Julia Quinn: The Duke and I

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (January 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380800829

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend's sister, the lovely - and almost-on-the-shelf - Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth - it's all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it's his devilish smile, certainly it's the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her...but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke...for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight altercation, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love...

  I first read this book when I was in my early years of high school and I really loved it. This being the second time I'm reading it, I'm less impressed. I always note editing errors and there were at least four in this book. Four, you say? So what? It's irritating and it cuts down on the professionalism of the publication, and when there are more than a few, I sit up and take notice. But that is not the writer's fault. That just means I should get a different degree and go into editing because obviously there are some incompetents out there.
  The story centers around the Bridgerton family. Aaaaahh, yes. Everybody knows I love books, but put a book in a series and I'm even more enthused. Especially when it's a family of boisterous children with alphabetical names. Yep. Alphabetical names. The Bridgerton family in particular is a loving, loud family with lots of interaction the reader can be amused by. This is Daphne's story. Then we have Simon, who has never had any sort of family as his father chose to ignore his existence for the large majority of it. And thus we have a clash in the making.
  The reason I say that I was less enthralled by this book on the second read is because I was building it up in my head. I had read it before I became jaded by the romance genre, and started expecting way more out of them. It was a time when everything was shiny and new. Now, I notice that there aren't as many words to a page as I was expecting. That there is a lot of superfluous dialogue in lieu of depth of emotion. That there is actually less going on than one originally thinks. Nonetheless, this series is still one of the better ones out there.
  Plot: Interesting and definitely allows for conflict. My favorite moment in particular is when Daphne takes the situation into her own hands (I just love when heroines stand up to the hero and knock him down a peg or two. The heroes are invariably shocked and it's usually awesome.) Simon doesn't know what to do with himself, and when he shows himself in a moment of weakness, it's endearing. Julia Quinn is full of moments like that. I'm relatively certain that quality picks up in the later books. While I wasn't IN LOVE with this book, it was still one of the better romances I've ever read.
  Overall: A-