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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
did you think i was finished with julia quinn???? never
This book was a fun, quick read! Billie and George were great! I wish more time was devoted to letting them love each other (especially the epilogue). Also, the random plot twist with Edward and then Billie tagging along to London all so Lady Manston can match make seemed far-fetched to me. I think the story would have been better if they could have fallen in love at home without the melodrama because the story was unfolding nicely until that bit.
Julia Quinn nunca decepciona, una novela fresca con protagonistas que pasan del odio al amor .ideal para salir de un bloqueo lector
DNF pag.97
Questa volta lo ammetto, è colpa mia. Il libro è molto carino, è scritto bene, è divertente e i personaggi sono decenti. Il problema è che non succede niente! È lungo quasi 300 e dopo fottute 97 di esse i due protagonisti continuano a non calcolarsi minimamente! Io lo so che è un romance history ma cristo non si può essere così lenti. Non fanno proprio per me, meglio lasciar perdere...però se siete amanti del genere penso proprio vi piacerà, quindi magari dategli una possibilità!
Questa volta lo ammetto, è colpa mia. Il libro è molto carino, è scritto bene, è divertente e i personaggi sono decenti. Il problema è che non succede niente! È lungo quasi 300 e dopo fottute 97 di esse i due protagonisti continuano a non calcolarsi minimamente! Io lo so che è un romance history ma cristo non si può essere così lenti. Non fanno proprio per me, meglio lasciar perdere...però se siete amanti del genere penso proprio vi piacerà, quindi magari dategli una possibilità!
There can’t be many people in Romancelandia who haven’t at the very least heard of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. Through eight books (not including the subsequently published set of Second Epilogues), we followed the eight Bridgerton siblings as they found love, romance and their happily ever afters, and they’ve become some of the most beloved and iconic creations in the historical romance genre.
The problem for any author who has achieved such a feat must be how on earth to follow such a resounding success? Ms Quinn has written a number of enjoyable historical romances since she finished with the Bridgertons, but it seems that none of those has quite managed to work its way into the hearts and minds of readers as that family has. It’s been almost ten years since the last full-length novel in the series, but finally, there’s a new Bridgerton book on the scene and of course what people want to know is - is it any good? And - is it as good as the earlier series?
Honestly? Yes and no. Yes, it’s a good read and I enjoyed it. But no, it’s not The Viscount Who Loved Me or When He Was Wicked. But there is a truly evil game of Pall Mall and the Mallet of Death makes an appearance, if that’s any consolation!
If you’re looking for a story with lots of action and derring-do, Because of Miss Bridgerton isn’t it. It’s one of those books where the romance IS the story, and I liked that about it because it’s a delicious slow build and I was content to just watch things unfold and enjoy the way the protagonists gradually began to see each other in a different light. Snarky-not-quite-friends-to-lovers is a plot device I usually enjoy, so the basic storyline appealed to me straight away; and while the book doesn’t pack the emotional punch found in some of the original Bridgerton tales, the two central characters are very well drawn and fleshed out and it’s easy to believe in their emotional connection.
When we first meet Billie – Sybilla - Bridgerton, she is stranded on a roof because she climbed up an adjacent tree in order to rescue a kitten that quite obviously didn’t want to be rescued. Stuck on a roof with a badly sprained ankle and not much daylight left, Billie is at first delighted to see a distant figure heading in her direction – and then dismayed as she realises it’s the one person she really doesn’t want to find her in such a situation, her neighbor, George Rokesby, Viscount Kennard. Son and heir of the Earl of Manston, George is around five years older than Billie, who used to run wild with his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, while George was receiving the education befitting the heir to an earldom. For some reason they can’t quite fathom, George and Billie have never really seen eye to eye; she’s vibrant and impulsive whereas George has responsibilities to live up to and is the frequent target of his brothers’ and Billie’s teasing, all of them viewing him as a bit of a stuffed shirt.
He isn’t, of course. But he’s a man who takes his responsibilities as an earl’s heir seriously, even though he does chafe at the fact that his station in life precludes his doing anything other than waiting to inherit his father’s title. He can’t help the frustration he feels over the fact that Andrew and Edward are serving their country in the Navy and Army respectively, and the author does a good job in conveying that and the restlessness that dogs him beneath his usually stoic demeanour.
With the normally active Billie forced into a short period of inactivity, Andrew, home on leave because of a broken arm, is the one who would usually be the designated cheerer-upper. But even though he is his normal madcap self and he and Billie fall easily into their established pattern of a couple of fast-talking hellions, Billie is rather surprised to discover that it’s George she looks for each day, and even moreso at the disappointment she feels on the occasions Andrew visits her without his brother.
George is equally bewildered at the strength of the attraction he feels for Billie, having spent so long regarding her almost as an annoying younger sister. But she thinks he’s a boring stick-in-the-mud, doesn’t she? – so he has to hope that this ridiculous infatuation will pass before he betrays himself and ends up as the butt of even more of his brothers’ jokes.
I have to say that the book synopsis is a little misleading when it states that George and Billie can’t stand the sight of each other because that isn’t the case. It’s pretty clear from the start that dislike isn’t what keeps them at a distance from each other and the tension that crackles between them whenever they meet has another cause. Their story isn’t so much about hatred turning to love as it is about their coming to understand the reason they have never felt quite comfortable around one another and finally admitting the truth to themselves and each other.
Because of Miss Bridgerton takes place in 1779, and Billie is the elder sister of Edmund, who, as fans will know, is the father of Anthony, Benedict, Colin and the rest of the crew. Billie’s a tomboy who does far more around her father’s estate than anybody realises; she’s the de Facto manager to whom all go with their problems and she’s the one who makes all the decisions since her father has become increasingly less active in the running of their estate. Edmund is still at school and with nobody else to lean on, her father turned to forthright, quick-witted Billie, who prefers to be outdoors riding around the tenant farms or inspecting fencing and drainage than being cooped up inside and has no skill whatsoever in the usual feminine accomplishments like needlework or dancing. I’m not normally a big fan of this type of heroine, but Ms Quinn adds layers to her character by having her be so obviously insecure when it comes to having to venture beyond the estate and local community where everybody knows her and doesn’t question what society at large would undoubtedly term her eccentricities. But because she’s Billie, who manages basically everything, nobody gives much thought to her as a person, even her own family; and there’s something about that aspect of her character that really resonated with me, the idea that she has been fulfilling other peoples’ expectations of her for so long that they can’t see that isn’t who she really is.
The one person who really does see her is George.
And he kissed her tenderly, because this was Billie, and somehow he knew that no one ever thought to be tender with her.
As a couple, they complement each other; he lends her some much needed steadiness and she brings him out of his shell a little. Most importantly, she enables him to see that he is doing something just as valuable as his brothers by staying at home and maintaining their parcel of English soil as a place fit for fighting men to return to.
Although it’s fairly slow-moving, I enjoyed the developing love story and would certainly recommend the book on the strength of it. What doesn’t work so well however, is an odd sub-plot that concerns Edward, the second Rokesby brother, who is away fighting in America. Without giving too much away, events transpire that see George becoming unwittingly embroiled in a potentially dangerous situation, but it doesn’t make much sense and the ending is rushed and somewhat confused.
Ultimately though, readers will be invested in the love story between George and Billie, who are a likeable, well-matched couple with great chemistry and about whose mutual affection and understanding there is no doubt. Because of Miss Bridgerton is an entertaining story that has plenty of warmth and humour and I’m sure it will delight the author’s many fans.
The problem for any author who has achieved such a feat must be how on earth to follow such a resounding success? Ms Quinn has written a number of enjoyable historical romances since she finished with the Bridgertons, but it seems that none of those has quite managed to work its way into the hearts and minds of readers as that family has. It’s been almost ten years since the last full-length novel in the series, but finally, there’s a new Bridgerton book on the scene and of course what people want to know is - is it any good? And - is it as good as the earlier series?
Honestly? Yes and no. Yes, it’s a good read and I enjoyed it. But no, it’s not The Viscount Who Loved Me or When He Was Wicked. But there is a truly evil game of Pall Mall and the Mallet of Death makes an appearance, if that’s any consolation!
If you’re looking for a story with lots of action and derring-do, Because of Miss Bridgerton isn’t it. It’s one of those books where the romance IS the story, and I liked that about it because it’s a delicious slow build and I was content to just watch things unfold and enjoy the way the protagonists gradually began to see each other in a different light. Snarky-not-quite-friends-to-lovers is a plot device I usually enjoy, so the basic storyline appealed to me straight away; and while the book doesn’t pack the emotional punch found in some of the original Bridgerton tales, the two central characters are very well drawn and fleshed out and it’s easy to believe in their emotional connection.
When we first meet Billie – Sybilla - Bridgerton, she is stranded on a roof because she climbed up an adjacent tree in order to rescue a kitten that quite obviously didn’t want to be rescued. Stuck on a roof with a badly sprained ankle and not much daylight left, Billie is at first delighted to see a distant figure heading in her direction – and then dismayed as she realises it’s the one person she really doesn’t want to find her in such a situation, her neighbor, George Rokesby, Viscount Kennard. Son and heir of the Earl of Manston, George is around five years older than Billie, who used to run wild with his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward, while George was receiving the education befitting the heir to an earldom. For some reason they can’t quite fathom, George and Billie have never really seen eye to eye; she’s vibrant and impulsive whereas George has responsibilities to live up to and is the frequent target of his brothers’ and Billie’s teasing, all of them viewing him as a bit of a stuffed shirt.
He isn’t, of course. But he’s a man who takes his responsibilities as an earl’s heir seriously, even though he does chafe at the fact that his station in life precludes his doing anything other than waiting to inherit his father’s title. He can’t help the frustration he feels over the fact that Andrew and Edward are serving their country in the Navy and Army respectively, and the author does a good job in conveying that and the restlessness that dogs him beneath his usually stoic demeanour.
With the normally active Billie forced into a short period of inactivity, Andrew, home on leave because of a broken arm, is the one who would usually be the designated cheerer-upper. But even though he is his normal madcap self and he and Billie fall easily into their established pattern of a couple of fast-talking hellions, Billie is rather surprised to discover that it’s George she looks for each day, and even moreso at the disappointment she feels on the occasions Andrew visits her without his brother.
George is equally bewildered at the strength of the attraction he feels for Billie, having spent so long regarding her almost as an annoying younger sister. But she thinks he’s a boring stick-in-the-mud, doesn’t she? – so he has to hope that this ridiculous infatuation will pass before he betrays himself and ends up as the butt of even more of his brothers’ jokes.
I have to say that the book synopsis is a little misleading when it states that George and Billie can’t stand the sight of each other because that isn’t the case. It’s pretty clear from the start that dislike isn’t what keeps them at a distance from each other and the tension that crackles between them whenever they meet has another cause. Their story isn’t so much about hatred turning to love as it is about their coming to understand the reason they have never felt quite comfortable around one another and finally admitting the truth to themselves and each other.
Because of Miss Bridgerton takes place in 1779, and Billie is the elder sister of Edmund, who, as fans will know, is the father of Anthony, Benedict, Colin and the rest of the crew. Billie’s a tomboy who does far more around her father’s estate than anybody realises; she’s the de Facto manager to whom all go with their problems and she’s the one who makes all the decisions since her father has become increasingly less active in the running of their estate. Edmund is still at school and with nobody else to lean on, her father turned to forthright, quick-witted Billie, who prefers to be outdoors riding around the tenant farms or inspecting fencing and drainage than being cooped up inside and has no skill whatsoever in the usual feminine accomplishments like needlework or dancing. I’m not normally a big fan of this type of heroine, but Ms Quinn adds layers to her character by having her be so obviously insecure when it comes to having to venture beyond the estate and local community where everybody knows her and doesn’t question what society at large would undoubtedly term her eccentricities. But because she’s Billie, who manages basically everything, nobody gives much thought to her as a person, even her own family; and there’s something about that aspect of her character that really resonated with me, the idea that she has been fulfilling other peoples’ expectations of her for so long that they can’t see that isn’t who she really is.
The one person who really does see her is George.
And he kissed her tenderly, because this was Billie, and somehow he knew that no one ever thought to be tender with her.
As a couple, they complement each other; he lends her some much needed steadiness and she brings him out of his shell a little. Most importantly, she enables him to see that he is doing something just as valuable as his brothers by staying at home and maintaining their parcel of English soil as a place fit for fighting men to return to.
Although it’s fairly slow-moving, I enjoyed the developing love story and would certainly recommend the book on the strength of it. What doesn’t work so well however, is an odd sub-plot that concerns Edward, the second Rokesby brother, who is away fighting in America. Without giving too much away, events transpire that see George becoming unwittingly embroiled in a potentially dangerous situation, but it doesn’t make much sense and the ending is rushed and somewhat confused.
Ultimately though, readers will be invested in the love story between George and Billie, who are a likeable, well-matched couple with great chemistry and about whose mutual affection and understanding there is no doubt. Because of Miss Bridgerton is an entertaining story that has plenty of warmth and humour and I’m sure it will delight the author’s many fans.
Review from 2016
A+ for narration; B for content.
Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton family are among the most iconic creations in historical romance in recent years. Throughout eight books (and then a set of subsequently published Second Epilogues), readers followed the exploits of Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne et al as they found the loves of their lives and their happy ever afters.
Now, in Because of Miss Bridgerton, the author returns to her much-loved family to kick off a prequel series set in the late Georgian period, The Rokesbys, who are a neighbouring family with whom the Bridgertons have always been very close. The eponymous Miss Bridgerton – Billie – is the older sister of Edmund, father of the Regency era siblings; here, he’s just fifteen and still away at school.
Billie, however, is twenty-three, unmarried and a bit of a hoyden. She wears breeches when riding around the family’s lands in Kent, hates being cooped up indoors, has no feminine accomplishments to speak of, and does far more around her father’s estate than anybody – including Lord Bridgerton – realises. She thinks that one day, she’ll probably marry Edward or Andrew Rokesby; after all, they grew up together, she likes them both and wouldn’t really mind marrying either of them. There are five Rokesby siblings in all; a daughter, Mary, who was Billie’s best friend until she married and moved away, and four brothers – George, Viscount Kennard, Edward, Andrew and Nicholas, who is of an age with Billie’s younger brother. While she has always got on like a house on fire with Edward and Andrew, Billie and George have never really liked each other. George is a few years older and, she thinks, unbearably stuffy; and the pair of them can hardly be civil to one another when they meet. So when Billie attempts to rescue a kitten and then gets stranded on a roof with a sprained ankle, the last person in the world she wants as her Knight in Shining Armour is George Rokesby.
But so it is – until an accident contrives to render him stuck on the roof as well. Fortunately, Andrew – who is home on leave from the Navy due to a broken arm – isn’t far behind him and eventually the pair manages to get down, although not without a great deal of pain on Billie’s part. Forced into inactivity while her ankle heals, Billie is pleased to have Andrew around to cheer her up and the pair very quickly fall into their normal pattern of constant bickering and teasing. They’re the life and soul of many a gathering, their quick-witted, quick-fire exchanges like games of verbal tennis, and in many a romantic novel, this would very quickly indicate that here is the central couple; the couple that banters together stays together, as it were. But not so here. Because fond of Andrew as she is, Billie is astonished to discover that it’s George she looks for every day, and even more surprised at the level of disappointment she experiences on the days Andrew arrives to visit her without his brother.
For his part, George is at just as much of a loss to work out when he began to see Billie as an attractive young woman rather than an extremely irritating younger sister. He can’t understand the sudden infatuation he has developed for her, and only hopes it will pass before his brother guesses and starts ribbing him mercilessly. But George has also begun to realise that the Billie who banters constantly with Andrew, reads agricultural manuals and gallops around the estate in breeches is not the real Billie; and that underneath the wit and the backbone is a young woman who keeps her insecurities well hidden. For so long, she’s been the strong, dependable, tough one who just gets on with it, so much so that even her nearest and dearest take her for granted. To Andrew, she’s one of the lads who doesn’t mind when he teases her about her lack of femininity; to her mother, she’s an exasperating tomboy – and she has spent so long doing what others expect of her that they have all forgotten that she’s a young woman like any other, with feelings that can be hurt no matter how good she is at hiding that fact. All of them except George.
And if George is the only one to truly see Billie, then she is the only one to realise exactly how frustrated and useless he feels because he’s stuck at home while Edward and Andrew are off serving their country (Edward is in the army); and it’s the way in which both Billie and George reach a greater understanding about themselves through their greater understanding of each other that is the true heart of the book.
Ultimately, however, I can’t say that this is my favourite Julia Quinn novel, or that it’s among her best. There are some too modern turns of phrase and even though the date is given as 1779, it doesn’t have a particularly strong sense of historical setting; apart from the odd reference to a tricorne hat, or some distant historical events, it could just as easily be set in the Regency era or any other point in the 19th century. There is also an odd sub-plot introduced around the half-way mark which sees George becoming involved in a potentially dangerous situation, but it is not fully developed and feels as though it has been shoe-horned in just to provide some angst.
Fortunately, having the right narrator on board can go a long way towards smoothing over any inconsistencies in the storytelling, even if they can’t make them completely disappear. Rosalyn Landor is one such narrator, someone whose understanding of the story and characters comes through so strongly in her performances as to make it easier to believe in those parts of the book which might otherwise induce a surfeit of eye-rolling. She has already narrated a number of novels by Ms Quinn, although not, sadly, any of the previous Bridgerton stories, five of which remain unrecorded. Ms Landor delivers another highly polished performance here, making full use of her wide range of pitch, timbre and accent to successfully delineate the various characters. Billie sounds exactly as she should; youthful, bubbly and determined – while George’s softer, more considered manner of speech makes him sound quietly attractive. Andrew is performed using a slightly higher pitch and brighter tone, which perfectly brings to life the brash, fun-loving young naval officer; and as is ever the case with this narrator, she is every bit as good in the secondary cast and character roles – older characters like mothers, fathers and servants – as she is at portraying the principals. As well as the technical skill Ms Landor brings to all her narrations, she also injects exactly the right degree of emotional emphasis into her reading of the story without ever going over the top and her pacing is perfect.
Because of Miss Bridgerton is a gently moving, funny, sweetly romantic love story and is definitely the sort of audiobook to reach for when you want a feel-good listen without too much angst. Add to that a top-notch performance from one of the best narrators around, and I can’t imagine that fans of the author will be anything other than delighted.
A+ for narration; B for content.
Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton family are among the most iconic creations in historical romance in recent years. Throughout eight books (and then a set of subsequently published Second Epilogues), readers followed the exploits of Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne et al as they found the loves of their lives and their happy ever afters.
Now, in Because of Miss Bridgerton, the author returns to her much-loved family to kick off a prequel series set in the late Georgian period, The Rokesbys, who are a neighbouring family with whom the Bridgertons have always been very close. The eponymous Miss Bridgerton – Billie – is the older sister of Edmund, father of the Regency era siblings; here, he’s just fifteen and still away at school.
Billie, however, is twenty-three, unmarried and a bit of a hoyden. She wears breeches when riding around the family’s lands in Kent, hates being cooped up indoors, has no feminine accomplishments to speak of, and does far more around her father’s estate than anybody – including Lord Bridgerton – realises. She thinks that one day, she’ll probably marry Edward or Andrew Rokesby; after all, they grew up together, she likes them both and wouldn’t really mind marrying either of them. There are five Rokesby siblings in all; a daughter, Mary, who was Billie’s best friend until she married and moved away, and four brothers – George, Viscount Kennard, Edward, Andrew and Nicholas, who is of an age with Billie’s younger brother. While she has always got on like a house on fire with Edward and Andrew, Billie and George have never really liked each other. George is a few years older and, she thinks, unbearably stuffy; and the pair of them can hardly be civil to one another when they meet. So when Billie attempts to rescue a kitten and then gets stranded on a roof with a sprained ankle, the last person in the world she wants as her Knight in Shining Armour is George Rokesby.
But so it is – until an accident contrives to render him stuck on the roof as well. Fortunately, Andrew – who is home on leave from the Navy due to a broken arm – isn’t far behind him and eventually the pair manages to get down, although not without a great deal of pain on Billie’s part. Forced into inactivity while her ankle heals, Billie is pleased to have Andrew around to cheer her up and the pair very quickly fall into their normal pattern of constant bickering and teasing. They’re the life and soul of many a gathering, their quick-witted, quick-fire exchanges like games of verbal tennis, and in many a romantic novel, this would very quickly indicate that here is the central couple; the couple that banters together stays together, as it were. But not so here. Because fond of Andrew as she is, Billie is astonished to discover that it’s George she looks for every day, and even more surprised at the level of disappointment she experiences on the days Andrew arrives to visit her without his brother.
For his part, George is at just as much of a loss to work out when he began to see Billie as an attractive young woman rather than an extremely irritating younger sister. He can’t understand the sudden infatuation he has developed for her, and only hopes it will pass before his brother guesses and starts ribbing him mercilessly. But George has also begun to realise that the Billie who banters constantly with Andrew, reads agricultural manuals and gallops around the estate in breeches is not the real Billie; and that underneath the wit and the backbone is a young woman who keeps her insecurities well hidden. For so long, she’s been the strong, dependable, tough one who just gets on with it, so much so that even her nearest and dearest take her for granted. To Andrew, she’s one of the lads who doesn’t mind when he teases her about her lack of femininity; to her mother, she’s an exasperating tomboy – and she has spent so long doing what others expect of her that they have all forgotten that she’s a young woman like any other, with feelings that can be hurt no matter how good she is at hiding that fact. All of them except George.
And if George is the only one to truly see Billie, then she is the only one to realise exactly how frustrated and useless he feels because he’s stuck at home while Edward and Andrew are off serving their country (Edward is in the army); and it’s the way in which both Billie and George reach a greater understanding about themselves through their greater understanding of each other that is the true heart of the book.
Ultimately, however, I can’t say that this is my favourite Julia Quinn novel, or that it’s among her best. There are some too modern turns of phrase and even though the date is given as 1779, it doesn’t have a particularly strong sense of historical setting; apart from the odd reference to a tricorne hat, or some distant historical events, it could just as easily be set in the Regency era or any other point in the 19th century. There is also an odd sub-plot introduced around the half-way mark which sees George becoming involved in a potentially dangerous situation, but it is not fully developed and feels as though it has been shoe-horned in just to provide some angst.
Fortunately, having the right narrator on board can go a long way towards smoothing over any inconsistencies in the storytelling, even if they can’t make them completely disappear. Rosalyn Landor is one such narrator, someone whose understanding of the story and characters comes through so strongly in her performances as to make it easier to believe in those parts of the book which might otherwise induce a surfeit of eye-rolling. She has already narrated a number of novels by Ms Quinn, although not, sadly, any of the previous Bridgerton stories, five of which remain unrecorded. Ms Landor delivers another highly polished performance here, making full use of her wide range of pitch, timbre and accent to successfully delineate the various characters. Billie sounds exactly as she should; youthful, bubbly and determined – while George’s softer, more considered manner of speech makes him sound quietly attractive. Andrew is performed using a slightly higher pitch and brighter tone, which perfectly brings to life the brash, fun-loving young naval officer; and as is ever the case with this narrator, she is every bit as good in the secondary cast and character roles – older characters like mothers, fathers and servants – as she is at portraying the principals. As well as the technical skill Ms Landor brings to all her narrations, she also injects exactly the right degree of emotional emphasis into her reading of the story without ever going over the top and her pacing is perfect.
Because of Miss Bridgerton is a gently moving, funny, sweetly romantic love story and is definitely the sort of audiobook to reach for when you want a feel-good listen without too much angst. Add to that a top-notch performance from one of the best narrators around, and I can’t imagine that fans of the author will be anything other than delighted.
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:
No
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
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:
No
I love this book! Any time I want to read something that gets me excited to read, I grab this one. It gets into the story quick, the banter between the two characters is amazing, and their love story feels natural and has lots of ups and downs. The books after this one in the series do become wild, but this one is my favourite!
This was my first regency romance and once I got my head around how women are treated I had the best time.