The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

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.

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 ...

*****

Enchanting, Delightful, Passionate...

The Sum of All Kisses is the sum of all things I love in historical romance! It’s romantic, witty, passionate, charming… it’s a story that had me smiling and sighing from the very start, and kept me there right to the very end!

I don’t know how else to explain it except to say there was something endearing about the gruff, bitter, Hugh Prentice. Even when he was being an utter ass, even when his self-deprecation was at it’s peak, I wanted to cuddle him and love him and make him all better. And even when Sarah was being a stubborn ninny, I wanted to cuddle her… okay, that’s a lie. I wanted to smack some sense into the silly chit’s head and shout, “Can’t you see he’s hurting? Can’t you see he needs you??” Thankfully, she figured that out on her own without the need of violence on my part. Close call, that.

Julia Quinn has such a gift for writing about family and close friends. Story after story, she pulls me in, makes me care, and keeps me coming back for more.

My thanks to Avon Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. Truly, it was a pleasure!

It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Thank heavens for Spring Cleaning!

A year or so ago I began reading Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series and after devouring the first six books back to back, I set them aside and moved on to something else. Well here I am a year later and in the spirit of “Spring Cleaning,” I decided I’d catch up on those books that were just sitting on my shelves collecting dust, and that included the final two Bridgerton books.

Gareth St. Clair is in a bind – that’s what the cover blurb tells us. Though I must admit, the first time I read that I was sure it said, ‘Gareth St. Clair is blind,’ so imagine my confusion when his eyesight seemed perfectly fine to me. It’s not that I was wishing him any harm or ill will, but I was all ready to embrace him as a vulnerable hero who needed someone to shine brightly in his lonely, dark world. Well, clearly, it’s my eyesight that is lacking.

Where was I? Oh, yes… Gareth St. Clair is in a bind, and they aren’t kidding! His mother, brother and paternal grandmother are all long since deceased, and his father hates him. He has only one person who loves him, and who he loves in return – his grandmother, the one and only Lady Danbury – who really did steal the show. Despite Gareth’s perfect eyesight, I really did adore him, and he truly was vulnerable, but in ways that aren’t quite so apparent.

Hyacinth Bridgerton is such a funny young woman. Sweet, smart, outspoken… I really loved her character. And there was something else about her that just seemed so honest, and so real. I loved how she accepted her imperfect self, and in fact, embraced it!

It’s In His Kiss was such a wonderful story. The glaring contrast between Hyacinth Bridgerton’s life and family, and that of Gareth St. Clair, made this at times heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, but leave it to the Bridgertons to look beyond titles and peerage, to see the worth of the person within, and embrace him. This was one of those books that’s the perfect combination of lighthearted and serious, and was an absolute delight to read.