TEST
While reading Romancing Mister Bridgerton was great fun, reviewing it is no picnic. Especially since readers at AAR expect a nicely detailed first-half of the book plot summary with every review.
Well, in this case, I just can’t do it for one very good reason. Beyond the very basics of the plot, supplying any other details could easily give away the one spoiler no one who’s been waiting for this book wants to know: the identity of society chronicler Lady Whistledown. I will say it’s a very satisfying solution. And one that astute readers of the Bridgerton family books may have guessed (I did). I can also safely say that if you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series, you’re going to be very happy with this one.
Penelope Featherington is madly in love with Colin Bridgerton. Twelve years earlier, she fell fast and hard – the way you can when you’re sixteen, utterly bowled over by the handsome looks, winsome charm, and apparently killer smile of the third Bridgerton son. But, unlike most of those teenage crushes, even after all those years she’s still passionately in love with the oblivious Mr. Bridgerton.
Although Colin Bridgerton thinks the world of Penelope, he sees her, unfortunately, as the shy, awkward, mousy best friend of his sister Eloise. And, even though his mother once embarked on a campaign designed to convince him that Penelope would be the perfect wife – resulting in a heart-shattering experience for both Colin and Penelope – he simply has never once thought of her in a romantic sense.
But upon his return from one of his many travels, Colin suddenly comes to see the now mature Penelope in a new light – as the bright, funny, talented, and, yes, beautiful woman that she is. But, since the course of true love never runs smoothly, matters take a decided detour when Penelope, Eloise, the rest of the Bridgerton clan, and virtually all of the ton get caught up in the search for the identity of the writer who has so wittily chronicled society for the past ten years: the elusive Lady Whistledown.
Julia Quinn is one of those writers who makes it all seem so easy. Her dialogue sings, her characters are devastatingly real, her love scenes sweet and romantic. But writing that reads this effortlessly takes a great deal of effort and a great deal of skill. And while I don’t usually compare one writer to another, in my mind her dialogue sometimes evokes – gasp at the sacrilege! – Georgette Heyer at her best.
She’s also no slouch when it comes to characterization. Penelope is an especially endearing and realistic character – so realistic, I think, that if Penelope isn’t you, she’s probably someone you know very well. Justifiably proud of her talent, abilities, and wit, Penelope’s hard-won confidence in all three is matched only by her complete lack of confidence in social situations. Colin, on the other hand, is one of those people to whom everything comes effortlessly and to whom it has all come to mean almost nothing. Desperate to find a purpose to his life, his dissatisfaction is far more than simply the ennui of an over-privileged rich boy, and is, instead, the epiphany of someone who has coasted for too long and knows it.
Another gift Julia Quinn possesses is an unwillingness to rest on her laurels. In a bold step for a writer with a reputation for sticking to the light side, she has the gumption to go beyond the happy ending. Even braver is her willingness to allow her characters to behave in ways that is sometimes decidedly unsympathetic. The book is all the more real for it.
Also worth mentioning is that even though the book deals in large part with the subject of women and their need for satisfaction outside of marriage and love, the tone always seemed appropriate to me and, if not precisely historically accurate, well in tune with both the characters and the period. Readers who consider themselves sticklers for historical accuracy should be aware, however, that Julia Quinn’s approach is somewhat anachronistic, a criticism that could easily apply to most humorous historicals and, to my mind, doesn’t interfere in any way with the enjoyment of the book.
I did, however, have one big problem. For me, at any rate, the momentum of the story flagged significantly in the last quarter of the book. And, since things were ripping along famously until then, the drop-off was dramatic. What could have been another Quinn DIK instead “settles” at the B+ level.
Still, Julia Quinn is at the top of her game here, and Romancing Mister Bridgerton is a first-rate effort more than deserving of its undoubted commercial success. And I’ll say it once more because I think it’s easy to forget: it takes a very good writer to make it look this easy.
Grade: B+
Book Type: Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 07/06/02
Publication Date: 2002
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
Related Reviews
I have only read the first half of this book and I don’t know if I will finish it. It’s so boring! There’s no substance, just the same thing over and over, I devoured all of Julia’s other books and they kept my interest. This book doesn’t have anything to keep your interest.
Within the series, this is one I reread.
i actually read this for the first time this year and it was exactly what i needed. what stood out is the dialogue and the humor-and not just between the main pair. almost every conversation reads as natural, something you’d expect to hear when friends or siblings talk to each other. i love how flawed colin is and how there’s no big angsty past involved on his part. too often, heroines are the ones who’re vulnerable or insecure, so colin makes for a nice change. in the end, it’s one of those romances where the main pairing makes sense because the author succeeds in showing you how and why they work together.
Agreed. I love the way Colin goes from being stupid and overly protective to biggest fan. Both leads seem tangibly real. This is one of my favorite HRs.
An absolute A+ for me, all the way!
Good story basis but the romance is rather dull. Colin needs way too much food and I almost stopped reading many times because of God being thrown in very wrongly. Arthur’s of romance novels need to fix this.
Liked this book a lot, but there are other in the series that I prefer: The Viscount Who Loved Me is my favorite, followed by When He Was Wicked and To Sir Phillip, With Love. Though I liked Penelope a lot (also, the other main plot—that should remain unnamed—is great), the romance itself was not as captivating as the ones in the other series’ novels (imo, of course).
Another book I should reread, as I am afraid for my first reading it did fall into B territory for me.
JQ has suffered severely for me on rereads. I put nearly every JQ I had onto the keeper shelf, and when I went back to them not a single one stayed there.
I read the first six? books in this series back in the day before losing interest (didn’t read Gregory’s or the youngest daughter’s book) and this one was my favourite by far.
A B+?!?!?!? I am shocked, shocked. This book is soooooooo a DIK.
One of my faves. I always love “that moment” in friends-to-lovers stories where the oblivious party suddenly realises what’s been under their noses all the time, and that’s so well done here. Colin is such a delicious hero, and JQ so skilfully and subtly makes him into a man who is so much more than he seems; and Penelope is simply delightful. I have to admit though, that the last part of the book probably knocks the book into B+ territory for me, too (or maybe A-); I didn’t quite buy Colin’s reaction to the big reveal. Otherwise, though, it’s one of the strongest of the series.
I stand by this comment!
I’m pretty surprised by this grade as this is the book I hear most people say is their favorite of the series and the one with the biggest build up.
It’s just wrong!
You should do your review of it as well. I’ve long thought about doing one of My Lord And Spymaster. B plus- phooey.