I have to admit that I'm quite besotted with this cover.
I like how different it is, the crisscrossing of colorful
squares over the image of the girl and I love the
combination of the colors. Now, you should not choose a
book just because of the cover, but I'm the first one to
raise my hand to admit that I do it over and over again.
But, I'm a bit cautious when it comes to historical
romance because it's just not often my type of book.
However, I discovered Amanda Quick years ago and she is
one of few authors that I have come to like when it comes
to historical romance. And, that's because her books have
an element of suspects to them. And nothing spices a
romance as a crime.
THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH has a very spot on title.
Reporter Irene Glasson is the girl who knows too much and
now she is doing whatever she can to run from her past.
So, finding a dead body in a swimming pool at the
exclusive Burning Cove Hotel is hardly the best thing for
her. Now, with the help of Oliver Ward, ex-magician and
owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, is she trying to solve
the murder. But, who would have killed the woman in the
pool? As Irene is trying to figure this out must she also
be cautious because there is someone out there looking
for her...and, not with good intent!
I found THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH to be a relaxing and
entertaining book to read. Irene and Oliver quickly
started to develop feelings for each other. If you like
books that make the main characters fall in love after
just meeting then you will love this book. I do prefer
slower kind of courtship, to be honest, the ones that
develop over time. I have nothing against instant
attraction, but instant love, well it's just not my thing
in books. However, Oliver is an ex-magicians, so, at that
point, I fully understand Irene's feelings. And, setting
the book story in the 30s was also a brilliant move since
I love the 30s, the movies, the stars the whole
atmosphere from the time.
As for the story, it's a pretty predictable, and yes the
villains are stereotypical. It was not hard to see who is
good and who is bad. At least that's what I thought until
the end when Amanda Quick decided to twist the story is
such a way that I was taken by surprise. To that, I just
want to say bravo to the author. I had not at all
expected that conclusion. On a side-note, the conclusion
to the murdered women in the pool mystery may have
surprised me, but Quick also wrote a fantastic ending to
Irene Glasson's own problem from the past. Without spoiling
anything do I just want to say that there is a character
in this book that basically had nothing to do with the
story until the very end and she totally owned the
ending. I loved that scene with her. Just brilliant!
Now in paperback, the New York Times bestselling author of ’Til Death Do Us Part transports readers to 1930s California, where glamour and seduction spawn a multitude of sins… When Hollywood moguls and stars want privacy, they head to an idyllic small town on the coast, where the exclusive Burning Cove Hotel caters to their every need. It’s where reporter Irene Glasson finds herself staring down at a beautiful actress at the bottom of a pool… The dead woman had a red-hot secret about up-and-coming leading man Nick Tremayne, a scoop that Irene couldn’t resist—especially since she’s just a rookie at a third-rate gossip rag. But now Irene’s investigation into the drowning threatens to tear down the wall of illusion that is so deftly built around the famous actor, and there are powerful men willing to do anything to protect their investment. Seeking the truth, Irene finds herself drawn to a master of deception. Oliver Ward was once a world-famous magician—until he was mysteriously injured during his last performance. Now the owner of the Burning Cove Hotel, he can’t let scandal threaten his livelihood, even if it means trusting Irene, a woman who seems to have appeared in Los Angeles out of nowhere four months ago… With Oliver’s help, Irene soon learns that the glamorous paradise of Burning Cove hides dark and dangerous secrets. And that the past—always just out of sight—could drag them both under…