Series: Bridgertons, #1
Traits & Tropes: fake engagement; titled hero; damaged hero
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; London, England
Publication Date: 01.05.00
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 5 stars!
To all of society it appears Simon Basset, the new Duke of Hastings, is thoroughly enamored of Miss Daphne Bridgerton and about to propose. But this is all a ruse between the two of them to keep Simon from being hounded by the matchmaking mamas of the ton and to catalyze other men into seeing Daphne as more than just everyone’s friend.
The more time they spend in each other’s company, the surer Daphne is of her feelings for Simon; their relationship is no longer a ruse for her. She loves him. Now she must show him that he loves her too, despite his vow to never marry.
I’m not sure why it took so long for me to get around to this book. It has nearly everything I want in a romance and even the elements I didn’t care for were still well done. Even for his missteps and occasional high-handedness, I found it impossible not to like Simon. I’m a total sucker for the heroes who’ve endured some childhood trauma or have never known love and he fit that bill to a tee. Daphne was definitely the more invested party for a while, but her teaching Simon how to love was very charming and his eventual epiphany was swoonworthy. These two wound up being lovely together and I was a huge fan of Daphne as a heroine, mostly because she was determined to communicate with Simon in a mature way despite her naivete. She never resorted to any shrewish behavior even when Simon deserved it. Such mature and realistic characters are hard to find these days and I love it when they pop up. Daphne and Simon are a great foundation to this series and I’m happy to see that it lives up to its hype thus far. I’m looking forward to Anthony’s story now as I try to get prepared for the upcoming Netflix series.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1960955208
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1949169034
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