Audiobook Review – Second Sight (Arcane Society, Book 1) by Amanda Quick (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy/Paranormal
Length: 402 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: March 27, 2007
ASIN: B005DXR5X4
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Arcane Society series
Source: Audiobook from Audible
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Venetia Milton’s memories of a romantic night with Gabriel Jones—an alchemist’s descendant—are shattered soon thereafter by news of his death. Adopting the guise of his respectable widow, she embarks on a new career as a fashionable photographer in London, where her unique ability to “see” beyond her subjects makes her photographs highly prized.

But Venetia’s romantic whim causes unexpected trouble. For one thing, Mr. Jones is about to stride, living and breathing, back into her life. And someone he is tracking will go to any lengths, even murder, to possess an ancient, extraordinary secret that has been lost for centuries. Someone who believes that as the “wife” of Mr. Jones, Venetia is the key…”

Series Info/Source: This is the 1st book in the Arcane Society series. I got this on audiobook from Audible.

Thoughts: This is exactly what I wanted to read at the time I picked it up. I was looking for a paranormal Victorian romance, and this fits that description perfectly. I enjoyed the characters, and this does a great job of balancing a romance with a well-done back story and plot. I didn’t realize at the time that the books in this series alternate between historical (like this one) and contemporary settings.

Venetia is a photographer who is supporting her whole family after her parents die. She is excited to get a job photographing the artifacts of the Arcane Society; the pay is amazing and it gets her close to the mysterious Gabriel Jones who she is determined to seduce for a single night of romance. However, when things go askew and Gabriel ends up dead, Venetia adopts the guide of a respectable widow and uses the money from the job to set up a studio in London. Things are going swimmingly until Gabriel turns up to be not quite dead, and Venetia realizes she and her family are in danger.

This was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed all of the characters. The chemistry between Venetia and Gabriel is well done, and there are some steamy scenes between them, but they aren’t super explicit. The setting is fairly generic Victorian but with a secret Arcane Society involved. Venetia and Gabriel have paranormal powers, but they are subtle. There is some action and some mystery here. However, this also has a very cozy feel to it.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration is very well done. I enjoyed it and would recommend it if you enjoy audiobooks.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this, I like the characters and thought the story was well balanced; it has mystery, some action, romance, paranormal abilities and light humor. I am not sure how I feel about this series alternating between historical and modern day settings from book to book. I may have to read one of the modern day books and see how I like it. I believe the next book in this series is one of the modern day ones. Not sure if I will continue the series at this point. I liked this, but it was nothing special. I’ll keep it on my list of series I am reading for now.