To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn | ARC Review

Series: The Bridgertons, #5
Traits & Tropes: single father; titled hero; widowed hero; spinster heroine
Publication Date: 07.01.03
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; England, 1824
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 5 stars!
Narration Rating: 5/5

After nearly a year of correspondence, Sir Phillip Crane decided there could be no downside to proposing to spinster Eloise Bridgerton.  He assumed she’d be desperate and thrilled to marry and help him manage his mischievous children.  With this in mind, Phillip invited Eloise to visit his home meet him in person in order to determine if they’ll suit.  Only, the woman who arrived unannounced on his doorstep, without accepting his invitation, is none of those things.  She’s beautiful and she never ceases speaking, but she ignites a desire Phillip hasn’t felt in years.

Eloise Bridgerton knows she’d be foolish to accept an offer of marriage from a man she’s never met in person, but she finds herself thinking and wondering what if…and then hying off to the countryside in the middle of the night, hoping to find her love match at last.  But Phillip is brooding, and his manners are rough, even if he is handsome.  Yet, when she spends more time with him, the connection she feels is undeniable and leaves her wondering if this difficult man could in fact be her perfect match.

I loved this book.  Phillip was broody and a bit clueless, but in the best possible way and his vulnerability when it came was so emotional and sincere, it gave me all the feels.  Eloise’s sunny disposition was the perfect foil for Phillip and just what he needed to bring him back to life.  His children were utter hellions, but they wound up being charming in the end and Eloise’s expert handling of their antics injected some much-needed humor into what could’ve otherwise become a heavy book.  I also greatly enjoyed the sibling camaraderie Phillip developed with Eloise’s brothers and it was so endearing to see Phillip learning to lighten up, enjoy life, and to give and receive affection.  Even with his initial grumpiness, Phillip wound up being nearly everything I want in a hero.  This was a whirlwind, unconventional courtship and a rather odd match, but I loved these two as a couple, I enjoyed the narration, and I think this is my new favorite Bridgerton book.