Amanda Quick's Complete Regency Mystery Empire
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- Amanda Quick is a pseudonym of bestselling contemporary romance author Jayne Ann Krentz.
- Surrender, Quick's Regency debut, was published by Bantam Books in 1990.
- The six novels — Surrender, Scandal, Rendezvous, Reckless, Mischief, and Affair — share a loose continuity set in 1815–1820 London.
- Quick blends historical romance with amateur detective plots, murder mysteries, and inheritance intrigue.
- Each novel pairs a war-veteran or scandalous earl with a heroine who refuses to be conventional — scientists, writers, and women who ask uncomfortable questions.
- Affair (1997) closes the unofficial series seven years after Surrender launched it.
Surrender — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: The one that started it all — a brooding earl and a Gothic-obsessed novelist in a marriage of convenience that turns dangerous.
Victoria Huntington writes sensational novels and doesn't apologise for it. Lucas Colebrook, Earl of Stonevale, needs a bride to secure his estate. Their arrangement is strictly business until someone tries to kill Victoria, and Lucas discovers his new wife is far more reckless than he bargained for. The banter crackles, the stakes escalate, and Quick establishes her trademark formula: heroines who refuse to faint and heroes who learn to keep up. If you like your Regency romance laced with actual menace, this is the blueprint. Explore our current copy of Surrender, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Scandal — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: A fake engagement, a real murder, and a spinster heroine who moonlights as an amateur investigator.
Emily Faringdon is 23, unmarried by choice, and inconveniently fascinated by crime. Simon Augustus Traherne, Earl of Blade, is London's most notorious rake. When Emily needs a fake fiancé to deflect her family's matchmaking, Simon agrees — in exchange for her help solving a blackmail case. What begins as a mutually beneficial ruse spirals into conspiracies, old grudges, and a body count Emily didn't anticipate. Quick layers in just enough mystery to keep you guessing past the inevitable happily-ever-after. The secondary characters from Surrender reappear, threading the novels into a shared universe. Explore our current copy of Scandal, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Rendezvous — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: A bluestocking with a sideline in translating scandalous memoirs meets a spy who needs her linguistic talents — and her discretion.
Augusta Ballinger translates French philosophy by day and risqué memoirs by night. Graystone, Earl of Graystone (yes, really), is a former intelligence agent hunting a traitor. When he hires Augusta to decode a dead man's diary, neither expects the job to involve kidnappers, secret societies, or an inconvenient attraction. Quick's voice here is sharper than in the earlier novels — Augusta doesn't just resist convention; she profits from flouting it. The mystery subplot is tighter, the stakes feel higher, and the resolution doesn't rely on a deus ex machina rescue. Explore our current copy of Rendezvous, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Reckless — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: A widow blackmails a pirate-turned-earl into fake courtship, then they accidentally solve a murder together.
Phoebe Layton needs a titled fiancé to scare off her dead husband's lecherous relatives. Gabriel Banner, Earl of Wylde, is an ex-privateer who'd rather be cataloguing antiquities than attending balls. Phoebe blackmails him into the role; Gabriel agrees because she's the only person in London who shares his obsession with ancient relics. The setup is pure farce until someone starts killing members of a gentleman's antiquities club, and Phoebe and Gabriel realise their fake engagement makes them the next targets. Quick leans hard into the adventure here — there's a midnight break-in, a booby-trapped library, and a villain who monologues. Explore our current copy of Reckless, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Mischief — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: A scientific-minded heiress and a collector of antiquities fake a betrothal to thwart fortune hunters, then stumble into a conspiracy.
Imogen Waterstone is tired of suitors who flinch when she mentions mineralogy. Matthias Marshall, Earl of Colchester, is tired of society altogether. They strike a deal: a fake engagement to keep her family and his meddling aunt at bay. It works beautifully until Imogen's questions about a suspicious death pull them into a web of forgery, blackmail, and attempted murder. As of July 2026, Patina's Romance collection includes multiple Amanda Quick titles, and Mischief remains one of the best examples of her ability to balance genre conventions with genuine mystery plotting. The romance arc doesn't overshadow the case; both threads get equal weight. Explore our current copy of Mischief, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Affair — Amanda Quick
Quick Verdict: The series closer — a bluestocking poet and a cynical earl investigate a blackmail ring while pretending their marriage of convenience isn't turning real.
Charlotte Arkendale writes poetry under a pseudonym and runs a discreet inquiry agency for women. Baxter St. Ives, Earl of Esherton, is a man of science who believes emotions are inconvenient. When a blackmailer threatens Charlotte's clients, she hires Baxter to help; he agrees because the case involves a chemical formula he wants to recover. Their partnership is meant to be strictly professional. It isn't. Affair feels like Quick wrapping up loose thematic threads — it's the most self-aware of the six, with characters who openly discuss the absurdity of Regency marriage laws and the limitations of "respectable" femininity. The mystery is convoluted in the best way, with red herrings that actually pay off. Explore our current copy of Affair, or browse more Romance books at Patina.
Amanda Quick's Regency novels don't reinvent the genre, but they execute the formula with precision and wit. The heroines talk back, the heroes evolve, and the mysteries are ambitious enough to justify the page count. If you're after Regency romance where the stakes extend past the marriage proposal, this is the shelf to raid. Shop all Romance books at Patina Paperbacks →
Where can I buy preloved Amanda Quick Regency novels in Australia?
Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating secondhand copies of Amanda Quick's Regency series — Surrender, Scandal, Rendezvous, Reckless, Mischief, and Affair — and ships Australia-wide from Sydney. Check the Romance collection for current availability; stock turns over as copies sell and new preloved titles arrive.
Are Amanda Quick's Regency novels connected, or can I read them standalone?
Each novel works as a standalone romance with a complete arc, but characters from earlier books reappear in later ones — usually as married couples offering advice or comic relief. Reading in publication order (Surrender through Affair) rewards you with continuity, but you won't be lost if you start with Mischief or Rendezvous.
What's the difference between Amanda Quick and Jayne Ann Krentz?
They're the same author. Jayne Ann Krentz writes contemporary romantic suspense under her own name; Amanda Quick is her pseudonym for historical romance, primarily Regency-set. She also writes futuristic romance as Jayne Castle. The core DNA — smart heroines, dangerous men, mystery plots — remains consistent across all three brands.
Which Amanda Quick Regency novel should I start with?
Honestly, start with Rendezvous or Reckless. Surrender is the series debut, but Quick's voice sharpens by the third and fourth novels — the mysteries get tighter, the heroines more defiant, and the pacing less reliant on misunderstanding-based conflict. If you want pure adventure, go Reckless. If you want espionage and codes, Rendezvous.
Do Amanda Quick's Regency novels have explicit sex scenes?
They're sensual rather than graphic — there's heat, but Quick tends to fade to black or focus on emotional intimacy rather than extended physical detail. If you're after clean Regency romance, these might feel too steamy; if you're used to contemporary romance's explicitness, they'll read as relatively tame. The balance works for the genre and era.