Review: The Duke and I, Julia Quinn

This might be romance novel review week.  As I mentioned a week or so ago, I have been intellectually occupied lately by a large amount of work for grad school.  So, when my brain wants to take a holiday, I either don’t read or I borrow historical romance novels from the library for pure entertainment value.  Julia Quinn is my current favorite and I actually have about four of her books requested right now.  The Bridgertons are so, so amusing and they make me feel far better after a day of work, work, work.

Daphne Bridgerton is not quite on the shelf, but she doesn’t have any good husband prospects on the horizon.  She knows that she wants to marry and have a family, but she just hasn’t found the right one yet.  Simon, the Duke of Hastings, wants the exact opposite.  He’s never going to marry and the rabid matchmaking mamas of the ton irritate him.  So, after meeting, Daphne and Simon strike a deal.  They’ll pretend they’re betrothed.  Daphne will get attention because she’s now spoken for by a duke and must be desirable, while Simon will be left alone until Daphne meets someone and cries off.  The only problem with their brilliant plan is that they’re mostly attracted to each other and can’t stay away.

I found this to be an excellent example of the romance genre.  I know people who won’t read them, but honestly they’re just very enjoyable fluff and very easy to get addicted to.   Julia Quinn writes my favorite kind; I actually like the couples and feel that I know them, they’ve got little flaws and quirks, and their love stories are typically more believable than in the average romance novel.  It’s not all about hopping in bed for these two.  They have fun together, they flirt and laugh, and their relationship grows. There’s some added tension here with Daphne’s brother Anthony, who also happens to be Simon’s best friend.  Overall, these two are extremely amusing, especially with the rest of the Bridgerton family in tow.

If you’ve never read a romance novel before and you’re interested to give one a try, I would definitely recommend this one. Buy this book on Amazon.

(I’ll be honest, though, in that the cover of this book made me cringe!  Not to my taste at all.)