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Honoria Smythe-Smith is: A) a really bad violinist; B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child; C) not in love with her older brother's best friend, D) all of the above.
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry; he's also chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield: the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his dreams....
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from marriage: he will pretend to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry.... Although, there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. But Daphne soon finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a complete sham....
Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her... and more. Did he think she was mad?
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball, or that 'Prince Charming' would be waiting there for her!Even though she's the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Michael Stirling and his cousin, John, the Earl of Kilmartin, are as close as brothers. However, Michael is secretly in love with John's wife, Francesca Bridgerton. When John suddenly dies, Michael is wracked with guilt and pain. Even though he is determined to remain simply Francesca's friend and confidant, the temptation is far too great.
Honoria Smythe-Smith is: A) a really bad violinist; B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child; C) not in love with her older brother's best friend, D) all of the above.
This time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry; he's also chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield: the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his dreams....
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from marriage: he will pretend to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry.... Although, there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. But Daphne soon finds herself forgetting that their courtship is a complete sham....
Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except...she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her... and more. Did he think she was mad?
Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball, or that 'Prince Charming' would be waiting there for her!Even though she's the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.
Michael Stirling and his cousin, John, the Earl of Kilmartin, are as close as brothers. However, Michael is secretly in love with John's wife, Francesca Bridgerton. When John suddenly dies, Michael is wracked with guilt and pain. Even though he is determined to remain simply Francesca's friend and confidant, the temptation is far too great.
When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancée, she doesn't believe it for a second, but, still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains, watches, and waits . . . and discovers a most intriguing man, who is definitely up to something. Sir Harry Valentine works for the boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national security.
Like all the Bedwyn men, Aidan has a reputation for cool arrogance. But this proud nobleman also possesses a loyal, passionate heart - and it is this fierce loyalty that has brought Colonel Lord Aidan to Ringwood Manor to honor a dying soldier's request. Having promised to comfort and protect the man's sister, Aidan never expected to find a headstrong, fiercely independent woman who wants no part of his protection, nor did he expect the feelings this beguiling creature would ignite in his guarded heart.
When a suitor tells Arabella he's willing to overlook her appalling bluestocking tendencies on account of her looks and fortune, she decides to take a break from the Marriage Mart. During an extended stay in the country, she never expects to meet Lord John Blackwood, a wounded war hero who intrigues her like no other man.
Anna Snow grew up in an orphanage in Bath knowing nothing of her family. Now she discovers that the late Earl of Riverdale was her father and that she has inherited his fortune. Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby, keeps others at a distance. Yet something prompts him to aid Anna in her transition from orphan to lady. As London society and her newfound relatives threaten to overwhelm Anna, Avery steps in to rescue her....
When the Marquis of Amberley's coach is waylaid by highwaymen and his coachman shot, he is forced to take shelter at the first house he finds and is subsequently trapped there for a week by a severe snowstorm. Oakleigh Manor is the home of Rosalind Vernon who lives alone but for her devoted servants and an ill-natured parrot, cut off from the outside world by the tragic result of a childhood accident.
1740s France and England. Abandoned to fend for herself at the court of Versailles, Antonia turns to her distant cousin, the all-powerful Duke of Roxton, to help her escape the attentions of a lecherous nobleman. Roxton is an unlikely savior - arrogant, promiscuous, and sinister. Antonia's unquestioning belief in him may just be his salvation, and her undoing.
England, 1666; the year all the prophecies said the world would end. For Chloe Hervaux, marriage to wild, unpredictable Alex Deveril offers escape from a home she hates. For Alex, waking up with an epic hangover, the discovery that he has acquired a bride is an unwelcome shock. But while the marriage remains in name only, other forces are gathering. England is at war with the Dutch, and Prince Rupert suspects that sabotage is at work in the fleet. Instructed to find and stop the traitor, Alex enters a dark, secret labyrinth of intrigue.
Beloved authors Julia Quinn, Elizabeth Boyle, Laura Lee Guhrke, and Stefanie Sloane deliver the stories of four friends from Madame Rochambeaux's Gentle School for Girls who find an old sixpence in their bedchamber and decide that it will be the lucky coin for each of their weddings…
When Sophie, the least interesting of the Talbot sisters, lands her philandering brother-in-law backside-first in a goldfish pond in front of all society, she becomes the target of very public aristocratic scorn. Her only choice is to flee London, vowing to start a new life far from the aristocracy. Unfortunately, the carriage in which she stows away isn't saving her from ruin. It's filled with it.
An arrogant duke does the unthinkable - he falls in love with his mistress.... She raced onto the green, desperate to stop a duel. In the mêlée, Jocelyn Dudley, Duke of Tresham, was shot. To his astonishment, Tresham found himself hiring the servant as his nurse. Jane Ingleby was far too bold for her own good. Her blue eyes were the sort a man could drown in - were it not for her impudence. She questioned his every move, breached his secrets, touched his soul. When he offered to set her up in his London town house, love was the last thing on his mind.
For reasons of his own, Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is determined to learn the truth behind the tangled tale of Helen's ruin. There is nothing he abhors so much as scandal - nothing he prizes so well as discretion - and so he is shocked to find that he cannot help but admire her. But how can she trust a man so steeped in the culture of high society, who conceals so much? And how can he, so devoted to the appearance of propriety, ever love a fallen lady?
Three months ago, governess Serena Barton was let go from her position. Unable to find new work, she's demanding compensation from the man who got her sacked: a petty, selfish, swinish duke. But it's not the duke she fears. It's his merciless man of business - the man known as the Wolf of Clermont. The formidable former pugilist has a black reputation for handling all the duke's dirty business, and when the duke turns her case over to him, she doesn't stand a chance. But she can't stop trying....
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.
What disappointed you about The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy?
SPOILER ALERT.
What disappointed me most, was the the whole story was based on one secret not secrets as the title suggests and that was a dreadfully stupid secret and the resolution completely unbelievable
What was most disappointing about Julia Quinn’s story?
Even though the story is not up to what one could wish for, I was upset the most by the fact, that Julia Quinn does not seem to know that Jane Austen did not publish her books under her name but as By a lady or By the Author of Pride and Prejudice. She really should know this or her editor should point it out to her.
What about Rosalyn Landor’s performance did you like?
She is just a fab reader, everything is good.
What character would you cut from The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy?
There are too little characters not too many, if you ask me.
Any additional comments?
Even though I usually like stories more, if the characters do not jump into unhistoric pre marital action quite as frequently before marriage like Julia Quinn usually makes them do and my favourite Julia Quinn is also a bit darker and a after marriage story (To Sir Phillip With Love), this did not help to redeem this particullar story.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I really love Julia Quinn especially her earlier books (would love some of those to be put in audio format) but this really wasn't one of my favourites.
I didn't like the "hero" much and mostly hoped that the heroine would ditch him. Sadly not one I will listen to more than once.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
This is the 4th book in the series and Sir Richard 's secret is a surprise twist. I love her books and cannot wait for the new release.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you try another book from Julia Quinn and/or Rosalyn Landor?
Yes I would, I have enjoyed previous works by both and likely will again.
Any additional comments?
I am a devoted Julia Quinn fan but this was not up to her usual standard. I found a couple of the characters that I believe I was supposed to have sympathy for highly unlikeable, and the general premise almost distracting. In that day and age.... but I digress. My other problem was the tidy bow. It lacked any sort of lesson learned. I realize this is a romance novel and I should not judge to harshly, but what I felt most when reading this was frustration and a need to get on with it already.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I seriously WANTED to like this book. I love Julia Quinn, I love the Smythe-Smith Musicals but this book -the whole premise - is so utterly BAD! Iris, the Heroine, spends more time tripping and falling in this book than anything else. UGH! The whole story is a twist on the Beauty and the Beast story, only the beast is the unattractive girl. The Heroine has really nothing particularly likable about her, the Hero... YIKES, he is a total D.H. (and I don't mean Dear Husband) He marries her quickly because she is plain (ugly) and doesn't have much of a dowry so she won't make much of a fuss. Then -- He uses her (Spoiler alert! Stop reading here if you REALLY want to sit through this book) -- because he discovers his unmarried, virgin sister is pregnant, and he wants her to claim the child as theirs. Of course, the sister is not up for this plan. Poor plain Iris... She is milk toast and bland and barely stands up for herself. She thinks her husband finds her unattractive (and really...) but apparently she grows on him (like a fungus) and he discovers he is in love with the poor beast. It's really really dreadful. The Narrator does a wonderful job, as always, but UGH! Not Ms. Quinn's best work to say the least. I would recommend skipping this one.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I have severe mixed emotions on this one. On one hand, I love Julia Quinn's writing style including her humor. I mean really!, the unicorn and the sheep? Hysterical! On the other hand, Richard's secret was horrible. How can he trick a woman like that? He put Iris in a terrible position. I wanted her to go back to London and leave Richard to think about what he had done. But somehow, Richard became likable. This book is different than Quinn's others in that it's a bit darker and heavier. But her style comes through and somewhat saves this. I can't wait for the next musicale and the story of yet another Smythe-Smith.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
Setting : London 1825
Genre: Romance
Poor Iris. Of all the Smythe-Smith group, she had the roughest time getting to her happily ever after. First of all, she would forever associate meeting Sir Richard with the cacophony otherwise known as the annual Smythe-Smith musicale. He is in attendance for the express purpose of getting an introduction to her. He is in need of a wife in very short order, and he has heard that she is in desperate circumstances, as she is getting close to being on the shelf. She will accept his proposal of marriage with alacrity. Won't she? We're talking about the plainest of the quartet, and the one with the abrasive personality. Plus, there's not much of a dowry. But we're also talking about the girl with the ascerbic wit, who prefers to stand in the corner watching, observing the failures and successes of others. Hard to fool this lady. So after a week long courtship, when he asks for her hand and she asks for time, he compromises her. After the marriage, he takes her to his far-away estate and proceeds to confuse and hurt her, though he is kind and solicitous. Sir Richard has a secret he can't share with Iris just yet, because for a little while he want her think we'll of him. And he is sure that the revelation will make her hate him. There are points in the plot that bothered me, but since the lack of communication was central, I just had to get over that "why doesn't she" or "can't he" outlook. It never got to where the plot point made me think either character was TSTL.
The characters in this story are well rounded. Although both are likeable, they also have flaws. I will admit to never liking Iris through the other books in the quartet. That abrasive, acerbic personality was just not lovable. Quinn had a rough row to hoe to make this lady an appropriate heroine as far as I was concerned. Of course, the curiosity of how she would do this pushed me to want to listen. It turned out to be a nice story worth the time I spent with it.
Rosalyn Landor is one of my favorite narrators for this genre, though she does make me think of Lisa Kleypas. I had to remind myself a few times that I was listening to Julia Quinn. I guess it's because it seems that she has narrated every LK historical romance I have. Regardless of that, I enjoyed her performance of this book.
Overall, this is very worth the credit, with no qualifiers.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Painful. Mean. An unpleasant story. I was uncomfortable and disappointed at the heartless and demeaning treatment of the heroine. This plot line should have been abandoned early on. It left no room for romance.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
it took a long time to get to the problem. I love Quinn, but this story was slow to develop
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I cannot express how much I appreciate Julia Quinn's decision to write a love story that is both appealing and appalling. The appeal comes from Quinn's ability to create characters that are not only intelligent and funny, but are also heart-renderingly vulnerable in their search for love. At the same time, the single-minded actions of the hero, Sir Richard, are so heart-breaking that you actually hurt for Iris. Accepting Sir Richard is not an easy thing to do, but it is very satisfying to witness Iris' growth (as well as Sir Richard's) as they discover the depth of their true feelings. This is love in its most raw, unsentimental state. And it is a reminder that romance novels need not always be "delightfully happy" to be good.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
this book was a bit slow getting started. once you got started it was great. most of Julia Quinn books you can't put down from the first page. over all- happy with the book, just a slow start.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I am a fan of Julia Quinn and wish for more in this Smith-Smythe series. I love the family! In this book, as I listened, I was so frustrated because I did not know where it was going and what to expect. I nearly died laughing with the scene at the musicale!! I was doubled over and just wished I could have listened to it over and over again. I hated Richard's tactics and wished he was just truthful to Iris but in the end it worked out. Can't wait to see if we have more in this series!
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Another Smyth-Smith romance from one of today's best authors. I listened to it in two sittings. You'll want to cheer the resolution at the end.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful