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jmelauren's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
At first I liked the banter between Hyacinth and Gareth and definitely felt something fun could develop. But kissed her just to spite his father and ick. And he never really said he loved her. He said that he could see himself married to her and that he could be happy with her. But Gareth never actually said he loved Hyacinth. That feeling of proving his father wrong was always in the back of his mind.
The whole storyline of keeping his secret from Hyacinth and the rest of the Bridgertons was pretty gross. His plan to compromise her before she finds out and thereby forcing her to marry him is disturbing.
I do have to say that Hyacinth is my favorite Bridgerton. She's funny and smart and says what is on her mind. Hyacinth is to the Bridgerton books what Eloise is to the Netflix show.
Lady Danbury is in this book more than any of the others and I just love her.
Okay Gareth totally redeemed himself in the end!
The whole storyline of keeping his secret from Hyacinth and the rest of the Bridgertons was pretty gross. His plan to compromise her before she finds out and thereby forcing her to marry him is disturbing.
I do have to say that Hyacinth is my favorite Bridgerton. She's funny and smart and says what is on her mind. Hyacinth is to the Bridgerton books what Eloise is to the Netflix show.
Lady Danbury is in this book more than any of the others and I just love her.
Okay Gareth totally redeemed himself in the end!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity
madisonstarkov's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
esv_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
pauline79's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
The theme of the naïveté of the females plays out again in this book but I suppose it’s the era that it’s in.
I liked the characters but don’t like Gareth most of the time until the end as his method of marriage leaves a lot to be desired but he finally gets there in the end like most men in this series do.
I like the jewel chase but still can’t remember if they got the last clue solved correctly or not.
Not my favourite book but not a bad book either.
I liked the characters but don’t like Gareth most of the time until the end as his method of marriage leaves a lot to be desired but he finally gets there in the end like most men in this series do.
I like the jewel chase but still can’t remember if they got the last clue solved correctly or not.
Not my favourite book but not a bad book either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Emotional abuse
jestareader's review against another edition
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
4.0
This is my favourite Bridgerton novel just because I like Gareth St. Claire the best.
But that second epilogue did not need to happen.
But that second epilogue did not need to happen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Infidelity
babudarabu's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Transphobia
sandysmith's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Another in the Bridgerton series number 7 to be exact concentrating on Hyacinth and her love interest Gareth who is Lady Danbury's grandson. Some interesting witty comebacks. Exploring Isabella, his mother, who he inherits her Italian diary, which Hyacinth translates. A regency set chick lit and a good romp.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage
ameydireads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“The hallmark of civilization is routine. But the sign of a truly advanced mind is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.”
As with any Bridgerton book, we have likeable characters that are somewhat flawed.
Hyacinth is very smart and knows what she wants which is partially the reason why she’s on her third season and still unmarried. She spends a lot of time with Lady Danbury and might even be one of the few people that like her. Lady Danbury truly is an amusing character, owing to her brutal honesty. She does not shroom to play matchmaker and nudges Hyacinth towards her grandson, Gareth. Gareth is described to be a rake, just like any other gentleman in this series so far, sigh. Anyway, he dotes on his grandmother, Lady Danbury, who is the only person he has in his life. He does not have a good relationship with his father, the baron. Throughout the story, his father remains a one-dimensional character. Every time Gareth interacts with him, he leaves the scene fully distraught. It makes sense why his father is so angry all the time. He found out his wife cheated on him which led to the birth of Gareth. Whilst nobody in his situation would accept or ignore that, it’s unacceptable to take it out on a child.
When Gareth is in need of an Italian translator, Hyacinth offers to help. They slowly learn more about each other and fall in love. For Gareth this also means that he becomes part of the loving Bridgerton family. It was really heartwarming when Anthony mentioned this to him.
The superficial nature of this story makes it a good read when you are in need of something light and fluffy. What I didn’t really like is that, yet again, the male protagonist is convinced that he must compromise the female protagonist to ensure their marriage. I get that this might be the mindset of that time, but it just annoys me at this time of age.
As with any Bridgerton book, we have likeable characters that are somewhat flawed.
Hyacinth is very smart and knows what she wants which is partially the reason why she’s on her third season and still unmarried. She spends a lot of time with Lady Danbury and might even be one of the few people that like her. Lady Danbury truly is an amusing character, owing to her brutal honesty. She does not shroom to play matchmaker and nudges Hyacinth towards her grandson, Gareth. Gareth is described to be a rake, just like any other gentleman in this series so far, sigh. Anyway, he dotes on his grandmother, Lady Danbury, who is the only person he has in his life. He does not have a good relationship with his father, the baron. Throughout the story, his father remains a one-dimensional character. Every time Gareth interacts with him, he leaves the scene fully distraught. It makes sense why his father is so angry all the time. He found out his wife cheated on him which led to the birth of Gareth. Whilst nobody in his situation would accept or ignore that, it’s unacceptable to take it out on a child.
When Gareth is in need of an Italian translator, Hyacinth offers to help. They slowly learn more about each other and fall in love. For Gareth this also means that he becomes part of the loving Bridgerton family. It was really heartwarming when Anthony mentioned this to him.
The superficial nature of this story makes it a good read when you are in need of something light and fluffy. What I didn’t really like is that, yet again, the male protagonist is convinced that he must compromise the female protagonist to ensure their marriage. I get that this might be the mindset of that time, but it just annoys me at this time of age.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
hcgambrell's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
mariskyjy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
4.5
This one is up there in my ranking of the Bridgerton books. I personally enjoy the formula of rakish hero with daddy issues, so I am biased. Hyacinth as a character is a lot of fun, and I found her the most relatable heroine yet (yes, I have ADHD. Maybe those two things correlate.). Gareth is fun when he's not brooding (which honestly doesn't happen often!), and I actually understood why he and Hy were a good match. There's a lot of Lady Danbury in this one, which did not disappoint. Also, some cute espionage stuff in which (small spoiler) our heroine gets to wear britches rather than an elaborate dress!
I enjoy that Julia Quinn gives her romantic leads depth and personality; as this series is my first foray into romance novels, it's great to know it's not all "here is my Gary Sue love interest who could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and there'd be more emotional depth".
The only plot point that others have pointed out - Gareth sleeping with Hyacinth to make her unable to dismiss their engagement - seemed a little more nuanced to me. When he kisses her in her house, he clearly says he doesn't want to live without her, so he proposed, and then suddenly it jumps to sexy time a while later, and he has the aforementioned motive. That leap bumps the rating down for me.
An excerpt directly from my own personal romantic yearnings:
“And I know,” [Hyacinth] said, letting out a short, staccato breath, the sort one did when one couldn’t quite believe what one was saying, “that it’s often rather hard work to love me.”
And suddenly Gareth realized that some things did come in a flash. And there were some things one simply knew without being able to explain them. Because as he stood there watching her, all he could think was—No.
No.
It would be rather easy to love Hyacinth Bridgerton.
He didn’t know where the thought had come from, or what strange
corner of his brain had come to that conclusion, because he was quite certain it would be nearly impossible to live with her, but somehow he knew that it wouldn’t be at all difficult to love her.
I enjoy that Julia Quinn gives her romantic leads depth and personality; as this series is my first foray into romance novels, it's great to know it's not all "here is my Gary Sue love interest who could be replaced with a cardboard cutout and there'd be more emotional depth".
An excerpt directly from my own personal romantic yearnings:
And suddenly Gareth realized that some things did come in a flash. And there were some things one simply knew without being able to explain them. Because as he stood there watching her, all he could think was—No.
No.
It would be rather easy to love Hyacinth Bridgerton.
He didn’t know where the thought had come from, or what strange
corner of his brain had come to that conclusion, because he was quite certain it would be nearly impossible to live with her, but somehow he knew that it wouldn’t be at all difficult to love her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Pregnancy