Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - First Comes Scandal: A Bridgerton Prequel

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

First Comes Scandal: A Bridgerton Prequel by Julia Quinn

17 reviews

laerkefugl's review against another edition

3.0

This book was cute. Not one of my favorites from Julia Quinn, but it’s far from bad. I like the communication between Nicholas and Georgiana. They’re very honest and trust each other. It’s so nice seeing Nicholas and Georgiana treating each other as equals. Who are both just as capable of getting the job done. It’s a pretty healthy relationship in my eyes.

Speaking of healthy, I quite enjoyed the medical aspect of the story. It’s an area Julia Quinn hadn’t really explored until this book. It’s nice and refreshing to see the main characters with different aspirations compared to some of the previous books (Mainly referring to the leads of the Bridgerton series).

For the most part, I liked the cats. I thought they were a cute addition to the plot. It’s not often that pets are actively included in these books. The only other pet that comes to mind is Newton from “The Viscount Who Loved Me”. I must admit, that I do like Newton better than the cats. However, Judyth, Blanche, and Cat-Head were, on the whole, a nice way to add a bit of drama.

Additionally, I can’t ignore mentioning what surprised me the most about this book. The fact that both of the leads have little to no experience with romance and intimacy was very stimulating. For a Julia Quinn novel, this is a rare occurrence. And I appreciate the book for being different in that regard. The dynamic of the “rake male” lead with the “innocent female” lead can get a bit tiring. Especially, after 8-9 books utilising that exact gimmick.

Overall, It’s a cute read. The 2nd best book in the Rokesby series, in my opinion.

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skb163's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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blewballoon's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I liked this entry more than Because of Miss Bridgerton, the first book in this series. I really like it when Julia Quinn tries something different with her leads, in this case having her male lead be a virgin along with his wife. I thought this dynamic was done well and very refreshing for the genre. The spicy scenes had a fun element of discovery and sensual silliness that I found a lot more enjoyable than Quinn's more often used setup of a girl who barely knows she has any anatomy under her dress and a man who draws her a map using references from the 100s of women he's slept with.

Other than that, the book didn't have much going on. Very slow paced, lots of traveling from here to there, a couple minor events that are resolved quickly, and some dry but interesting medical discussion. The leads are both interested in health care, but of course only the husband can actually become a doctor in this time period.

It was a nice little treat seeing Violet and Edmund being happily married in the background of a couple scenes, and seeing the baby Bridgerton boys briefly.

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jackiepreston's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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savage_book_review's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

The last of the Rokesby series, we find the youngest son, Nicholas, summoned home urgently by his father. The reputation of a lady dear to their hearts is under threat, and everyone knows there's only one way to save her.

This book suffers from a similar issue to the later Bridgerton books - the protagonist has always been the younger brother, so for the majority of the previous books he has been some way in the background. You know he exists, but that's about it. So the author has to take quick steps to establish his character as an adult in the first pages of the book. She's absolutely successful at it - indeed, I'd say this is probably the best introduction I've read of Quinn's to date - but at the same time I do wonder why she continues to choose that same set up again and again. If it were me, I'd have been making the siblings closer in age, setting the stories closer together in the timeline and fleshing all of the characters out as the series progresses.

This one is probably the lightest on plot and development; as with all her books it does flow, but the change from friends to lovers is almost glossed over in here. It's just not got the same oomph. Although the idea is that they realise they're made for eachother, I would say the story overall actually gives me more of the vibes of the marriage of convenience between friends that the characters are so worried about at the outset. Sure, there are feelings there, but they're not in the same league of romantic feelings displayed in the other books. It's comfortable rather than passionate.

I think I'd have been more interested to see what the author would have come up with if Georgianna had stuck to her guns and refused to salvage her reputation. The story could still end with the same HEA, but given that she's given us someone incredibly independent and forward-thinking, I think she deserves better than the convenient escape route.

The characterisation has also lost a lot of its spark since the first book of the series. The friendships between the Rokesbys and the Bridgertons are still there and still lovely, but it's missing the rapid back and forth that gave the series its zing. However, I absolutely love the way Violet Bridgerton is written in this book - you can see the development of the matriarch of the Bridgerton clan, whilst alsongetting the warm fuzzies of seeing her at her happiest with Edmund and the start of her huge family. And while she is slightly more 'proper' than Edmund's sisters, she can definitely still hold her own! And baby Anthony, Benedict and Colin are so cute!!!

Sweet, simple, easy to read, but not my favourite.

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