mollieh14's review against another edition
3.0
After devouring book number 3 I anticipated really enjoying book 4 to the same extent and I just… didn’t.
Now I realise that may be due to the fact that I don’t LOVE a friends to lovers trope, especially when the eventual relationship comes after years and years of unspoken feelings- it relies quite heavily on miscommunication which I don’t really enjoy!
However, I did feel as if the pacing in this book needed some changes, as the first half was quite slow and building up to the main plot points, but suddenly the pacing ramped up and everything was coming to a point very quickly with quite basic detail.
I read this one rather quickly as I did enjoy it, but there were definitely parts that needed some editing for a higher rating. The main points I loved were the focus on the side characters and the possible hints towards their future stories (Eloise specifically!)
Definitely not my favourite of the series!
Now I realise that may be due to the fact that I don’t LOVE a friends to lovers trope, especially when the eventual relationship comes after years and years of unspoken feelings- it relies quite heavily on miscommunication which I don’t really enjoy!
However, I did feel as if the pacing in this book needed some changes, as the first half was quite slow and building up to the main plot points, but suddenly the pacing ramped up and everything was coming to a point very quickly with quite basic detail.
I read this one rather quickly as I did enjoy it, but there were definitely parts that needed some editing for a higher rating. The main points I loved were the focus on the side characters and the possible hints towards their future stories (Eloise specifically!)
Definitely not my favourite of the series!
kayedacus's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars!
Julia Quinn is the goddess of humorous historical romance. I've been in a reading slump for months now (just take a look at the average star rating of most of my recent reads for proof!)---unable to find anything, especially in the romance genre, that was the least bit interesting to me. Everything was same-old, same-old, and I was having to force myself to finish books or even to pick up something to read.
Until I decided that I needed to get on with reading the rest of the Bridgerton series by JQ. While it had been taking me upwards of a couple of weeks or longer to read even a category-length romance novel, I devoured Romancing Mister Bridgerton in just three sittings. And, unlike for the last few months, I actually found myself wanting to make time to read so I could get back to Colin and Penelope's story.
I absolutely adore historical romances with older characters (which is why Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel), and the friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites in romance. Two wins already!
The fact that JQ doesn't fall onto the crutch of "insta-lust" with her characters and takes the time to develop their relationship on an intellectual and emotional level, is something that I've come to greatly appreciate about her writing (at least in the Bridgerton series, which is my only exposure to her stories at this point). I feel like I get to know the characters, get to fall in love right along with them, and by the time they do actually consummate the relationship, I'm more than ready for it to happen (unlike in other novels where the sex is all there is to the relationship, seemingly).
***Spoiler***
I also appreciated in this story that it wasn't the characters' getting together/falling in love that was in jeopardy by the revelation of the "big secret," but that it was a crisis that they had to face together as a couple, and that it did create tension in their relationship, realistic tension that they had to deal with maturity and sensitivity and not just a tumble in the sheets to fix everything.
So why only 4.5 stars instead of 5? Well . . . The epilogue was a bit of a letdown for me, because it fell squarely into the realm of cliche. She's pregnant and his big dream has come true. While the epilogue with the revelation of there being a child at the end of The Duke and I worked well for me because of Simon's conflict in that story, it just made me roll my eyes here.
Why is the heroine's being pregnant the be-all-end-all of a happy ending in a romance novel? Can't an epilogue show a couple happy together without pregnancy/baby? For me, the fact that she's pregnant actually took away from the point of the epilogue, which was to show that Colin's dream, the one inspired by Penelope, had come to fruition.
But now I know . . . next time I read it, I won't read the epilogue. Problem solved!
And as soon as I finished reading this one, I immediately started reading To Sir Phillip, with Love. Ready to get back to it now...
Julia Quinn is the goddess of humorous historical romance. I've been in a reading slump for months now (just take a look at the average star rating of most of my recent reads for proof!)---unable to find anything, especially in the romance genre, that was the least bit interesting to me. Everything was same-old, same-old, and I was having to force myself to finish books or even to pick up something to read.
Until I decided that I needed to get on with reading the rest of the Bridgerton series by JQ. While it had been taking me upwards of a couple of weeks or longer to read even a category-length romance novel, I devoured Romancing Mister Bridgerton in just three sittings. And, unlike for the last few months, I actually found myself wanting to make time to read so I could get back to Colin and Penelope's story.
I absolutely adore historical romances with older characters (which is why Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel), and the friends-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites in romance. Two wins already!
The fact that JQ doesn't fall onto the crutch of "insta-lust" with her characters and takes the time to develop their relationship on an intellectual and emotional level, is something that I've come to greatly appreciate about her writing (at least in the Bridgerton series, which is my only exposure to her stories at this point). I feel like I get to know the characters, get to fall in love right along with them, and by the time they do actually consummate the relationship, I'm more than ready for it to happen (unlike in other novels where the sex is all there is to the relationship, seemingly).
***Spoiler***
I also appreciated in this story that it wasn't the characters' getting together/falling in love that was in jeopardy by the revelation of the "big secret," but that it was a crisis that they had to face together as a couple, and that it did create tension in their relationship, realistic tension that they had to deal with maturity and sensitivity and not just a tumble in the sheets to fix everything.
So why only 4.5 stars instead of 5? Well . . . The epilogue was a bit of a letdown for me, because it fell squarely into the realm of cliche. She's pregnant and his big dream has come true. While the epilogue with the revelation of there being a child at the end of The Duke and I worked well for me because of Simon's conflict in that story, it just made me roll my eyes here.
Why is the heroine's being pregnant the be-all-end-all of a happy ending in a romance novel? Can't an epilogue show a couple happy together without pregnancy/baby? For me, the fact that she's pregnant actually took away from the point of the epilogue, which was to show that Colin's dream, the one inspired by Penelope, had come to fruition.
But now I know . . . next time I read it, I won't read the epilogue. Problem solved!
And as soon as I finished reading this one, I immediately started reading To Sir Phillip, with Love. Ready to get back to it now...
holster612's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I wish only that it was longer! It’s so witty and thoughtful, I finished it in a few hours! I kept wanting to know what happened next. I loved it.
breadandbutterflies's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
monarcadelibros's review against another edition
4.0
I like the sequence of events way more in this book than #2 with Anthony. So happy for Pen!
maliacaamano's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
_marycappiello3's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
marnieluna's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
booklybrittany's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Colin Bridgerton... you make me swoon. I loved everything about this. I definitely think the Bridgerton books keep getting better and better as I read them. I'm not a very avid historical romance reader, but I've really enjoyed these so far. Looking forward to watching Penelope and Colin's story unfold in the Netflix series.
Luke Newton is a beautiful man, so no surprise that picturing him while reading this just made it even better. I may have shed a little tear at the end of this because it was so sweet.
Luke Newton is a beautiful man, so no surprise that picturing him while reading this just made it even better. I may have shed a little tear at the end of this because it was so sweet.