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kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Title: The Viscount Who Loved Me
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #2
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: December 5, 2000
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Entertaining • Chauvinistic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Regency era romance isn't a genre I'd typically have an interest in, however, after starting Julia Quinn's hit series, The Bridgertons, in 2022 I was pleasantly surprised and decided to continue with book two.
It's a tad difficult to take these books too seriously. At times they are downright ridiculous, and of course, require the suspension of reality, yet they are highly entertaining. I cannot say I was drawn into Anthony and Kate's story, although I did appreciate Anthony's hesitancy to marriage. There is so much vanity within these pages that eventually it gets redundant. Kate seemed like a likeable enough lady, and I was satisfied with her HEA.
For me, these books are nothing amazing, yet they are highly readable and always provided an entertaining experience. I can definitely understand why the Netflix adaption is so widely loved (even though I've been told it's very different). When I am in need of a quick, lighthearted read I'll likely continue with book three.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the series
• Regency era enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You have to live each hour as if it's your last and each day as if you were immortal."
"You can't shun new challenge or hide yourself from love just because you think you might not be here to carry your dreams to completion. In the end, you'll have just as many regrets as did my father."
"It means that love isn't about being afraid that it will all be snatched away. Love's about finding the one person who makes your heart complete, who makes you a better person than you ever dreamed you could be. It's about looking in the eyes of your wife and knowing, all the way to your bones, that she's simply the best person you've ever known."
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgertons #2
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: December 5, 2000
T H R E E • W O R D S
Readable • Entertaining • Chauvinistic
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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...
💭 T H O U G H T S
Regency era romance isn't a genre I'd typically have an interest in, however, after starting Julia Quinn's hit series, The Bridgertons, in 2022 I was pleasantly surprised and decided to continue with book two.
It's a tad difficult to take these books too seriously. At times they are downright ridiculous, and of course, require the suspension of reality, yet they are highly entertaining. I cannot say I was drawn into Anthony and Kate's story, although I did appreciate Anthony's hesitancy to marriage. There is so much vanity within these pages that eventually it gets redundant. Kate seemed like a likeable enough lady, and I was satisfied with her HEA.
For me, these books are nothing amazing, yet they are highly readable and always provided an entertaining experience. I can definitely understand why the Netflix adaption is so widely loved (even though I've been told it's very different). When I am in need of a quick, lighthearted read I'll likely continue with book three.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of the series
• Regency era enthusiasts
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"You have to live each hour as if it's your last and each day as if you were immortal."
"You can't shun new challenge or hide yourself from love just because you think you might not be here to carry your dreams to completion. In the end, you'll have just as many regrets as did my father."
"It means that love isn't about being afraid that it will all be snatched away. Love's about finding the one person who makes your heart complete, who makes you a better person than you ever dreamed you could be. It's about looking in the eyes of your wife and knowing, all the way to your bones, that she's simply the best person you've ever known."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Death of parent, Sexism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Body shaming, Sexual assault, and Fatphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Classism, and Pregnancy
annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Blood, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Classism
Minor: Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual assault
phillyhufflepunk's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I liked this one better than the Duke and I, however I didn't love the mentions of desired violence after they first met. Anthony thinks to him how much he wants to hurt her in spite of her being a lady, and Kate thinks about how she's afraid of him, simply for being found in his office. Still less repetitive than the first book and the further I read, the better I liked it.
Notes: There were a few weird spelling/grammar mishaps. This edition also had the 2nd epilogue in the back.
Notes: There were a few weird spelling/grammar mishaps. This edition also had the 2nd epilogue in the back.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Violence
lct's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
mabellene's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
jj7twin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
gabriellelow's review against another edition
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
3.0
Once again, I enjoyed the season of the show more than the book.
HOWEVER
The second book was WAY better than the first in my opinion. Even though Anthony occasionally gave me the ick ("You won't deny me my rights", like ok dude, chill), as an enemies/rivals to lovers sucker, this book did it for me. The tension (for the most part) was beautiful, even if he did try to choke her, but not in a hot way.
One thing that the book did do better though was Edwina. The show did her DIRTY and made her completely oblivious to the sexual tension that everyone in the ton could see, not to mention the public humiliation she received on her wedding day. In this book, Edwina not only backed off, when Kate and Anthony got engaged, but she encouraged it. Not to mention that she fell in love right after to a man that she actually could tolerate spending a life with, who didn't constantly think about "Yeah she's hot, but I won't fall in love with her."
SPEAKING OF THE ENGAGEMENT
This is something where the show surpasses the book TENFOLD. Despite the awkwardness of the wedding, Kate and Anthony are definitely endgame. Anthony loves her, but the moment he sheds this "bad boy" persona for real is when Kate falls off the horse and hits her head. This leads to Edwina's forgiveness and in the end, Kate realizes she loves Anthony and the two dance the night away at the ball and realize that they can't fight their feelings any longer.
NOW THE BOOK
I could write a twelve page paper on the impact the bee scene had on me, diving deep into all of the positive and negative feelings that this left me with, so I'm going to move past and focus on what immediately follows. As Kate is (rightfully) horrified by this exchanged, she notices that watching them is not only the biggest gossip in the ton, but their mothers. All parties wish that they were anywhere else in that moment and I wish that I didn't have to read that either.
Anyway, because they were caught indecently, they're forced to be engaged and get married. WHICH IS LITERALLY COPY AND PASTE FROM THE FIRST BOOK. I understand if it's supposed to be dunking on Anthony, because he did the exact same thing to Simon and Daphne in the first book and then it came back to bite him in the ass in this one. But I think that moving in a different direction in the show was definitely to their advantage. It just reads as a deja vu moment and kinda like "yeah I get this is the time, but like, ok".
But the CARRIAGE SCENE.... UGHHHHH
This left me with the same feels that the horse scene in the show gave. Honestly I think maybe more. The chapter ends with Anthony saying that he was witnessing his wife die and even though I knew she was very much alive, I couldn't help but GASP. It was one of Anthony's first real moments of vulnerability. In a very public way. He thinks that he's cursed and now that he loves a woman, she's destined to die. It really captured the franticness that the show was able to convey and I really enjoyed that scene.
HOWEVER
The second book was WAY better than the first in my opinion. Even though Anthony occasionally gave me the ick ("You won't deny me my rights", like ok dude, chill), as an enemies/rivals to lovers sucker, this book did it for me. The tension (for the most part) was beautiful, even if he did try to choke her, but not in a hot way.
One thing that the book did do better though was Edwina. The show did her DIRTY and made her completely oblivious to the sexual tension that everyone in the ton could see, not to mention the public humiliation she received on her wedding day. In this book, Edwina not only backed off, when Kate and Anthony got engaged, but she encouraged it. Not to mention that she fell in love right after to a man that she actually could tolerate spending a life with, who didn't constantly think about "Yeah she's hot, but I won't fall in love with her."
SPEAKING OF THE ENGAGEMENT
This is something where the show surpasses the book TENFOLD. Despite the awkwardness of the wedding, Kate and Anthony are definitely endgame. Anthony loves her, but the moment he sheds this "bad boy" persona for real is when Kate falls off the horse and hits her head. This leads to Edwina's forgiveness and in the end, Kate realizes she loves Anthony and the two dance the night away at the ball and realize that they can't fight their feelings any longer.
NOW THE BOOK
I could write a twelve page paper on the impact the bee scene had on me, diving deep into all of the positive and negative feelings that this left me with, so I'm going to move past and focus on what immediately follows. As Kate is (rightfully) horrified by this exchanged, she notices that watching them is not only the biggest gossip in the ton, but their mothers. All parties wish that they were anywhere else in that moment and I wish that I didn't have to read that either.
Anyway, because they were caught indecently, they're forced to be engaged and get married. WHICH IS LITERALLY COPY AND PASTE FROM THE FIRST BOOK. I understand if it's supposed to be dunking on Anthony, because he did the exact same thing to Simon and Daphne in the first book and then it came back to bite him in the ass in this one. But I think that moving in a different direction in the show was definitely to their advantage. It just reads as a deja vu moment and kinda like "yeah I get this is the time, but like, ok".
But the CARRIAGE SCENE.... UGHHHHH
This left me with the same feels that the horse scene in the show gave. Honestly I think maybe more. The chapter ends with Anthony saying that he was witnessing his wife die and even though I knew she was very much alive, I couldn't help but GASP. It was one of Anthony's first real moments of vulnerability. In a very public way. He thinks that he's cursed and now that he loves a woman, she's destined to die. It really captured the franticness that the show was able to convey and I really enjoyed that scene.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
nebbular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kate sharma i am free on thrusday night if you are free
best couple in the series i am afraid
best couple in the series i am afraid
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
neverlandingonabook's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
4.5
Anthony and Kate have my entire heart, I enjoyed this book much more than book 1 (The Duke and I). The iconic Pall Mall scene was amazing and I really enjoyed the 2nd epilogue where they play the game again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcohol