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 classes, writing More...

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 important as one of the More...

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 secrets as More...

This novel was in the 'Ilikedititwasok' category. Set in the mid to late 1800's where a woman's occupation was either married, widowed with lots of money, worked for a wealthy family or in a brothel. Not very many respectable jobs out there. But the main character, after killing a man and faking her suicide, Louisa is taken in by an elderly lady looking for a companion. She ends up writing for a 'rag' newspaper under the pseudo name of I M Phantom. In her articles she seeks justice for the wrong More...

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 More...

Okay, I read this because I thought it was one of the Arcane Society/Jones and Jones novels. It isn't. Someone is raping and killing female trade/shopkeepers in late 1800s London. A pretty young used bookseller escapes this fate, but she kills the intruder, who happens to be a prominent member of Society. She fakes her suicide and then disguises herself as a poor relation to a sympathetic widow. She uses her disguise to find out the dirt on members of Society and writes about them as a sensation More...

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 unsu More...

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 contact too More...

Her newest book was a pretty good read. She's taken a bit of a different approach this time to her story and changed things up a bit. For instance, Louisa Bryce has no family in this story. No sister, no cousin, no nieces or nephews. It's just her. She does have a friend who is an older maternal type, but still, there's no familial connection, and usually Quick uses those to create a believable sense of reasoning as to why her heroine does what she does. It was an interesting change.

I figured ou More...

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 in dark secre More...

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 More...

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 despite these More...

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Amanda Quick is the kind of hit-or-miss author for me. Either I love her stories from the very first page, or I just instantly know I won't be interested enough to finish it.

Thankfully, this one was a delight from beginning to end. Very much like Mischief was. When Quick gets it right, boy, she gets it VERY right. Her heroines are all so very independent, self-suficient and practical about things, they are very fresh sights for sore eyes in the middle of t More...

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.

Soon, Anthony and L More...

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 manages to sque More...

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 of the Arcane Society novel tha More...

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 about.

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.

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"!

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.

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

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 in More...

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.

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)

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.

sebenerx pengen kasih 3.5 bintang aja, tapi kasus n misterix menarik n bikin penasaran ...tapi sayang kok rasax feelx Louisa Bryce (Joanna Barclay) dengan Anthony Stalbrige kurang terasa n menurut q juga kurang romantis, tp bukan berarti ga romantis, tapi kurang .... :)

Very typical Amanda Quick. I wish the secondary characters had been developed more but otherwise I can't complain, a great read. Plot twists were a bit obvious, although again I've found that to be fairly typical of JAK, doesn't mean I don't love her work though :)

What's not to love about a mystery set in London during the 1800s with a bespectacled book loving heroine and a dashing hero, served with a side of sizzle? Another escapist read from Ms. Quick... A fun break for a stressed out reader from the 21st century!

Very sweet - especially Anthony's family. Most of these stories, the main characters don't have much family, but this was a nice change that Anthony's family is really awesome. I also liked Hannah and her guided tour - very funny.