Do Viscount's make the best lovers? (The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn)

Member Name: Brooke3

Product:	The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn
Date:	26/02/09 (163 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very enjoyable book

Disadvantages: a few historical inaccuracies

-Plot-
This book is set in 1814 and it is the second book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series.

Anthony Bridgerton is the oldest son in a large aristocratic family. Since his father died when Anthony was just 18 he became a Viscount and inherited responsibility for his large family.
The death of his father convinced Anthony that he would also die young. He admired his father so much that he thought that he could never live to be any older than his father had been.
Anthony has spent his adult life as a rake but now at the age of 29 he realises that he needs to find a wife so that he can sire an heir before he dies.
Anthony's criteria for a wife are simple, he wants an intelligent woman who will be a good mother who he won't fall in love with.

When Anthony meets Edwina he realises that she'll be his perfect wife. She's pretty and she's intelligent and there's absolutely no spark between the two of them.
Anthony sets out to make Edwina his wife but her sister Kate is standing in his way. She is convinced that Anthony would make a horrible husband for her sister and that Edwina should be able to marry for love.

Problems arise for both Kate and Anthony when they realise that there's a spark between them and Anthony finds himself drawn to Edwina's older sister.

-Opinion-
This is the second book in the series and after reading the first I had high expectations for this one. I was not disappointed.

I loved the characters in this book and they really came alive for me.
Kate is a strong, independent (or as independent as a woman could be in London in 1814) woman and I felt like I could really empathise with her. It's not because we're alike or because I've ever been in her situation but because Quinn writes the emotions in a way that makes you really feel them.
I thought Anthony was a great character. The first book in the series (the Duek and I) had already introduced Anthony and he played quite a large role in that book. This book developed his character and built up some more of his history so that you could really understand his actions in the first book and in this book. Again I felt like I could really empathise with him.

The rest of the Bridgerton family are in this book but only when it is necessary to the plot. I think that with many romance books that are part of a series authors bring back characters from past books just for the sake of bringing back the characters, even when they have no impact at all on the plot. Sometimes this is quite nice, if you've really liked a couple from a previous book it's great to see them return in another but it can also be quite annoying when they have absolutely no impact on the story. Quinn strikes an excellent balance with this. We do see Daphne and Simon who were the focus of the first book but only briefly. Their appearance is completely in keeping with the plot and even adds to it. I thought that Quinn did their scene very well, she lets the reader know that they're still happy but doesn't let them take over the scene, it is after all Kate and Anthony's book.

I think out of all the Bridgerton's (other than Anthony of course) we see the most of Colin. I liked Colin in the first book, in this book I loved him! His character still hasn't been developed enough for you to feel like you really know him but Quinn builds him up just enough so that you want to know more. I can't wait for his book and I loved all of the scenes in this book with him in. He seemed to add a really light hearted, comical dimension to the book.

This book is of course a historical romance and sometimes I think there is too much emphasis on the romance and not enough on the historical. I'm not going to mention particular instances because I don't want to give away what happens in the book but there are times when things happen that just wouldn't have been possible in that place and time period. The things that happen are very romantic and if you either have limited knowledge of the time period or can put aside any knowledge that you do have then those scenes are enjoyable. They're very romantic and heart warming but they just wouldn't have happened!

When I first picked up this book I was a little bit apprehensive about the plot. The idea of Anthony going from one sister to the other seemed a bit distasteful to me but when you read the book this is not the case at all. Again I don't want to give away anything that happens in the book so that's all I'm going to say.

I love Julia Quinn's writing style. It's in keeping with the time period but at the same time very easy to follow. Her books are really the perfect light hearted, heart warming read. They do have their share of angst and at times when reading I did feel really sad (as I said she really makes you feel what the characters are feeling) but as with all romance novels you are guaranteed a happy ending. There is humour throughout the book, although it isn't laugh out loud funny it did make me smile in places.

I liked that Quinn seems to have done a lot of research about the impact that losing a father young has on men. At the back of the book she writes a little bit about what she based Anthony's fear on and how it is a common reaction of men who lose their fathers young. I think it added another dimension to the book to have what seemed like a realistic portrayal of his phobia.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was a great addition to the Bridgerton series. I read the first book in the series before reading this but you could still enjoy the Viscount Who Loved me if you haven't read the Duke and I. As with most series you will probably get more out of this book if you do read it as part of the series but that's not compulsory.

Summary: Worth reading