The blurb:
In every life there is a turning point. A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one’s life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London’s most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.
After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca’s surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer—the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.
But that was then... Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love... until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets...
A very quick read for me — started one day, finished the next. Francesca is deliriously happy in her marriage to John, which happened without any of the dramas or shenanigans any of her siblings experienced, just a nice, simple, straightforward courtship followed by a nice, simple, straightforward and very happy marriage. Until John dies suddenly and Francesca miscarries the child she barely even knew she was carrying. After a four-year timeskip, she decides to seek a second husband because she wants a baby. She'll settle for an amicable marriage, because she doesn't feel like she can ever replace John.
To her surprise, John's cousin Michael turns out to be her new love. So we're invoking a couple of tropes here: there's the widow finding new love one, and partially the the friends-to-lovers one. Only partially because Francesca always regarded Michael as a friend; Michael always knew he was in love with Francesca and hid it. Michael and John are cousins, but practically brothers, emotionally — there's no way he wants to hurt John by trying to take Francesca from him.
I enjoyed this one. It handled Francesca's dual loss (her husband's death and her miscarriage) sensitively; her eventual affair with and marriage to Michael doesn't invalidate her love for John, or Michael's love for either her or John, for that matter.
It's also the smuttiest one in the series so far, I think. They've all got their explicit scenes, but Francesca and Michael really do get into it quite enthusiastically, and often.
The one thing that annoyed me a bit about this book is that a lot of the back and forth could have been eliminated either by ten minutes with a decent couples therapist or, since that profession didn't exist in Regency England, a little actual communication between the two. That's a not-uncommon failing of romance novels, I think. I get that there needs to be a complication, but both Francesca and Michael are emotionally competent adults so having a bit of a conversation about how they each feel should be within reach, you know?
Started: 21 April 2025
Finished: 22 April 2025
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