The Duke and I

The Duke And I 

by Julia Quinn 

3.5/5 

“Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow."


       Listen guys, I have been in a huge Historical Romance mood lately, and who better to binge then one of the best historical romance queens ever, Julia Quinn! I’ve read a few of her books already but I was really focusing on her Bridgertons series. Why you may ask? Because it’s getting made into a Netflix series and none other then Julie Andrews is playing the voice of Lady Whistledown! I’m SO excited! So in preparation of this I’m not only reading the books I’ve not read yet, but I’m reading them in chronological order ! So this brings us to our very first book in the Bridgerton series, The Duke and I!

Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?

—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813

      By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable.
     But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her… but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke… for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love…

      Alright guys! Are you in the mood for a book that is literally Gossip Girl set in a historical time? Forbidden romance full of swooning and stolen kisses? Well this book- no series, is the one for you! I immediately fell in love with our huge Bridgeton family, every single one of them! In this book we get Daphne and Simon’s story. Starting off we in the first few chapters we get to see a glimpse into the forming of Simon’s story and his childhood. Really this just gives us an insight into the thoughts and future of Simon and who he becomes which is an important part of this story. This book is set up exactly the way I was hoping it would be! I literally felt like this book had major Jane Austen met Gossip Girl vibes and us readers were given the best treat! You won’t be able to put this one down....Well at least until about the 70% mark...
     I’m going to start off with what I absolutely loved about this book. The best part, which I’m sure many will agree with is the introduction to the huge chaotic mess you can’t help but love known only as the Bridgerton family! Can I just say how freaking cute it is the way they’re named!!! Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth! ABCDEFGH!!!!! SO cute! Anyways like I said, this family is the absolute best part of this book, right down to the Bridgerton matriarch, Violet! Total Mrs. Bennett vibes, if Mrs. Bennett wasn't so crazy and a little more understanding! We get a little taste for each character and their personality, just enough so that we can see what their future books will look like!
    Now on to the romance!! Uh, swoooooon. Nothing better then a forbidden romance! Am I right?! Daphne is definitely a character you can’t help but love. She’s outgoing and witty and has a sarcastic remark that could rival any gentleman's! Cue Simon, who is devastatingly handsome! Must be true, heard it from Lady Whistledown’s gossip column! He’s also set in his ways and has no interest in the marriage market.. until he meets Daphne! I love the way they first meet! I feel like it really allows not just us, but Simon to see her personality. And from that scene their relationship just feels organic! Not soon after they enter into a fake courtship (so pretty much fake dating) to get the mothers and single ladies off Simon’s back, and to attract the right suitors to Daphne. Of course it goes the exact opposite way then how they thought it would! Seeing Simon try and deny it just added to the tension between the two, and man..... I was SO ready for that garden scene to happen! Julia Quinn does an excellent job giving and taking and when you finally get that first kiss you’re screaming with happiness!
    You continue to enjoy the budding relationship between our two main characters, up until about the 70% mark. Now this book overall was really good, and it deserves the 3.5 stars I gave it, and if it weren’t for this one scene I would have given it a 4.5 rating! So I don’t want to spoil it but something does happen that I think really brings this book down, and it was completely unnecessary. Well in my opinion at least. Let me just remind you guys, this book was published in 2006. So it’s been a while and it’s 2019 now and I just feel like this scene is not one that a lot of readers in this time would particularly..... like? Is that even the right word? Anyways as a woman, even I was a little taken aback by this scene. I felt like the issue could have been handled completely differently and the author could have gone in a completely different direction then the one she did, but. BUT, it was published in 2006. (still not a good excuse..) So just remember that and be hesitant when going in. If you’re triggered by certain things, maybe research into it and see if it’s something you can handle! (You can always message me, and if you don’t mind being spoiled I’ll give you a heads up!) Now the weirdest thing is that after this scene happens the story goes back to being enjoyable and the typical Julia Quinn writing I love.... So like I said that one scene really altered my opinion and I feel like without it the book would have be an easy 4+ rating! I really enjoyed our main couples happy ending and the way that the author concluded not just Simon’s backstory but their relationship, and also the way she did end up handling that one problematic scene! So overall, I’m hoping this was just the glitch in the Bridgerton series and the rest will prove to be 4+ ratings! Like I said, I’ve read a few already and I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about the others! So give this book a chance, just for the fact of giving this series a chance! If you did enjoy this book and you’ve read every Julia Quinn book under the sun then I definitely recommend checking out some of Tessa Dare’s work! A great place to start is The Governess Game!