The blurb:
Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her... and more.
Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled... and when he kissed her... the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder... could this imperfect man be perfect for her?
One thing I have to give Julia Quinn credit for, she has eight Bridgertons to deal with, but she's managing to keep them distinct, and maintain their personalities as they appear throughout all the books. It's an achievement.
Eloise Bridgerton is rather more of an impulsive chatterbox than any of her siblings (so far at least) and thus is bound to cause some disruption to the life of Sir Phillip when she unexpectedly arrives at his home. He's withdrawn and does very little that could be called 'socialising', where is Eloise is more of the social butterly type. Phillip also has two children from his previous marriage, which Eloise was not expecting.
Generally speaking, I enjoyed the read. Watching the two get to know each other was fine, and leavened by some hijinks from the Crane children and their interactions with Eloise (shades of Mary Poppins, perhaps, as Anthony's book had shades of Taming of the Shrew). A late-breaking incident of child abuse did feel tacked on and unnecessary. I'm not sure what it was supposed to accomplish, really — and it undercut Phillip's character. It had been established already that he was an absent father, even with the children in the same house; I don't think they needed to be walloped with a book for extra pity or anything.
The other thing that struck me was, Eloise has witnessed two of her siblings, Daphne and Anthony, get engaged after spending time alone with their spouse-to-be and the ensuring potential for reputational damage, yet she still goes galloping off into the night to visit Sir Phillip. She's impulsive, true — but she's also 28, and intelligent. That she didn't predict there would be a marriage out of this (Phillip's letter only said that proper chaperonage would be arranged, not that he had a suitable female relative or the like in the house) is a hole, I think.
But overall, pretty typical Bridgerton fun. As always, the interactions of the Bridgerton siblings is always enjoyable to read.
Started: 9 March 2025
Finished: 11 April 2025
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