Julia Quinn (1) (1970–)

When the “Happily Ever After” Feels Like a Moral Hangover

This one was supposed to clear the air. Well, it succeeded in making it smell worse. Every single character, and every major aspect of this novel, left me with an uneasy feeling.

Eloise Bridgerton is confused, snobby, garrulous, and somehow deeply ambiguous. She runs away from what exactly? Nobody forces her into marriage but herself. After a year of merely exchanging letters, she decides to marry a stranger and be a good, obedient show more wife. And yet, she also strains toward what might, at the time, have passed for an “independent spinster”.

Phillip, meanwhile, basks in his self-sacrificing suffering-husband and widower roles while being emotionally estranged from his two eight-year-old children.

The children are neglected, abused, and basically thoroughly traumatised, which Eloise unconvincingly tries to “love away”.

Their mother, Phillip’s late wife, looms over the entire estate like a dark cloud. She’s depicted as wilfully suffering, even though it ultimately becomes clear that she suffered from severe, untreated depression. Nevertheless, for large parts of this novel, she’s the semi-present villain.

So much feels awkward and ethically problematic in this novel, I didn’t come to enjoy it at all. Sometimes one can marginalise such issues by referring to "story of its time” or “guilty pleasure” but this was neither. This was just an unpleasant waste of time.

One star out of five.

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I read this book eighteen years ago but wanted to reread it before watching the Netflix series. I'm so glad I did because knowing Simon's past makes it easier to understand why he is the way he is. I've only seen the first episode so far and haven't seen anything about it other than the mention of his estrangement from his father.

I liked Simon. He has a well-earned reputation as a rake, yet the reason behind it is heartbreaking. His mother died when he was born, and his father was only show more interested in having the perfect heir to the Basset name. His father ignored Simon until he was two and then cruelly rejected him as an "idiot" because of a speech problem. I ached for Simon as he worked to overcome his problem and was continually rejected. I loved his determination and strength of will as the years went by. The Eton scene was immensely satisfying. When his father's rejection continued, Simon decided to live down to his father's expectations and shortly after left the country. He didn't return until after his father's death.

Simon states that he will never marry and have children. His father's obsession with the perfect heir and carrying on the family line made Simon determined that the Basset dynasty will end with him. Unfortunately for him, as a very eligible bachelor, every matchmaking mother in the ton wants him for their daughters. I loved his conversation with Anthony Bridgerton at the beginning of the book and Simon's belief that he could avoid them.

I also liked Daphne. She is young and naïve but also reasonably practical. As the fourth Bridgerton offspring and oldest daughter, she is the first one to make her debut. With the example of her parents' loving marriage, Daphne wants the same for herself. Thus far, her dreams have not been realized, and she starts to lose hope. It doesn't help that she feels most men don't even see her or only see her as a friend. She has a terrific relationship with her family, whom she loves dearly. I especially enjoyed watching her with her three older brothers, who rarely come out on top when dealing with her.

I loved the first meeting between Daphne and Simon. He may be a rake, but he is also a gentleman who overhears a young lady in apparent distress. His reaction to seeing her deck the man with a well-placed punch was priceless. Their conversation was great as they traded barbs over what to do with her erstwhile suitor, and the sparks between them were obvious. The ballroom scene was fantastic as Simon found himself in the very situation that Anthony predicted, up to and including his introduction to Daphne's mother. It's at this point that Simon comes up with his plan and presents it to Daphne.

I loved watching Simon and Daphne's relationship grow from co-conspirators to something much more. Simon's attraction to Daphne hits him hard from the beginning and horror! It's his best friend's little sister! Add that to his determination not to marry, and it's clear that Simon is in deep trouble. He is fascinated by her, drawn to her practical nature, and can't stay away even when he knows he should. I laughed out loud at how many times she called him out on statements or actions because "I have four brothers. I know how you think." The more time he spends with her, the harder it is to remember his vow.

Daphne is equally fascinated and attracted. That same experience with her brothers gives her the ability to see past Simon's façade to the hurting man inside. I loved her ability to bring him out of the depths of bad memories and intervened several times when things became awkward. It didn't take long for her to see that none of her other suitors measured up to Simon and that she wanted to make their deception real.

When their attraction gets out of hand, Daphne faces a ruined reputation if Simon won't propose. I was glued to the pages during the confrontation with Anthony, the early morning meeting, and Daphne's refusal to allow a duel to take place. I wanted to shake Simon when he fudged the truth about his vow because I knew it wouldn't turn out well. Their marriage starts well (except for that), with the two of them growing closer physically and emotionally. But trouble looms as Daphne discovers the truth and takes matters into her own hands. I ached for them both as Simon's insecurities burst forth due to his anger, and both say things they later regret. It takes time apart for both, but especially Simon, to face their feelings. I loved the ending. The scene in Hyde Park was deeply emotional as Simon finally opened his heart fully to Daphne. Even better was the following scene at Hastings House, as the couple faced three very determined Bridgerton brothers. Watching Simon and Daphne take their shots at them was great, but the winner of that confrontation was most definitely Lady Violet Bridgerton.

The edition I read contained both the original epilogue and the more recent second epilogue. The first one was great, but the second one had a twist that I did not see coming. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and seeing what the author came up with for their second epilogues.

The secondary characters were just a wonderful as Simon and Daphne. My favorite was Lady Violet, mother of eight. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her "manage" all eight, with them being oblivious to how she does it. I also loved the three oldest brothers, Anthony, Benedict, and Colin. Their love for their family is indisputable, as is their protectiveness toward Daphne. It will be fun to reread their stories and watch them fall. Lastly, the invisible Lady Whistledown cannot be ignored. I enjoyed the excerpts of her paper at the beginning of each chapter. Because it has been so long since I read the books, I don't remember who she turns out to be, so I look forward to the revelation. show less

Hyacinth Bridgerton has never been one to hold her tongue. She knows who she is and she's not afraid to speak her mind, much like her dear friend Lady Danbury. However the one man who seems to throw off her ability to always have the perfect bon mot is Lady Danbury's grandson, Gareth St. Clair. When he and Hyacinth team up to translate his Italian paternal grandmother's diary they'll discover not only that there's a potential cache of treasure in Gareth's family home but that there may just show more be something even more precious developing between Gareth and Hyacinth.

This seventh entry in the Bridgerton series brings the banter and I am here for it. The quips fly thick and fast as Hyacinth, Gareth, and Lady Danbury are all wonderfully witty and I was delighted. A really sweet entry in the series with an entertaining subplot involving the diary, I was pleasantly surprised with this one as I'd anticipated that Quinn might have run out of steam with the Bridgertons. I'm very happy to be wrong. show less

So far, this was definitely the weakest instalment in the otherwise amusing Bridgertons series.

The story isn’t really that interesting and the narrative dragged on rather uninspired so that I was actually bored at times which isn’t exactly my intention when reading a fluffy easy-to-read romance.

What annoyed me the most, though, and made me almost quit this book was Colin Bridgerton himself. So, you know, this series of books is set in the early 19th century and, fortunately, as a show more society we’ve made a lot of progress - Women’s suffrage, emancipation, feminism, and so on.

And I’m really happy about that.

Thus, I already have to temporarily suspend a lot of truly heartfelt convictions and disengage large parts of my brain in order to be able to enjoy this kind of book: I have to completely disregard more than 100 years of social, societal and emancipatory advances.

I do so and, consequently, tolerate a whole lot of outdated nonsense and I find that all the more difficult if a book isn’t truly worth it. I can do it because I love to giggle at amusing, witty bantering in a love story which, fortunately, happens a lot in the Bridgerton series. I can do it because I truly hope that any reader will know that the story is set in the bad old times and that times have greatly changed for the better.

And I do temporarily suspend my convictions because I crave happy endings - sorry, can’t help it.

How dare you, though, Colin Bridgerton, to be angry at your love interest because she's acting on her own, because she’s at least somewhat independent?! How dare you berate her for having a secret?!

How dare you, Julia Quinn, to belittle your cast and, in extension, yourself and your audience like that?! (Not to speak of actually harmfully influencing younger, impressionable readers.)

At the one major altercation between Colin and Penelope, I was about to rage-quit because I just couldn’t stand that level of drivel.

And it went on!

»The shock was gone, replaced by a simple, primitive need to claim her, to brand her, to mark her as his.«

Excuse me?! He wants to “brand her”, like cattle?! And how does Penelope react only a little later, thinking about herself?

»She had been born for this man«

Again, I was about to quit when things evened a little out at least and this possessive crap was slightly reigned in.

Ultimately, though, Colin Bridgerton turns out to be just the despicable guy I had him pegged for:

»She had no right to put herself in such a precarious position without consulting him first. He was her husband, or would be, and it was his God-given duty to protect her whether she desired it or not.«

I just hope this series doesn’t get any lower than this because I don’t think I can take much more of this kind of backwards madness.

Two out of five stars.


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