TEST
An AAR Top 100 Romance
originally published on June 20, 2009
I know this will come as a shock to some people, but I’ve never been a big fan of Julia Quinn. It’s not that I dislike her books; it’s just that I’ve never loved any of them as others seem to. However, I could see a lot of wit and intelligence in her writing, so I’ve always been open to giving her another try. Since I’ve never read a non-Bridgerton book by her, I jumped on the chance to review What Happens In London and I’m so glad I did. I finally feel about this book what many others have come to feel over her other titles – warm and fuzzy would describe it well.
Olivia Bevelstoke, as the incredibly beautiful daughter of an earl, is a definite catch and has been proposed to many times in the three years she’s been out. But she’s never found the right guy. Now that her best friend is married and producing offspring, life has become a little dull. She still has plenty of friends and participates in many social functions, but she’s still looking for something to spark her interest. When her friends mention that her new neighbor, Sir Harry Valentine, murdered his fiancé, Olivia’s curiosity is piqued and she takes it upon herself to spy on the man. It’s not difficult to do; from her bedroom window on the second story, she can easily see into his office, where he appears to spend most of his time.
Growing up with a drunkard of a father has greatly affected Harry’s path in life. Despite his love of learning and desire to attend university, he flees his home as soon as an opportunity presents itself. This comes in the form of a military career when his cousin, Sebastian, to whom he is very close, buys a commission after they graduate from school. Now that the war with Napoleon is over, Harry is back in England working for the War Office. He is fluent in Russian, which is somewhat rare in England, so his translating skills are requested often. He spends day after day doing what he loves best, working with words and solving language puzzles. But lately he hasn’t been able to do much work, because his nosy neighbor has been staring at him incessantly.
When Harry and Olivia finally meet at a social function, Harry believes she is very cold. She often has a remote look on her face and he can barely coax any words from her. What he doesn’t realize is that Olivia is mortified. The last time she was spying on him, their eyes locked and she immediately dropped out of sight. So, she knows that he knows she was looking at him. And he knows that she knows he knows, because she pulled her curtains and hasn’t looked out for days. Despite the obvious tension, Harry can’t help but needle her with hints of her daily activities. By the end of the evening, each thinks very ill of the other person and decides avoidance is the proper course of action. But then Harry is assigned to watch Olivia, because a Russian prince suspected of having ties to Napoleon has taken an interest in her. What follows is the charming development of their relationship as they discover just how much fun they have in each other’s company.
What really worked in this book was the dialogue. There was such wit and humor that I couldn’t help but enjoy the characters and their repartee. It was so funny, in fact, that at times I was laughing out loud, earning myself some odd looks. The relationship was very well-developed; there was no rushing to get them married or into bed, just a natural progression from pseudo-enemies to friends to lovers. Some of their conversations take place between their windows, which added a Romeo and Juliet quality, though I never heard those lovebirds exchange sarcasm like these two do. It just made me happy to read the conversations between these two characters. There were also some hilarious moments involving the intrepid Miss Butterworth.
I only had a couple quibbles. Harry’s past and his problems with his family are really intriguing. His younger brother, Edward, lives with him and is heading down the same path as their father, drinking much of his day away. While some time was spent on this, I didn’t feel there was enough. There didn’t seem to be any kind of a resolution or tying up that particular storyline. The ending also sort of fell apart. Everything was progressing nice and slow, with a quiet, more pensive tone, when suddenly action breaks loose involving the Russian prince that includes kidnapping, guns, and shooting. It was completely out of place and didn’t match the rest of the story, so I really could have done without that added bit of drama.
The one word I would use to describe What Happens In London is charming. I was thoroughly charmed by the characters, the prose, and the relationship development. The writing style was smart and clever and I was easily drawn into the story. This author has now won me to her side. This is her first book that I would wholeheartedly recommend, as well as the first one that will go on my keeper shelf, and I’m eager to investigate more of her post-Bridgerton novels.
Grade: A-
Book Type: European Historical Romance
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 30/11/17
Publication Date: 2009/07
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.
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For all of you who forgot about what goes on in this book, I find that angst is usually better remembered than comedy.
That makes sense, because the romance itself was lacking in this novel, but the comedy was overflowing!
I also didn’t remember the storyline first time I read it. So I re-read it a while later, and the second time around I decided to pay attention to just how much this book was making me laugh out loud, innumerable times!!
Almost every page in this book was funny, and that’s very rare in a novel.
For an author to be able to deliver a steady flow of comedy, without letting it lessen as the story progresses. People don’t realize what genius this takes.
This is hands down the FUNNIEST romance novel I’ve read, if not the funniest book I’ve read ever.
After reading this, humor in other romances just can’t compete at all.
IMHO it can actually require more skill to write original comedy than the “same-old” angst.
So try re-reading it people!
And don’t read it in a serious, solemn mood! It’s a light but hilarious read!
Take care everyone!
I actually adore this one! It’s funny and sprightly.
I actually really like this book–one of my favorite books of hers outside of the Bridgerton series.
Also drawing a COMPLETE AND TOTAL blank on this book. I love Ms. Quinn – maybe I haven’t read it?
There’s a lot of window peeping and I think they consummated their relationship against a door? In a public place?
I always wanted to read that book – that’s why it stuck in my mind. Miss Butterworth had such an eventful life.
At the time, I remember thinking that this book & the next (can’t remember the title) were something of a departure for Quinn – I thought they were fundamentally comic novels, rather than romantic ones. And I think I liked them better because of that. For some inane reason if I’m reading Quinn as a romance author, her somewhat relaxed approach to historical accuracy chafes, but when I read her as a comic author, it doesn’t bother me at all. (Probably due to early training by P.G. Wodehouse.)
No-one else remembers Sebastian on the table giving a dramatic reading of ‘Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron’?
How can you forget the mother getting pecked to death by pigeons?
Wow, no I don’t remember those things at all and I usually have a good memory for books. I remember the spying scenes early in the book and recall enjoying them, and that’s it. I looked on Goodreads and I didn’t post a review but I did give it 3 out of 5 stars at the time.
There is far too much of the getting pecked to death in Regency romance. It’s appeared in so many–I do love Four Nights with the Duke–I can’t keep them straight!
I read this one and can hardly remember anything about it. I’ve liked a bunch of Quinn novels and remember them clearly, and so it’s weird that this one is so blank for me.
I can’t remember anything about this book or the one that follows it. Nada.
Neither can I!
I remember ALL of the Miranda book–Turner is such a compelling, terribly flawed hero–but this one… I got nothing.