• Rated 5 stars

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The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn is about Anthony Bridgerton and Katharine "Kate" Sheffield. Anthony has spent his twenties pursuing pleasure as a rake (19th-century-London-speak for playboy). At twenty-nine, he decides to settle down, marry and ensure the continuation of the Bridgerton viscountcy. You see, Anthony's father died at thirty-eight, and from then on, he has believed that he will die young like his father. So, he thinks, what's the point of falling in love with your wife when she'll be snatched away from you? So he decides to marry Edwina, Kate's stepsister, because of her beauty, intelligence and the fact that he will never, ever fall in love with her.

The only obstacle in his way is Kate, who vows that her sister marry for love and NOT the viscount. And so they bicker and argue and fight a lot, until they're caught in a certain compromising position (involving the stinger of a bee and London's nosiest busybody) and are forced to marry. Anthony claims that he is marrying Kate for the sake of preserving their reputations (pffft...), but it's really because he has already fallen in love with her. Of course, he's too much of a male to accept it (tsssss, I know), and he's afraid of loving, then eventually, losing her.

I do assure you, though, Gentle Reader, there is a happily ever after. Which is why I love these kinds of stories. Although, it's quite, er... graphic at times (if you know what I mean). Nevertheless, you'll enjoy its witty dialog, the amusing epigraphs before each chapter by Lady Whistledown and the secondary characters (especially, in This Author's humble opinion, the charming Colin Bridgerton. Squee, squee, squee!).

Side note: This book is the second of eight books in Ms. Quinn's Bridgerton series.

And now for my... SEVEN Things To Watch Out For in Said Book. In no particular order.

1. Colin Bridgerton! Squee, indeed. ^____^
2. Lady Whistledown, London's mysterious and sharp-quilled gossip columnist.
3. Pall Mall with the Bridgertons, which is a croquet-like game, made more bloodthirsty. And I quote Daphne Bridgerton from the book, "Truly, the game is less about winning than making sure the other players lose."
4. The lovable Bridgerton family. Quite well-known for the siblings' alphabetical names (specifically Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth).
5. Newton, Kate's corgi. "'...it is difficult to imagine England's great inventor and physicist would have appreciated being immortalized in the form of a short, fat canine with poor manners.' Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, 27 April 1814."
6. Storms and bees.
7. An out-of-control carriage which will somewhat contribute to Our Hero and Heroine's happy ending. Aww.

sera nicole wrote this review Saturday, January 5 2008. ( reply | permalink )