GENRE: Romance / Historical
PUBLISHED: Avon Books, 2008
WHY THIS NOVEL: I liked other novels by Julia Quinn + good reviews
The back blurb:
“Jack Audley has been a highwayman. A soldier. And he has always been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.
Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine… until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she’s not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have…”
I’m somewhat at a loss what to make of this novel. After I finished it, I thought it a typical “meh” book. There wasn’t a real spark that captured me but there wasn’t anything staring-you-in-the-eye “bad” either. I read along fairly easily, the only thing I thought then was that the pacing was slightly off at times. I didn’t mind the modern feel of the story and writing and there weren’t many huh? moments to pull me out of the story. But I wanted to know why “meh?” and so I looked at the different elements of the story and started to think about them (and that’s not always good).
The main characters:
Both Grace and Jack have nearly no character development in this story, IMO. The only thing that really changes is that both have a different position in society than at the beginning of the story. But other than that, there is nearly nothing. I think Jack is supposed to bring Grace out of the subdued state her job has forced on her, but I didn’t really see that in the story aside from that he makes her laugh (which she has to hide). Jack is the typical do-good highwayman. He’s frequently described as charming and occasionally he acts like it, but I think of him more as a carefree character. It’s clear he isn’t suited for the dukedom (character, education) and at the end, another reason for his reluctance is revealed (which would have worked better with a sooner revelation). But apart from his frequently stated unwillingness there’s nothing to indicate he thinks about this at all. He still doesn’t want it at the end, but then there’s the epilogue and he is.
That’s not to say I didn’t like them; they were just not distinct enough IMO to be really interesting.
The romance:
The romance in The Lost Duke of Wyndham is a love-at-first-sight romance. As such, there is not much inherent conflict in the romance itself. Both characters are in love with each other (or at least attracted to each other) from the start. A love-at-first-sight romance needs interesting scenes between the hero and the heroine but more than that, it relies on an interesting external conflict (and other elements) to keep the reader in suspense and reading, IMO. I think the scenes between Grace and Jack were quite all right if somewhat bland (probably due to the generic characters) and the external conflict… well, it’s the next point.
The main / external conflict:
The external conflict in The Lost Duke of Wyndham is: is Jack the true Duke of Wyndham? If yes, he can’t marry Grace because of the inequality of their social position. There are two problems with that: 1. It’s very clear early on that Jack is the true duke so no suspension there; 2. I didn’t perceive the difference in Grace’s and Jack’s social position as so great to be a real hindrance to marriage and therefore this plot element wasn’t really convincing. This impression was probably intensified by Quinn’s modern way to write.
So after thinking about it, this story has nothing I look for in reading. Nearly no character development, a romance that couldn’t carry the story on its own, and no convincing external conflict. But I said also, there’s nothing overtly “bad” about it. It was only after I started to think why it didn’t work, that I fully grasped all of the above. But then again, when I ask myself what I liked about it, I can’t come up with an convincing answer. It was easy to read and there were a few things I remember thinking something like “that’s good” but I can’t recall specific things. So what to make of it?
Last thoughts:
- I thought Thomas the most interesting character.
- The dowager Duchess is a bit much.
- Do the problems I had with this novel stem from the fact that it tells only part of the story?
Would I recommend this novel? Maybe, although there are novels by Quinn I liked better.
Would I read this novel again? Probably not.
Grade: 3 / 5 (my usual grade for a “meh” book; going down when I think about it too much)
Books and Games 
Re-Read Challenge: “The Viscount Who Loved Me” By Julia Quinn
31 MayInfo:Re-Read Challenge 2009
This month:Re-Read Challenge: May!
GENRE: Romance / Historical
PUBLISHED: Avon Books, 2000
SERIES: “Bridgerton” series, #2
AVAILABILITY: still available
The back blurb:
“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 all 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’s 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’s 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…”
Then
The Viscount Who Loved Me was my first novel by Julia Quinn (Feb. 2001). I know I thought the way it was written refreshing: it was fun and humorous and I didn’t mind its “modern” tone. I loved this novel. That is, the first part. I lost some of my interest during the second part (last third of the novel) though I still liked it. The story got darker and I think I hadn’t a lot of patience for why the two didn’t just admit their love already. And yet, I still call The Viscount Who Loved Me one of my favorite Bridgerton novels.
What better way than this challenge to find out if that is still true?
Now (somewhat spoilerish maybe)
The Viscount Who Loved Me follows well-known story paths. Or perhaps it’s better to say: the story paths in this novel are well-known because many stories after this novel used them?
Anyway, we have Kate Sheffield, aging spinster sister to the belle of the season, Edwina Sheffield; Kate Sheffield who nevertheless still loves her sister; Kate Sheffield who says this about Anthony Bridgerton, well-known rake, on the lookout for a wife and settling on Edwina Sheffield because she’s regarded as the belle of the season:
We all know how that is going to turn out.
And we have Anthony who has a handy list of requirements for what his wife should be like:
We all know how that–especially #3– is going to turn out. (#3 is also the stumbling block on the road to HEA and turns the last third of the novel into something more serious than what came before.)
Kate and Anthony meet for the first time:
Kate and Anthony seem to be at odds every time they are in close company. Early in their acquaintance Anthony admits to Kate the he can’t seem to help himself where she is concerned: he just has to bait her.
And so, from their first meeting, the baiting and fun just goes on: the walk with Kate’s dog Newton that has Anthony running in a park and ending with him wet, Kate hiding in Anthony’s study to avoid him only to be discovered by him, the Pall Mall game and the mallet of Death, the bee sting,… There are lots of scenes and funny lines worth quoting in this novel.
But amidst all the hilarity – The Viscount Who Loved Me is often laugh-out-loud fun – there is room for unsettling and poignant realizations:
and quite and connecting moments, like when Anthony finds Kate terrified and paralyzed by fear because of a thunderstorm.
And then, in a twist of fate, Kate finds herself married to Anthony, and it’s time for the last third of the novel, the part I so far thought less enjoyable.
The story now concentrates on Anthony’s reason why he doesn’t want to fall in love with his wife (rule #3). This fact of their married life – that there never will be love between them – is something Anthony tells Kate in no uncertain terms in a conversation before the wedding. Only, against her better judgement and fear of always being second in her life to someone else, Kate finds herself falling more and more in love with her husband. The novel, while keeping up the fun turn of phrases, turns rather dark and serious underneath while Anthony battles his demons and learns about the nature of love.
This time around, I really appreciated what was done in the last third of the novel though I still find it different. What begins as a light, fun, and hilarious story of two people finding themselves attracted to each other against their will and battling against it for all they are worth, is now a story of two people trying to find their way in a marriage that is supposed to be based on friendship, only to learn that love can’t be governed by the mind. Love will find a way and knows no rules. And for that other look at love and romance, I now love the second part of this novel as well.
Verdict: Reading The Viscount Who Loved Me for this challenge made this novel “whole” for me. (5/5)
Tags: "Bridgerton" series, historical romance, Julia Quinn