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Showing posts with label Smythe-Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smythe-Smith. Show all posts

Tuesday, 29 May 2012

ARC Review: A Night Like This by Julia Quinn

A Night Like This
by Julia Quinn
(Smythe-Smith Quartet # 2)

Daniel Smythe-Smith, Lord Winstead has just returned from three years of exile after a foolish duel with a friend that went drastically wrong. Unfortunately for Daniel, he has come back on a night society dreads: The Smythe-Smith Musicale, but he feels his luck change when he sees a beautiful young lady take place of one of his "sick" cousins on the piano.

Miss Anne Wynter is the governess of the Pleinsworth daughters, cousins of the Smythe-Smiths and after being rather forcibly persuaded to play the piano to replace her charges supposedly ill older sister she spots a stranger watching the musicale. Even if, in this instance it is Lord Winstead she can feel her past catching up with her and the next hidden stranger could well be a lot more dangerous then the handsome, charming Lord Winstead.

What I love about Julia Quinn boos is that I am guaranteed a really fun read. I have found all her books to be full of laughs and various quirky but lovable characters. This book is exactly the same, funny and sweet, a book tha is quickly read and fondly remembered.

I really liked both the main characters Daniel and Anne; they were great to read about. Daniel was something rare in romance; a man who is fairly light hearted and loves his family without reservation (despite the regular torture of the Smythe-Smith Musicale) and I found it refreshing, although I do love a dark broody hero, sometimes it's nice to read one with a sense of humour. Anne was actually the more tortured of the two with a horrible past that she has been hiding from for eight years. It was really nice to read such likable characters get together and the witty teasing between them was fantastic and one of the things that Julia Quinn does best.

But although the romance between them was great and they were good characters, the characters I loved most were the Pleinsworth girls, Frances, Elizabeth and Harriet. They were hilarious; I loved it when they were in a scene as I know their banter would have me in fits of laughter. I warn you at around 44% of the book, go read it in a private place, as I discovered, giggling to yourself in the work restaurant is not the way to make friends!

I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good but light read, although this is number two in the Smythe-Smith series it can be read as a standalone, but there is mention of the previous book in this.

*ARC provided by publisher



Purchase Links: Amazon

Friday, 3 June 2011

Review: Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn


Just Like Heaven (Smythe-Smith Series # 1)
By Julia Quinn
Historical Romance


Having read everything that Julia Quinn has written I was very much looking forward to starting a series about the famous (or is it infamous?) Smythe-Smiths. If you have read any of her books you would have heard about the Smythe-Smith Musicale the most anticipated and by that I mean dreaded social event in the ton calander. Honoria Smith-Smythe plays the violin, terribly ofcourse in true Smythe-Smith tradition, in the quartet and she hopes that this will be her final year as she is desparate to get married and start a family of her own; however, what she doesn't realize is that Lord Chatteris her older brothers best friend, has been looking out for her and scaring away all potential suitors as they all seem to him unsuitable. The more he sees of Honoria the more he comes to the realization that he may actually love her...

I managed to read this book in a day; I just couldn't put it down. It was everything I have come to expect from a Julia Quinn book, funny, romantic and cute. As in most of her books the characters are funny and lighthearted, there is no real angst or darkness in this book so if you are looking for a broody read this isn't for you. However, if you want a book that will have you smiling and laughing all the way through then I recommend that you pick this up.

Honoria was quirky and fun and I liked her immensley, she had a dry wit and I often found myself laughing at the things that she said or did. Marcus was also very sweet and quite adorabley shy! You could see from the start that they were perfect for eachother and it was great fun watching them finally come to that realization themselves.

This was a great read and anybody looking for a light hearted funny book should give this book a try.

Favourite Quote:

He rather hoped he was sleeping, because he was quite certain he'd seen a six-foot rabbit hopping through his bedchamber, and if that wasn't a dream they were all in very big trouble. Although really, it wasn't rabbit that was so dangerous as much as the giant carrot he was swinging about like a mace.