Reckless

Reckless Amanda Quick Grade: B Sensuality: Warm Although my most recent JAK/Amanda Quick read was a disaster, she does remain a major comfort read author, and one of the first books I grabbed to read when I got sick last month was Reckless, published in 1992.

It was a very good choice, and helped remove from my mouth the bad taste left after hating Gambler's Woman; hating a book from a favorite author is never fun, is it? Reckless was the sixth Amanda Quick release, and it offered everything I love about the author at her best; it was fast-paced, funny, and sexy, and the interplay between hero and heroine was terrific. Quick is wonderful at creating heroines who see their heroes in a way that is at odds with how the heroes see themselves. One may see a hero as having a sensitive constitution when he sees himself as a bull in a china shop. She used a similar premise in this book, but turned the heroine's idealized view of the hero on its head that I adored.

Phoebe Layton, with her bluestocking ways, an oddly developed sense of style as regards her clothing, and an interest in old illuminated books, is on a quest, and for that she needs the help of a knight in shining armor. Some years ago she had given a man she thought loved her one of her collection. The man was later killed at sea and Phoebe is convinced if she can find that book, she'll find his killer, and alleviate the guilt she feels at not having loved him in return. Who better to fill the position of knight than Gabriel Banner, who played a part nearly a decade ago in a scheme the 16-year-old Phoebe concocted to "save" her older sister from marriage to a man the older girl thought she didn't want. As a result of his interference in the marriage, Phoebe's father ruined Gabriel financially and the young man went to sea to seek his fortune. As for the older sister, she acquiesced and married the man her father had chosen and is now a happily married woman.

To pique Gabriel's interest so as to more easily be able to convince him to solve the mystery with her, Phoebe buys several antique books that Gabriel had sought for himself. Then she sends him an anonymous letter asking that he meet him late at night on a country road. For months now, Gabriel has been annoyed by the unknown person who manages to buy out from under him various rare books; he goes to the meeting with nothing in mind other than unmasking this pest. Still, he agrees to accompany and protect her that night as she goes to the home of a rare books dealer to purchase an antique manuscript. It isn't, however, until a how-coincidental-is-that highwayman appears on the scene and steals the manuscript that things get interesting. Phoebe is shocked at how cowardly Gabriel is; even more shocking is the kiss they share...and the shocker of all shockers for Gabriel is when he realizes who Phoebe is. Now that he's rich, has her father decided to ruin him again, or is Phoebe on the up and up with the story she tells him about her lost love, with whom Gabriel has his own tale to tell?

This is the framework for a romance that is truly delightful. To provide more information about the plot itself would ruin the fun you'll have along the way. What I can share is that Phoebe and Gabriel's intelligence and ability to take care of themselves - as well as a tremendous physical attraction - makes them a well-suited couple. Gabriel may not see himself as a Regency equivalent to a Medieval knight, but he uses Phoebe's attraction to the knightly ideal to his advantage on their wedding night. As for Phoebe, her ability to shock Gabriel was a constant joy to read; most particularly when she gives him poor marks for his performance as a lover. Don't worry...he later makes up for it.

Phoebe's family provides another level of fun; her mother and sister are against Phoebe and Gabriel as friends, let alone a couple, until they discover he's rich. Now her mom will have another son-in-law to go to when she has gambling debts she needs to pay. Phoebe's father is no ogre, and Gabriel's original plan to seek revenge on him by ruining Phoebe is one no reader will take seriously for long; that he eventually comes to understand the other man's position is a great moment.

Amanda Quick, along with Julie Garwood, invented the humorous historical - Medieval, Regency, or otherwise. She shouldn't be penalized for that, but on the other hand, even though I can't really think of much negative about the book, after reading dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of them by now, there's nothing here that makes it stand out as one of the all-time best. Still, for what it is, it's a strong read and one I recommend with no qualifications. As for me, I've still got a few Quicks left unread, and some JAK's too, so perhaps one day I'll find my Quick/Krentz DIK. Until now, here's an undated table of my reading of her books to date:

Not including in this list is the book she edited - Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women. A copy sits on my desk, next to my dictionary and thesaurus. My grade for this book is B+; it ties as the highest grade I've ever given her work.

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