Julia Quinn: The Viscount Who Loved Me

• ISBN-13: 9780380815579
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 7/28/2006
• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Pages: 384

"1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.
And in truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better..." - Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814.
 But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry - he's even chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield - the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate is the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams...
 Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands - and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister - but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist  the reprehensible rake herself...

 It would seem that every Bridgerton novel (well, thus far - it's not really fair to lay claim to all eight) is going to have a severely dysfunctional character who suffers from some irrational fear. In the first, it was Simon's fear that his child would have a stutter like he did, and his desire to deny his dead father the legacy he so wanted, which led to his refusal to have children. Here, we have Anthony suffering from the conviction that, since his father - the most amazing man he knew - died from a bee sting at a young age, he, too, was going to die young, being unable to surpass his father in any way. What? Yes. While it seems unrealistic, it really isn't. Everyone has irrational fears, and several are convinced they're going to die at a certain age. When I smashed my finger and lost almost a knuckle's worth of it in a boating accident, I was terrified of boats. Even big ones when I was nowhere near the edge. Rational? Not at all. The first time I was forced back on the boat that caused the accident, I couldn't leave it because my legs were shaking so bad. I was half-pulled out, sobbing hysterically. After that - boats, no problem.
 Wow, that was a megalith of a sidetrack. Anyway, I have to say, Quinn writes a good romance. There are some authors who just start using sex as a crutch for a lack of plot, but she does not fall back on that. Thank Jesus. We actually have some character development, and the characters have much deeper relationships than the purely physical. She also takes time to give her supporting characters personalities, which is wonderful. It also allows for some extremely well-times humor and a chance for the characters to get out of their own heads. Quinn also has a pretty good grasp of the time period, when that factor does come into play (not often).
 Are Anthony and Kate my favorite couple? No. I've read more compelling stories from Quinn. But that doesn't mean that they aren't lovely in their own ways. I, personally, feel a connection with Kate and her self-image issues. I have never, in my 22 years, thought I was pretty until recently. And I sympathize with someone who's sister/best friend is prettier and gets all the attention. So, while not my favorite, definitely relatable.
 Overall: A-
 At times Kate and Anthony's "witty banter" wasn't all that witty, though they seemed to think it was. And sometimes the plot devices seemed a little forced. Mostly it was just a lovely love story, that I would (and have) read again.