The Viscount Who Loved Me

The Viscount Who Loved Me

Julia Quinn

Series or Stand Alone: Bridgerton series, book two

Release Date: June 2006 (Mass Market)

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 384

Author Site: http://juliaquinn.com/index.php

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Purchased

Synopsis

[from goodreads.com]:

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better... --Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry--he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield--the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands--and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate's determined to protect her sister--but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself...

Review:

I simply adored this book! I really enjoyed THE DUKE AND I which is the first book in the Bridgerton series. But THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME won me over just a little bit more. And I totally love the Bridgertons – or at least the ones that I’ve come to know so far in the series. For those of you new to the series there are 8 Bridgerton children (4 girls & 4 boys) that are named alphabetically which is pretty neat and actually better for me to remember =) Anthony is the oldest and is the featured Bridgerton of THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME. The rest of the children are as follows: Benedict, Colin, Daphne (featured in the DUKE AND I), Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. To see the family tree on Julia’s website click here.

So this is Anthony’s story… One of London’s most notorious rakes, he has finally decided to get married. To whom it doesn’t quite matter although he’d like to be somewhat attracted to her and have someone with a brain but he’s not that picky. His only requirement is that his bride-to-be has to be someone he could never possibly fall in love with. Anthony believes that he will die at a young age just like his beloved father. So he has no need for love, just a wife he can have children with and live with until it’s his time to go.

His intended is Emily Sheffield, the ton’s most popular lady this season. She’s extremely beautiful, polite, and smart. However, Anthony feels no spark or desire between them. He could definitely live with her and have her as the mother of his children and he wouldn’t have to worry about falling in love with her. His only obstacle would be Emily’s older sister Kate. Kate is fiercely loyal, honest, and will stop at nothing to protect her sister from Anthony. So there is a lot of animosity between the two at the beginning and throughout much of the book. Pretty much every interaction between the two consists of snarky comments and just gets better and better each time the two meet. But feelings also start to form between them as they slowly start to fall in love with each other. It doesn’t matter that Kate is the most insufferable woman Anthony has ever met and it doesn’t matter that he is the most wicked “reformed” rake Kate has ever known. The budding romance is oh so sweet and I just fell in love with them both myself.

Both Anthony and Kate are hilarious. The dialogue and actions between the two are so enjoyable that I hated to see the book end. I loved the fact that the reader knew both character’s feelings despite what they were showing on the outside. I also really appreciated the beginning part of the book. Julia Quinn goes into some detail about the father of the Bridgerton clan. It’s always nice to have some background information and since he’s no longer around it was great to know how loving he was and how important he was to the family. And I can’t say enough how much I love the Bridgerton family. Violet, the mother, has so much courage and love for her family. And Colin has a lot of light shown on him in this installment and he is beyond funny! I can’t wait to read his story =)

And there is always the elusive Lady Whistledown. She writes the juiciest column in London and honestly seems to know everything about everyone. The clues to her identity are there but it’s just so frustrating to not know who she is. She’s an essential part of the Bridgerton series and definitely a great addition! So I love this series so far and I highly recommend the first two books.