The first kiss occurred in a dimly lit hallway on the upper floor of Elwin Hastings's grand house. Louisa never saw it coming....
Of cou... read full description
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reviews
Mar 21, 2009
Donna
rated it: 
Not quite a 4 star but close.
Joanna Bradley was forced into murdering an English Lord to save herself. She is aware that despite it being self-defense, the justice system will hang her for murder as it would not allow the death of a noble by someone from a lower class when the only proof of self-defense was her word; consequently, she stages her suicide and assumes a new identity.
Because of her own experience, Joanna, now Louisa Bryce, starts exposing the foibles of the upper cl More...
Joanna Bradley was forced into murdering an English Lord to save herself. She is aware that despite it being self-defense, the justice system will hang her for murder as it would not allow the death of a noble by someone from a lower class when the only proof of self-defense was her word; consequently, she stages her suicide and assumes a new identity.
Because of her own experience, Joanna, now Louisa Bryce, starts exposing the foibles of the upper cl More...
Jun 12, 2011
Judith
rated it:
Though this is a romance, shaken with a light dressing of mystery, some very serious topics are tackled.
First off is the absolute inability of a woman in Victorian times to control her destiny. Employment opportunities for women were few and far between, and even honest employment could lead to very dangerous situations for a woman alone.
Also, this book directly addresses how justice was very different for the gentry than for the non-gentry. Even one with money was not as imp More...
First off is the absolute inability of a woman in Victorian times to control her destiny. Employment opportunities for women were few and far between, and even honest employment could lead to very dangerous situations for a woman alone.
Also, this book directly addresses how justice was very different for the gentry than for the non-gentry. Even one with money was not as imp More...
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Jan 04, 2011
Kerstin
rated it: 
A year ago Joanna Barclay had to stage her own suicide in order to escape the noose, after killing a Lord in self-defence. She fashioned a new life for herself under the name of Louisa Bryce, living with the eccentric Lady Emma Ashton and working as a journalist.
Her current case is to find out the dark secrets of Mr. Hastings, who she thinks is financing a brothel. While searching the Hastings mansion for proof, she runs into Anthony Stalbridge and realizes he is after Hastings' dark secre More...
Her current case is to find out the dark secrets of Mr. Hastings, who she thinks is financing a brothel. While searching the Hastings mansion for proof, she runs into Anthony Stalbridge and realizes he is after Hastings' dark secre More...
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Dec 26, 2010
Viccy
rated it:
Louisa Bryce is the dull, quiet and unfashionable companion to Lady Ashton. Anthony Stallbridge is the wealthy heir to the eccentric Stallbridge fortune. Both of them are intent on bringing down Elwin Hastings, a man with fingers in many dirty pies around London. However, both Louisa and Anthony have secrets of their own; Louisa is a reporter for a lurid London paper and Anthony's former fiancée committed suicide, but he wants to prove it was actually murder. The two meet at a ball at the Hastin
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Aug 11, 2011
Helen
rated it:
Yes, I know - this is one of those authors that I seriously considered not admitting to. Her books are the intellectual equivalent of candyfloss, but every now and then candyfloss is just right. Milton was a bit too hard going on the Isle of Man ferry, a bit too much noise & distractions to really settle into it, whereas this was just right, kept the brain busy enough for the passage to whizz by.
They're usually written fairly well to formula - single society man meets a woman considered unsuitab More...
They're usually written fairly well to formula - single society man meets a woman considered unsuitab More...
May 21, 2010
Stacie
rated it: 
Louisa Bryce has had a very rough life. She has had to change her name and her identity to outrun her past. Anthony Stalbridge is on a mission to find the real reasons for the death of his fiancée. Louisa is hunting for more information on Lord Hastings and taking a lot of chances. Anthony is doing the same thing for different reasons. As they discover more and more details of Hastings and his connections, sparks fly between them. They are masquerading in high society, and come into contac
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Mar 16, 2011
Sharon
rated it:
Lots of Suspense and a wonderful story woven by Amanda
Set in the late Victorian era of England, this is a charming romance with a dose of a compelling tale of mystery to boot. The reader will find that the characters are well-developed and realistic. There is humor which I always appreciate and some of the supporting characters actually made me think of someone that I had known over the years. As the story moves along in this enticing story of society's upper-class that is cloaked More...
Set in the late Victorian era of England, this is a charming romance with a dose of a compelling tale of mystery to boot. The reader will find that the characters are well-developed and realistic. There is humor which I always appreciate and some of the supporting characters actually made me think of someone that I had known over the years. As the story moves along in this enticing story of society's upper-class that is cloaked More...
Aug 20, 2011
Lonelypurplecat
rated it: 
This book was very disappointing, and I was expecting quite a good read. I think that the author tried make the heroine funny and quirky but at the same time intelligent and independent. But she failed at it. Failed big time. The end product turned out to be someone with a weird passion for writing down everything she hears and a wacked up view on everything in general. The hero wasn't so bad but he didn't seem like a stand out person in this book. In my opinion, Quick focuses too much on the te
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Dec 20, 2010
Kerry
rated it:
Sort of Let Me Down.
There were a few things that bothered me about The River Knows. First the story just seemed to grope along at a snail's pace. I didn't find to many parts in the story that kept me in suspense, which is unusual for Amanda Quick. She always seemed to have knack for blending, suspense, romance and humor with characters that you enjoy. I've always enjoyed Amanda Quick and normally the heroine is strong, with a mysterious flare, but this book sort of let me down. But d More...
There were a few things that bothered me about The River Knows. First the story just seemed to grope along at a snail's pace. I didn't find to many parts in the story that kept me in suspense, which is unusual for Amanda Quick. She always seemed to have knack for blending, suspense, romance and humor with characters that you enjoy. I've always enjoyed Amanda Quick and normally the heroine is strong, with a mysterious flare, but this book sort of let me down. But d More...
Feb 11, 2010
Mojca
rated it:
She rose from her ashes, creating a new identity to bury her past. Now widow Louisa Bryce is an investigative reporter, searching for dirt about a prominent gentleman in Society. One evening, she’s rescued in the nick of time by another gentleman’s fiery kiss.
Anthony Stalbridge has an agenda of his own to find dirt about the prominent gentleman in Society. He suspects him of murdering his fiancée a year ago. But Anthony also has an agenda of his own about the mysterious widow.
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Anthony Stalbridge has an agenda of his own to find dirt about the prominent gentleman in Society. He suspects him of murdering his fiancée a year ago. But Anthony also has an agenda of his own about the mysterious widow.
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Nov 12, 2008
Gina
rated it:
A fun, light, quick-witted read!
Only a year or so ago, Louisa Bryce, a very intelligent woman, faked a suicide to run from the supposed murder of a very prominent, but very evil, man. Hired by Emma Ashton as a companion, someone to write her memoires, Louisa and Emma quickly become fast friends, where Louisa confesses all. In order to help, Emma is playing off Louisa as a distant cousin from the country who is now widowed. “Unimportant, unfashionable and excessively dull”, Louisa man More...
Only a year or so ago, Louisa Bryce, a very intelligent woman, faked a suicide to run from the supposed murder of a very prominent, but very evil, man. Hired by Emma Ashton as a companion, someone to write her memoires, Louisa and Emma quickly become fast friends, where Louisa confesses all. In order to help, Emma is playing off Louisa as a distant cousin from the country who is now widowed. “Unimportant, unfashionable and excessively dull”, Louisa man More...
Aug 21, 2011
Marya
rated it:
I like Jayne Krentz and Amanda Quick novels, and have read more than a few.
The plot was more interesting than the characters on this one, both too predictable, but certainly readable.
There seems to be a standard insert-name-here quality about the dark, brooding, and troubled Arcanely Talented hero...but he's got some good points, too, so I'm not complaining too loudly.
I wouldn't start out your Amanda Quick experience with this book, it's more of a fill-in-the-gaps o More...
The plot was more interesting than the characters on this one, both too predictable, but certainly readable.
There seems to be a standard insert-name-here quality about the dark, brooding, and troubled Arcanely Talented hero...but he's got some good points, too, so I'm not complaining too loudly.
I wouldn't start out your Amanda Quick experience with this book, it's more of a fill-in-the-gaps o More...
May 27, 2009
Susie
rated it:
I had to spend six hours in a van and ran into the library to desperately find something to listen to...which is my habit, and the only way I can make it through the long hours on the road. I thought I had grabbed a "River Runs Through It," but this is not the same material at all. It's a historical/romance, and not my normal reading material, but it kept me awake and had a rather funny sex scene. It was entertaining, and I guess, at its basic premise, that's what books are all abou
Jan 14, 2010
m.allen
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jan 18, 2009
Joy
rated it:
It's getting to be a Christmas tradition. My sister gives me a new Amanda Quick and I read it on Christmas Day. The settings are vaguely Regency, but Quick has created her own world of intrepid women and dangerous men who pursue wrongdoers and share passionate love. As THE RIVER KNOWS opens, Louisa flees the scene of a murder that she committed. She and the scandalous Anthony Stalbridge investigate a wealthy man connected to the apparent suicides of two Society women.
Nov 23, 2008
Betita
rated it:
Este foi o 2º livro que li desta autora!
O primeiro que li foi "Amor Comprado", este "O Rio Sabe" é muitissimo melhor!
As aventuras por que passam Louisa e Anthony e os seus diálogos são muito divertidas!
Claro que tem aquelas passagens mais picantes, as quais eu acho que por vezes não precisavam de ser tão explicitas, mas enfim...
Uma excelente autora para quando se que descansar um pouco de leituras mais "pesadas"!
O primeiro que li foi "Amor Comprado", este "O Rio Sabe" é muitissimo melhor!
As aventuras por que passam Louisa e Anthony e os seus diálogos são muito divertidas!
Claro que tem aquelas passagens mais picantes, as quais eu acho que por vezes não precisavam de ser tão explicitas, mas enfim...
Uma excelente autora para quando se que descansar um pouco de leituras mais "pesadas"!
Jun 24, 2010
Lue
rated it:
I misread the review for this book and assumed it was a mystery with a love story tied in. Instead, I got a Victorian romance novel with a mystery plot. It followed the general romance formula: a couple of steamy petticoat-and-corset scenes, with a few cute murder-in-Polite-Society twists. Not bad for cotton candy for the brain, and certainly a light enough read to start off summer.
Sep 22, 2011
Charleen
rated it:
downloaded to Overdrive - needed a book to listen to in Blmngtn. thought it was ok. set in early 1900's? no cars, women shouldn't work, classes important. a woman wronged fakes suicide and reappears. interested in uncovering wrong-doings and writing about them in the press (funny name). takes lover looking to clear name of his fiancee who supposedly committed suicide
Penny dreadfuls
Penny dreadfuls
Jan 28, 2012
Maria
rated it:
Being a Jayne Ann Krentz fan, I am always inclined to like her new additions. This one brings me to 130 books by Ms Krentz that I try to re-read annually because I always feel like I am meeting old friends as soon as I pick one up. I liked the way she dealt with class differences and the difficulties of women with no money in Victorian times in finding an honorable job and source of income. Louisa Bryce, while researching and investigating for a newspaper a member of the polite world involved
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Oct 02, 2010
Domino (aka Meme)
rated it:
starting off really well. the main characters already seem to have a strong connection and i can't wait to see how their relationship develops. i'm finding i really like Amanda Quick.
this novel was really good. the mystery and character relationship was well developed and very interesting. very entertaining and cant wait to read more by Quick.
this novel was really good. the mystery and character relationship was well developed and very interesting. very entertaining and cant wait to read more by Quick.
Mar 19, 2010
Linda
rated it:
I learned something about the Polite World and the poor widows who become prostitutes to pay off their husband debts (yea, right). The main character solves mysterious suicides,has an illicet affair, and champions modern dress of no peticoats (since you can't run in them and they drag you down if you jump in a river)
Oct 10, 2010
Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~
rated it:
I never fail to enjoy an Amanda Quick book, they are light and funny with a hint of mystery and a good and unconventional romance. This book was no different. With it's witty dialogue and feisty characters I would definately recommend this to people looking for something fun to read.
Feb 02, 2011
Andrea
rated it:
Another great historical romance/mystery from Amanda Quick. I don't think this is something I would enjoy reading as much as I do just being able to listen to it driving. I'm a fan of Quick now so I would tell others who like historical romance to try her.
Feb 11, 2011
Virginia
rated it:
This is the 24th book by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz) and subsequently the 24th that I've read. If you like one of her books, you will probably like them all. They all (if memory serves) have a darkly handsome and worldly hero and a slightly irreverent heroine, who are nearly always bespectacled. The chemistry between the two leads is always politely passionate. They get into just enough peril to make for a slightly mysterious plot, and they consistently have surprising (to the heroine) sexua
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Aug 14, 2009
Julie
rated it: 
I found the dialogue flat, and the writing in general not at all compelling. The story itself was ok, but I don't think I'll be reading any more by Amanda Quick. I guess it's just not my style.
Jul 10, 2010
Kathyred
rated it:
An well-written romance, this actually talks consistently about the limited options women faced at the time. The story also weaves in themes of the popular press and penny dreadfuls.
Oct 23, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
A good book that I may have enjoyed more if I hadn't read it right after "The Paid Companion." There were too many similarities between the two. Still a good story, though.
Jun 23, 2009
Jill
rated it:
It was decent - I wasn't real happy with the ending between Anthony and Louisa, it wrapped up a little too quick. They dealt with him knowing her "big" secret in like 2 pages!
Aug 27, 2011
Jenni
rated it:
Not my favorite Amanda Quick novel, but a good read nonetheless. I enjoyed the mystery part of this story more than the romance- the relationship was just so-so for me.
Oct 07, 2009
Jennifer
rated it:
This book was okay, if a little predictable. Never a good sign though, when I finished the book and immediately put it in the pile to donate to the library.
