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A review by isitcake
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Definitely a second chance romance. I liked the premise that Michael is instantly in love with his cousin John's wife, Francesca Bridgerton, which is obviously a forbidden romance, but I wasn't expecting Francesca to be deeply in love with John. When he dies early in the book (very suddenly - an aneurysm? idk), she's completely devastated. They had been married like 2-3 years (I forget) when he died and she finally was pregnant too. But when she miscarries, Michael inherits the earldom. This is where I thought they would get together but instead Michael goes to India for 2 years because he can't stand the situation that he still wants Francesca yet he feels deep guilt that John died.
Francesca runs the estate while he's gone but when he comes back to England everyone decides it's time for him to find a wife. And Francesca also enters the marriage market as she desperately wants a baby and needs to remarry for that. Yet it never occurs to her nor any of their relatives that she and Michael should marry. This is completely unbelievable. It would have been extremely common for a widow to marry the man who inherits the estate. Instead we watch them both prepare, buying new clothes, going to balls. Francesca quickly finds herself highly sought after as she is wealthy, beautiful, and "like a virgin who knows what to do" as she has an impeccable reputation since John died.
Francesca's brothers, Colin in particular, suggests to Michael that he should marry her and Michael finally decides he should. So he plans to seduce Francesca to get her to agree, and she's helpless to resist his advances. But even after being together she refuses to marry him because she's all confused by her feelings of guilt. It's not until Michael gets very sick with the flu or something and she worries he could die that she realizes she loves Michael. They agree to marry. In the 2nd epilogue she is still struggling to get pregnant. Then it time skips one year later and she has a baby boy named John which she reveals to her mother Violet (wtf??? She didn't mention she was pregnant nor had a baby until she shows up for a visit. That is just dumb).
Francesca runs the estate while he's gone but when he comes back to England everyone decides it's time for him to find a wife. And Francesca also enters the marriage market as she desperately wants a baby and needs to remarry for that. Yet it never occurs to her nor any of their relatives that she and Michael should marry. This is completely unbelievable. It would have been extremely common for a widow to marry the man who inherits the estate. Instead we watch them both prepare, buying new clothes, going to balls. Francesca quickly finds herself highly sought after as she is wealthy, beautiful, and "like a virgin who knows what to do" as she has an impeccable reputation since John died.
Francesca's brothers, Colin in particular, suggests to Michael that he should marry her and Michael finally decides he should. So he plans to seduce Francesca to get her to agree, and she's helpless to resist his advances. But even after being together she refuses to marry him because she's all confused by her feelings of guilt. It's not until Michael gets very sick with the flu or something and she worries he could die that she realizes she loves Michael. They agree to marry. In the 2nd epilogue she is still struggling to get pregnant. Then it time skips one year later and she has a baby boy named John which she reveals to her mother Violet (wtf??? She didn't mention she was pregnant nor had a baby until she shows up for a visit. That is just dumb).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content