#the secrets of sir Richard Kenworthy

[inlovewithquotes]

She did not believe his intentions were less than honorable; she liked to think herself a good judge of character, and whatever his aims, her ruination was not one of them. But not could she believe that he had been struck by a grand passion. If she were the sort of female who inspired me. To fall in love at first sight, surely someone else would have done so by now.

-Iris Smythe-Smith

[the-other-art-blog]

Why Benophie season is the perfect way to finish the first half of the Bton stories?

Now that Benophie season is unofficially confirmed, I've come to the conclusion that this was the greatest way to end the first half of Bton. It needed to be s4.

In the ton, marriage is about status. And while all Bton marriages are love matches, they are also incredibly beneficial for their position in society. The ENTIRE family's position in society.

Anthony is a viscount, an influential one, but in the nobility hierarchy, he's second to last.

Daphne climbed up 3 steps when she married Simon and became a Duchess.

Francesca will climb one step when she marries John.

Kate didn't have a title or wealth, but a married Viscount is an improvement over a rake Viscount.

Colin is only a Mr., but I will be surprised if the Featherington baby race doesn't end with Pen having a boy who will become Baron. He's going to be the father of a Lord thanks to Penelope.

So you can see how these marriages are extremely beneficial to them and elevate the entire family. Daphne understood this when she said that her marriage would set the prospects for her sisters. Anthony also knew that his choice of viscountess would affect the family.

So, by the time Benedict meets Sophie, the family will have a viscounty + relations with a duchy, an earldom, and a barony. They just need a march to have the full set.

Enter Benedict who will fall in love with a servant AND an illegitimate daughter.

If he marries her, he risks undoing all the work his siblings have done to maintain the family in good standing.

The book doesn't address this, but I wish the show would. It would add another dimension to Benedict's reasons to not marry Sophie. He would be thinking of the family. What would happen to Eloise, Hyacinth, and Gregory? They will no longer be siblings to nobles, they will be related to an illegitimate child and servant. Who will want to marry them? Is it fair to affect their prospects when they haven't even had a chance at society? (Read The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy) Perhaps it hurts the already-married siblings too.

I'm thinking about Ben and Violet's scene. Sophie refuses to be a mistress and Ben has already decided to marry her. But there's still this issue lingering. Is it right to drag the whole family to get what he wants? Wouldn't that be the most selfish thing anyone could do? In the book, Violet says this,

Imagine if she adds, "and your siblings will support you too."

EDIT: The thing about this scene is that Benedict was ready to leave if the family didn't support him and Sophie.

This is also a great way to bring back the Sharmas' background. Mary was cast out for marrying a clerk, leaving Edwina in an unfavorable position. If the Queen hadn't named her the diamond, it would have been very difficult for her to get a good match. Not to mention that Mary's parents considered hated Kate and insulted her parents for being common people.

You can see why Benedict is afraid of the family's reaction. The Sheffields said that after Mary left, they couldn't show their faces in London for years. He wouldn't want to do that to his family. Sophie wouldn't want that either.

This is why it is so great to have Benophie come in s4. Not that a duchy and a viscount wouldn't have been enough, but this way is much more dramatic and LEGENDARY.

Despite the risks, the family will support Benedict AND Sophie. They'll support her too cause they know her and they love her even before they knew about Ben's feelings.

It's a test, not only for Benedict but for the family.

MORE EDITS:

I also think that Queen Charlotte will hate the Bridgertons after s3. She has been trying to arrange their marriages for 3 seasons, and they have all ignored her and made their matches independently. So, maybe Benedict will be worried because his marriage to Sophie will only worsen the situation.

[louff4tw]

Bridgerton book Guide

Julia Quinn

Prequels -

The Rokesby Series A Generation before the Bridgertons,

They were the Rokesbys

2016 Because of Miss Bridgerton Billie Bridgeton and George Rokesby

2017 The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband Cecilia Harcourt and Edward Rokesby

2018 The Other Miss Bridgerton Poppy Bridgerton and Andrew Rokesby

2020 First Comes Scandal Georgiana Bridgerton and Nicholas Rokesby

Collaboration

2023 Quenn Charlotte Quenn Charlotte and King George

Bridgerton Couple

2000 The Duke and I Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset

2000 The Viscount who loved me Kate Sheffield and Anthony Bridgerton

2001 An Offer from a Gentlemen Sophie Beckett and Benedict Bridgerton

2002 Romancing Mr. Bridgerton Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton

2003 To Sir Phillip, With Love Eloise Bridgerton and Phillip Crane

2004 When he was Wicked Francesca Bridgerton and Michael Stirling

2005 It's in His Kiss Hyacinth Bridgerton and Gareth St. Clair

2006 On the Way to the Wedding Lucy Abernathy Gregory Bridgerton

Epilogues

2013 The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After All + Violet Bridgerton

Bevelstoke Series (they know the Bridgerton I believe)

2007 The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Miranda Cheever and Viscount Turner

2009 What Happens in London Olivia Bevelstoke and Harry Valentine

2010 Ten Things I love About You Annabel Winslow and Sebastian Grey

Lady Whistledown

2003 The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown Susannah Ballister and David Earl of Renminster Thirty-Six Valentines

2004 Lady Whistledown Strikes Back Everyone The First Kiss

2021 The Wit and Wisdom of Bridgerton: Lady Whistledowns Official Guide Everyone

Ghraphic Novel

2022 Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron

Not fully Bridgerton but in same Universe

The Smythe-Smith Quartet (Not fully Bridgerton but in same Universe)

2011 Just Like Heaven Honoria Smythe-Smith and Marcus Holroyd

2012 A Night Like This Anne Wynter and Daniel Smyth-Smith

2013 The Sum of All Kisses Sarah Pleinsworth and Hugh Prentice

2015 The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy Iris Smythe-Smith and Richard Kenworthy

[wyllzel]

i have just finished reading all four smythe-smith quartet novels 🙂‍↕️☝️ here are my initial impressions 🧐

ranked from most to least favorite (plus spice rating):

"the sum of all kisses" (book #3) 🔥🔥🔥

"the secrets of sir richard kenworthy" (book #4) 🔥🔥🔥

"a night like this" (book #2) 🔥🔥

"just like heaven" (book #1) 🔥

ranking the male leads:

hugh prentice (#3)

marcus holroyd (#1)

richard kenworthy (#4)

daniel smythe-smith (#2)

ranking the female leads:

sarah pleinsworth (#3)

honoria smythe-smith (#1)

anne wynter (#2)

iris smythe-smith (#4)

favorite moments:

daniel launching an fbi raid to save his kidnapped gf, but the team consisted of two middle-aged mothers, a child, four random footmen, and three noblemen who have been proven untrustworthy around firearms (two of the noblemen have shot each other before) 🤦🏻‍♀️

sarah telling a man with suicidal ideations to kill himself LMFAO (tbf she did not know 😅)

honoria becoming an amateur surgeon

honoria telling marcus that he's boring only to turn around and start recommending her favorite philosophical enquiry pamphlets

iris screaming at her sisters-in-law and realizing she married into a family of idiots LMAO

related: richard deciding he needs an intelligent wife (iris) to match him, not realizing he is possibly the stupidest man on earth 💀

WE GOT TWO CUNNILINGUS SCENES BTW LET'S GOOOOOOO 😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 hugh and richard each get +1000000000 aura

notes:

i really liked the friendship btwn honoria, sarah, and iris, and i'm glad it was present in all of the books (except understandably anne's (#2)) 🥹

hugh mega slayed, but i think it also helped that quinn was building up his character over the course of the two books before him too :'D

richard is a hottie but he's so stupid LMFAO

sarah is just like me fr

i just realized we never got a fishing scene w daniel and anne even tho anne said she loved fishing 😢😢😢

i also wish there was more musical discussion 😆 i was kind of expecting that from iris's book since she's supposed to be the best musician, but i also understand that quinn probably wouldn't want to do too much research there and/or mess smth up hahaha

this series definitely showed off her ex-medical school student knowledge which was cool!!!!! loved the surgery scene(s) in "just like heaven," and the inclusion/description(s) of hugh's leg injury in "the sum of all kisses"!!

[ithillyienseowynposts]

ithillyienseowynposts reading list: reread-a-thon and other 2024 reads

Reading schedule and overall list UPDATED REGULARLY!

READING SCHEDULE: 

tbr game category pulls:

book count: 

solo reads:

series reads:

sun: morning: afternoon: evening:

mon: morning: afternoon: evening:

tues: morning: afternoon: evening:

wed: morning: afternoon: evening:

thurs: morning: afternoon: evening:

fri: morning: afternoon: evening:

sat: morning: afternoon: evening:

GENREHOLIC {TBR GAME} RULES: there are 2 stacks of cards, one stack is a deck numbered 1-16 the other is 16 genres of my choosing, I then have 4 rounds to pull categories, and land on the spot of choice. I have since decided to include other cards to the main deck of 16, two of these are my ‘punishment cards’ which include carry overs and continuing series that i started and wasn't in the mood to finish and a single free space card aka mood read :)

2024 {other reads}

the outsiders (february-march 2024)

the sunshine court (april-may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: titus andronicus (may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: two gentlemen of verona (may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: the merchant of venice (june 2024)

you, again (february-june 2024)

smythe-smith quartet: the sum of all kisses (july 2024)

attack on titan vol 1-3 (july 2024)

smythe-smith quartet: the secrets of sir richard kenworthy (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 5 (august 2024)

attack on titan vol 4-6 (september 2024)

friends, lovers, and the big terrible thing (september 2024)

bridgerton prequel: queen charlotte (september 2024)

bright young women (august-september 2024)

funny story (october 2024)

emily wilde: encyclopaedia of faeries (seasonal read 2024)

my lady jane (august-november 2024)

better than the movies (october-november 2024)

divine rivals (november 2024)

upcoming releases:

currently reading:

up next:

to finish:

on hold:

in-between reads:

2024 {season of the reread}

the kiss quotient ~ re-read (january 2024)

the bride test ~ re-read (january 2024)

the heart principle ~ re-read (january 2024)

throne of glass ~ re-read (february-march 2024)

heartstopper vol 1 ~ re-read (april 2024)

the hate u give ~ re-read (april-may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: macbeth ~ re-read (june 2024)

heartstopper vol 2 ~ re-read (june 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: midsummer night’s dream ~ re-read (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 3 ~ re-read (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 4 ~ re-read (july 2024)

off campus: the deal ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: much ado about nothing ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: antony and cleopatra ~ re-read (august 2024)

a darker shade of magic ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: romeo and juliet ~ re-read (august 2024)

bridgerton: an offer from a gentleman ~ re-read (september-october 2024)

[bridgerton-bard]

Bridgerton & Bridge-verse TBR List

As with many Bridgerton fans originally brought in by the Netflix show, I have been reading the Bridgerton books in between seasons. I am not up-to-date with the books' cannon, as I have not completely finished the series. Below is a list of my progress through the series.

Bridgerton Series

The Duke and I - read in 2022

The Viscount Who Loved Me - read in 2022

An Offer from a Gentleman - read in Dec. 2023

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton - read in Jan. 2024

To Sir Phillip, With Love - read in Mar. 2024 | thoughts about philoise

When He Was Wicked - currently reading

It's in His Kiss - not started

On the Way to the Wedding - not started

Violet in Bloom - not started

Bridge-verse Books

Queen Charlotte - not started

Just Like Heaven (Smythe-Smith Quartet #1) - not started

A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet #2) - not started

The Sum of All Kisses (Smythe-Smith Quartet #3) - not started

The Secrets or Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith Quartet #4) - not started

Psst: Did you know that all of the Bridge-verse books are available for unlimited listening to Spotify Premium subscribers in the U.S., U.K., and Australia? Happy listening!

[ithillyienseowyn]

Ithillyienseowyn Reading List: Reread-a-thon and other 2024 reads

Reading schedule and overall list UPDATED REGULARLY!

READING SCHEDULE: 

tbr game category pulls:

book count: {10}

solo reads:

series reads:

sun: morning: afternoon: evening:

mon: morning: afternoon: evening:

tues: morning: afternoon: evening:

wed: morning: afternoon: evening:

thurs: morning: afternoon: evening:

fri: morning: afternoon: evening:

sat: morning: afternoon: evening:

GENREHOLIC {TBR GAME} RULES: there are 2 stacks of cards, one stack is a deck numbered 1-16 the other is 16 genres of my choosing, I then have 4 rounds to pull categories, and land on the spot of choice. I have since decided to include other cards to the main deck of 16, two of these are my 'punishment cards' which include carry overs and continuing series that i started and wasnt in the mood to finish and a single free space card aka mood read :)

2024 {other reads}

the outsiders (february-march 2024)

the sunshine court (april-may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: titus andronicus (may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: two gentlemen of verona (may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: the merchant of venice (june 2024)

you, again (february-june 2024)

smythe-smith quartet: the sum of all kisses (july 2024)

attack on titan vol 1-3 (july 2024)

smythe-smith quartet: the secrets of sir richard kenworthy (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 5 (august 2024)

to finish: in-between reads:

upcoming releases:

currently reading:

up next:

to finish:

on hold:

2024 {season of the reread}

the kiss quotient ~ re-read (january 2024)

the bride test ~ re-read (january 2024)

the heart principle ~ re-read (january 2024)

throne of glass ~ re-read (february-march 2024)

heartstopper vol 1 ~ re-read (april 2024)

the hate u give ~ re-read (april-may 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: macbeth ~ re-read (june 2024)

heartstopper vol 2 ~ re-read (june 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: midsummer night's dream ~ re-read (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 3 ~ re-read (july 2024)

heartstopper vol 4 ~ re-read (july 2024)

off campus: the deal ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: much ado about nothing ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: antony and cleopatra ~ re-read (august 2024)

a darker shade of magic ~ re-read (august 2024)

complete works of shakespeare: romeo and juliet ~ re-read (august 2024)

[theskytraveler]

[fancastforyou]

🎻 The Smythe-Smith Quartet 🎻

Honoria Smythe-Smith x Marcus Holroyd

{ synnove Karlsen x Josh O’Connor }

Anne Wynter x Daniel Smythe-Smith

{ Amita Suman x Daniel Sharman }

Sarah Pleinsworth x Hugh Prentice

{ Jodie Comer x Douglas Booth }

Iris Smythe-Smith x Richard Kenworthy

{ Lucy Boynton x Archie Renaux }

[inlovewithquotes]

His eyes were dark, almost black, and for the first time in her life she understood what people meant when they said they could drown in someone's eyes.

She could drown in his eyes. And she'd enjoy the descent.

-Iris Smythe-Smith

[thekatebridgerton]

The queens - Iris Smythe-Smith and Penelope Featherington - would understand each other very well. I don’t think this one requires much explanation. Both girls don’t draw attention from the ton at first sight, but are actually very observant and quick-witted. “Something more” as Lady Danbury would say. Honestly I like to imagine what a conversation between these two delightful women would be like. Even Iris’ mother and Daisy remind me a little of Mrs Featherington and Penelope’s sisters.

Oh I agree with you on 1 point Iris Smythe smith deserves the world, she's a beautiful character and I wish we could have seen more of her in other works.

But outside of that, a secret confession here, The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy is probably my least liked out of .... All of JQ books. And that has a lot to do with the fact that I don't enjoy love interets who lie their way into marriage. And then keep lying.

For example, Sir Phillip arguably hid the fact he had 2 kids from Eloise in his letters, but he was 100% going to fess up before the wedding. He knew he had to (Phillip isn't really made for lying let's face it). Same with Gareth, homeboy was keeping the fact that he was in dire financial straits from Hyacinth. But he was never going to marry her without disclosing exactly why he had to marry an heiress so urgently.

So this is why Richard Kenworthy just really rubbed me the wrong way you know.

Seriously why are the two Richards in Julia Quinn's books such an cowardly Dicks (pun intended). At least Lucy's brother Richard had the excuse of not being the main character. But Kenworthy doesn't get that pass. Iris Smythe Smith deserves better!

Sorry for the rant. It's just that I had bones to pick about that book. Someone give Iris a better love interest!!

[casadepalermo]

Penelope Featherington: “oh I do so love a good ending. I find myself always skipping to the last chapter first.”

Me: *keeps skipping ahead chapters to read Whistledown’s passages at the beginning of each chapter*

currently: rewatching Bridgerton and reading the Bridgerton novels for the first time

❤️‍🔥 Denotes fav

The Duke and I ((ft Daphne))

The Viscount Who Loved Me ((ft Anthony))

An Offer From A Gentleman ((ft. Benedict))

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ((ft Penelope Colin)) ❤️‍🔥

To Sir Phillip, With Love ((ft Eloise))

When He Was Wicked ((ft Francesca))

It’s In His Kiss ((ft Hyacinth)) ❤️‍🔥

On The Way To The Wedding ((ft Gregory))

🐝🐝🐝🐝

The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After ( + Bonus ft Lady Violet)

🪶🪶🪶🪶

The Further Observations of my Lady Whistledown

Lady Whistledown Strikes Back ❤️‍🔥

🎻🎻🎻🎻

The Smythe-Smith Quartet 🎵🎶

Just Like Heaven

A Night Like This

The Sum Of All Kisses ❤️‍🔥

The Secrets Of Sir Richard Kenworthy

🌷🌷🌷🌷

The Bevelstoke Series:

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

What Happens In London

Ten Things I Love About You

🐝🌷🐝🌷

Prequels

Because of Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgerton Prequel (The Rokesbys 1) ❤️‍🔥

The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband: A Bridgerton Prequel (The Rokesbys 2)

The Other Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgerton Prequel (The Rokesbys 3)

First Comes Scandal: A Bridgerton Prequel (The Rokesbys 4)

💐💐💐💐

Mrs. Butterworth and the Mad Baron: the Graphic Novel ❤️‍🔥

Last updated 5/30/22

[kepnerandavery]

So last year I read the Smythe-Smith and Rokesby series by Julia Quinn, and I wanted to write a little (spoiler-free) review of sorts for people that are thinking of reading them to occupy them until the release of the next season of Bridgerton.

First of all, I wanna mention that like with all of the Bridgerton books, you don't have to read these books in order or read the all preceding books in either of these series to understand what’s going on in whichever book you choose to read. All of the characters, their connection to each other, and the important events that took place in the previous books that affects the story are mentioned in each book.

The Rokesby series

1. Because of Miss Bridgerton (6/10)

This book is based on a famous trope that a lot of people enjoy. The characters are compatible and the story is somewhat romantic. Is it a masterpiece? No. Do I regret reading it? Also, No. It just isn't the kind of story that you can immerse yourself in because it wasn't a deeply romantic story, but it was still pretty enjoyable.

2. The Girl With The Make-Believe Husband (10/10)

Omg. I can not say enough good things about this book. This book has everything. Romance, humour, suspense, you name it, it's there. The characters are flawed and beautifully written. The male protagonist is like Michael Stirling on steroids. The story is so endearing, and it's also the first story that takes place in a setting that's drastically different from every other book written by Julia Quinn (that I have read so far). The subject matter is a bit heavy, but it's honestly my favourite historical romance book. I highly recommend this one.

3. The Other Miss Bridgerton (8/10)

This one is kinda tricky. I didn't love it but I really liked it. It has the most easy-going/witty male protagonist out of the four books. He cracked me up on several occasions. All of the boys in this series are very gentlemanly, and he is no different. This story also takes place in a setting that isn't typically seen in Julia Quinn's other books, so that was pretty refreshing as well.

4. First Comes Scandal (5/10)

Okay. I know that a lot of people love this book and it's male protagonist. But this story was so bland to me. It lacked direction and meaning. The characters weren't necessarily bad, but their dynamic didn't resonate with me. I expected so much more from this book, and it could've been so much more. For me, the first half of the book was a lot more readable than the second half.

The Smythe-Smith quartet

1. Just Like Heaven (7/10)

This is a classic love story. It wasn't anything grand or deep. But it was still romantic and pretty cute. I liked the story, and the two main characters were well suited for each other and the main protagonist was pretty unique and respectful, so that was a big plus. All in all it's worth reading.

2. A Night Like This (6/10)

Okay, this book was kind of a hit and miss for me. I liked the male protagonist cause he was pretty sassy, but the dynamic between him and the female protagonist was more erotic than romantic lol. I wasn't bored while reading it because the story was well paced. But this book was missing some little nuances that could've made it better.

3. The Sum of All Kisses (9/10)

This is the best book in this series. The male protagonist is a gem of a human being. He's so sarcastic and quirky. The story between the couple is so different and beautiful. It's sort of a different spin on another famous trope, so it was unlike any other historical romance I've read. It's a great read.

4. The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (4/10)

I'm being brutally honest here. If you have anything, and I mean anything better to do, do not read this book. It's a colossal waste of time. I was constantly feeling bad for the female lead of this book the entire time I was reading this. There are some moments in the book that didn't anger/bore me to death, but it took so much energy to finish this.

PS: These are my opinions and you don't have to agree with me at all :)

[wyllzel]

hohohhoooohohooho "the secrets of sir richard kenworthy" feels very "northanger abbey"-ish i rly dig it hohohoo

[shallweswoon]

If you've not read The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn, you can read this. I have no spoilers. I liked it, mostly because I loved Iris. That's it, I was rooting for Iris the whole f_____ time. The rest of that was f___ up. It was suspenseful though trying to figure what the hell this guy was up to. However, Iris is adorable, sweet, and pretty damn tough. So f____ Sir Richard Kenworthy, he doesn't deserve her. 😆

[agrarianradfem]

Re Bridgerton I'd like to hear your take regarding That Scene in the show. I read the book and frankly it was extremely uncomfortable and very obviously a rape scene but I'm conflicted about the way the show handled it due to Daphne not quite having knowledge of what she was doing (unlike the book). I'd really like to listen to a feminists take on this one bc while I obviously agree that women should be condemned for acts of rape (case in point: book!Daphne) I also see that people online are pretty fast in affirming that Women Rape Too (I watched season 1 of the Witcher a few years back and remember ppl calling yennefer a rapist for example). What do you think?

I actually thought the show would get rid of it entirely by just making her realize what he was doing and straight up leaving him and going to London. Then have him chase her after coming to his own realization that he was treating her seriously ill. Imo this is how the book should be re-written. Maybe she can take something else from him.

Duke and I was published January 2000. So in accordance with my earlier post it’s coming from the same period in romance as the early books. In that context Daphne’s actions are a reversal on what heroes had been doing to the heroines. Not condoning it but I think it is interesting in that light that Daphne has been held up as far more evil for her actions than like, every Garwood hero combined.

If the book were written today it’d be so different - just look at the “second” Bridgerton series.

Quinn has a lot of novels that deal with reproductive rights and choices available to women: Duke and I, Sir Richard Kenworthy, Miranda Cheever, Ten Things I Love About You, and iirc one more. In each of these, women have their reproductive choices stripped by men - and each features a woman doing anything necessary to get them back. And in that way, Quinn has written more about the constraints on women’s choices and the lengths they’ll go to “get” their choice back. Duke and I was the first and it shows it’s age, both in publication date and as an early work of Quinn’s. I wish she’d edit it.

Also Quinn’s best book is The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever imo.