The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

What a wonderful story! Julia Quinn's ability to create amusing dialogue between the characters shines, as do her brilliantly crafted moments of comic relief. A lovely continuation of the Bridgerton series.

Poppy Bridgerton is curious by nature, so when she discovers a cave during an un-chaperoned walk, she obviously has to explore it. Which is how she ends up kidnapped and on her way to Portugal with the incredibly handsome Captain Andrew James and his crew. The journey promises to be quite the adventure, even though Poppy has no intention of liking Captain James, no matter how well he treats her or how much he gradually tempts her. After all, he did kidnap her, which is not exactly gentlemanly behavior. But when danger strikes along the way, Poppy is forced to examine her feelings for the Captain and ask herself if he might be more than he seems and possibly even the man of her dreams.

The last thing Andrew Rokesby needs on his secret mission, is to have a Bridgerton tagging along, but he also can't leave Poppy behind and risk her revealing the cave she found to others. Too much is at stake for king and country, which leaves him with only one choice - she must come with him. The problems with this are a) the lack of sleeping space, which means she must stay in his cabin at the cost of his comfort, b) she talks all the time and is constantly asking questions, and c) she's far too pretty to not tempt a man into kissing her. Which would be disastrous because of who she is and who he is, and the trouble kissing could lead to. Which is why he decides not to give her his real name.

A fantastic seafaring tale of opposites finding common ground, companionship and of course, a very romantic happily ever after. This story will have you laughing out loud as you fall in love with the characters. A true page-turner that I cannot recommend highly enough.

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The Girl With The Make-believe Husband by Julia Quinn

A charming tale of good intentions gone awry and a love strong enough to span the Atlantic.

When word arrives that her brother, Thomas, has been injured in the Colonies, recently orphaned Cecilia Harcourt travels to Manhattan Island with the intention of nursing him back to health. But as it turns out, Thomas is missing in action, and the only person who might be able to help Cecilia, is his friend, Edward Rokesby. The only problem with this is that (a) nobody will let her see him because (b) he's unconscious, prompting her to (c) tell the doctor and his commanding officer that she is his wife.

When Edward finally wakes up in hospital, Cecilia's presence makes his amnesia a little more bearable. He already feels as though he knows her from all of the letters she's been sending her brother, some of which have included little notes for him. What he did not know, however, is that he and Cecilia - according to her - were married by proxy. Parts of her story don't quite add up, but on the other hand, why would she lie? 

As the days go by and they move in together, Edward becomes increasingly pleased with how things have turned out, while Cecilia grows increasingly concerned about how he'll react when the truth eventually comes to light.

This story has all the humor and wit that makes Julia Quinn's novels so entertaining and unforgettable. It is definitely on par with other Bridgerton favorites like, Romancing Mister Bridgerton and On The Way To The Wedding. Historical romance lovers will fall in love with this wonderfully romantic treat - a story that I would highly recommend diving into.

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HOLIDAY BOOK BOX GIVEAWAY!

★★★HOLIDAY BOOK BOX GIVEAWAY!★★★

This holiday season I’m giving away five paperback romance novels along with the Harlequin Holiday issue, filled with Christmas themed stories, recipes and more.
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This giveaway ends on December 1st, so don’t miss your chance to enter. One winner will be selected at random. AVAILABLE TO U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY.

Throwback Thursday featuring Julia Quinn's Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

Here is a book that's very close to my heart. It's the first historical romance novel that I ever bought - at a small bookshop in Ghana, of all places. After reading it I immediately googled who Julia Quinn was and what other books she'd written, only to discover that historical romance was an actual genre (I had no idea) with so many wonderful authors that I would later have the pleasure of meeting in person.
But Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is the book that encouraged me to give writing a historical romance novel of my own a shot. I loved Quinn's style and sense of humor.
Last year, when I traveled to Dallas for RWA, I took that first copy I'd bought with me and asked her to sign it - which she did, so yay!!!
If you haven't read it, please do - it's a delightful novel - though I would suggest starting with the first books in the series since this one does have a big reveal in it :)

On the sixth of April, in the year 1812 - precisely two days before her sixteenth birthday - Penelope Featherington fell in love. But Colin Bridgerton certainly didn't fall in love with her in 1812 (and not in 1813, 1814, 1815, or - oh blast, not in all the years 1816-1822, either, and certainly not in 1823, when he was out of the country the whole time, anyway..' Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother forwell, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secretand fears she doesn't know him at all.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroard he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decideis she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?

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Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

"This had to be the most inconvenient attraction in the history of man. Billie Bridgerton, for God's sake. She was everything he'd never wanted in a woman."

Julia Quinn does it again in this wonderful start to a new series featuring one of the most memorable romance families of all time - the Bridgertons. We're going back a generation here to learn more about Edmund and his siblings during the late 18th century. In Because of Miss Bridgerton, we follow his older sister Sybilla (Billie) in a friends/foes to lovers story (they cannot stand each other until they suddenly can't get enough of each other) that's sure to brighten your day. Filled with Julia Quinn's trademark comical interludes and hilarious dialogue, this novel is almost impossible to put down. The sarcastic quarreling between Billie and her love interest, George Rokesby, who lives just three miles down the road from her family home, is thoroughly entertaining. Add to that a dangerous game of Pall Mall featuring the infamous mallet of death, the news that George's brother, Edward, has gone missing in America, a secret mission (of sorts), a mangy cat, and well...I have to say that this story is a definite winner. Frankly, the sequel cannot come soon enough!!!

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Celebrating #8WeeksOfBridgertons

Celebrating #8WeeksOfBridgertons with one of the most memorable romance families of all time.

When Julia Quinn invited me to pick my favorite Bridgerton novel, there was no doubt in my mind about which to choose. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton will always be the most significant romance novel I own. It changed my life in a very surprising way, by opening my eyes to the possibilities of romance writing. Below is a quote from a scene that I’ll never forget – the one in which Colin finds Penelope looking at his journal without his permission:

~ He threw the leather-bound book carelessly onto a nearby chair and crossed his arms. "And do you make a habit of reading the personal letters of others?"

"No, of course not. But it was open and—" She gulped, recognizing how awful the excuse sounded the second the words left her lips. "It's a public room," she mumbled, somehow feeling like she had to finish her defense. "Maybe you should have taken it with you."

"Where I went," he ground out, still visibly furious with her, "one doesn't ordinarily take a book."

"It's not very big," she said, wondering why why why she was still talking when she was so clearly in the wrong.

"For the love of God," he exploded. "Do you want me to say the word chamberpot in your presence?" ~

What's your favorite Bridgerton scene?

Romance covers through the years

Since the publication of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss' The Flame and the Flower in 1972 by Avon Books, modern romance novels have evolved, and so have the covers. What probably surprised many, was how successful The Flame and the Flower would be, selling over 2.3 million copies in its first four years of publication. It paved the way for thousands of authors thereafter, laying the foundation for a genre that would become the top grossing one within the industry of literary fiction. But while these books once boasted domineering men and submissive women on their covers, they now seem more aware of gender equality and sensuality, with greater focus on the romantic. Because when all is said and done, aren't romance novels fairy-tales for adults? The reason we read them is in order to watch people fall in love and get that happily ever after that they deserve, no matter the odds stacked against them.
I have to admit, that I might think twice about reading a book with Fabio ravishing some woman on the cover, but I take no issue with showing off more recent romance novels. In fact, I think they're so pretty, and since many of them begin as paintings created by artists, I do feel that they deserve to be seen.

Flash back to the 80's and 90's

Some of the prettiest covers out there!

Just goes to show that not all romance novels depict a hero or a heroine on the cover.