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Honoria Smythe-Smith is: A) a really bad violinist; B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child; C) not in love with her older brother's best friend, D) all of the above.
Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities...and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house - along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.
When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.
Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication, of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title, of games played for high stakes, including - on occasion - a lady's virtue. A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles, falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage, until he lays eyes on Roberta.
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
Captain Maximus Harcourt, the unconventional tenth Duke of Alderidge, can deal with tropical storms, raging seas, and the fiercest of pirates. But he's returned home from his latest voyage to find a naked earl - quite inconveniently deceased - tied to his missing sister's bed. And he has only one place to turn. Now he's at the mercy of the captivating Miss Ivory Moore of Chegarre & Associates, known throughout London for smoothing over the most dire of scandals.
Honoria Smythe-Smith is: A) a really bad violinist; B) still miffed at being nicknamed "Bug" as a child; C) not in love with her older brother's best friend, D) all of the above.
Devon Ravenel, London's most wickedly charming rake, has just inherited an earldom. But his powerful new rank in society comes with unwanted responsibilities...and more than a few surprises. His estate is saddled with debt, and the late earl's three innocent sisters are still occupying the house - along with Kathleen, Lady Trenear, a beautiful young widow whose sharp wit and determination are a match for Devon's own.
When an unexpected inheritance elevates her family to the ranks of the aristocracy, Amelia Hathaway discovers that tending to her younger sisters and wayward brother was easy compared to navigating the intricacies of the ton. Even more challenging: the attraction she feels for the tall, dark, and dangerously handsome Cam Rohan.
Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality and glittering sophistication, of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title, of games played for high stakes, including - on occasion - a lady's virtue. A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles, falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage, until he lays eyes on Roberta.
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town's marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn't as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon's heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
Captain Maximus Harcourt, the unconventional tenth Duke of Alderidge, can deal with tropical storms, raging seas, and the fiercest of pirates. But he's returned home from his latest voyage to find a naked earl - quite inconveniently deceased - tied to his missing sister's bed. And he has only one place to turn. Now he's at the mercy of the captivating Miss Ivory Moore of Chegarre & Associates, known throughout London for smoothing over the most dire of scandals.
Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury's to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne'er-do-wells by night. Now there's a new item on the list. He needs an heir - which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she'll do.
Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers’ hideaway tucked inside a cave. But her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain’s bed. Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew Rokesby actually transports essential documents for the British government.
At the flower-bedecked altar, the first touch of their hands ignited an all-consuming passion. Gavin Montgomery looked deep into her golden eyes and burned with desire for her...but his heart had been pledged to another. Humiliated and alone in a strange castle, Judith resolved to hate this husband who took her body but rejected her love...never admitting her fear of losing him.
When Akira Ayres finds the brawny Scot with a musket ball in his thigh, the healer has no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save his life. Even if it means fleeing with him across the Highlands to tend to his wounds while English redcoats are closing in. Though Akira is as fierce and brave as any of her clansmen, even she's intimidated by the fearsome, brutally handsome Highlander who refuses to reveal his name.
They call him the Devil.... He is the most notorious laird of Scotland: fierce, cold, deadly...and maybe even worse. Yet Evelinde has just agreed to wed him. Anything, she thinks, is better than her cruel stepmother. Though Evelinde should be wary of the rumors, she can't help but be drawn to this warrior...for the Devil of the Highlands inspires a heat within her that is unlike anything she has ever known.
When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of How to Marry a Marquis in her employer's library, she's convinced someone is playing a cruel joke. With three younger siblings to support, she knows she has to marry for money, but who might have guessed how desperate she's become? A guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs - and what harm could there be in taking a little peek?
When Alexander Westcott becomes the new Earl of Riverdale, he inherits a title he never wanted and a failing country estate he can't afford. But he fully intends to do everything in his power to undo years of neglect and give the people who depend on him a better life.... A recluse for more than 20 years, Wren Heyden wants one thing out of life: marriage. With her vast fortune, she sets her sights on buying a husband. But when she makes the desperate and oh-so-dashing earl a startlingly unexpected proposal, Alex will agree only to a proper courtship.
As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities. And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one....Now Izzy's given up yearning for romance. She'll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished 26-year-old woman who's never even been kissed?
The flame-haired virago bearing down on Ross MacKenna was far too shapely to be a seasoned warrior, but she was just as deadly. As she engaged him on the battlefield, Ross knew her for a MacKay, long-time enemies of his clan. What he didn’t know was that she would soon be his wife, given to him by her father in a desperate effort to end generations of feuding.
Teague O'Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family's name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a "business" alliance, Teague's ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.
Jocelyn Minton is a woman torn between two worlds. Her mother grew up attending private schools and afternoon teas, but she married the local handyman. After her mother died when Joce was only five years old, her father remarried into his own class, and Joce became an outsider - until she met Edilean Harcourt. Although she was sixty years Joce's senior, Miss Edi was a kindred soul who understood her like no one else ever had. When Miss Edi passes away, she leaves Joce all her worldly possessions, including an eighteenth-century house and a letter with clues to a mystery that began in 1941.
Infamous for his wild, sensual needs, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is searching for a savage killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum. Widowed Temperance Dews knows St. Giles like the back of her hand-she's spent a lifetime caring for its inhabitants at the foundling home her family established. Now that home is at risk.....
Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places....
This is not one of those times.
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband...someday.
Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should....
Or not.
There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant and annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.
But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor....
Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without....
I saw this book online last night and wanted to read it right away, but I couldn't bring myself to pay more for the e-book than the paperback, so I let it go. I suddenly remembered that I had an Audible audiobook trial, and downloaded this audiobook immediately. I hate audiobooks, so for me to listen for 9 hours, you know it has to be good.
In spite of some anachronisms, this book is fun, entertaining, and made me smile more than a few times. The hero is fabulous. George Rokesby is all seriousness and calm to Billie's tomboyish charm. He's the Mr. Darcy of modern day romance - such a stick in the mud, but still totally dashing and completely loyal to his family and friends. Billie Bridgerton is quite the young miss. Spunky and sassy, but not annoying in the least as these types of heroines can sometimes be.
If you're looking for fluffy, fun romance this is the book for you. I stayed up well into the wee hours of the morning with the Rokesbys and Bridgertons and am very much looking forward to the next book in the series. I will certainly be reading more from Julia Quinn.
This review is of a book I purchased. No payment or reimbursement was given for this positive review.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Hooray! The Bridgertons are back! This time it's Billie, who will later become the aunt of the family we know so well. Now we know where those children got their, umm, spunk.
Billie is feisty, brave, unafraid and totally hates her neighbor, George. We first meet them as George rescues Billie from a roof with the help of his brother. G and B spar constantly and we loyal readers know this can only end one way. And it's fun getting to the HEA. Mallet of Death indeed!
This wasn't my favorite but it's Julia Quinn so it's good to start with. I thought the storyline with Arbuthnot was a bit contrived and unresolved. Maybe the author will get back to that. Because of that, I felt the ending was a bit odd.
The narration was perfect as only Rosalyn Landor can do. A delight to listen to.
I look forward to more of this new series.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
It's a funny, classical Bridgerton novel with wit and strong characters. But it's a prequel without much plot or substance for a full novel. It's definitely a fun read and I can't wait for the next installment, but don't expect much more than a sweet love story.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Julia Quinn is one of my top 5 authors so this was very surprisingly disappointing. I think she's trying out a new style, great, go for it, I support that. But this was boring. It was one straight dialogue, as someone else pointed out. I thought, surely not, I'll try it. No, she was sadly right.
I enjoy the descriptions of the world and the character's movement though the world. It doesn't have to be plot driven but I do enjoy a plot. This was an interminable dialogue, and charming though it was, nothing happened. The characters are cardboard cutouts on a one dimensional stage.
I didn't get to know the inner worlds of either Billy or George much less anyone else. I didn't fall in love with Billy. I consider my emotional attachment to Julia's characters her hallmark. Kate Scheffield, the Smythe-Smith cousins, the Brigerton siblings.... Billy and George's very long sex scene does not count towards getting to know them. That went on to the point of embarrassment.
I suppose it's worth reading/listening just to see where Julia takes her writing but it's an academic exercise. Don't expect to be as delighted as you were with the others. This book is a considered enjoyment.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
Not my favorite Bridgerton novel (I'm quite partial to Daphne's and Colin's books) but excellently done. Keep them coming!!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
As I didn't have any of my print books with me I could quite place the relationship within the family
The best I could figure is that the young Bridgerton still at school will be the father that dies of the bee sting
This story was great fun and I enjoyed it from start to finish . My daughter and I got talking and really want to meet the young Lady Danbury
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I loved this book, so I decided to give audible a chance. I was not sorry!!! I wish the narrative had a bit more oomph. But other than that I loved all of it! I'm hooked now.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Always worth the wait and nothing else ever quite compares. As always this is a fun, light-hearted read. Sometimes Regency romances tend to have one-dimensional characters, but not from Ms. Quinn. Billie and George are strong, but flawed and charming without being pretentious. This will be one I listen to again.
Rosalyn Landor is perfect and I expect nothing less from her narrations.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Great storyline, humorous and good performance. I've always been a sucker for stories that make me burst out loud laughing when I least expect it. This book has quite a few of those one-liners. I enjoyed this story so much that I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
There is something wonderful about this family. Julia Quinn and Rosalyn Landor deliver a perfect historical romance in its perfection. Thank you ladies!
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
The narrator was good but the story was unimaginative and boring. Not Julia Quinn's best.
Rosalyn Landor is a great narrator and is great at separating the characters. The story was a bit slow moving and had no real excitement but it was very easy to listen to and you could visualise George's frustration with billy I look forward to hearing about Andrew and Edwards stories
Another great story from one of my favourite authors. Julia Quinn always has the knack to make you laugh out loud at times. It gets you in right from the beginning.
Very well narrated as well. Can't wait for the next one!