Review: Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Title: Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesby’s #1)
Author: Julia Quinn
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Publisher: Avon
Genre: Historical Romance
Find It: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Book Depository
Source: e-ARC from Netgalley
Rating: 5 stars – stay up all night
Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places…
This is not one of those times.
Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband… someday.
Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should…
Or not.
There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he’s arrogant, annoying, and she’s absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can’t stand the sight of him, either.
But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor…
Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can’t abide is the one person they can’t live without.
Fans of historical romance let out a collective squee when it was announced that Julia Queen would be returning to the world of the Bridgertons with a new series. I fell in love with the Bridgertons several years ago when I dipped my toes back into the historical romance genre. I was immediately captured by this unconventional family. Julia Quinn is back with a new book about the Bridgertons and a new family, the Rokesbys. As far as I can tell (and I haven’t done a ton of research) this series happens before the original Bridgertons series and focuses and an earlier generation. The Rokesbys and Bridgertons families have been closely linked for many years. Only 3 miles separate the estates and the matriarchs of the families are the best of friends. It was only logical that their children should become closer friends as well. Billie Bridgerton, the eldest daughter in the family, has always run wild the the Rokesby children. She gets along famously with all of them – all of them except for one.
I love a good story of when opposites attract and when we first meet Billie and George, it seems like the two could not be more different. Billie is very open and friendly with those around her while George is more reserved and serious. Billie is headstrong and independent. She is no simpering female and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. George, on the other hand, is much quieter and more subdued. He has a sharp wit and wicked sense of humor that sometimes need a bit of coaxing to come out of his shell. The two have a wonderfully playful and sometimes antagonistic relationship that just heightens the tension between them.
The plot is well paced and extremely entertaining. There isn’t a lot of action or mystery, but I was fine with letting Billie and George be the center of the story without a lot of intrigue. I love the great family dynamic that Quinn’s series have. Their interactions always feel very genuine and I loved meeting all of the new family members in both the Rokesby and Bridgerton clans. I am sure we’ll be seeing more of these characters as the series goes on and I am especially interested in learning more about Edward.
Because of Miss Bridgerton is a great kickoff to a new series that has all of the trademark humor, wit, passion and wonderfully drawn characters that Quinn’s work is known for. I am really excited to see where Quinn takes us with this series and am already anticipating book 2!
*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.
