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Oh man. I was prepared to give it a 4.something rating up until I read that last chapter. Talk about an emotional roller coaster geez! I already read the other 2 books in the series and absolutely LOVED them so I was excited to finally read the one that started it all. It being a Julia Quinn book I knew I wasn't going to be disappointed but my goodness. My heart hurts that was so beautiful. A solid 5 for me.
I think this is quite a polarizing book. Even I feel a bit conflicted of how I feel towards this book as I read it.
First off, I really like Miranda, the heroine. For someone who's supposedly head over heels with Turner since 10, she has a good head on her shoulders, and was not actually too drunk in love. She can still resist (at least trying to) Turner at times, during mid-late in the book. However, I really don't like Turner and I think he drags the book down. I'm very OK with emo heroes in general, but Turner is way too much of a coward to Miranda, even at a point where he *shouldn't* have waited to go to Miranda! I also don't buy the inner conflict where he can't say love to Miranda...
Overall, I find the book to have some pretty good story beats and scene, but I can't help but feel sorry for Miranda in the middle. Thank God there's a HEA...
✨
lilan ♥ |
First off, I really like Miranda, the heroine. For someone who's supposedly head over heels with Turner since 10, she has a good head on her shoulders, and was not actually too drunk in love. She can still resist (at least trying to) Turner at times, during mid-late in the book. However, I really don't like Turner and I think he drags the book down. I'm very OK with emo heroes in general, but Turner is way too much of a coward to Miranda, even at a point where he *shouldn't* have waited to go to Miranda! I also don't buy the inner conflict where he can't say love to Miranda...
Overall, I find the book to have some pretty good story beats and scene, but I can't help but feel sorry for Miranda in the middle. Thank God there's a HEA...
✨
lilan ♥ |
i!!! am!!!! so annoyed!!!!!!!! because this book had all the makings of everything i love and somehow, while it wasn't completely awful and it certainly had qualities i liked (more specifically miranda and miranda/olivia!), it didn't deliver. halfway into this book i thought that it had the makings of a 4 star book because i found the turner/miranda interactions to be quite delightful and amusing but then once they actually have sex, it all just goes downhill. turner became much less likeable and instead just became incredibly frustrating to the point where i no longer wanted miranda and him to be together because frankly i didn't care about reading about his angst or how he's incapable of saying 'i love you' because of his terrible dead wife. once the story focused more on turner, it just became an exhausting mess to read.
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review
This book is one of my favorites by Julia Quinn. To me, it shares the honor with The Duke & I and Romancing Mister Bridgerton. It is going immediately on my All-Time-Favorites shelf.
The early interactions between a ten year old Miranda and a nineteen year old Turner - they made me melt. The innocence they both possessed, the effect Turner had on Miranda even then, it really set the foundation for the whole story.
Usually I tend to favor the hero for my favorite, and I truly adore Turner - despite his faults and hangups - but Miranda was such a presence. I felt everything she felt. Believe me. I don't think I've cried so much throughout an entire book as I did with this one. Tears of sadness, tears of happiness... Tears for all the emotions the characters had.
I think Julia Quinn's greatest strength is in the depth she gives her characters. The way she makes you invest in them. You grow to truly care for their outcome. She did a magnificent job with Miranda and Turner.
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the diary aspects of the novel, but I really shouldn't have feared. Her talent with the Lady Whistledown parts of the earlier Bridgerton books translated well to the diary entries. They were a sweet addition.
I loved this book. I loved Miranda and Turner. I stayed up till nearly 3am reading it - and went to bed with only 60 or so pages left. My eyes were drooping and I really didn't want to not give the end my full attention. Such a wonderful love story. It will make you swoon, it will melt you, and it will make you weep - make you frustrated and distressed. And in the end you will want to hug the book, since you can't hug the characters.
This book is one of my favorites by Julia Quinn. To me, it shares the honor with The Duke & I and Romancing Mister Bridgerton. It is going immediately on my All-Time-Favorites shelf.
The early interactions between a ten year old Miranda and a nineteen year old Turner - they made me melt. The innocence they both possessed, the effect Turner had on Miranda even then, it really set the foundation for the whole story.
Usually I tend to favor the hero for my favorite, and I truly adore Turner - despite his faults and hangups - but Miranda was such a presence. I felt everything she felt. Believe me. I don't think I've cried so much throughout an entire book as I did with this one. Tears of sadness, tears of happiness... Tears for all the emotions the characters had.
I think Julia Quinn's greatest strength is in the depth she gives her characters. The way she makes you invest in them. You grow to truly care for their outcome. She did a magnificent job with Miranda and Turner.
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the diary aspects of the novel, but I really shouldn't have feared. Her talent with the Lady Whistledown parts of the earlier Bridgerton books translated well to the diary entries. They were a sweet addition.
I loved this book. I loved Miranda and Turner. I stayed up till nearly 3am reading it - and went to bed with only 60 or so pages left. My eyes were drooping and I really didn't want to not give the end my full attention. Such a wonderful love story. It will make you swoon, it will melt you, and it will make you weep - make you frustrated and distressed. And in the end you will want to hug the book, since you can't hug the characters.
Miranda deserved better than a dude who needed her to almost die before realizing he loved her... but also Miranda you knew Turner wasn’t going to say it too like why ask something that you know isn't possible
I enjoyed this one. It had a bit of a different story line than the typical Julia Quinn book. I cannot give away the twists but Miranda has loved her friend Olivia's older brother since she was ten years old. Turner's wife is suddenly killed and his marriage was so horrible that he decides he will never marry again, no matter how attracted he is to his sister's friend. However, Turner also has a brother who shows some interest in Miranda. He can't have that. I always enjoy the banter in Julia Quinn books.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loved the banter in this one so much, just super fun.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Although I read plenty of historical romance, it’s not the main subgenre that I read. I’m not as familiar with the authors of historicals as its rabid fans. But I also don’t live under a rock, so by this point, I’ve heard of Julia Quinn. I’ll admit that has everything to do with the adaptation of her Bridgertons series and not because I’ve ever read any of her books before. Since I rarely read a book after seeing an adaptation, I decided to give this author a try with this book as it was one of the read-along titles from season 3 of the Fated Mates podcast.
First and foremost, I greatly enjoyed the writing style. It flowed smoothly and had me wanting to keep reading chapter after chapter. My heart hurt for Miranda and, once the story really started rolling, I felt her connection to Turner. Poor Turner has been through so much because of his terrible first wife, and that was something I had to keep reminding myself of since he was often quite an ass to Miranda. Every time he got all in his feels for her, he’d lash out. While Miranda would often push back, she was a doormat for Turner and I wish she would have been more aggressive.
When things were going well for Miranda and Turner, they had me swooning. Again, with the reminder of how terrible Turner’s first wife was, it was tragic how he couldn’t accept the kindness and caring of Miranda. Even when he realized he was in love with her, he really didn’t. It was so foreign to him and he was so adverse to love he had blinders on. Once those blinders finally came off, he didn’t grovel enough for my taste. I can sympathize with him because of the past, but when he saw how badly he screwed up I think there was more crawling over glass that needed to be done. By then, Miranda knew her worth.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It gave me tons of warm fuzzies and I’m glad I finally gave this author a read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy