Review: The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Title: The Other Miss Bridgerton (The Rokespys #3)
Author: Julia Quinn
Publication Date: November 20, 2018
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository. Bookshop
Source: e-ARC via Edelweiss
Rating: 2 stars – you are getting very sleepy
Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers’ hideaway tucked inside a cave. But her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain’s bed…
He found her at the wrong time…
Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew James Rokesby actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government. Setting sail on a time-sensitive voyage to Portugal, he’s stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. Surely, his imagination is getting the better of him. But no, she is very real—and his duty to the Crown means he’s stuck with her.
Can two wrongs make the most perfect right?
When Andrew learns that she is a Bridgerton, he knows he will likely have to wed her to avert a scandal—though Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an earl and neighbor to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. On the high seas, their war of words soon gives way to an intoxicating passion. But when Andrew’s secret is revealed, will his declaration of love be enough to capture her heart…?
Normally I am a huge fan of Julia Quinn’s books but something just rubbed me the wrong way with this one. Maybe it was the fact that Poppy is kidnapped and held against her will. James is a spy so he is “forced” to kidnap Poppy when she discovers his secret pirate cove but it felt like overkill, especially since her reputation would surely be ruined after their little trip. Once he realizes that Poppy is a Bridgerton and also closely related to his family, surely he realized he could trust her not to blab his secret. Instead, he secrets her away on his pirate ship and locks her in his room for a week. Poppy is suitably outraged at first but then comes to look forward to his visits (I mean who wouldn’t be if they were locked alone in a cabin for a week) and then finds herself “falling” for him. It all just felt a little too Stockholm Syndrome-y for me and it made it difficult for me to get behind the relationship.
Love/hate is usually my favorite kind of romance trope but, in this case, I didn’t feel that spark of chemistry that Quinn is usually a master at. Instead of falling for reach other despite their circumstances, it felt like they fell in love only because of the situation they found themselves in. Nothing about this book was very memorable to me and I’d be hard pressed to describe in detail any scenes from it (whereas I can pull up a dozen from her previous books).
If you’re looking for a swashbuckling pirate romance, this isn’t it. I still highly recommend Julia Quinn’s books but you might want to skip this one.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my review or opinion of the book.
