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Review Spotlight | The Final Book in Julia Quinn's Smythe-Smith Quartet


The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy
Julia Quinn

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Smythe-Smith Quartet #4

February 2015
On Sale: January 27, 2015
Featuring: Iris Smythe-Smith; Richard Kenworthy
385 pages
ISBN: 0062072943
EAN: 9780062072948
Kindle: B00LEX1N1C
Paperback / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Also by Julia Quinn:
Queen Charlotte, March 2024
Queen Charlotte, May 2023
The Other Miss Bridgerton, February 2023
First Comes Scandal, February 2023

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The season of Julia Quinn's Smythe-Smith Quartet came to a close with the release of THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY, and we cannot stop swooning over this regency romp. Here is what Fresh Fiction Reviewer Susan Gorman had to say:

Review of THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY

THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY is the fourth book in author Julia Quinn's Smythe-Smith quartet. Ms. Quinn's readers have waited over a year for Iris Smythe-Smith's story, and it was well worth the wait! Ms. Quinn has written a captivating, romantic story which centers on family loyalty, choices, love, and forgiveness.

Our hero Sir Richard Kenworthy is a man on a mission: He has traveled to London to find a wife. His goal is to be married and on his way home to Yorkshire in two weeks time. Sir Richard has asked his friend Winston Bevelstoke for an invitation to the Smythe-Smith annual musicale. It's a well-known fact that the musicales are awful and only dear friends and family attend. So why would Sir Richard ask to attend the musicale if he was looking for a wife?

During the performance, Sir Richard notices Iris hiding behind her cello, and he asks Bevelstoke to introduce them. Iris interests him because "she is the type of girl no one would notice." Why would a man looking for a wife be interested in someone no one would notice?

Bevelstoke and Kenworthy call on the Smythe-Smiths the next day, where Richard suggests a walk in the park. I loved the banter between Iris and Richard. Ms. Quinn's dialogue brings out subtle traits of the characters and is entertaining at the same time. Richard learns through his conversations with Iris that she is intelligent, observant, diplomatic, and that she loves her family. One of my favorite scenes occurs when Richard and Iris dance the minuet. Iris experiences the feeling of desire as she effortlessly follows the intricate dance steps with Richard. This piece is another example of Ms Quinn's ability to write a heartfelt, touching story. I felt for Iris. She is a wallflower who is wise to society and to its rules. Like so many of us, Iris wants to be treasured and desired.

Sir Richard has a secret. It's the type of secret that, when revealed, has the potential to affect a lot of people. I enjoyed how the author gave the reader hints and clues about the secret as the story progressed. The story's plot was well-paced, and both the main and secondary characters remained true to their personalities. The secret was revealed to the reader just before Iris discovered it. I enjoyed how Iris reacted to Richard's secret and how she worked through its consequences. Well done, Julia Quinn! .

In the final book of this series, Julia Quinn weaves a romantic and entertaining story of two people with a great sense of family loyalty who meet, marry, and fall in love. Fans of Ms. Quinn will love how she includes Hyacinth Bridgerton, Garrett St Clair, the Bevelstokes and my favorites Frances, Harriet, and Elizabeth. In my opinion, Frances is the best character created by Julia Quinn since Lady Whistledown.

If you are a fan of Julia Quinn's books, read THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY. It will warm your heart and make you smile!

About THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY

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.

Smythe-Smith Quartet

JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Just Like Heaven
Smythe-Smith Quartet
#1.0
June 2011

A 
NIGHT LIKE THIS
A Night Like This
Smythe-Smith Quartet
#2.0
June 2012

THE SUM OF ALL KISSES
The Sum Of All Kisses
Smythe-Smith Quartet
#3.0
November 2013

THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY
The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy
Smythe-Smith Quartet
#4.0
February 2015

 

 

Comments

2 comments posted.

Re: Review Spotlight | The Final Book in Julia Quinn's Smythe-Smith Quartet

Your book has stoked my interest on more than one front. I
enjoy reading books from this era, and being a cellist,
although retired, it would be foolish for me to pass up a
story like this!! I was anything but a wallflower, though,
when I played!! lol The story sounds charming, to coin a
phrase from that time period, and I'm looking forward to
reading your book. It's on my TBR list already!!
Congratulations on what I know will be a big seller!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:38am March 1, 2015)

Love at first sight; sounds like a great story. I am adding
your books to my TBR list.
(Leona Olson 10:45am March 1, 2015)

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