Reviews tagging 'Grief'

When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

109 reviews

terrywho's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad 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

3.75

The streak continues and we’re going 3 for 3 on the bridgerton books read in as many days! . 

There are sone aspects of this novel that I truly loved. Francesca is a wonderful main character and I do love a jealous (fictional) man and reformed scoundrel, however, it didn’t quite make it up there with “an offer from a gentleman” and “romancing Mr. Bridgerton”. 

(mind spoilers ahead)

Michel changing his mind after the 2nd conversation with Colin felt a bit too sudden and I didn’t love how the topic of John wanting what was best for the two people he loved most in life only came up towards the end. The whole baby trapping plotline also felt a bit icky… you know?

That being said, I did love the discourse around grief, and Francesca’s conversations with her mother on what it feels like to lose the person you love were truly beautiful. I also like the way I fertility was tackled and how other people never made Francesca feel ashamed for not being able to become pregnant. I know a lot of readers don’t like pregnancy plot lines but I’m not one of them, and I did really appreciate this one a lot. 

Anyways, all this being said: this was still fun as all of the other bridgerton books, just maybe not in my top 3.

On to the next sibling!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cloudyishappy's review

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted relaxing sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

noooootalie's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

first of all, this is prob the spiciest bridgerton book i have read so far. the latter like 40% of the book is just smattered with 🌶️

i have rly mixed feelings about the overall plot of the book because of all the “will they, won’t they” energy. luckily though, the “he fell first but she fell harder” trope kept my attention.

in this book there were also a lot of time jumps and spoilers for some of the other siblings love stories; particularly colin and eloise.

the ending of this book was really sweet and i enjoyed it. the second epilogue was also a wonderful extra sprinkle of sweetness.

the bridgerton series has been and still is the perfect bit of romance to satisfy my needs. the historical settings of them make them a little more unique than contemporary romance novels and i will keep lovin them :-)

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lexnicole's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rafacolog's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kasialipa's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kryfrh's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

adiloretto's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because of the Netflix show that hit two Christmases ago and now Netflix have announced that we are getting Polin’s story so I'm hoping it gets renewed, so we get to see all the Bridgerton siblings be happy. I wanted to get ahead and know what is going to happen so of course I bought all nine books. I enjoyed the first two books in this series. I really struggled with Benedict’s and Eloise’s story, and I didn’t mind Colin’s story. Francesca hasn’t really been a big part of the family and she’s only been mentioned every now and then. I was excited to see her story and I knew she had a bad back story from what had been mentioned in previous books, but this book was adorable. 
 
This novel follows two main characters. The first character is Francesca Bridgerton. She is sixth born in the Bridgerton household. She has gone through some heartbreak. She met her husband John and was living happily in Scotland with her husband and her husband’s cousin Michael. One day, Francesca and Michael went on their daily work as John wasn’t feeling too well – but when they got home, John had died in his sleep. At the age of twenty-three Francesca is now a widow. The second character is Michael Stirling. He has spent his whole life chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, however he took one look at Francesca and he fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. However, when he first met her, she was engaged to marry her cousin who have been raised like brothers. But now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still, she thinks of him as nothing other than a dear friend and confidant. Michael has dared not to speak to her of his love . . . until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms and passion proves stronger than the even the most wicked of secrets. 
 
My favourite bit of this book was Julia Quinn’s writing style. It didn’t feel like I was back in time. I mean, obviously they were going on about Snapchat but it just felt like it was a modern story. The only thing that kept me from remembering that it was set in 1820 was the referring to letters and horses. This storyline was heartbreaking and made me want to hug Francesca all throughout the book. Michael was a sweetheart who just wanted his dream girl and didn’t want to step on his cousin’s toes. Damn, Michael can also dirty talk and Francesca isn’t as innocent as everyone thought. Also, Michael pinning over everything this girl does, made me weak at the knees.  
 
However, I didn’t rate it five stars due to the lack of appearances from the Bridgerton gang. Expect for Colin, no one seemed to care for Francesca – if it was Eloise or Daphne or even baby Hyacinth, Anthony and Benedict would have been killing the guys involved with his sister. But no one threatened Michael even though everyone was guessing that they were sleeping with each other. I just wanted all the sibling banter. Also, all the Bridgerton siblings are all dickheads for leaving Francesca out of Eloise and Colin’s wedding. She is a valid member of the household, and they couldn’t wait a week until Francesca got back to London. 
 
I can’t wait to read the last two books and see the babies of the family with all the overprotective siblings try and marry them all. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lct's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings