Short and Sweet Book Reviews # 209 - The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries, The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn

The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here are the spymaster and the actress both playing a part in an historical event. Belgium needs a ruler and the candidates are all in London to make the choice. Jeffries mixes recorded history with some make-believe to spin a interesting and fun story. Baron Fulkham meets the stunning Princess Anne of Chanay and know that she is an imposter. The why is a big part of the fun. It was fun watching her sidestep every trap that Fulkham set. Even more fun to see him try to keep from falling for the lovely imposter. A nice addition to the Sinful Suitors series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.


The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good use of the memory loss trope. Cecilia Harcourt leaves home and travels to the New World to nurse her brother back to health but instead of finding her brother she finds his friend Edward Rokesby injured and in need of her help. Only family can see Edward so she pretends that she is his wife and with her help he recovers but with a big memory gap. The two have corresponded but never met. The interaction between Cecilia and Edward plays out in a way that keeps the tension going. Poor Cecilia's lie just keeps getting bigger and she lives in fear about what will happen when Edward finds out she is not his wife. This is a Bridgertons Prequel and ends with a nod to the Bridgeton books. It was interesting to see the Revolutionary War from the British view.

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Short and Sweet Book Reviews #21 Because of Miss Bridgeton by Julia Quinn, The Wicked Duke by Madeline Hunter, The Alexandria Affair by Ashley Gardner

Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

Quinn has found another Bridgerton who has given up on love.  We know better.  If your name is Bridgerton love is somewhere in your future.  Billie Bridgerton is a not your usual Ton lady.  She prefers the country and wearing pants instead of dresses.  What she needs is someone who understands and likes her.  The last person she thinks will do that is her neighbor George Rokesdy.  Of course they are perfect for each other.  A nice interesting story told with a lot of humor.  It works find as a stand alone.  If you are a Bridgerton fan you don’t want to miss this one.

The Wicked Duke by Madeline Hunter

Historical Romance

This is the third book in the Tall Dark, and Wicked trilogy but it works as a stand alone.  Lancelot Hemingford, Duke of Aylesbury has a big problem.  Was his older brother murdered and did he do it.  He just wants it over and his name cleared.  How marriage and love lead to just that keeps the story moving.  This is a really interesting and fun book.   The plot moves at a great pace. It was hard to decide if the older brother was murdered or dies from natural causes.  It turns out he was not a very nice person.  All of that made for a enjoyable reading experience. I will add that I did not find the Duke to be that wicked.

The Alexandria Affair (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries #11) by Ashley Gardner

Historical Mystery

Captain Lacey is one of my favorite characters.  This time his wife has had him bound, gagged and put on a ship for Egypt.  This is a trip with Lucius Grenville and has been planned for a year.  Lacey tries to back out but he is doing a little too much hovering so off he is sent.  I loved the history that is brought out in the book.  This was a time when any and everyone was digging up the past in Egypt and sending it out of the country.  There is a lot going on in the book.  Lacey has been asked to find a book from the original library in Alexandria.  Someone is still trying to kill him.  He makes a new enemy.   All in all a really good story that adds more depth to the series.  This can stand alone but reading the series from book one is much more fun.

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith #4) by Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

From Goodreads:

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.

Once again we are at that annual horrible Smythe-Smith musical.  And once again the music is just plain terrible.  In spite of that Sir Richard Kenworthy picks as his bride Iris Smythe-Smith.

I loved Iris.  She knows something if off with Sir Richard but just does not know what.  Even so she agrees to a rush wedding leaving immediately for Sir Richard’s home.  She wants a home of her own and is willing to work to get it.  However what is off with Sir Richard is more that Iris ever expected and may be more than she can live with.

Sir Richard is not that great a character.  He knows that what he is doing to Iris is not right but that does not stop him.  I never warmed to his character.  He is very controlling and completely misses what is really going on in his family. It takes Iris to realize the truth and find a solution.

There is a nice HEA after a very long and complicated journey.  This is a nice addition to the Smythe-Smith saga.  Even though it is part of a series it works well as a stand-alone. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy is a nice introduction if you have never read anything by Julia Quinn and a nice addition established fans will love.

Avon published The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn in 2015.

I received an ARC of The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy from Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

Here is what Goodreads says:

"He thinks she's an annoying know-it-all...
Hugh Prentice has never had patience for dramatic females, and if Lady Sarah Pleinsworth has ever been acquainted with the words shy or retiring, she's long since tossed them out the window. Besides, a reckless duel has left this brilliant mathematician with a ruined leg, and now he could never court a woman like Sarah, much less dream of marrying her.
She thinks he's just plain mad...
Sarah has never forgiven Hugh for the duel he fought that nearly destroyed her family. But even if she could find a way to forgive him, it wouldn't matter. She doesn't care that his leg is less than perfect, it's his personality she can't abide. But forced to spend a week in close company they discover that first impressions are not always reliable. And when one kiss leads to two, three, and four, the mathematician may lose count, and the lady may, for the first time, find herself speechless ...
New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn's enchanting third novel in the Smythe-Smith quartet is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud and tug at your heartstrings in equal measures.

I love the Smythe-Smith series and The Sum of All Kisses is the best so far.  We met Sarah in one of  the first books when she refused to  show up for the annual Smythe-Smith musical and Hugh there was talk about the duel between he and Daniel.  Now they have their own story.

Both are really great characters and they are very well developed.  Sarah is very vocal and Hugh is very withdrawn but when they get together sparks fly.  Both think that the other is a terrible person but once they are forced together the type of sparks change.  Theirs is a great journey to a HEA.

Pick this one up for a great afternoon of reading.

Avon published The Sum of all Kisses by Julia Quinn in 2013.

A NIght Like This by Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

A Night Like This by Julia Quinn is the second book in the Smythe-Smith Quartet.  I received an eARC of A Night Like This from Edelweiss.

Both Anne Wynter and Daniel Smythe-Smith were introduced near the end of the first book.  I guessed they would be the two to be featured and I was right. 

Here is what Goodreads says about A Night Like This:

"Anne Wynter’s job as governess to three highborn young ladies 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 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. 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."

The story is wrapped up in a mystery.  Daniel has enemies but so does Anne.  Part of the mystery and the story is finding out who is after whom.  It did make for a good plot and it kept the story moving.

Daniel and Anne are both nice characters and their story is entertaining.  That said I did not enjoy this story as much as I did the first one in the series, Just like Heaven.  It still was fun to see all of the familiar characters again. 

A Night Like This is a pleasant read and fans of historical romances and of Julia Quinn will enjoy it book.  I will be looking for the next book in the Quartet.  I do like the Smythe-Smith family and their musical.

Avon published A Night Like This by Julia Quinn in 2012.

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

Historical Romance

Just Like Heaven is an ARC that I received free from Amazon Vine.  I loved Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series and when I saw that the Bridgeton’s know the Smythe-Smiths I picked Just Like Heaven as one of my two free books.  I was not disappointed with my choice. 

In Just Like Heaven Julia Quinn has created a hero and heroin that are both very likeable people.  The start of the series revolves around that Smythe-Smith Musical that we heard about first in the Bridgerton series.  Marcus Holroyd has known Honoria Smythe-Smith since she was 6 and he was twelve.   Honoria was a six-year-old pest who wanted to go everywhere with her brother Daniel and his friend Marcus.  Now that Honoria is twenty-one and Marcus is twenty-seven things are different.  It is such fun to watch these two realize that they are not only friends but are also falling in love. 

Just Like Heaven is also full of humor.  I challenge anyone to read the scene where someone’s mother is pecked to death by pigeons and not laugh so hard they hurt.  Just Like Heaven is a great start to a new series.  I like to guess who will be featured next.  I wonder if it will be the governess that Marcus thinks he has seen before?

Avon published Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn in 2011.  The book will be released May 31, 2011.


Giving me a free book does not guarantee a recommendation.  I will not recommend a book if I do not like it.