"He had chosen her for his wife for the most reprehensible of reasons."
THE STORY: Sir Richard Kenworthy has come to London to find a bride -- the problem is that he has less than a month to accomplish the deed. He attends the infamous Smythe-Smith musicale believing that it might be fertile grounds to find a wife. Richard spies a woman he wouldn't have looked twice at before -- Iris Smythe-Smith. Iris is intelligent and knows that she is not the kind of woman that men lose their heads over. When Richard begins to seriously court her, Iris cannot help but suspect that Richard's devotion is too good to be true. Iris is right.
OPINION: I absolutely loved this book. The format is different than most romance books and some will complain about the lies that Richard tells, but I completely fell victim to the way the book keeps Richard's secrets for so long such that the pain that Richard's deception brings feels real.
Iris is such an intelligent, compassionate character. She thinks herself plain, begins to believe that she might be beautiful if Richard sees her as such and then is completely destroyed when she learns of his deception. Quinn always has such great characters and Iris is much more than she appears. By the time the novel is done, the reader has been privileged to see the formidable woman that she is becoming. I especially like the emphasis on the sister relationship in the book and how Iris's own relationships with her sisters gives her the insight in how to deal with Richard's sisters in a forthright manner.
Richard is tormented throughout the book. He must marry and knows that he will likely have to compromise a woman to do so in the timeframe he needs to accomplish the deed. His actions are dishonorable and will likely be controversial with readers some of whom will be unable to forgive him for his actions. He is justifiably tormented in this book by what he decides to do and ultimately, he is not a perfect man but one who can be forgiven by Iris.
The relationship between Richard and Iris is woven together slowly. This is not a book of love at first sight but rather one where the attraction, caring and love is allowed to develop throughout the time that the characters know one another. By the end of the book, the relationship is solid and satisfying.
I do have one small complaint and that is that I wanted more time with these characters in the resolution phase of the book. Once the plot has been resolved, I wished that there could be more time for the happy ending. To me, it ends up feeling a little rushed and I missed the chance for these characters to really be happy together.
Despite this, this is one of those books that I wanted to immediately return to portions of to enjoy the language and the beautiful and sometimes painful experiences that Iris and Richard encounter.
WORTH MENTIONING: The secrets that Richard is keeping are not revealed for more than half the book. The book is so much better if the reader allows the secrets to be revealed rather than peeking at the end!
FINAL DECISION: This is a beautifully written book. The secret is well hidden and once it is revealed, it is also clearly hinted at so that a reader doesn't feel cheated. The secret is significant and devastating to Iris which gives the story depth. I loved almost everything about this book. My one small complaint is that I wish that the resolution was longer. It felt a bit rushed and I didn't get enough time with Iris and Richard having finally resolving their relationship.
CONNECTED BOOKS: THE SECRETS OF SIR RICHARD KENWORTHY is the fourth book of the Smythe-Smith Quartet. This book can be read completely independent of the others in the series although there are brief mentions of events and people in the other books.
STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.
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Susan Armstrong
The Secrets of SirbRichsrd Kenworthy - Smyth-Smith Quartet Book 4
Reviewed in Australia on April 4, 2024