“i was first given an inkling of the unhappy circumstance which befell francesca's marriage in 'to sir phillip, with love.' i always thought, based on ms quinn's previous books on the bridgerton brood, that francesca was a tad different from her female siblings, with a poised and dryly humourous air about her. but to hear of her tragedy was just something i did not expect.
it was apparent all througout the book that quinn wielded a different style of writing in that she was a little bit more serious (of course, the death of a loved one threw a pall over part of the story), and that she delved more deeply in the emotional anguish that michael had had to go through in his love for francesca.
also quite different was that, unlike the other bridgerton series, the infamous family was hardly in sight. except for a mention here and there of some of the siblings and the few encounters of michael with colin, the boisterous brood were, for once, masterfully kept in the sidelines, leaving francesca and michael on their own devices.
though michael was established as a consummate rake, one would hardly think it of him, since he has a deep sense of honor and decency. and it was always heart wrenching whenever he has to squash down the bitterness he feels in not being able to express his fierce love for francesca. i especially loved that part when he eventually had to brutally drive her away, claiming that his heart could not take any further battering if francesca could not find it in her own to feel any sort of emotion other than the fraternal for him. trust me, that scene will just want you to bawl like a baby...
and francesca...well...she was always the special one among her siblings, wasnt she? wise beyond her years, and so oblivious of her beauty and wit. but it was thrilling to see how she finally "sees" michael as an intensely attractive and desirable man. and michael can be quite ruthless in his seduction once he senses even the slightest inclination from francesca's direction. oh boy, get ready for the fireworks, and, quite probably, ms quinn at her most daring in her love scenes. this is her steamiest and most romantic novel as yet!”
ricca wrote this review Monday, January 7 2008.
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