No James Bond - Not needed here! (The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn)

Member Name: dizzysummer03

Product:	The Viscount Who Loved Me - Julia Quinn
Date:	24/09/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great plot, great writing style, works as part of series or as a stand alone novel

Disadvantages: None!

The Viscount Who Loved Me is the second book in Julia Quinn's series about the Bridgerton Family. There are eight books in the series, each book features a different Bridgerton sibling. The books are set in the regenct period in England.

The author states that although the books are part of a series she has deliberately written them so that they can be read as stand-alone books and I feel that she has managed to achieve this, I've read some of the later books in this series and have not read the first one or some of the middle ones, but I've never found that I've felt as though I needed to have read them in order or that I've missed out by reading them out of order. In a way it's nice to have read them out of order because you read about a couple in a later book and then go back and later found out how they got together.

In terms of the way the book is written, there isn't much of an attempt to keep the type of speaking and description that you typically would expect from a period novel, it's more like a modern 'chick-lit' book set in a regency context, but I actually quite like that, it means you don't have to spend the first chapter adjusting to the language and can just get on with reading the story.

The main character in Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton. The oldest of the Bridgerton siblings, Anthony became viscount very young after his father was killed in a freak incident. Having gained a reputation as a Rake and a rogue, Anthony decides it is time he settles down. The ideal wife is someone who will provide him with sons, be intelligent and be somebody he could NEVER fall in love with.

Miss Edwina Sheffield is this season's incomparable, she has come to London knowing that she must make a good marriage to save her mother and sister from a life of 'genteel poverty,' she is the ideal candidate in Anthony's eyes for the position of Viscountess Bridgerton. There is just one problem, Edwina's sister Kate is determined that Edwina will marry for love and not for convienience and is prepared to do everything in her power to ensure that Edwina will not be pushed into a marriage with somebody she doesn't love.

Anthony takes Kate's objections as jealousy, afterall Kate at almost 21 is is pretty much on the shelf and without fortune or stunning good looks will have little hope of making a good match. However after a confrontation in Anthony's study which results in him kissing her, he begins to look at her in a different light and whilst he tries to fight against it,he begins to realise that we don't always see what is best for us, even when it is right in front of our eyes.

This is certainly a book for the ladies, it's fast paced, witty and engaging, a modern version of Jane Austen. Julia Quinn is the type of author where you can pick up any of her books without needing to read the back and know that you will enjoy it. She manages to inject lots of humour into her books, which is something usually lacking in period and romance novels, without detracting from the plotline. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys more traditional period novels as well as those who enjoy more modern chick - lit as this author manages to blend the two together perfectly.

The book is published by by Piatkus Books and retails at £6.99, although you can almost certainly buy it for less than this.

Summary: Give it a try!