Alice's Review: Otherwise Engaged

Author: Amanda Quick
Series: None
Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Pages: 352
Obtained: Purchased
Genre:  Historical Romance
Rating: 4
Bottom Line: A mysterious romp.
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Summary:  Miss Amity Doncaster, world traveler, is accustomed to adventure and risk. Benedict Stanbridge, a man of science and a spy for the Crown, has faced danger in the darker corners of foreign lands. Now they are about to face a threat that is shockingly close to home…One does not expect to be kidnapped on a London street in broad daylight. Yet Amity Doncaster barely escapes with her life after she is trapped in a carriage with the killer known in the press as the Bridegroom. He is unwholesomely obsessed by her scandalous connection to Benedict Stanbridge—gossip about their hours alone in a ships stateroom seems to have crossed the Atlantic faster than any sailing vessel could. Benedict refuses to let this resourceful, daring woman suffer for her romantic link to him—as tenuous as it may be.  For a man and woman so skilled at disappearing, so at home in the exotic reaches of the globe, escape is always an option. But each intends to end the Bridegrooms reign of terror in London. And as they join forces and prepare to confront an unbalanced criminal in the heart of the city they love, they must also face feelings that neither can run from…

Review: Earlier this month, I sailed the Seven Seas on a wonderful cruise vacation.  Although I have stacks of books to read, nothing in my TBR pile sang to me.  In my late teens and early twenties, I was a avid Historical Romance reader.  I loved getting swept away by a dashing hero just as much as the damsel in distress did.  As I got older, I realized women seriously need to save themselves.  A knight in shining armor won't save you, you need to do that on your own.  And just like that, my love of Historical Romance was gone.

I picked Otherwise Engaged on a whim because I wanted something light and fun, and I remembered how much I loved Amanda Quick.  Plus, it starts off with Amity on a cruise vacation in the Caribbean.  I thought it was a good sign, and man was I right.  I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was entertaining and the perfect thing to read poolside. It had plenty of action and mystery and a good dose of romance.  Amity was a free-spirit, independent.  She knew how to save herself and I loved that about her.  Benedict was an unexpected hero. He wasn't what I anticipated at all.  Usually the heroes are strong and fierce, doers not thinkers. Benedict was a good combination of the two.  In the end, I like to think that they saved each other.

I also enjoyed the side story of Penny and Inspector Logan.  I wished more than once that Amanda Quick would have written a novel staring these two.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding Otherwise Engaged until the very end.  The conclusion was wrapped up in a neat little package, a little too coincidental for my liking.  Some aspects didn't make total sense to me, it was forced. Odd.  That was the only flaw in an otherwise delightful love story.

This novel renewed my love of Historical Romance.  Amanda Quick has not lost her touch of writing memorable characters, especially heroines. She keeps the romance classy and well, romantic.  That says a lot in the post Fifty Shades of Grey age.  If you are looking for something sweet and exciting, I recommend this.  I'm looking forward to picking up a few more of her novels.

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