With This Ring (Vanza, #1)

With This Ring (Vanza, #1)

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3.75 of 5 stars 3.75  ·  rating details  ·  2,770 ratings  ·  94 reviews
Leo Drake, the "Mad Monk of Monkcrest," is notoriously eccentric and unquestionably reclusive.But he is also a noted antiquities expert, which is why Beatrice Poole has demanded his reluctant assistance.

The freethinking authoress of "horrid novels," Beatrice is searching for the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite, a mythic treasure she suspects played a role in her uncle's death...more
Mass Market Paperback, 358 pages
Published December 23rd 2009 by Bantam Books (first published April 1st 1998)
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Penny Watson
Quickie Review for With This Ring by Amanda Quick

Amanda Quick is the master of the universe. The first 13 pages of With This Ring are absolute perfection. Her writing never ceases to amaze me...she can nail an entire scene with a single word. Everything about this book is perfect...the storyline is tight, the characters are larger than life, the mystery engaging, the humor is spot on. Leo, the Mad Monk of Monkcrest, and Beatrice, secret author of "horrid novels," are a fantastic pairing. Honestl...more
D.W. Nichols
Una historia de amor envuelta en la intriga, el misterio, la aventura y el asesinato. Si estas razones no son suficientes para leer esta apasionante novela, hay algunas más.
Leo Drake, Conde de Monkcrest, apodado el Monje Loco es como un Indiana Jones del siglo XIX, con ganzúas en lugar de látigo. Un hombre de 40 años que tiene el convencimiento que lo que le queda de vida tendrá que enfrentarse al mal que más teme: el aburrimiento. Pero por suerte para él, Beatrice Pool aparece en escena y se cr...more
LadyTrix Bransky
I've read this before, but I picked it up again for another round of entertaining.

Amanda Quick's stories are set in an era I absolutely adore. The first chapter had me hooked, and I felt the character's emotions, felt their conversation like I was hovering unseen in the room. Beatrice Poole is a character I can completely relate to on multiple levels, and I feel the urge to befriend her. Leo's almost constant boredom mixed with bull headed determination was incredibly fitting as the counterpart...more
CamryWagon
Personally I don't consider With This Ring part of the Vanza series since the island of Vanzagara is only mentioned once as the origin of a plant Monkcrest posesses. Just saying.

I read this book after reading the more recent books by Amanda Quick and I felt as if things were a bit slow to get off the ground. Something about characters being stuck in the boondocks during a storm must have that effect on me. The story picked up once the characters started moving, though.

I liked reading about chara...more
Lori McD
This quirky book provided a bit of a mystery along with a fun confection of a "romance". The "Mad Monk" of Monkcrest is an old nickname for men of the title of Earl of Monkcrest, because often the men are considered odd or eccentric... of just plain mad.

This Mad Monk is none other than Leo, a man who's raised 2 grown sons (19 and 17 respectively) mostly on his own. The sons are now an a Grand Tour of the Continent with their tutor, and Leo finds himself alone. On a stormy night, as he's ponderin...more
Donna
I really wish we could give half stars! This would be a 3.5 for me. On the whole, I enjoyed the mystery, the characters, and the way the protagonists got together. The author added just enough humor to keep it fun, without breaking the feel of the period.

I'm definitely planning to seek out the rest in this series, though I'm not certain how the series ties together...the next book is "I Thee Wed", which would imply a continuation of the characters and/or plot from this one. But to me, it feels l...more
Nancy
Beatrice Poole, a widow and secretly the author of romantic “horrid” novels, contacts Lord Leo Drake to assist her in locating a valuable relic. The “Mad Monk of Moncrest”, as he is nicknamed, is known for his antiquities studies. Thrilled when he accepts her challenge, she wonders if she’ll be able to focus when his seductive manner distracts her.

Engaged by the woman’s forthright attitude, Leo has reasons of his own for agreeing to his scheme. Little does he know that his heart will be at risk...more
LibraryLass
As per usual, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Whenever I haven't a clue what to read next but want something I know I am going to enjoy I always pick up either an Amanda Quick, J D Robb or (early) Julia Garwood. Guaranteed satisfaction

Re-read July/10
Talia
This was just a fluff book for me to pass an evening away. It had been quite some time since I read it, and I had forgotten what a fun read it is! For some reason, I thought this was Book 49 for me, so there will most likely be some scrambling tonight to read books 49 and 50.


Dec. 29, 2008
This is an earlier work by Quick, and you can tell. The writing is a bit crisper and the dialogue sharper. I enjoyed it. It took me ages to finish it because I’d start and put it down and then have to come back...more
Carrie
Reviewed for Audiogals:
http://www.audiogals.net/2013/02/with...

Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

I picked up With This Ring (Book 1 Vanza series) on sale and recently, when I needed a good comfort read, I started listening. I realized then that I’d never listened to a book narrated by Barbara Rosenblat. Within the first 15 minutes I was completed enchanted with her style. Without sounding forced, Rosenblat imbues personality into every spoken line. She voices the characters with understated humor and...more
nurmawati djuhawan

gw kasih 4.5 bintang...suka banget sama hero dan heroine nya...walo leo madmonk usianya 40 tahun tapi masih keren,tegap dan gak kendor hehehehe......
sampe nyariin muka aktor mana ya kira2 yang umur 40 tahun tapi tetep sexy :p

eniwei..ceritanya ttg mrs.poole..seorang janda yang ternyata penulis novel misteri terkenal dengan nama mrs.york yang pada suatu malam datang ke estate leo earl of monkcrest yang biasa di juluki mad monk.....
leo terkenal dengan keahliannya mengenai barang antik...dan mrs.poo...more
Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~
This is the second book I have read of Amanda Quick's and she is very much becoming a favourite author. This book was an enjoyable combination of mystery, arcane artifacts and romance.

The widowed Mrs Beatrice Poole comes in the middle of the night, in the midst of a storm to knock on the reclusive Mad Monk of Monkcrest's door to ask for his assistance in searching for a fabled artifact said to lead to a great treasure that has been linked to the death of Beatrice's Uncle. As the pair investigate...more
Vanessa
It took me a while to read this one because I had just started it when I had to put it down again to do other things. I was only about 25 pages in, and so it had not quite caught my attention yet, and other matters were more pressing. But I picked it up again yesterday and finished the rest of the book by last night. I enjoy this author and her heroines are strong and different. In this one, Beatrice Poole is a widow who writes "horrid" novels secretly under a pen name. (There is a nice afterwar...more
Heather
This was an enjoyable read. Much better than the second book in this series (I Thee Wed - which doesn't really seem related to this book to any great extent). Leo Drake ("the mad monk") is a very likable well portrayed character. I enjoyed his role from the opening scenes of the book right through the end. He's eccentric, charming, and enigmatic.

Beatrice Poole, the heroine, is also well portrayed although she can be a little pushy and demanding at times.

The book made me laugh out loud in severa...more
Stacie  M. Ritchie
The “Mad Monk of Monkcrest” has always been thought of as odd by polite society. Beatrice Poole has had to find some way to support herself, and she has been searching for the reasons why her Uncle was killed. It leads her to hunt him down, and he is intrigued by her. He follows her to London to help her in the campaign to find the Rings of Aphrodite. While Beatrice is fond of gothic novels, Leo has always looked to facts and history. They are drawn into a case of murder and kidnapping that lead...more
Lynne Tull
I liked this book. It is listed as a Romance, but I was surprised to find that it was more Mystery with Romance taking second billing. For once the hero/heroine recognized the chemistry between them and acted upon it....no taking it slow for them. Each of them knew it was more than lust and didn't debate the issue for the entire book. I can't say any more or I will have to be a "spoiler". I think you'll like the book. I am still working on why this is #1 of the Vanza Series. So far, the only ref...more
Wendy
This was just the type of book I needed right now. A period romance/mystery with a strong female heroise. Beatrice Poole is an author under the pseudonym Mrs. Ameilia York. When her niece's future is put in jeopardy by the untimely death of their uncle and a lack of dowry, Beatrice sets out to find where the money went. She finds a reference to a large purchase that she believes was the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite which open up a statue with a treasure inside. Now she believes her uncle was mur...more
ms bookjunkie
*happy sigh* This rereading is making me all happy and stuff.

(This book takes place after Affair (there is mention of a character from it), but reading order doesn't matter one way or the other. Also, I don't get why this is a part of the Vanza series, as there is no mention of Vanza in the book. But whatever.)
Holly
Leo Drake and Beatrice Poole form an interesting alliance to find a lost ring, which leads them into a murder mystery. And of course, there is some hot sex and romance along the way.
I want to go back in time so I can have carriage sex...
This is Amanda Quick at her best.
I loved the banter between Leo and Beatrice as they spar off each other.
Ms. Quick creates such interesting male characters--alpha, and sexy-hot.
Her female leads are always intelligent, strong, and daring.
They always give the guy...more
Meredith
I know I must have read this book when it first came out but I could not remember it! Still, this was a pretty good Quick novel, likeable heroine (nice change from the last Quick I read!). Would recommend if you like this author and haven't read this one yet.
Melissa Levine
I like how Mrs. Cheslyn was always going on about the schedule changing. She's funny.

Wasn't really a fan of the little excerpts (from Mrs. York's books) that were put in throughout the story.

I'm surprised that Leo didn't just give Beatrice money at the beginning, to use towards Arabella's dowry and whatnot. I mean considering he didn't want her involved with the inquiries when it came to the rings.

This book reminds me of the Lavinia Lake/Tobias March series. In both series' (at least this fir...more
Lil' Grogan
Aug 13, 2012 Lil' Grogan marked it as gnh
Abandoned about halfway through. Got bored - no chemistry, plastic writing, momentum of mystery not enough to be interesting. Interesting to have a single father of two teenagers as a lead (though only heard from them in letters as far as I read).
Myfavoritegeorgie
The plots to Ms. Quick's books are nearly identical: always a frustrated lover, always a woman who dons men's clothes, always a peril, always a nice resolution.

But they are enjoyable and a pleasant, non-demanding read.
Mimma Y
ceritanya mirip kisah2 detektif gitu, tapi yang pasti jatuh cinta ama heroinenya
beatrice poole top abis deh, cewe mandiri,keras kepala dengan semangat pantang menyerah, panutan gw banget deh (hehe)
Anne
One of my absolute favorite AQ novels! I had to own this one to re-read every so often. The h&h are so clever together and I adore their chemistry. Brilliant writing, clever plot. A
Deirdre
Leo Drake is known as the "Mad Monk of Monkcrest" and is notoriously eccentric and inhospitable. When Beatrice Poole turns up on his door he is intrigued and when she reveals that she's searching for the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite. She also believes that her uncle, who last had the rings, was killed for them.

The two of them have to work together and he starts finding himself attracted to this very independent woman who writes "horrid Novels" as a means of support. She also finds herself attrac...more
Scottsdale Public Library
Beatrice Poole, who writes horror novels, enlists the aid of the enigmatic Earl of Monkcrest to find a mysterious treasure and bring a murderer to justice. -- Lynn H.
Brianne
I had to take a short break from unsatisfying romances and With This Ring was the perfect way to come back. This was sort of a quiet read, something I enjoyed and would recommend but it didn't blow my mind. I really liked both the hero and heroine, and enjoyed the way they ended up together. Also, the hero's two older sons, 17 and 18, set this romance apart from most others. They didn't play a big role but I liked seeing that both characters were more mature than usual and had lived lives separa...more
Nicole
I like how the story matches the story of Mrs. Yorks "The Ruins". However, I think that the story is very predictable.
Lisa
I'm writing a gothic novel at the moment, so this was a very appropriate read indeed!

Beatrice Poole is a "horrid novel" writer - she writes gothic novels, in other words. Leo Drake is an eccentric recluse and a renowned antiquities expert. They meet when she requests his help is tracking down the Forbidden Rings of Aphrodite, "a mythic treasure she suspects played a role in her uncle's death".

An entertaining read, complete with gothic settings and romance.

"If you start an Amanda Quick book in th...more
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Jayne Ann Krentz ...: With This Ring (1998) Book 1 1 1 Sep 27, 2012 11:05am  
With This Ring (Vanza, #1)
Cincin Terlarang Aphrodite (With This Ring)
With This Ring (Vanza, #1)
With This Ring (Vanza, #1)
Os Anéis Proibidos de Afrodite (Capa Mole)

42211
Pseudonym of Jayne Ann Krentz

The author of over 40 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense, often with a psychic and paranormal twist, in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the Uni...more
More about Amanda Quick...
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