As a writer, I have to say this has been my favorite of the Bridgerton series. The two writing characters are so endearing, I was sad when the story was over. Fun, entertaining read, as I always expect from Julia Quinn.

After reading The Duke and I, I had high hopes for this book. I thought it would be a great story after I read the introduction. However, the main characters lack chemistry and I just wasn't excited about them. It was just dull. It's still a decent book, however,not a keeper.

The first couple of paragraphs of this book are fantastic - light-hearted, amusing, witty - and I settled down for a gripping and brilliant read. Sadly I didn't get entirely that. This was a good book, like Ms Quinn's others, but it wasn't quite as good as some and because of that I was disappointed.

This is the fourth book in the series (following "The Duke And I", "The Viscount Who Loved Me" and "An Offer From A Gentleman") and is the story of Colin Bridgerton, third son, and Penelope Featherington. Penelope gets mentioned in most of the other books and in fact there is one scene in "An Offer From A Gentleman" which features Penelope and Colin and is repeated in this book.

In some ways I really liked the premise of this story - it's the good old friends who know each other for years and years and then somehow find themselves falling in love and getting married. It's so nice for the slightly dumpy and apparently dull woman to get the dishy man - most Regencies have beautiful debutants striding onto the scene and ensnaring wonderful men instantly. Penelope waits 12 years for her man - but she gets him!

Penelope is a great character in this book. She's not particularly beautiful but she has brains and wit and somehow in this book she discovers a bit more self-confidence or gumption to change her life a little. Colin also is trying to step out of the shadows of his two older brothers and find a purpose in life - these interactions were well drawn and believable. In fact it's in character drawing that Julia Quinn excels and I very much appreciate the way in which her large cast of characters all have their own behaviours.

A lot of this book is focused on Lady Whistledown - a plot device used well in most of the other books but probably rather outstaying its welcome. Fortunately Lady Whistledown is unmasked in this book - probably rather more of this was made than strictly necessary.

This book also sets the scene for the next ("To Sir Philip With Love") which features Eloise who was Penelope's best buddy. I like the way the books are interlinked and that we can follow on with the relationships of those who've been married off in earlier books.

Overall this is still a good book, much better than most Regencies on the market at the moment, but it's a little disappointing when compared with some of Julia Quinn's others in this series.

A very different kind of love story, and yes... this was a love story and one of the better of the series! Penelope had loved Colin for years, and the evolution of his feelings for her was entertaining to read. There was plenty of other Bridgerton's for all the characters to play against, which is one of Quinn's strengths. I particularly enjoyed the scene in which Colin was attempting ask Mrs. Featherington for Penelope's hand.... very funny. I did not, however, enjoy the scene in which Mrs. Whistledown was revealed. It was way overdone and ridiculous to make a grand announcement. I think Quinn could have come up with something better if it was necessary to unmask her at all.

Penelope has long accepted herself as the ugly duckling, the older sister doomed to spinsterhood because she wasn't beautiful enough to catch the eye of an eligible suitor. Regardless of her station in life, Penelope had already lost her heart...to Mr. Colin Bridgerton, a very handsome, very wealthy, and very eligible bachelor. He, however, hurt her when she overheard him declaring to his brothers that he certainly has no intentions of ever marrying her.

Many years pass and Penelope is well into spinsterhood at the ripe old age of twenty-eight. As for Colin, he developed wanderlust and has spent much of his time traveling. But now his sudden urge to be home has dragged him back to England. Much has changed and never before has he noticed how smart Penelope is, how witty, how beautiful...

My favorite part of this book is the dialogue. It's witty, interesting and very lively. Through dialogue, the characters literally jump out of the book and into your heart. You can't help but laugh your way through this story. It's whimsically woven with such playful and tongue-in-cheek writing that you can't help but smile.

You'll definitely laugh your way through this book. Enjoy.