Anne Wynter and Daniel Smythe-Smith, the Earl of Winstead,
are both used to hiding, but they cannot hide from their
feelings for each other in Julia Quinn's delightful romantic
mystery A NIGHT LIKE THIS.
Daniel Smythe-Smith has been on the run for three years,
after a duel with a close friend. When he comes home, he is
immediately captivated by his cousins' governess, Anne
Wynter. She is drawn to him as well, though she knows an
earl is out of her reach. Daniel contrives to spend more
time with her by inviting his cousins to visit his country
home, but while Anne enjoys their time together -- and a few
stolen kisses -- she knows she mustn't allow anything more
if
she's to keep her position. Their growing attraction is also
darkened by a series of vicious attacks. Both Anne and
Daniel have enemies, and with no clue who is responsible,
each fears that they're putting the person they love at
risk.
I was a little skeptical as I read the first few pages. The
whole prologue was almost comical, though somewhat dark, and
the hero certainly didn't strike me as heroic. Chapter one
introduces Anne and gives us a hint of her mysterious past.
By the end of that chapter, I was hooked. Julia Quinn has a
mischievous style, and she uses a lot of parentheses as she
gets us into the heads of the characters. It was something I
had to get used to, but I found myself enjoying those little
asides as the book went on.
Daniel and Anne's conversations alone are often very
touching and clearly show their desires and their fears.
Some of the scenes involving Daniel's young cousins
(especially the rehearsal of Harriet's new play) are
hilarious. By the time we reach the dark moments near the
end of the book, we are fully invested in -- and afraid for
--
the whole family. I read the last 160-or-so pages in a rare
non-stop session because I couldn't put A NIGHT LIKE THIS
down. I had
to know what happened next.
A NIGHT LIKE THIS is sometimes fun, sometimes frightening,
and always entertaining. I highly recommend it.
But she's managing quite well as a governess to three
highborn young ladies. Her job can be a challenge — in a
single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of
tubas, playing an evil queen in a play that might be a
tragedy (or might be a comedy—no one is sure), and tending
to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After
years of dodging unwanted advances, he's the first man who
has truly tempted her, and it's getting harder and harder to
remind herself that a governess has no business flirting
with a nobleman.
Daniel Smythe-Smith might be in mortal danger…
But that's not going to stop the young earl from falling in
love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family's
annual musicale, he vows to pursue her, even if that means
spending his days with a ten-year-old who thinks she's a
unicorn. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see
him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop
at nothing to ensure their happy ending…
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