Rating: 
Summary: She's back!
Review: This book has got the old Krantz/Castle/Quick sprit back but even better if that is possible. I've been a long time fan of her's but have been a bit dissapointed is some of her later books. But this one hits the spot. Compelling, believable characters, good plot line and a bit of fun along with the suspense, romance, and action.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the money
Review: This is a typical Amanda Quick novel. Only a few of her books did I not throughly enjoy. The Paid Companion was an excellent and enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: "Slow at first"
Review: This was my first Amanda Quick book. The beginning was a little slow. But it does pick up. It did keep my interest. But have read better. It will keep you entertained.
Amanda Quick is not an author I will go looking for to read. OK if nothing else to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Unlikable characters, weak mystery
Review: To help distract the 'ton' while he traces his uncle's killer, Earl Arthur St. Merryn decides he needs a fiancee. Since he's already had one fiancee--who fled down a ladder to avoid the marriage, St. Merryn decides to be more logical and hire a fiance through a service that provides paid companions. Elenora Lodge, recently disposessed of her home and most of her property, turns up at the agency just in time. St. Merryn decides that her spirit and enthusiasm would be a perfect match--and that Elenora could be just the actress to persuade society that she was St. Merryn's next fiancee. Although St. Merryn initially intends to keep Elenora at the outskirts of his plans, she quickly asserts herself, forcing herself into his confidence and, soon enough, into his arms. Neither is particularly good at hiding the attraction they feel for one another although Elenora is convinced that, once the mystery is solved, St. Merryn will get on with her life and that Elenora will be forced to move on with her life. Tracking down the killer is a bit complicated, though, and the interval gives them plenty of time to explore the attraction--and for Elenora to dazzle polite society in Regency England. Author Amanda Quick always writes a fast-paced and entertaining read and THE PAID COMPANION is no exception. That said, I found Elenora to be quite annoying with her complete lack of respect for St. Merryn's finances, her willingness to simply run over whatever ideas he proposed, and her constant jumping to conclusions when a simple conversation would have avoided the misunderstanding. By constantly giving in to Elenora, St. Merryn comes off as a bit of a wimp. The mystery portion of the book is really a non-starter as we are introduced to no suspects and no clues. I wanted to like THE PAID COMPANION and Quick's writing is strong enough to keep me reading, but the unlikable characters and weak mystery plot definitely detracted.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect *Fun*
Review: Upper class romance and murder in nineteenth century London.
I *loved* this book.
As I was reading it, and having so much fun, I thought, I really should be reading this under the bed sheets with a flashlight. It was that kind of book -- the kind that, when you were a little kid, you couldn't stop reading even though it was well past your bedtime.
This isn't deathless literature and no great problems are solved within these pages. So what? It isn't easy creating characters that are sexy and likable and yet utterly believable as real, and situations that are daring and fun and provide a wonderful escape from real life but that still reflect on real life, and dialogue that's inviting but also every bit as smart as what you'd find in literature that gets taken more seriously.
I'll bet that there are plenty of "great" novelists who would give their eyeteeth to be able to do what Amanda Quick can do, and even more who would never admit it but who could definitely learn a thing or two from her.
What amazed me most about this book was how real I experienced the main characters, and how much I liked them. I've tried to read other popular genre novels in the past and just couldn't because I could never take the characters seriously; they always come across as such cliches of masculinity or femininity.
I really believed "Paid Companion"'s Arthur and Elenora, though; they reminded me of people I know in real life.
And I greatly appreciated Quick's amazingly deft and clever dialogue.
I do have a few quibbles with the book, but they are minor, and did not interfere with my enjoyment.
I do wish the writing were just a tad richer. While I appreciate a fast read, I like descriptive detail. I wanted to know more about the smells and sights of this book's world.
A bit more verisimilitude in terms of language would have been appreciated -- characters often sounded, to me, to be twenty-first century speakers, rather than nineteenth.
While I enjoyed them, I did have a few problems with the book's detailed sex scenes. Readers are very familiar with British novels from that era, including those by the Brontes and Austen. Those books do not contain such graphic scenes, and, so, when you read the sex scenes here, you are very much taken out of the nineteenth-century feel of the narrative.
Too, there's something to be said for restraint. If a poet remarks on the expanse and the mystery of the night sky, we all can share in that evocation of our own reaction to the night sky. If a poet starts cataloguing constellations, he stops being a poet and becomes an astronomer.
If a writer tells me that a character is swept away by a sensation that erases place and time, I know exactly what the writer is talking about. If a writer, as Quick does here, inventories every caress, I feel I've switched from reading a novel to reading a manual.
Also, it always, ultimately, disappoints. I really liked these two characters and wanted them to experience everything. After reading these detailed scenes, I couldn't help but think, "Oh, so they didn't do this, this, and this?" with some disappointment.
These are minor quibbles, though. I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a virtuoso writer to provide them with a ticket to romance and adventure whose price is no greater than the price of a book.
Rating:
Summary: She's Baaack!!!!
Review: Wow! I just finished "The Paid Companion" and it is great. This book has all the things you look for in an Amanda Quick novel. Unlike her last three books, we have a wonderful heroine, Elenora Lodge, who has lost everything because of her step-father. Like the best Quick heroines, she doesn't take it lying down. She has a PLAN. A little (very little) downcast, she is seeking a new job as a paid companion, when our hero, Arthur, the Earl of St Merryn enters.
He is seeking a lady to play his bethrothed. Through twists and turns, with humor and wit, we follow the adventures of the merry pair. Arthur is hunting the killer of his uncle, and plans to detour the marriage minded ton away, by introducing Elenora to them as his fiancee. Both soon discover they are well matched in the brains department and Elenora becomes Arthur's partner in the search for a killer. They not only find adventure, they also find each other. I really enjoyed this book. From the descriptions of a weary, marital-minded aristocracy, to the passionate love scenes, this is pure Quick.
Thanks Amanda!
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