Historical
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The Duke and I (Bridgerton Series, Book 1)
Simon Basset, the irresistible Duke of Hastings, has hatched a plan to keep himself free from the town′s marriage-minded society mothers. He pretends to be engaged to the lovely Daphne Bridgerton. After all, it isn′t as if the brooding rogue has any real plans to marry - though there is something about the alluring Miss Bridgerton that sets Simon′s heart beating a bit faster. And as for Daphne, surely the clever debutante will attract some very worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, she soon forgets that their courtship is a complete sham. And now she has to do the impossible and keep herself from losing her heart and soul completely to the handsome hell-raiser who has sworn off marriage forever!
Editorial Reviews
"The Duke and I has everything a romance reader could want: gentle humor, superb writing, a good woman, and a slightly misguided man... The Duke and I is one memorable read."--"Oakland Press"Quinn will give you pleasant dreams." ---"Romantic Times"Ms. Quinn writes delightfully fast-paced, funny, sparkling, and bright romance." --"Romantic Times
Readers Top Reviews
R. Hodgkinson
I read this because I heard it was being made into a TV series and as such should deserve to be read. It was really much ado about nothing! It is a Regency romp. But it is so contrived. The author creates situations that are not realistic in normal life in order to raise tension in the story. Jane Austen she is not. Nor even Georgette Heyer!
California QuinnR
Having just finished Lisa Kleypas's latest Ravenel book I was on the look-out for a new auto-buy author to feed by historical romance obsession when someone mentioned Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series... So I dived into this first book of the series, and found instant joy. The Bridgerton clan our eight strong, all named alphabetically so they are easy to keep in order and each one wonderfully real and witty and deliciously fun to read about. A Regency family with a matriach who keeps them all in line and is desperate to get them all married off. Daphne, the oldest daughter is the perfect match for the uber eligible Simon Bassett - a duke who is dark, handsome and was brought up with a complete lack of familial or parental affection. Of course neither he nor Daphne can figure out at first how perfect they are for each other – Simon's cynical wit matching Daphne's lively pragmatism and making for some hilarious exchanges – but when they make a Devil's bargain to keep marriage minded mammas off Simon's back by pretending to be engaged it's not long before the fake engagement starts to feel rather more real than imagined. And not long after that that Anthony - Daphne's super over protective older brother and Simon's friend - has gotten wind of the arrangement which threatens to upend Daphne's reputation. A brilliant introduction to this rambunctious clan with a heart-rending subtext about how important it is to be loved, if you are ever going to lead a full life... Needless to say I soon had a new auto-buy author and had quickly hoovered up all the other Bridgerton books in quick succession. What better way to spend a pandemic, frankly?
