I will have to say that I am beyond glad that I decided to read the series. I absolutely love the Bridgertons and everyone who recommends this series for a reason. The family is large and boisterous and loving. The banter between the siblings is off the wall leading me to laugh throughout. Even if I didn’t love all of the romances in this series, I fell head over heels in love with the family. So here are the reviews for all eight of the books in the Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn!
My dear Miss Bridgerton,As I sit down to write my review for this book and look over my notes I realized that there wasn’t much to say. As much as I wanted to love To Sir Phillip, With Love I found myself disappointed in this story. I would say that it was worth a read to say I read it and to see certain characters but overall, I just wasn’t as invested in this love story. I hope that this doesn’t continue with the rest of the stories because I’ve loved all the previous book and want to love the rest.
We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you.
Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me. It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife. —Sir Phillip Crane
Sir Phillip Crane 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?
Anyways. Eloise Bridgerton is Bridgerton number five so she was rather young when the four oldest siblings had their love stories. Like all of the others, she participated in the family banter and we got glimpses of who she was as a character. This, in my opinion, should’ve worked really well for this story. It really gave Julia Quinn the chance to have Eloise shine in all of her glory but shine she did not. Eloise Bridgerton ended up just being a “fine” character. She wasn’t someone I became invested in even though I think her motives were there. I understood where Eloise was coming from and why she made the decisions she did in this book but I just didn’t care. She isn’t the easiest of the Bridgerton siblings to love and I wasn’t really sold on her.
Phillip, unfortunately, fared an even worse fate. I’m writing this review an hour after having finished the story and I can’t tell you a thing about Phillip. He...is a botanist? I don’t know how I managed to read an entire book about this man but can’t tell you more than his occupation. If I’m honest he just kind of existed as a person.
But I did like certain aspects of this story. For one, Eloise and Phillip’s love story wasn’t bad. It was sweet and worth reading but not much else. One of my favorite parts of this book, and a saving grace, was Phillip’s relationship to his kids. He doesn’t really know how to be a father to them and they in turn don’t know how else to get his attention. I enjoyed watching him learn to step away from how society thinks he should act as a father and how his kids need him to act.
I’m still excited to read the rest of the series and my hopes are still high that Julia Quinn will deliver her magic for the remainder of the series. I truly do love this family and I’m sad that I’m inching towards the end of my time with them.
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In every life there is a turning point.If there is one Bridgerton sibling that we know least about, it would be Francesca. She’s the most distant of the siblings and when I actually knew anything concrete about her, it was that she lived in Scotland with her husband. I was initially unsure of how I would like the story considering how little I knew about Francesca but I realized quickly that that was not a worry I should’ve had. Julia Quinn did an incredible job with the story and I ended up falling in love with Francesca and Michael.
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…
Francesca is a Bridgeton through and through but she is also the most distant of the family. As much as she loves her siblings and her mother, she’s always been far quieter and reserved then the rest of her family. But she’s also incredibly kind and in my opinion, a really old soul. I really loved learning more about her and her story. I really appreciated that Julia Quinn took the story of a woman who was widowed young And how she has been able to get through such a hard event. So much of the turmoil that exists in this book comes in the fact that Francesca feels that she is tarnishing the memory of her deceased husband. Watching her come to the realization that she deserves another chance of love and that her feelings are valid was really great to watch.
Michael Sterling was also unexpectedly a really great character. He’s also a really nice guy who just happens to be in love with his cousin’s wife. Dealing with the internal turmoil of being in love with someone that he could never be with ended up actually being a really great plot line.
I also really enjoyed the fact that because Francesca has been married before she is not a virgin when the story takes place. She knows about sex and she knows what she does and does not like and is not afraid to ask for it. I loved that this was a very sex positive story and that there was no shame in Francesca asking for what she wants. That combined with all of the angst in the novel was so much fun to read. All of the angst felt necessary and valid and it wasn’t overbearing in any way.
I’m not sure if it’s obvious yet but I really enjoyed the story. Any reservations that I had about not knowing enough about Francesca before the story began was quickly squashed. I honestly think that this is going to be one of my favorites of this entire series.
The Bridgertons Series
Book 1: The Duke and I
Book 2: The Viscount Who Loved Me
Book 3: An Offer From a Gentleman
Book 4: Romancing Mister Bridgerton
Book 5: To Sir Phillip With Love
Book 6: When He Was Wicked
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