Reviewer: Rowena The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #2
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: June 27, 2006
Format: Print
Point-of-View: Alternating Third
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 354
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Series Rating:
1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, this author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better...—Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814
But this time, the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry—he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...
Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands—and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...
This review was originally posted on July 9, 2009.
Anthony Bridgerton is the eldest boy in the Bridgerton clan and he’s the man of the house. He’s been the man of the house since his father died of a bee sting and he took their father’s death the hardest out of all of the kids because he was the closest to his father. Edmund Bridgerton, father to the Bridgerton tribe was fairly young when he died, just 39 years old and from a bee sting of all things. Anthony has this strange thought that he’s going to die young just like his father so he’s decided that he wants to get married before his untimely demise and of course, he doesn’t want to marry someone that he’ll love because it’d be unfair for his young wife to lose the man she loves when he dies.
Yeah, I know but as silly as the set up for this book is, I did enjoy it. It’s not one of my favorites of the Bridgerton series but it is still a good story and that has a big part to do with the way that Julia Quinn tells her stories. With lots of delightful dialogue and just a whole lot of funny scenes to make stories pop right off the pages.
My favorite part of these stories is seeing the family all together. For a bunch of historical characters, they sure are delightful and not in the least stuffy like I imagine lots of historical families to be.
The scenes with Anthony and Kate made for some good reading as well though there were plenty of times that I wanted to choke Kate the hell out. Yes, I got it, she wasn’t the beauty in the family and the more she harped on this, the more I wanted to scream at her but what made her human to me was her fear of thunderstorms. I thought the scene when Anthony finds her alone and frightened and then stays with her through the thunderstorms was one of my favorite scenes in the entire book.
Overall, this book was a whole lot of fun. The characters are all three dimensional and I fell in love with each of them and it set up some great stuff for the future books in this series and I’m thinking that maybe I’ll have to write up some more reviews for this series because this series is one of those series that we don’t want to forget about with all of the new stuff coming out these days. The Bridgertons are a wonderful family and I fell in love with each of them in their books and Anthony was no different.
Anthony was a stand up hero, one that was easy to fall in love with and while I did love him, it’s his brothers that I absolutely adored. I love the relationship that they have with each other, it’s so much fun and so..real. If you haven’t read this series then you should seriously start because this series is the bomb!
Grade: 4 out of 5.
The Bridgertons
This is my favourite of the Bridgerton stories – maybe because it was the first I read.
The scene when Anthony and Kate consummate their marriage and he tells her that she’s beautiful wrings me out everytime I read it. It’s sexy, sweet and hearwrenching and I tear up every time I read it.
It’s my favorite of the Bridgerton books (I like the brothers’ books better than the girls’)
^happy sigh*
This is my favorite Bridgerton book as well. The scene w. Kate and Anthony during the storm is one of my favorites in *any* romance. It’s so classic.
I miss this Julia Quinn. Her newer books just haven’t had the same emotional punch.
I absolutely loved JQ’s Bridgerton series, and this book was my favorite. It is funny, touching, and heartwarming.
An astounding novel. I adore the Bridgertons, but this book was one of the favs!!!!
I thought it was soo cute when he sucked the poison out of her bosom!
This was one of my favorite Bridgerton books too and for the same reasons as mentioned. 🙂 I also agree with buriedbybooks that Quinn’s books just haven’t been the same. Her last book just about did me in so now I need a reliable recommendation before I pick up a new one. I love her backlist though… How to Marry a Marquis is my favorite.
I remember this series and this book. Thanks for the happy memory, Rowena.