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prashiie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
“This thing between them, this bond–it wasn't just passion, and it wasn't wicked. It was love, and it was divine.”
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:
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Death, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
Minor: Death of parent
booksbyantheia's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Es un cuatro sólido. La historia de Michael y Francesca es espectacular: es diferente a las demás, incluso si el elemento de la viudez estuvo en el libro anterior. Su química es muy buena. La personalidad de Francesca está muy bien planteada, y se hace destacar.
Odié profundamente un detalle particular, y es la cantidad de chistes sobre violación que hace Michael. No me sorprende considerando los antecedentes de Quinn, pero el hecho de que se hubiera tomado el tiempo de marcarlo como un hombre que sabe lo que es el consentimiento para luego hacer esas bromas (sobretodo en relación a la libertad sexual entre él y Frannie) se me hizo pesadísima. No son muchas, pero definitivamente le bajan una estrella al libro.
Odié profundamente un detalle particular, y es la cantidad de chistes sobre violación que hace Michael. No me sorprende considerando los antecedentes de Quinn, pero el hecho de que se hubiera tomado el tiempo de marcarlo como un hombre que sabe lo que es el consentimiento para luego hacer esas bromas (sobretodo en relación a la libertad sexual entre él y Frannie) se me hizo pesadísima. No son muchas, pero definitivamente le bajan una estrella al libro.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Infertility, Medical content, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape
hmlongstreet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-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
4.25
This one. This book, oh wow. This has to be one of the best Bridgerton books in the series that I have read so far. If you are reading the books in order like me you'll know that Francesca is not mentioned very often in the other books leading up to this one, giving her a sense of mystery. I understood Frannie, and could see where she was coming from which made me feel connected to her and the story. All I can say is this book had me feeling so many things at once (the intimate scenes especially if I can say that >///<). While the second epilogue made me swoon, with how endearing it was.
My negatives are the reoccurring themes, scenarios and character traits from previous Bridgerton books. It seems to be a common issue with this series but I can't really blame Julia Quinn, it's hard to be original sometimes! However I can say this one stood out to me as being much different than the previous five, especially when it comes to Francesca as an overall character. Michael was literally a mix of Anthony and Colin with the ability to realize that they are in love.
In conclusion I like this one!
My negatives are the reoccurring themes, scenarios and character traits from previous Bridgerton books. It seems to be a common issue with this series but I can't really blame Julia Quinn, it's hard to be original sometimes! However I can say this one stood out to me as being much different than the previous five, especially when it comes to Francesca as an overall character. Michael was literally a mix of Anthony and Colin with the ability to realize that they are in love.
In conclusion I like this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood, War, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
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