To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. It hurt like bloody hell. Or was he merely repeating a word for emphasis? She looked like him, too. “Well.”. “You could make her look like me,” Frances said hopefully. Hugh gave his head a little shake. Daniel had been forced to flee the country, and Hugh had spent a full year learning to walk again. He’d almost got out of this one, too. Honoria, her very best friend in the entire world. “Lord Winstead?” Freddie swallowed. His left stride was longer than his right, although not by much. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The title might have to reside with Freddie for a few years, but as far as Lord Ramsgate was planning, it ought to end up with Hugh or his children. “But I did,” Daniel said with a shrug. Daniel’s head snapped up in surprise. “No,” Daniel said. Hugh paused at the sound of a familiar feminine voice. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2014. Or perhaps more to the point, not that he’d been presented with an opportunity. “He’s gone.”, “No, no, not dead gone,” Freddie quickly said. “You stupid, contrary… A joke. Why had he thought he’d hear the shot before he felt it? Or France.” The marquess gave a grim chuckle. Hugh jerked his head toward Dunwoody. And a burp. “I beg your pardon?” Sarah finally managed. I say this with great confidence, because although I did read the preceding two books, I can’t remember anything about them. “Well, if that’s the case,” Hugh murmured. 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. “The morphine is dissolved in it.”, “Just what I need,” Hugh muttered. He learned to live with pain, the constant ache of a badly-set bone, the pulsing throb of a twisted muscle. Sarah Pleinsworth, if his ears were correct, and they usually were. “Lord Hugh and I will get on famously, I’m sure.”, Honoria didn’t buy Sarah’s act for a second, not that Sarah really thought she would. “Phantom pain, it’s called. There weren’t many sentences in London more coveted than: “I saw it myself.”. Written with Julia Quinn’s trademark style, The Sum of All Kisses is a witty and lighthearted Regency romance. So I was excited to see this man get his Happily Ever After. Sarah couldn’t think of a better word to describe it. “Let me get you some water,” Freddie said. “Is it the same as a satyr?”. Was he mocking him? “Sarah!” came Honoria’s cheerful voice as the bride herself stepped into the doorway beside him. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. But Attila the nurse, however rough and crude she might be, was still preferable to Hugh’s father, who came by every day at four in the afternoon, brandy in hand (just one; none for Hugh), with the latest news on his hunt for Daniel Smythe-Smith. Especially since you’re putting it up on a dais, aren’t you? “You’re an idiot,” Daniel replied, shaking blood from his face. From Julia Quinn, the New York Times bestselling author of steamy historical romances, comes the third seductive installment of the Smythe-Smith Quartet, The Sum of All Kisses. Which meant that once the Chatteris-Smythe-Smith nuptials were completed, Sarah (along with half of London, it seemed) would take to the roads and travel from Fensmore down to Whipple Hill, in Berkshire, to attend the wedding of Daniel Smythe-Smith to Miss Anne Wynter. “I’ll ask Corville to tell Father. But he’d been out and about with friends, and they’d gone to a somewhat salty tavern, where the pints were large, the crowd was loud, and the women uncommonly buxom. Sadly I couldn’t stay there and very quickly felt the book fell into the trap so many modern authors do of mixing their life and times. Preloaded Digital Audio Player, Unabridged. In twenty-three hours, actually, if the ceremony began on time, which Hugh had little confidence it would. As Hugh lacked the temperament for any of these pursuits, he would have to find some other means of support. It was a rare enough talent that Hugh was disciplined for cheating six times during his first two months at Eton. Hugh stood by next to the surgeon, who was just full of useful information. Really. He was a useless cripple. “Thank you again. Her face lit up again, her happiness practically a beacon. Hugh wasn’t sure who had called out the order. Freddie had said that he hadn’t tried to reason with the marquess, and Hugh had said, “Of course not,” and then he’d thought— Because who reasons with a madman? You will be doing me a tremendous favor.”. She doesn't care that his leg is less than perfect, it's his personality she can't abide. He can rot in hell for all I care. The duel had been at dawn. Stay in Touch! But back to the foreshadowing. He really did not understand why he needed to put in an appearance at this wedding. “More,” Hugh croaked. In fanciful novels —the sort Sarah read by the dozen and refused to apologize for— foreshadowing was painted by the bucket, not the brushstroke. One might, if one was not familiar with the Pleinsworth girls. Still, one might think they would offer a bit of sympathy. She did not disappoint. No, she thought, straightening her spine (but not so much she had to actually sit up), it wasn’t. As Daniel was also an earl, it was going to be a huge affair. The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn. The ace had been after the jack, which had been next to the ten…. “It was my fault,” he bit out. “Thank you,” he said. At least he would not have to attend that wedding. I got it this morning and I didn't stop reading until I had finished it. He didn’t have much money—just his gambling winnings from back when he gambled—but he had enough to hire a valet and take a small apartment in the Albany, which was well-known as the premier building in London for gentleman of exceptional birth and unexceptional fortune. It wasn’t the most gracious of invitations, but Hugh didn’t care. “Nearly getting yourself killed. Sarah had been tasked with the job of keeping her sisters out of trouble. Just that. I wanted to see that ... badly. The wealthy usually had their newspapers ironed before they read them. “Why’d you do that?”, Hugh had no words. Or more? Where his memory really came in handy, though, was cards. It just wasn’t possible. Sarah turned to her cousin with a brilliant smile. But Daniel waved him off, then said, “Hugh, don’t be an ass.”, Hugh didn’t think. He just wished she’d learn to be quiet. The Patch of Green (where Daniel and Hugh fight their duel) is not a real location. It was well written and completely drew me into the 1800’s. Their mother had lost three babies between Sarah and Harriet—two as miscarriages and one when Sarah’s younger brother, the only boy to have been born to Lord and Lady Pleinsworth, died in his cradle before he was three months old. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. “Perhaps the next day, then.”. I was a little bit surprised that they didn’t actually marry until six months after they got engaged. It was the last thing he wanted, but then she smiled at him, and he remembered she’s the bride. Why was there a ‘rest of the audience?’ Sarah never could figure that out. What was Freddie doing here? “The doctor said we could give you some if you woke up.”. It was hell. He’d always been the charmer of the group. “No, no,” Harriet said, waving her off. “I have good news.”. But Hugh wouldn’t think of that. “No.” He’d aimed to the side. Someone who’d found out about the duel and wanted bragging rights, most probably. Lady Sarah Pleinsworth, veteran of three unsuccessful seasons in London, looked about her soon-to-be cousin’s drawing room and announced, “I am plagued by weddings.”. I have always been a fan of Julia Quinn’s romance books! We saw in book two that Hugh was able to eventually work out some sort of deal that allowed Daniel to come home, and in this story we get to see exactly what that deal entailed. Look for Bridgerton, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family, on Netflix. Written with Julia Quinn’s trademark style, The Sum of All Kisses is a witty and lighthearted Regency romance. She is a cousin of the Smythe-Smith’s and plays the pianoforte in the quartet. “Toward making everything right. Hugh said nothing. Why was it so hard to breathe? “Don’t you want to walk down the aisle?” She looked a bit like a concerned little sparrow, her head tilting to one side and then the other with sharp little birdlike movements. “I won. Every year, like clockwork, the four eldest unmarried Smythe-Smith cousins were forced to gather their nonexistent musical talents and play together in a quartet. Hugh wouldn’t blame him if he never came back. I have been looking forward to this book for some time and was not disappointed! And he forced himself to visit his father, to try to reason with him, to tell him to stop hunting Daniel Smythe-Smith. If I don’t, I do believe I will simply die.”. He didn’t know why, but he nodded. “Bloody hell, you shot me!” Daniel yelled. “It’s difficult to imagine. “As far as I am concerned —and my mother, too, I can say quite reliably— we hold you in great esteem. Although neither protagonist from Once Upon a Tower actually appears "on screen" in The Sum of All Kisses, both are mentioned, and Iris's frantic search for Edie leads to some rather significant self-reflection on the part of Sarah. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SEP 9, 2013 The already well-worked Bridgerton universe (subject of eight books, including On the Way to the Wedding) is attenuated by this novel linking it to Quinn's Smythe-Smith stories. But Daniel was right about one thing. Freddie swallowed, and he looked away. God above, was there to be no end to her travails? He couldn’t remember the last time his brother had stepped foot in their father’s house. The leg. And his expression would have changed. “That is good news.”, “Oh, come now,” Harriet said. Because they all knew that the marquess loved Ramsgate, Hugh, and Freddie in precisely that order. You’re a cripple who may not even be able to sire children now.”. In this case, appearances were important. In front of actual people. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! Or maybe it wouldn’t heal at all. Besides, even if Hugh did grow to enjoy her company, it wouldn't matter. He’d rather go swimming in snow than sit up on a dais in front of all the wedding guests, but it was an honor. “I was asking,” she (apparently) repeated, “if you knew if all of the guests had arrived.”. 1 person found this helpful Overall 4 out of 5 stars. Dunwoody scratched his head and looked at the cards, counting out loud. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 373 pages and is available in Mass Market Paperback format. Would I be wrong in surmising that the publisher needs a certain number of words so Julia pads out the story with pointless dialogue which doesn't advance the plot, such as it is. I wasn’t here, but Corville told me Winstead tried to apologize. Maybe you can write a scene like this in your play, Harriet.”, “That’s a good idea,” Harriet replied. Or at the very least, make a pretense of caring. Elizabeth gave a little frown of disappointment and lowered the book. Sweet. He had been shot. Had an entire day passed? Hugh was not too proud to admit that in this case, at least, he cared what society thought. The sum of all kisses This edition was published in 2013. Sarah was a decent heroine although she started off a bit judgmental and unlikable. It’s going to take several months to heal.”. “Yes, well, you can take that up with Father,” Freddie said uncomfortably. Seller 98.7% positive. She smiled broadly, and it lit up her face in the way only true happiness could. Was this what weddings did to people? At least not what Sarah would consider good news. It isn’t enough that four years ago, Hugh’s alcohol-induced actions nearly ripped Honoria’s family apart. Which meant that it was going to take quite a bit longer than a few months to heal. He clutched his shoulder, his rumpled white shirt already oozing with red. Sum of All Kisses, Paperback by Quinn, Julia, Brand New, Free shipping in the US. Sarah has never forgiven Hugh for the duel he fought that nearly destroyed her family. He just wished Freddie would understand that he could still get married and do his duty and take all this bloody pressure off Hugh. “And,” Honoria continued, “he and Sarah do not get on.”. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. He needed to focus and remember the cards. “What was that?” Frances asked, still peering at her from above the back of the sofa. The main characters of this romance, historical romance … “Should we tie a tourniquet?”. The heroine clasped her hand to her forehead and said something like, “Oh, if only I could find a gentleman who will look past my illegitimate birth and vestigial toe!”. That’s very clever. Story 4 out of 5 stars. The problem was that this evening, Hugh had also drunk “enough.” It wasn’t a common occurrence; he’d never been comfortable with the loss of control that flowed from a bottle of wine. She used far too many adverbs. That seems to be something that Quinn does in all of her books. Hugh let out a long sigh. Freddie gave him a few more spoonfuls, then said, “Let’s wait a bit. He had a point, which needled. And the rest of the audience…. Smythe-Smith Quartet. Hugh felt his eyes grow wide with alarm. Hugh could hear it in his voice. Surely there were plenty of women who would be thrilled to have their husbands out of their beds once the nursery was sufficiently populated. Marcus shook his head and walked back to Daniel. “Please don’t.”, “No, it will be great fun,” Harriet insisted. I loved this book with a grumpy, wounded H and a heroine who was in other books in this series, and for me she needed to grow up. Even sober, Charles Dunwoody seemed to know a lot of things that were untrue. Was Daniel Smythe-Smith, the oh-so venerable Earl of Winstead mocking him? Hugh Prentice noticed everything. “A very wise person once told me that it is not the mistakes we make that reveal our character, but what we do to rectify them.”, “Very well, it was my mother,” she said with a sheepish smile, “and I will have you know that she said it to Daniel far more than to me, but I’ve come to realize —and I hope he has, too— that it is true.”, “Well, then” Honoria said, briskly changing both subject and mood, “what do you say? Shop now. “Alcohol,” he confirmed. Or at least she had a face that Hugh imagined would be at home on Attila. On the bright side, all signs pointed toward his still being able to father a child. His chest clenched. És ön? “If you want to be rid of me, you know what you have to do,” Lord Ramsgate said. “I think he’s challenging me to a duel.”. The Sum of all Kisses was a nice book and the Prologue captured my interest and made me want to keep reading. I can bloody well ruin his.”.