Very cute and fun. ( )

As are all of Julia Quinn's books, this one is charming and fun. Miranda is a loveable heroine, and Turner is so nasty and tortured you just have to love him. Although he is certainly attracted to her, and she loves him dearly, you can't help but feel sorry for him when he's forced to marry her - convinced that marriage is evil and that it can never make him happy. Although Quinn turns to a rather overused plot device at the end, it still made me cry and tugged at my heart, so I suppose I can forgive her for using it. This book is cute and witty, like all of her other books, and I look forward to reading more! ( )

In the beginning, I really liked the characters and enjoyed the book. It began to go downhill during the scavengers' hunt at a country house, improved, and then collapsed completely when Turner followed Miranda to her grandparents home in Edinburgh.

I'm getting close to seventy, and I have always enjoyed historical novels and romances, Jane Austen, and Georgette Heyer. It is . . . interesting . . how authors so often shape the behavior of of historical characters to modern sexual mores, Not that there wasn't always a great deal of extramarital sex going on, but it generally didn't involve consensual relationships with well-bred young women. It was generally aristocratic men with lower-ranking women (consensual or not), and, in some eras, married women, especially if they had already provided their husband with the proverbial heir-and-a-spare. In this era, married women might have discreet affaires with men, but unmarried upper-class women had to be very careful of their reputation and avoid any hint of sexual behavior. Supposedly, being caught in a room with a closed door with an unrelated man was compromising, even if they were fully clothed.

For this reason, I have my doubts that a scavenger hunt pairing completely unsupervised men and virgins wondering off by themselves indoors and out would be acceptable. I think that the length of time between when someone last saw Miranda and Turner, and the time when they reappeared from the hunting lodge alone could have ruined her reputation. In the 20th century, especially after the sexual revolution, many authors, whether by their own choice or their publisher's demand, have to make sure to have at least on scene of graphic sex involving the courting couple prior to their getting married.

Then the pregnant Miranda flees to Edinburgh to the home of her maternal grandparents. Turner arrives and demands to marry her, even though she has miscarried, and begins manhandling and blackmailing her. There is no segue between these scenes and their marriage explaining why Miranda accepted him. Then begins a long, dull section where, despite their great passion, Miranda isn't sure that Turner loves her, and Turner is unable to utter the words "I love you" to her because of how traumatized he was by his first wife. This drags on much too long for me, and I gave up. ( )

I adore unrequited love! Plain heroine in love with her best friend's brother; he's never noticed her. Turner is broody after being betrayed by his late wife. Miranda had just enough insecurity to land this on the angst shelf, especially with how Turner holds her at arm's length. Good stuff. ( )

From the other reviews here, I can see that many disliked the hero of Turner. However I liked him. He’s a bit of a prick yes, but I think that makes him a more realistic character. ( )