happily keep reading this series and interacting with these characters for as long as Amanda Quick would decide to write them.
If you haven't read the series, you can most certainly pick up any of the books and enjoy them on their own. I'd say this one has featured a bit more build up, but in no way would hinder someone unfamiliar with the other books in the series.
Not more than two days into her new job as a private investigator for Kirk Investigations does Lyra's boss, Raina Kirk, decide to take an unexpected trip to a health resort and spa. No one buys the idea that Raina just needs a little rest and relaxation so Lyra and fellow investigator Simon Cage leave Burning Cove to follow Raina to the resort posing as a newly married couple on their honeymoon. When they get there, Raina is nowhere to be found, but a woman fitting her description mysteriously checked out of the hotel late the same evening she arrived. Now, Lyra and Simon must unravel the tangled threads that have caught Raina and hope to avoid getting caught up themselves.
Raina Kirk (and by extension Luther Pell) have kind of been the touchstone characters of this story. Something I didn't realize until maybe book 3. They've both made appearances and contributions to the others books while readers have slowly, and tentatively, gotten glimpses of their own stories. I was excited when I learned that Raina would be more of a focal point for The Lady Has A Past and I think that Amanda Quick did a great job of wrapping Raina's own story kind of within another unfolding mystery. So we get the satisfaction of learning about Raina's past, but then Lyra and Simon are also featured characters who get their own story.
At the start, this book just took off. As it was building the pieces of the story and setting things into motion, I didn't want to put it down. I was a tad disappointed when, towards the very end, the story lost that momentum in favor of clicking the last pieces of the puzzle into place. That's pretty much my only complaint is that I wish the pacing could have been kept evenly throughout.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed this entry in the series. Lyra especially was a standout character. Her never-ending curiosity and the way she just seamlessly asserts herself is flawless. I loved every time Lyra gave her two cents and didn't back down on her assertions. She might be new to the private investigation business, but that doesn't mean her views aren't valid, and that she doesn't bring some great perspective to the search for Raina. For the most part, Simon is in her corner, barring a few instances of the alpha-male protection gene rearing up. Due to Simon's penchant for being able to feel the strong emotions left on objects, I think, in a way, he understands Lyra's need to solve puzzles and figure things out. I'd say Simon takes a bit of a backseat to Lyra which is fine by me. I like seeing the man in more of a supportive role to a strong woman.
This series kind of abruptly threw in the idea of ESP abilities for some of it's characters in, I want to say, the second book. I don't really remember it being a thing in the first book. I've since come to not be quite so surprised when a character exhibits an innate sense for feeling emotions or being able to parse out lies, etc. While it's an added layer I'm not sure sways my overall feelings of the story / series one way or another, I kind of feel like it fits into the setting of the 1930's when the ideas behind extrasensory perception started to gain interest. It's another element that kind of enriches the setting that Amanda Quick has created with Burning Cove.
The Lady Has a Past certainly feels like it could be the last entry in the series. I almost feel like tackling Raina Kirk's backstory was the final box to be checked but also in that regard each book in the series has featured a different hero / heroine so it would not be completely unexpected to have someone else wind up in Burning Cove getting involved in another mystery. I'd have to say I'd happily keep reading this series and interacting with these characters for as long as Amanda Quick would decide to write them.
If you haven't read the series, you can most certainly pick up any of the books and enjoy them on their own. I'd say this one has featured a bit more build up, but in no way would hinder someone unfamiliar with the other books in the series.
meganh123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5