When I first saw the lineup of books in the Smythe-Smith Quartet, The Sum of All Kisses was the one I was most excited to read. It features an enemies-to-lovers trope, which I usually enjoy. I definitely loved how Julia Quinn handled this trope in The Viscount Who Loved Me.

This book follows Hugh Prentice and Sarah Pleinsworth, who had a terrible first impression of each other at an engagement ball due to an (at the time) unresolved familial dispute.

Let me start by addressing an expectation issue. When I first read the blurb on the back cover, I was under the impression that there would be sexual tension and emotional attraction throughout the book, leading to multiple kisses across several chapters. Yet both leads are still very much in denial about their feelings for much of the story. My assumption stemmed from this specific line in the blurb:

However, that’s not quite the case.

The first kiss doesn’t happen until Chapter 14, and by then, both characters already know they’re in love, even if they haven’t admitted it aloud. At this point, Hugh is fully committed to the idea of marrying Sarah.

I’m not sure if this mismatch was just a misinterpretation on my part, but it’s not the first time I’ve felt misled by a Julia Quinn book blurb. The first time, I realized the issue lay with the Danish publishing company and not Julia herself, so I gave it a pass. This time, I checked, and the blurb is the same in both the Danish and English editions. By the halfway point of this book, I had to recalibrate my expectations.

That aside, I still enjoyed the read. The plot moves at a decent pace, with nothing major to criticize in that department. Some shocking moments didn’t surprise me because I’d already read the first two books in the Smythe-Smith Quartet, where those revelations were mentioned. However, I appreciated the additional context these moments brought.

As for the romance, I liked the chemistry between Hugh and Sarah. That said, I have a few notes. Their relationship begins with the classic "terrible first impression," followed by a few awkward conversations, and then the attraction kicks in. To me, it felt a little surface-level in the beginning since they barely knew anything about each other. Up to that point, they either disliked or outright hated each other, and their interactions were limited to those awkward, not-so-groundbreaking conversations. Later in the book, they spend significant time together, during which they bond and get to know each other better. However, some of this bonding felt "gatekept" from me as a reader. In a few instances, it was summarized in quick paragraphs instead of being shown through scenes. Thankfully, this wasn’t the majority of the book. There are still many valuable moments of chemistry and connection—moments like

their conversation about astronomy, followed by Sarah forbidding Hugh from calling himself or them “crippled.” Hugh responds by asking Sarah for a dance in the moonlight while both lean on their shared cane. That scene was actually really cute to read.

Still, the occasional “telling-not-showing” approach was a minor letdown.

Now I will admit the real reason why I’ve rated The Sum Of All Kisses 4.5 stars. It was, no doubt, all because of Hugh Prentice. Not only is he the first and only character by Julia Quinn to have a disability (Aside from Simon's speech impediment in The Duke and I, from the Bridgerton-series. And Georgiana's congenital respiratory problem, in First Comes Scandal, from the Rokesby-series.). A lingering physical injury is something I hadn’t yet seen in her previous work. He also has a lot of autistic traits. Which is something I can personally relate to. I first caught hints of this in the two former books as well as the blurb. Along with the importance of Hugh in those previous books, I was stoked to see him as a main lead in this book. I was already curious about his life and perspective on the dual with Daniel Smythe-Smith, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Hugh added so much depth to the story for me. Not just in this book, but throughout the entire series so far. It’s hard to put into words how much this character means to me, so I’ll sum it up with one: favorite.

I’d recommend The Sum of All Kisses to anyone who enjoys the enemies-to-lovers trope (and isn’t bothered by the content warnings listed below). It works well as a standalone but is even better when read as part of the series. The ending resolves a significant overarching plot point spanning all three books, and it’s an overall enjoyable read.