The Smythe-Smith Quartet has always had characters
who
don't necessarily fit in into Society. However, Iris
Smythe-Smith just might be the first to ever actually
know how to play her instrument well and isn't afraid of
showing others who she really is. So it's really no
wonder why Sir Richard Kenworthy finds her immediately
attractive, so attractive that he decides that he wants
to marry her right then and there.
Driving Richard's need to marry quickly is a secret that
isn't revealed until later on in the book. For the
majority of the book, I was desperate to know why Richard
acted the way he did and what was so secretive that he
couldn't even tell his own wife what had happened. As
with all of Julia Quinn's books, there's this charming
and endearing quality to all of her characters, even
Richard who you would think would be untrustworthy
because of his secrets, but I didn't actually hate him
for anything he did to Iris in this book.
Quinn spends a lot of time on the romance, building and
then taking back elements until a true happily ever after
is achieved in the end. With her stellar writing and
incredible knack for dialogue, I found myself whipping
through these pages quickly enjoying the laughs and the
quirkness along the way.
THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY is charming, sweet,
passionate and smart -- all of what you can expect from as
talented a writer as Julia Quinn is.
Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he can't be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her family's infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. She's the type of girl you don't notice until the second— or third—look, but there's something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows she's the one. Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she can't quite believe it's all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she can't help thinking that he's hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.