Rating: 
Summary: I seem to be in the minority.
Review: I finished Slightly Shady today and I enjoyed it very much. It was not my favorite Amanda Quick book but it wasn't as bad as all that!! The chemistry between the characters is great. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. I got my money's worth. I will continue to read anything and everything by Ms. Krentz.
Rating: 
Summary: Beyond Bad
Review: I've read everything that Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle has written over the past ten years. Her books range from good to terrific, with only a few mild disappointments thrown in between. All in all, a most impressive track record for such a prolific writer.Then After Dark was published under the Jayne Castle pseudonym. I managed to finish it--though just barely--and wrote it off as a temporary aberration from one of my favorite writers. But now we have Slightly Shady, which is so bad, I had give up on it about two thirds of the way through the book. Perhaps the main problem with these two novels is that (as I understand it) they are both the first of a series; that is, a Lavinia/Tobias series and a Lydia/Emmett series. In all her previous, stand-alone books, character and relationship development between hero and heroine comes first, then development of wonderfully quirky secondary characters, and lastly, any suspenseful element. In both After Dark and Slightly Shady, it appears as if JAK is attempting to concentrate on the suspense first, and is spreading character and relationship development over several books. Although this strategy works well for other mystery and suspense writers, it has not worked for JAK so far.
Rating:
Summary: She could do so much better!
Review: Maybe it's to be expected -- after so many great (or at least solidly good) books from Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Kretz/Jayne Castle -- she got a little bored. Or tired. Or something... In short, skip this book in hardcover. If you're brave (or devoted) pick it up as a paperback...
Rating:
Summary: More than "Slightly" Dissappointed
Review: I agree with the above two readers!!! Very Dissappointed!!! Ms. Quick, if you happen to read this.... please take this to heart from a long time avid reader of your work... If you are planning a sequel to this book? (And the last book that you wrote under Jayne Castle) PLEASE at least give us (the readers) the satisfaction of finishing the first book. If you are changing your writing style to fit the more "mainstream" writers/readers... please remember to be true to your fans. We have stayed true to you.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly disappointed...
Review: I've read all of the Amanda Quick novels plus most titles by Jayne Ann Krentz. Is it me or have the past few "Amanda Quick" novels lacked the romance, passion, and mystery we've come to love? This book was unengrossing, unimaginative, and, to continue on the frank road, BORING! I skimmed most of the book, not even enjoying the few moments Tobias and Lavinia spent together. I may have to wait for future Amanda Quick novels to go to paperback. I'd like my money back on this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Pot Boiler
Review: I, too, was extremely disappointed with this book. I have read EVERYTHING that JAK has ever written, including her early mysteries. This is probably the worst of her books that I have ever read. I get the feeling that her contract called for another title and so this one was rushed out very quickly and without much thought. I would not recommend this example of her work to a new reader.
Rating:
Summary: Slightly Shady - Vastly Disappointing
Review: As a reader of over 100 books by Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick I can honestly say that Slightly Shady was a disappointment on all levels. It was nothing like her usual complex plots, interactive character dialogues, and just plain entertaining on all levels. This story was so droll and boring, I couldn't even finish it. And since I am an avid Krentz/Quick fan, I can only wonder "Who really wrote this book and What have you done to the real Amanda Quick???"
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I expected better from Judith. Did she really write it or was it someone using her name. It lacked development & passion. Let's hope the next one is back to her usual great performance.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a romance, it's a mystery
Review: Krentz has been delving more into the mystery writing and her romantic side is definitely not in play here. Any scenes that involve romance, OK, sex, are fairly clinical and rather remote, we don't really get a chance to know and love the characters. If you look at the plot as a mystery though I think Krentz has done a wonderful job, not only leaving you guessing right up to the last point (I usually figure these things out pretty quickly) she leaves plenty of room to doubt whether we have the whole story, even at the end. I feel we are being set up for a series on these two, it would explain the lack of character development. If not, enjoy the mystery side of it anyway. So, for someone that got initiated into Romance by Krentz I feel regret she has recently taken a different path but as a mystery lover I am beginning to enjoy her slow but sure development in that area.
Rating:
Summary: *Raises Eyebrows*
Review: Since everyone before me has written the basic plot to this novel, I won't focus on that but my review of it. In all honesty, I had seen the somewhat poor reviews on this novel, but I went ahead and bought it because I didn't think Amanda Quick's novel could be that bad in comparisons to her earlier works. Having just finished reading it, I am personally surprised that this novel got past her editor. Let me give a few examples here. 1. The characterizations of the primary characters, Lavinia and Tobias is rather shaky at best. I have no idea really what both of them look like since AQ did not give any description, and if it wasn't for the front cover, I be tempted to think Lavinia was downright ugly due to the fact that her own modiste had to really work at making her look good in a pair of gowns. 2. From the beginning, when Tobias is shot in his leg, throughout the rest of the novel, he is forever limping on it. Yet we are never told if that is because the bullet shattered a bone completely, or if the doctor set his leg wrong, or what. While I have nothing against a hero who is disabled, it was a bit disappointing to see Tobias always falling down in a fight because his bad leg gave way. In fact, I did wonder why he didn't use a cane half the time. 3. The conversations between Tobias and Lavinia were entertaining at times, but at other times, I wanted to shake Lavinia because she would have her tempers at the wrong time. I was more interested in the secondary characters, Antony and Emele than I was in the primary ones. They always seem to really talk about interesting stuff. Tobias and Lavinia just argued.Although, I must admit, I was getting a bit exasperated with Emele and her overly optimistic view on life. Good grief, doesn't this girl EVER get depressed? 4. The passion. I simply cannot leave this review without mentioning this part. Whereas in AQ's earlier novels, you could really feel the touch of his hand upon your face, the look in his eyes when he gazed upon you, and the feelings deep within that let you know that this is THE ONE was sorely lacking in this novel. I came away with the vague impression that these two would be great friends rather than lovers. I was also a bit exasperated with the mentioned of an earlier marriages on both their parts. In Tobias' case, it is never really mentioned about how his marriage was. Only that the girl loved him and died in childbirth. It doesn't really say if Tobias really cared for her at all. On Lavinia's part, all it said was that her marriage was almost like a dream, a sweet dream at that. Okkkkkkkk....Where's the reality here? Overall, this book is more of a mystery novel than anything else. But it did get a bit tedious on the mystery part. Oh well. Even authors must have their bad days.
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