This was a good read, I thought the story just wasn't up to the normal high standards I have come to expect from Julia Quinn, story just seems under developed in alot of places. The hero was not really hero material, needed to grow into it more. Just my 2 cents.

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I loved this book. We get to revisit the Smythe-Smith family. This story picks up at one of the family's infamous musicales and centers on the governess and Daniel the newly returned from exile Earl of Winstead the only son of one branch of the family. As mentioned earlier, she is a lady with a secret past and he is just the hero to rescue her. Daniel is no rake, he immediately falls in love with her but has no intention of taking advantage of her. He's fully aware of the implications of his pursuit and if he had not been he has his aunt to set him straight. She recognizes in him a true gentleman and falls in love with him. Mixed in that courtship is the fun of his cousins, her students. Her past catches up with her as when an accident occurs and nearly kills her. But I'll not spoil it. It is a another of Julia Quinn's well written, funny, fast paced romances. I did not want to put it down! I was left at the end with some loose ends that I would like to have seen tied up. So, I'm hoping there'll be another Smythe-Smith book to pick up where this one left off.

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Very enjoyable story with a Cinderella/rescue style plot. This book still has JQ's humor and lightness, but there is also some danger and action. The other JQ book it is most similar to is "An Offer From A Gentleman". The hero, Daniel, is a most gentlemanly gentleman, not a rake at all and Anne, the heroine, is a governess who has an enemy from her past that she is hiding from, and she definitely needs rescuing.

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Julia Quinn is great but while funny this was not as good as the last two Smythe-Smith book

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After living abroad for three years, Daniel Smythe-Smith, the Earl of Winstead, is happy to return home to his family. He arrives the night of his family's annual musicale; and knows that the woman playing the piano is not a member of his family. Anne Wynter has been working as a governess to the three youngest daughters in the Pleinsworth family. She was roped into playing the piano for the musicale when a member of the quartet fell ill. When Anne meets Daniel, she is fascinated by the handsome Earl but knows nothing can come of it. But Daniel isn't a person to give up easily, pursing Anne by spending his days with his young cousins who are under her care.

This is the second book in the Smythe-Smith Quartet. The first part of the book deals with the annual musicale. I know the conversations between the cousins were supposed to be amusing, but I was bored. The story picked up when Anne sees someone from her past on the streets of London. She needs to hide quickly, and Daniel comes to her rescue. Daniel is smitten with Anne. He knows that she has some secrets. He hopes she will eventually trust him and tell him everything.

I enjoyed this book much more than the previous one in the series. The villain in the story is truly scary. The scenes of him pursuing our heroine kept me reading until the end. I am looking forward to reading more about the Smythe-Smith family. My rating: 4 Stars.

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