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Title: The Duke and I (Avon Romantic Treasure) by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0-380-80082-9 Publisher: Avon Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.59 (114 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Laugh & Sigh - totally entertaining
Comment: Duke and I, is the first book of the Bridgerton Series. 2nd book is The Viscount who love me, 3rd would be the An Offer From A Gentleman which is still coming soon on July,2001. I read this book in one sitting, finished at 5am in the morning & was a zombie at work few hours afterwards :-) Since Julia Quinn is new to me, I honestly didn't think this book was going to keep me up all night. I was mistaken.
Simon Basset, Earl of Clyvedon, Duke of Hasting is far from the regular heroes of most historical romance novels that I have read. Yes, he was described as handsome, rich, intelligent & a RAKE - just like most heroes... What made him different from the others is that he have a stuttering problems, which he has learned to control as he grew up yet it's still there when he's nervous or upset. This flaw made Simon more human, realistic. He had an awfully sad childhood too. His father denied him love and privileged because of his stuttering. His father was so shamed of him that he told people he no longer had a son. He would rather passed his dukedom to his cousin than to his son who he called stupid, idiot, imbecile and nitwit. This lead Simon to hate and yet it inspired him to worked hard in order to proved his father wrong. In the end, his father proudly saw that Simon was actually worthy of his dukedom and passed it on to him when he died. Because of his father's obsession on his dukedom lineage, Simon vowed never to marry, never to have children - to end the blood line with him. But when he returned to England & inherited his dukedom after his father's death, he was sought after by every MOTHER of the ton with marriageable daughters.
Dafne Bridgerton on the other hand had a full happy childhood. Even if her father had died when she was only 10, She grew up with a loving mother, 7 brothers & sisters - who are all close knit. Naturally, because of her happy experience as a child, she longed to get married and have lots of children just like what she was use to growing up with. Being a wife and motherhood is her simple dream. Unlike most heroines of historical romances novels, Dafne didn't have an extra ordinary beauty but she is sweet, funny, philosophical, strong willed & determined. She might not have "THAT" extra ordinary beauty but she is well liked by everybody... and that is somehow a problem in finding a suitable husband. She possessed a unique character that draws every people to view her simply as A FRIEND. That is one of the two reasons why most eligible bachelors doesn't court her. She was everybody's friend. The other reason was his 3 elder brothers ( Anthony, Benedict & Colin) who watched her like a hawk.
To keep ambitious mothers with marriageable daughters away from him, Simon propose a scheme to Dafne, who happens to be Anthony's (Simon's best friend) younger sister. They will feign "attachment". In return, he insisted to Dafne that when the Ton realize that the Duke had captured an interest towards her, Eligible bachelors who viewed her as a friend would eventually see her in different light. Rather conceited perhaps? She agreed & gotten 6 suitors the very next day. Interesting. So far, the scheme seems to be working well with both of them until Dafne realized she was slowly falling in love with Simon. That's when things got complicated. At the same time, Simon's feelings towards her were getting stronger. He tries so hard to keep it in control. After all, Thou shalt not lust after thy friend's sister! But what happens if Dafne seduces him? Would he be able to keep his emotions in control? Would he remember the most important rule amongst friends?
I normally prefer the man to be the seducer but in this book, I rather like the way Julia Quinn wrote and described Dafne's thoughts. The way Dafne shows her emotions didn't sound disgusting nor exaggerated. She still have innocence but with a spark if naive naughtiness... Her actions are believable, understandable & practical considering the situation Simon is in, well.. the situation, they're both in. I also liked the idea that Simon & Dafne started as friends then developed into something deeper. They shared thoughts & dreams as well as fears & insecurities. They understood each other before words are passed, they formed a special bond before marriage - this is somewhat unusual in historical romances novels that I have read so far. I would like to mention my teeny bitty complaint about this story though, I wondered what happened to Nurse Hopkins. She who supposedly loved and took care of Simon ever since he was a baby. I would have loved to read about her. It would be nice to read her proud reaction to see what Simon had accomplished. Since she was the encouragement & Simon's maternal support, it would have been nice to see her involved in Simon's life all throughout the book. Oh well, this is just a small flaw which I thought I'd mention.
Oh it won't be fair not to mention the famous Lady Whistledown's gossip column. My! Not only is she mysteriously accurate, she is soooo funny. Her column is one of my favorites in this book. I have a couple of guess who this lady might be but I'm not 100% sure. When you finish reading this book, email me your guess. It would be fun to compare thoughts and guess about this. I sure can't wait to read the rest of the Bridgerton Series to know who this elite lady is. This book is my first of Julia Quinn and definitely wasn't the last. I was thoroughly pleased & entertained with this one that I am now in the process of reading "The Viscount who love me", that is Anthony's story. Anthony is Simon's best friend & Dafne's eldest brother. Will write a review on that soon afterwards too.
Rating: 5
Summary: Quinn just keeps getting better
Comment: I have read all of Quinn's works (all that she has written for Avon, at least) and she just keeps getting better. I have liked and kept all of her books because I like her style of writing. Nothing heavy here and that's why I read. I'd rather be entertained by a light, witting and sometimes touching story than be tortured with reading about rapes and characters who don't talk to each other until the end of the book. I guess there are quite a lot of other readers who share my views, because Quinn is becoming extremely popular. Simon and Daphne, the main characters, blend so well together. While Simon might be sterotyped as the typical brooding hero, Daphne is the one who does enough talking for both of them. The secondary characters are also a treat. Daphne's mother, I thought, was hilarious! 'TDAI' has just the right mix of humor with a dose of tension at the end to make it a highly entertaining read. Quinn reminds me alot of Amanda Quick, another of my favorite writers. I'd probably rank this most recent work higher than five stars if I could. I thought it was that good.
Rating: 5
Summary: D-d-d-d-duke!
Comment: The first installment of the Bridgerton series focuses on the eldest Bridgerton sister, Daphne. This is an emotional joy ride in how Simon Bassett, the Duke of Hastings found true love with Daphne Bridgerton. Simon grew up motherless, rejected by his father, and with a speech impediment to boot --he stutters. He overcame this impediment but it still comes out especially in times of great emotional strain.
Simon met Daphne when he rescued her from an obssessed suitor. The Duke just came back from living abroad and found out that Mamas with marriageable daughters kept hounding him; whereas Daphne needed to raise her marriage desirability among the eligible bachelors of the ton. So they struck a deal, they will announce a sham engagement. Of course, once the proposals started pouring in for Daphne, Simon thought that the sham engagement must be turned into a real one. And before anyone could say "Duke of Hastings," they were married.
Daphne found bliss and happiness in Simon's arms, and wants to start a family; but Simon's painful childhood is blocking the way to their total happiness.
"The Duke and I" started off lighthearted but it has moments where you truly feel for the characters. I like Daphne's strength and her determination to pull Simon out of the dark remembrance of his past.
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Title: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0380815575 Publisher: Avon Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0380815583 Publisher: Avon Books Pub. Date: 03 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0380820846 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 02 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: How to Marry a Marquis (Avon Romantic Treasure) by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0380800810 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn ISBN: 0380789353 Publisher: Avon Books Pub. Date: 30 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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