Sunday, February 24, 2013

A NIGHT LIKE THIS by Julia Quinn



Book 2 in the Smythe-Smith quartet
Avon Books
978-0-06-207290-0
May 29th, 2012
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher

 


Anne Wynter has a secret, one she guards deep in her heart. A governess to three highborn young ladies, Anne is content with her life. Her job constantly challenges her and when she has to bandage the Earl of Winstead up, well let’s just say, she isn’t immune to his dashing good looks. He tempts her like no other has before but Anne is determined to not let herself weaken, for she knows she has no future with the charming Earl.

When Daniel Smythe-Smith spies the lovely Anne at his family’s annual musical, he is determined to have her. She is gorgeous, funny and a delight to behold even as he tries to figure out why she appeals to him. But Daniel has an enemy that will stop at nothing short of his death and when Anna is drawn into this business, Daniel wills top at nothing to keep her safe from harm even as he finds himself falling in love with the one woman who stole his heart.

I adore Julia Quinn’s novels and her latest chapter in the Smythe-Smith/The Bridgertons delivers one wild ride from start to finish. A NIGHT LIKE THIS delivers a story with two very enjoyable main characters, a mystery and a romance that will steal your heart. Ms. Quinn delivers a story that literally takes your breath away. With the right amount of action-adventure, romance and more, this author delivers one enjoyable story for her readers. The pace of how these two fell in love was very well done. Daniel and Anne had conversations, didn’t fall into bed right away and got to know one another. I loved their interaction with one another and Anne’s charges were delightful, with some humorous moments to offset the mystery and kept the story moving nicely.

Meet Daniel Smythe-Smith. He is the new Earl of Winstead but after being away for three years due to a drunken moment that caused the death of someone, Daniel is just now getting on with his life. When he spies Anna at his family’s annual musical, he is charmed by her as well as intrigued. Who, exactly, is this lovely young lady? His interest peaked, Danile finds that the only way to get to know Anne is to be around her charges and he likes what he sees and hears when he talks with Anne. Daniel is a wonderful character. He was a very well written, quite intriguing and trying to move on with his life after a drunken duel that caused the death of someone. I really thought Daniel was a character trying to atone for his past mistakes and the love he felt for his family came across as a lovely thing to read, even as you get a chuckle out of how exasperated he gets sometimes by their antics. Anne was hurt in the past so she keeps her heart very close to her chest but doesn’t paint every man by that hurt, which was a nice difference to behold. The sparks between the two are obvious when they first meet and I loved how this author got them to know one another before falling into bed. It was a refreshing change after reading one too many “love at first sight, get into bed” stories. Daniels siblings are enjoyable and Anne’s three charges were quite intriguing. All the characters-secondary as well as the main characters-were very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them all.

A NIGHT LIKE THIS is one story that I would love to read again, especially as I didn’t read the first book, Just Like Heaven, and would love to check out the beginning of this quartet. Ms. Quinn delivers a fun tale of two people who are meant for one another. Plus some of my favorite past characters, such as The Bridgerton’s, show up and we get to see a glimpse into their lives after their story was done and over with. A NIGHT LIKE THIS is one book I can’t wait to read again-after I read book one that is. I can’t wait to see what else this author has in store for the Smythe-Smiths in the future.



 

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