jaedee09's reviews
148 reviews

On The Way To The Wedding by Julia Quinn

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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

Another fine read in the bridgerton series. A bit tamer on the spice side, but loved the friends-to-lovers story. I related very much to Lucy as far as putting others ahead of your own happiness and following rules and expectations. A good closing chapter. Now to go back to the beginning…

Personal Bridgerton Rankings:
1. When He Was Wicked (Francesca and Michael)
2. It’s in His Kiss (Hyacinth and Gareth)
3. On the Way to the Wedding (Gregory and Lucy)
4. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise and Phillip)
5. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin and Penelope)
It's in His Kiss by Julia Quinn

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emotional tense 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

This was a fun read! Loved the chemistry between Hyacinth and Gareth as well as getting to see more of Lady Danbury. I think my only complaint is the stakes felt so high throughout the book but then just kind of puttered out at the end. The epilogues brought it back with getting to see Hy as a mother herself and introducing Isabella. 

Personal Bridgerton Rankings:
1. When He Was Wicked (Francesca and Michael)
2. It’s in His Kiss (Hyacinth and Gareth)
3. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise and Phillip)
4. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin and Penelope)
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

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emotional tense 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

Favorite Bridgerton to date! Loved Francesca, and I think I'm becoming a sucker for the "he falls first" trope. My heart fluttered through Michael's heartbreaking pining for Francesca, and all through their hot romance together!

Personal Bridgerton Rankings:
1. When He Was Wicked (Francesca and Michael)
2. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise and Phillip)
3. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin and Penelope)
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To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn

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emotional lighthearted 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

3.5

I enjoyed this installment of the Bridgerton series very much. I thought Phillip’s character was flawed in expected ways, and enjoyed seeing him and Eloise push and grow with each other. There were still moments that frustrated me with how Phillip continually focused on how Eloise would fit his needs vs how he could fit hers, but they got there eventually. 

Inevitably there’s going to be comparison to the books that I have read before in this series, so I’m going to start ranking them:

1. To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise and Phillip)
2. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Colin and Penelope)


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Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a beautiful, tense, emotional story. This book made me feel so many things - anger, love, sadness...strength. At first I wasn't sure about the flashbacks, but quickly came to appreciate how poetic the story was written.
That birth scene was incredibly powerful!
Such a poingant way to blend a story of conservation, family ties, murder, and love.
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Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

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emotional funny lighthearted slow-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

3.0

This was a sweet and comforting read coming out of an intense series hangover. It's the first Bridgerton I've read, but I skipped ahead since Colin and Penelope's season is coming up soon on Netflix (though I have a feeling the show may divert from the original story a bit). I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it was not as "steamy" as I expected. It was still a delight and very romantic. I wish I had felt more chemistry between Colin and Penelope. I appreciate the fact that the show leans more into their friendship, whereas the book they were much more familiar acquaintances.
Queens of Mist and Madness by Lisette Marshall

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was perfect, to round out a perfect story of finding oneself, finding love, finding family (literally), and overcoming evil. I loved every second of it and am sad it’s over, but so happy it happened. Thank you, Lisette!!
The Ever Queen by LJ Andrews

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

5.0

This series was perfect. A relatable and flawed FMC, a hot and morally gray MMC, intrigue, adventure, both loving blood and found families, pirates, Vikings, fae,
elves,
and so much more. I loved every second of both books.
The Ever King by LJ Andrews

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such a fun read! Instantly loved Livia and fell hard for Erik. Loved their history, connection, banter, and nicknames. The BANTER was so so good. Can’t wait to start the next one!
What Did You Do? by Jeneane O'Riley

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

2.5

I’m really hoping the version I read on KU was accidentally an early draft. It was riddled with typos and unnecessary (science-y?) jargon that did not align with the voice of the FMC I remembered from the first book. That being said, I also couldn’t put it down. The story structure is there, and the spice is spicing, in a very dark way. Overall it read very differently than I remember from the first book. I will be finishing this series!

*Edited to drop this to a 2.5*