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| The Third Circle (Arcane Society, Book 4) | 
 enlarge | Author: Amanda Quick
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy Used: $3.57
You Save: $21.38 (86%)
New (45) Used (44) Collectible (1) from $3.57
Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 4045
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0399154841
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780399154843
ASIN: 0399154841
Publication Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 3.5 stars, Goodbye romance welcome plot April 27, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
In order to locate a crystal that has belonged to her family for generations Leona Hewitt sneaks into Lord Delbridge's home under the guise of a man servant. There she literally runs into a man standing over the body of a very dead woman. The man is Thaddeus Ware, a paranormal mesmerism, who is also seeking the crystal, which happens to be known as the very powerful aurora stone. Things quickly get out of hand when Delbridge discovers the stone missing for he will do anything to retrieve the crystal, even set the Midnight Monster, a man driven crazy by his power and past, to recapture the crystal and the one person who can use it, Leona.
I've been a fan of Amanda Quick for years, her stories have always been something I could rely on to just be simple romance without being explicit. This book, however, fails. Don't get me wrong, the story is good, the plot while never ending was exciting and kept me reading without losing interest. Even the characters kept my attention, I find myself worrying more and more about Caleb.
Unfortunately what I've noticed is that in the process of creating a good plot romance tends to suffer. And while I love Thaddeus and Leona there wasn't any romantic build up that I've always known Amanda Quick for, or maybe I just wish the sex had happened later rather than sooner. I miss the sexual build up that has been missing from the Arcane society books.
For fans of Amanda Quick's earlier books this book maybe a disappointment, for fans of Amanda Quick's writing style read this book, despite the author's growth into the paranormal and conspiracy (the line 'if there's a third circle what about a first and second' haunt me) her writing style hasn't changed, and while I wish she was able to balance good plot that has nothing to do with romance and the flow of romance between the main characters, the story was still satisfying.
This book has also convinced me that this series will probably not end anytime soon. As long as the founder formula exists so will the secret societies, good and fanatical. Personally I don't get why they can't just burn all traces of the formula but there's always someone who thinks they can perfect it and so it continues to survive, more the pity.
 OK- not the best in the series April 29, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I think the idea of the series is a very clever one in that JAK can write books with the ongoing theme of the Arcane Society that carries over from the past (as Amanda Quick)into the present(as JAK). Some of the previous books in this story have been pretty good. This one is probably my least favorite of all so far. The characters didn't grab me as they have in other stories. I didn't feel that I knew them any better at the end of the book as I did in the beginning. Thaddeus is a member of Society, but how does he fit into it? Nobility? Gentry? It is difficult to know. There was not enough family background to really understand either of their histories. They were likeable, but not compelling. If you have been following the series you should read this just to keep up with the storyline- otherwise you can pass this one up pretty easily. My fingers are crossed for Caleb's story and Fallon's from the JAK lineup.
 Confusing completely lacking April 29, 2008
2 out of 8 found this review helpful
This story is confusing as to what these people are..what they are able to do and why they do it. The characters come in quickly with no build up as to why we should like them...but plenty of awful voices on the MP3 cd that I hated listening to. At one point the shrieking voice of the person sounded so like a demon I jumped from the bed. I started this cd several times to try and understand the plot and the people and gave up. This is NOT a cute entertaining romatic read that you so enjoy that you read or listen to it over and over like your wonderful cute romantic and funny Amanda Quick story that I usually get from this author. This is way out in left field with no redeeming features in this story.
 An Arcane Review May 14, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Amanda Quick novels are books I pick up when they hit the stand but throughout the novel I felt like I read this one before. But I couldn't have because in the other novels there is usually some sizzle between the main characters, some passion and romance. This was missing in the Third Circle and not only that, the plot was weak. People who are her fans can't resist reading her books but the expectations for this one are not met. There are references to the other characters from previous books but they aren't reintroduced in a way that makes them memorable.
Flashback? June 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Quick backtracks and takes us back to the orginal time frame from the first book in this series. Thaddeus, a first cousin of the Jones, falls in love with a thief he literally runs into while robbing a house. I thought it was very cute. Not as good as her previous novels in this genre, but worth reading to keep up with the Jones. I'm disappointed that she did not publish this one before the last two. It completely throws off the time frame of the reading. I would suggest a new reader to read this second.
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