A Night Like This

Title: A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet #2)
Author: Julia Quinn
Year Published: 2012
Pages: 373
Publisher: Avon
Price: Rp. 89.000 (Times Bookstore)

Anne Wynter was the governess for Pleinsworth family. She taught three younger girls of the Pleinsworth: Harriet, Elizabeth, and Frances. Eight years before, her name was Annelise Shawcross and she made a terrible mistake that made her had to run away from her family and change her identity.

Daniel Smythe-Smith, Earl of Winstead, came back from his exile. Three years before, he had done a terrible mistake that almost took his friend's life. And after that, his friend's father hunted him and promised to kill him... Until three years later, Hugh Prentice, his friend, came to Daniel and said that he was safe to back to England as he had already been forgiven.

Now, in London, Daniel and Anne met on one of the infamous Smythe-Smith's musicale. And they shared a kiss. Daniel and Anne both felt chemistry toward each other. Despite Anne's position, Daniel then decided to win Anne's heart, with the help of his three Pleinsworth cousins. Anne, of course, refused it because it is absolutely improper for the governess to fall in love with her employer, especially an Earl. She didn't want to endanger her position and when incident by incident started to happen, giving clue that may be someone from Anne's past had reappear, Anne also didn't want to endanger the family she had loved so much, including Daniel. Especially Daniel.


What would happen next? Was someone from Anne's past really reappear? How about Anne's relationship with Daniel?


This is the second Julia Quinn's novel I read in English (first was Splendid). Before, I always read the Indonesian version, whether it's from Dastan or Gramedia (there are 2 publishers for JQ's novels in Indonesia) and I have to honestly say that Gramedia translates better than Dastan in term of writing style.

I've always love JQ's novels because of the witty conversations between the main characters they had. And in A Night Like This, it seems like taking the most part of the novel. Not that it's boring. Actually it makes this book enjoyable. I really love Daniel and Anne's conversations and I can truly feel the development of their feeling toward each other from the interaction they had. And the three Pleinsworth girls were hilarious. I love them all, especially Frances.

For the hot and steamy bed scene lovers, I have to say that this novel might be disappointing for you because it's not as hot as JQ's former novels but for my own taste, I love this better. I don't know but sometimes I find that too detail sex scene is boring and ruining the main story. I am okay with the scene as long as it is needed in the story but if it's not, please don't push too hard. Just because the genre is Historical Romance, doesn't mean you need to put sex scenes in every chapter for making the book can be categorized as romance. And glad that JQ didn't do it in this novel. The portion was just right.

The one thing that made me a bit disappointed by this book is because of the repetition of the plot. I mean, come on. JQ already have books with kidnapping/abducting scene on it. Let's mention them based on my memory: To Catch an Heiress, An Offer from A Gentleman (well, it's a jail actually but still.. Sophie was abducted), What Happens in London.. and.. Oh! On the Way to The Wedding!! So.. Yeah.. it kinda made me "duuh" when I read it. And I hope I could read more about Anne's relationship with her family after the incident but it wasn't told in the novel. So, two things actually, not one.

Overall, A Night Like This is an enjoyable book. Not my favorite though. I still love An Offer from A Gentleman, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, and How to Marry a Marquis more.

Recommended for historical romance lovers who want to read more than a physical kind of romance. And, well, it would be better if you read Just Like Heaven first but you can still understand A Night Like This without reading Just Like Heaven before.

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I bought this book because of the persuasion from Adisty in Tell Me Your Wish June. Thanks for the persuasion and I hope you enjoy reading this book too.