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fromthefoxhole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Immediately sad about John.
That said!! I like Michael and I like Francesca. Their constant pushing one another away was a little tiring by the end, but their genuine friendship saved it for me.
They have the typical Julia Quinn™️ banter, and when Fran finally opens her eyes, the chemistry really hit as well. Their "oh but we shouldn't!" dance was annoying, but understandable.
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
britishbelle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Grief
cielosiluminado's review against another edition
- 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
there are lots of great moments in this between michael and francesca. i LOVED how michael encouraged francesca to take what she wanted, even if it hurt him in the process. he has loved, longed and pined for her for YEARS.
there’s just something about how this book was written that made it so much more heartwarming, mature, raunchy, and realistic. and i think the reason for that was because her innocence and virtue/virginity wasn’t a central part of the book like the previous ones. michael did not care that frannie wasn’t inexperienced, he liked that.
despite how much i enjoyed this one, some parts of the book still annoyed me, especially when they kept arguing with each other and with themselves and whether or not they should marry. and frannie running away at every turn she got was funny the first time but then it frustrated me. but at the same time i still understood why they were feeling so conflicted despite their shortcomings.
nonetheless, i still highly recommend this book.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny and Grief
Minor: Death and Miscarriage
mariskyjy's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
floatingcoward's review against another edition
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Colonisation
shannypoo2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexual content
jess_justmaybeperfect's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I had to knock a 1/4 point off because
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Death of parent and Colonisation
ameydireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An interesting story and different from the other Bridgerton books. I don’t think I will read this again, mainly because of the red flags. Acknowledging the fact that everyone is flawed coud enhance the reading experience.
The main characters are Francesca Bridgerton and Michael Stirling.
Francesca was married to John, Earl of Kilmartin, and after only two years of marriage she was left a widow. She has always loved John a lot and griefs him deeply. She would not even think of remarrying if she didn’t have an immense desire to have a baby. So marriage is now on the table and she is determined to find someone to marry even if she has to settle for a marriage without love. Because in her opinion, a woman would not simply find love like that twice in a lifetime.
On the other hand we have Michael, John’s cousin. He has loved Francesca since the moment he laid eyes on her. Incidentally, this was just a few days before she got married to John. Michael would never hurt or betray his cousin, so his love for Francesca remained hidden and instead a great friendship flourished between Francesca and Michael.
This story is woven with threads of grief and guilt. They both loved John very much and dealt with his loss in their own ways. For Michael inheriting the earldom and everything that came with it felt like he was taking over John’s life. He could not possibly also have Francesca. Michael put up such a great facade, that Francesca does not believe him to be a suitable husband. Once a rake, always a rake. Little does she know that he puts on this facade to momentarily escape from his feelings for her.
I had trouble understanding Michael’s change of heart. At first he is reluctant to even consider marrying Francesca as it felt like he was dishonouring his cousin. Then he was determined to get her no matter what, almost like he flipped a switch within himself. Too abrupt for my liking. Not to mention his approach… uhmmmm… excuse me!! I don’t want to spoil it but you can find it in the list below.
Now for the red flags:
-
When Francesca miscarries her baby with John and she tells Michael that the baby was to have been his in a way too. WHAT?! That’s such a weird thing to say. Granted, she does not know about his feelings for her and in the historical context of this book it makes sense since women were mostly dependent on men. But still… It felt very manipulative and off-putting when reading this in modern times. -
Michael’s approach to get Francesca to marry him. His intentions and love for Francesca are pure, but despair makes one do stupid things. If he can’t sway her into marriage using logic, then he would do so by using passion. He decides to compromise her and get her pregnant so that she has no other option than to marry him. In the end, the passion that they both share is what unites them and they realise that they’re perfect for each other. The final destination is great, but the journey itself had me rolling my eyes. -
Francesca is hurt and feels invisible and neglected when her siblings have gotten married or are getting married without her presence. Michael uses this to convince her to get married immediately.
The mothers in this story on the other hand were green flags! It’s no surprise that Violet is a good mother who gives Francesca great advice and support. But it’s a blessing to have a great mother-in-law! Janet understands Francesca and wishes her the very best.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
mgondwe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
ellajingreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Pregnancy