Crystal Gardens

Ladies of Lantern Street, Book 1

By: Amanda Quick

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Novelist and professional companion Evangeline Ames has rented a cottage in the outskirts of Little Dixby, far from the London streets where she was recently attacked. Fascinated by the paranormal energy of nearby Crystal Gardens, she finds some pleasurable diversion in sneaking past the wall to explore the grounds. And when her life is threatened again, she instinctively goes to the gardens for safety.

Lucas Sebastian has never been one to ignore a lady in danger, even if she is trespassing on his property. Quickly disposing of her would-be assassin, he insists they keep the matter private. There is plenty of whispering about him already, with rumors of treasure buried under his garden, and occult botanical experiments performed by his uncle - who died of mysterious causes.

Immediately sensing each other’s psychic talents, as well as their mutual desire, Lucas and Evangeline find themselves with an even more pressing concern. Whoever tried to have her killed will try again. But who would want her dead?

With Evangeline’s skill for detection, and Lucas’s sense of the criminal mind, they soon discover that they share a common enemy. And as the dangerous energy emanating from Crystal Gardens grows stronger, they realize that to survive they must unearth what has been buried for too long.

©2012 Jayne Ann Krentz (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Irritating imitation of English accent

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The story line was OK but JAK has written this story many times. Maybe I felt this story dragged because of the terrible English accent. Because of this I couldn't warm to any of the characters. Can't Audible actually find an English person to read the story?

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Ok, everything seemed to be resolved.

Would you be willing to try another one of Justine Eyre’s performances?

Never- if she was trying to copy an English accent.

What would have made this romance irresistible?

A proper English accent.

Big satisfied sigh.

Historical England, psychic goings on, murder, fraud and family tension fill this plot full as lady's companion and new novelist Evangeline runs for her life and right into the arms of Lucas Sebastion, psychic extraordinaire. Great characters, interesting plot twists and a bit of romance (a little risqué) assured my pleasure throughout.

Very Good Listen

What made the experience of listening to Crystal Gardens the most enjoyable?

i really liked the reader and as always i adore anything Amanda Quick.

What did you like best about this story?

it was different twist compared to her other paranormal romances and it promises to be a great series.

Have you listened to any of Justine Eyre’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no but i did enjoy her reading very much.

Good book, WRONG Voice!

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys paranormal/historical romances (but not necessarily this production of it)The voice (Accent) the narrator used was extremely annoying (not the normal narrator) The performance and reading of the story was flawless but the male voices (especially that of Lucas was WRONG and put me in mind of a wimpy whiny supercilious man who probably had a receding hairline, paunch belly and weak chin.think Eustace on the Chronicles of Narnia -The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)

How could the performance have been better?

I have listen to this performance three times. the first time I was so annoyed and distracted by the accent of the narrator that I missed most of the story but I had sorta acclimatised to her by the end so I decided to listen again to see if I could actually follow the story. It was much more enjoyable on the second listening and I was able to follow the story. It was actually a very good dramatic reading all things considered and served to remind me that there is a broad range when it comes to accents, and the things that I found so irritating in the intonations and nuances were probably in fact genuine to the story. I think it was just that I was used to hearing Ann Flosnik as an Amanda Quick Narrator- maybe I have fallen into a rut (but it was still annoying)

Any additional comments?

IF like me you collect Amanda Quick/Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle stories, my advice would be to suck it up and listen a few time to move past the shock in narrator accent and style (sometimes we need to shake up our little world)

thrilling story

as always Amanda Quick writings are intriguing, love her books! a must read for all

Meh

I normally like Amanda Quick but this book left me saying “meh”. Not awful, but not brilliant either.

I loved it

If you could sum up Crystal Gardens in three words, what would they be?

Amazing, Intriguing and mysterious

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crystal Gardens?

When Lucas saves Eva from almost being killed, it was an intense moment that made you smile, feel their heat as well as be a little scared all at the same time.

What does Justine Eyre bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She brings so much to a story, I sometimes think that she has to have a man reading with her as she does the voices so well and it seems so seemless of a transition from one character to another, I know I would not be able to do that in a book. She bring emotion, feeling into the stories she reads, I feel like I'm literally watching a movie when she narrates a book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I did not want to stop and got frustrated when interrupted or when I had to put it aside.

Ann Flosnik please!!!!

Would you try another book from Amanda Quick and/or Justine Eyre?

I absolutely adore Amanda Quick books, I have many broken spines of hers on my bookshelf. That said I did not enjoy this story as well due to the reader.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I felt that the accent was all wrong, I did manage to block out her voice and enjoy the story however.

A MOST ENJOYABLE HISTORICAL, PARANORMAL ROMANCE

In this first book of a new series we meet Evangeline and Lucas and their paranormal mysterious world. It was a most entertaining romance romp that was fun and had both plot and character development.

Plus if you like A.M.'s books (Jayne Ann Krentz) then you'll know what to expect - a good enjoyable listen that was well worth the credit.

Another psychical winner

If you could sum up Crystal Gardens in three words, what would they be?

Psychic historical suspense

What other book might you compare Crystal Gardens to and why?

The Burning Lamp: has the same psychical/crystal/romantic/suspense elements

Have you listened to any of Justine Eyre’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I'll look for some of her others now that I've listened to this one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Lucas defended Evangeline from his Aunt Florence.

Any additional comments?

This is a great book from a narrator I'd never had the joy of listening to and an author that I've long enjoyed. Ms. Eyre's characters were all nicely distinguished. Loved the accents!