The Smythe-Smith Quartet is a series of four historical romance novels by Julia Quinn, published from 2011 to 2015. All four novels are set in England during the Regency period and share a universe with Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series.
The works in the series are:
- Just Like Heaven (2011)
- A Night Like This (2012)
- The Sum of All Kisses (2013)
- The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (2015)
Big Brother Instinct: Daniel may not have wanted to hang out with Honoria when they were kids, but as an adult, he is fiercely protective of her. Even while hiding in Italy, he asked about her in his letters to Marcus.
Childhood Friends: Daniel Smythe-Smith, Marcus Holroyd, and Hugh Prentice have been friends since their school days.
Childhood Friend Romance: Marcus was close friends with Daniel since childhood, so close that he was practically considered a part of the family. In their childhood, Marcus was nicer to Honoria than Daniel was and even allowed her to tag along on a fishing trip, much to Daniel's chagrin.
Crossover: The musicale near the end of the book is the same musicale that Lady Danbury, Colin Bridgerton, and Penelope Featherington attend near the beginning of Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
Friendless Background: Marcus grew up with very little family and no friends. He made his first real friend, Daniel Smythe-Smith, when he went to boarding school.
My Sister Is Off-Limits: Just before he fled the country, Daniel made Marcus promise to watch out for Honoria and make sure that she didn't marry an idiot. This promise is one of the main reasons why Marcus struggles to admit his feelings for her. Near the end of the book, it turns out that his hesitancy is justified, considering that Daniel was immediately willing to start a fistfight when he caught Marcus making out with Honoria.
Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Marcus and Honoria.
Sweet Tooth: Both Marcus and Honoria are fond of sweets.
A Friend in Need: While the duel and Daniel's subsequent flight to Europe strained their friendship, it's revealed in this book that Hugh convinced his father to stop trying to have Daniel killed by threatening to kill himself. When he receives George Chervil's note referring to a "common enemy" in Daniel, Hugh wastes no time in showing the note to Daniel and helping use the information in the note to rescue Anne. He also has no compunctions about shooting George to save Anne.
Evil Gloating: George Chervil tends to do this. When he kidnaps her, Anne takes advantage of this to keep him talking and buy herself some more time before he attacks her with a knife.
I Have No Son!: To avoid further scandal, Anne's father made an agreement with George's father to send Anne away, have no contact with her, and pretend as if she did not exist.
Love at First Sight: Daniel falls in love with Anne when he watches her play the piano in the musicale.
Stating the Simple Solution: Hugh very nonchalantly states that his plan to save Anne is to just shoot George.
Karma Houdini: Marquis Ramsgate. It's heavily implied that he abused his late wife, and it's also revealed that he brought in prostitutes to force Freddie to have sex with a woman, while the Marquis was in the room to watch. He had spies watching Hugh's every move throughout the book and found out about Hugh's involvement with Sarah. Near the end of the book, he knocks out Hugh with chloroform, ties him to a bed, and traps Sarah in the room so that she will be compromised, while the Marquis waits right outside the door. Sarah strikes a deal with him that he will only be allowed to see her and Hugh's children at a time and place of Sarah and Hugh's choice, with supervision from either or both of them, but the Marquis makes it clear that he will have spies in their household and will know if Sarah does not fulfill her wifely duties. He comes out of all of this with only an injured hand.
Opposites Attract: Hugh is introverted and straightforward; Sarah is extroverted and tends to speak in hyperbole.
Wedding Episode: The story features Honoria and Marcus' wedding and ends during the leadup to Anne and Daniel's wedding.
Well, Excuse Me, Princess!: Sarah treats Hugh with hostility in part because she had to wait another year to debut due to the fallout from the duel. Hugh deliberately avoids Sarah because she dislikes him and he finds her annoying. When Honoria seats them together at her wedding breakfast, the two begrudgingly agree to keep things civil for their friends' sake.
"Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: The entire plot could have been avoided if Marie-Claire chose to speak up about the father of Fleur's child.
Fourth-Date Marriage: Richard proposes fairly quickly, even by Regency standards, and the wedding has to happen quickly because Richard puts Iris in a compromising position.
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Fleur.
Law of Inverse Fertility: Fleur.
Shotgun Wedding: Fleur and John Burnham.
Teen Pregnancy: Fleur.
Time Skip: The story starts about one year after the musicale at the end of Just Like Heaven and the beginning of A Night Like This, and at the same time as the epilogue of The Sum of All Kisses.
Who's Your Daddy?: Part of the conflict surrounding Fleur's pregnancy is that she told everyone that William Parnell was the father of her child. He is dead, so she cannot marry him to save her reputation and avoid having a child out of wedlock. However, it is revealed that John Burnham is the father of her child and she loves him, but Fleur hid the pregnancy from him and lied to everyone else because marrying below her social class would cause scandal for her siblings.
