Reviews with content warning for Death - The Viscount Who Loved Me

season 2 of the show has my whole heart, they are my comfort watch and i've been in love with the couple ever since that first look netflix shared, so i can't really hate the book and i do genuinely believe the author has some potential... but this book has the same problems the rest of the series has - pages and more pages of loud and proud misogyny without holding itself or the characters accountable for it (which is one of the main points in s2), an uncomfortable understanding of consent and absolutely no diversity or originality whatsoever. it's basically a copy & paste of the duke and i, pacing, plot, sex etc., just slightly more intriguing and slightly less offensive. it disgusted me how

anthony takes kate's choice not to sleep with him away from her, even just verbally, but since she ends up agreeing to it bc she WANTS to - EVENTHOUGH THAT DOESN'T MAKE HIS WORDS OR VIEWS IN ANY WAY ACCEPTABLE AND ANY LESS MANIPULATIVE!!! -, what passed between them can't be considered rape, unlike in the duke and i... i still hated every bit of that conversation tho, especially bc kate, who is sold to us as a strong-willed and emancipated woman, ends up feeling bad FOR HIM and there is no indication that we as readers aren't supposed to as well. it makes all their intimacy a moment later seem invasive and like he forced it upon her, even when that clearly wasn't the author's intention. i actually think that fact makes it all the creepier.

aside from those big issues, i often had a hard time taking the book seriously. where they were pining and struggling in the show, they were just kind of... unhinged in the book? the banter was fun at times, but always either too much or too little. most of what made the show so good was missing, including that slowburn chemistry. but to finally give credit where it is due, their characters and their trauma were just as perfectly written for each other and that does pay off in some chapters, especially towards the end. and they're not just well-suited, they're individually well-thought-out as well. i think julia quinn could make better use of what is clearly some sort of strong suit here for more characters... and focus on her descriptions and declarations of love instead of toxic masculinity bc those hold quite some power, which is why they are the only parts of the book's plot that work so well on-screen. i would be lying if i said i didn't enjoy the book at all, but as would i if i didn't acknowledge its many faults. it could be so, so much better and the show proves it - so i'd rather recommend that.

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annamarie98's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

2.0

There is some really toxic and creepy stuff in these books to be completely honest. But I also read horror books so I can ignore a lot. The first half of the book was rough and I think the marriage of convenience or getting pushed into marriage trope is overused in these books but the last third of the book was much better and actually got really cute!

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kkylezzz's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Alright, this one was much harder to enjoy than the last two in this universe I've read. But, I think the banter was still pretty good between the characters - both between Anthony and Kate, and between Anthony and his brothers/family. There was still pretty good imagery - even still around more abstract/complex scenes like with Pall Mall. I liked that Kate was an outsider, you know? Not just in a sense that she was/there was a lot of POV from a (formerly) non-Bridgerton, but also that she had a poor background, an adverse family history, etc. I think the drama was still strong, and bringing in elements like

Kate's mother dying (largely unconnected to the marriage/plot all together) and Violet and Mary's connection was a good reprieve from the disaster of marriage life between Anthony and Kate. I also liked that Kate didn't fall helplessly at Anthony's feet, even after they were married. There was reservation on her part, but also a more realistic transition into love (on Kate's part, not so much Anthony's).

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kpg244's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? Yes

5.0

I loved, loved this book. I prefer this book to the show. I really like how we got a deeper look into Anthony and Kate as people. We learn more about Anthony’s feeling about his fathers death. We also learn more about Kate and her fear of storms.

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emolr's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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haleysversion's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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prashiie's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"It was that spark. That damnable spark that never seemed to dim between them."

In this book, it's Anthony Bridgerton's turn to get married. According to him love is not necessarily a criteria for a successful marriage and he even tries to avoid falling in love with his (future) wife. Logically, the best plan is to marry this season's Incomparable, Edwina, But hey, when does anything go according to plan?

To marry Edwina, he has to get her sister's approval and his reputation as a rake does not do him any good. Kate, Edwina’s sister, and Anthony start off resenting each other but they both learn that they're more alike than they thought and he quickly discovers that even he can't go against his heart's wishes.

They both have some unresolved traumas and it was interesting to see how they deal with that. Kate had some wise insights: "But what you can do is refuse to allow it to rule your life." Yes, easier said than done, but healing starts by acknowledging the problem and by choosing to work on it.

My favourite character was definitely Mary!

"It's just that when you agree to be a mother to a child you haven't borne, your responsibility is twice as great. You must work even harder to ensure that child's happiness and welfare."

She is such a good stepmother to Kate. The world would be a much better place if every stepparent was like Mary.

This story also had some very steamy chapters, but what else did we expect from a Bridgerton book?

Somewhere in the story they were discussing how Whistledown's identity couldn’t stay hidden.
"Nothing that big can stay a secret forever."
And after reading the epilogue, it was funny to see that The Author's identity is still a secret after so many years. Hopefully we will know more about it in later books!

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