Julia Quinn fans: The Sum Of All Kisses by Ki Pha
Review: The Sum Of All Kisses
by Ki Pha
Note: Ki Pha is a guest reviewer for Coffee Talk Writers. This review was originally posted on doingsomereading.wordpress.com
The Sum Of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith #3) by Julia Quinn
Published: 2013 Publisher: Avon POV: Third Person
Setting: Cambridgeshire and London, England; 1824
Julia Quinn fans: I’ve been waiting for this story for so long and super happy it’s finally here! I got to revisit some past characters from other books! (Well, kind of.) We got a visit from Ms. Eloisa James’ Hero and Lady from her latest Once Upon a Tower in a very funny short scene in the book. Plus, one of the unmarried Bridgerton boys made an appearance from Julia’s infamous Bridgerton series!!!
But okay, back to business…
Hugh, the second son of the Marquess of Ramsgate, a one secondary character I’ve been waiting for since we first meet him in Book Two A Night Like This and referred to in Book One, Just Like Heaven. We also first met Sarah in Book One and Two.
But man, Hugh. He gave me a great first impression in ANLT even if we only got to know his character for a mere second throughout the chapters and towards the end of that book. I was hooked! Julia didn’t disappoint me in his story and gosh, he had so much going for him that I had to do an all-nighter just to finish this book! Hugh had so much depth and character, I didn’t even know if it was the same man I met in Book Two. I’m not sure if I was disappointed in this but I loved him either way. Especially, how he thinks and come up with retorts and sorts!
His family background me. Love for his elder brother Freddie and the memory of his mother was so endearing, I couldn’t help but want more. Then to find out more about his brother and hope for many things to bring light to his problems. I am super glad that this subplot developed throughout the book. It helped solve the mystery behind the way he is but I really did want more. I also want a story for his brother, Freddie. That was one of the very first things that grabbed me as I opened up this book.
Sarah. I really liked her humor and spunk in the two previous books. But here, she wasn’t quite what I thought her to be. Not that I didn’t like her, I absolutely did. I saw myself in her as she bantered with Hugh and her sisters. Though her actions were questionable, every tactic thrown her way, every query Hugh threw at her, I saw myself countering it and smiling at the answer she gave back. Sarah was so much fun during those moments. But she did get on my nerves at times.
I absolutely adored her sisters! They were so much fun to read and drove the story forward for me. All the funny little tactics and banters, the cute childish complaints and how Francis and Huge are just so adorable together~ Oh I love her the most!
But, there’s always a but.
Cons: The ending, especially their romance, seemed rushed. They were too quick to discover their love for one another. It was just…. disappointing and not what I wanted. I needed more, more of everything, from their romance to them examining their feelings. It was just too quick.
I also didn’t enjoy how much Hugh’s leg created a problem for him. Everything always came down to his injured leg. It’s understandable but just too much repetition for me. And then there was Sarah’s change of character towards the end of the book. I found this annoying and I’m pretty sure I didn’t find her to my liking by then. Sure she was dramatic at the beginning and I was fine with that. But towards the end, she was too dramatic, selfish and irrational. SPOILER: I was devastated and mad at her for not understanding Hugh’s reason in saving her cousin’s life. Furious! Did she not have brains? I thought: She hated him but fell in love. Then she expected him to throw his first cousin to the dogs for saving him in such a way. Unimaginable! Ugh~ My devastation in her.
I was also sad we only got to see little bits of Freddie. Maybe even disappointed towards the end? I wanted to see how Hugh and Freddie’s relationship was away from their father but that didn’t happen. (And as I said before, I really do want him to have his own story told.) The ending was nice but super rushed. And though I hoped for their relationship to have developed more, it didn’t happen.
Over all, I enjoyed this story very much. It was fun, hilarious, touching, angrily mad, and just sweet. Julia Quinn lovers will love it no matter what but I did want more. We know Iris is next in line for her story, most likely, with a new hero introduced. Did I say I really want to see Freddie have his story told too? Hopefully her many readers will write it to her. *wink wink*
This ARC was provided by Avon through Edelweiss
3 MUGS: 
Julia Quinn
Picture and author bio taken from Julia Quinn’s Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Julia-Quinn/e/B000AQ50N6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and several years back she did so in grand style, competing on the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.
Keep in touch with Julia:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJuliaQuinn
If you liked this review, visit Ki Pha at doingsomereading.wordpress.com
