A NIGHT LIKE THIS is Julia Quinn's second installment in her Smythe-Smith
Quartet. In this story, we get to see Daniel, the lone brother in the
Smythe-Smith clan, return to England after having been banished for dueling
with-and missing-a fellow peer of the realm. Upon his return, perfectly
timed to coincide with the day of the annual Smythe-Smith musicale, Daniel
spots a woman playing at the piano who is definitely not one of his sisters
or his cousins. Anne Wynter, governess to Daniel's young cousins, has
stepped in to pinch hit for the musicale, and Daniel is smitten upon sight.
But Anne has some secrets that may give Daniel pause.

While there were many elements that I greatly enjoyed in A NIGHT LIKE THIS,
it wasn't my favorite Quinn novel. I really liked the dynamic between Anne,
Daniel, and Daniel's young cousins. The youngest cousin wants nothing more
than to be a unicorn, the middle cousin fancies herself a playwright, and
Anne and Daniel indulge them like the best of sports. My only complaint is
the "mystery" subplot. We know that Daniel has returned to England after
being banished, and we learn that Anne has a secret as well. So when
mysterious things start happening, it's not clear whether they are directed
at Anne or Daniel. I didn't love the villain, who bordered on crazy a little
too much for my personal taste. I also thought that the plot was a little
slow at points-things that could have been glossed over, or at least dealt
with a little more swiftly, were seemingly dragged out. It made the plot
move slowly until the villain comes onto the scene, and then everything was
resolved quickly.

A NIGHT LIKE THIS is by no means a bad book, and I'm sure fans of Julia
Quinn will read this in no time flat; I just have enjoyed previous Quinn
books more than this one. I hope the next book will feature Hugh, the man
Daniel wounded in the ill-fated duel, as I think he deserves some love!