Arrianne's Corner: Book Corner # 9 – The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

This Historical Romance Series are stories about a nobility family from England in the early 19^th century called The Bridgerton. Besides having a lot of money and family fortune, The Bridgertons also known to have a lot of family members. The Series contain of 9 books in total, with each book is telling the love life of each children of Edmund and Violet Bridgerton, after Edmund’s death in 1803.

In the first 8^th book, we can see the love story from each Bridgerton children (Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, dan Hyacinth), along with their lovely mother, Violet Bridgerton. And in the final 9^th book (The Bridgerton : Happily Ever After), we can see the Second Epilog for each story from all 8 previous books plus a short story about Edmund and Violet, which I think is gonna be a sweet closure story for the series.

Each book in the Bridgerton Series can be read as a stand alone without reading other books (except the The Bridgerton : Happily Ever After, better read it after finishing all previous 8 books). But I recommend you to read the whole series starting from the first installment of the series (The Duke And I) to avoid spoilers from previous books, and to have better understanding of each unique characters of the Bridgertons and their warm, loveable and hilarious family antiques behaviour. The Bridgerton series contains adult material, so not advisable for anyone under 18 years old.

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Serial novel Historical Romance ini berfokus pada sebuah keluarga bangsawan terpandang bernama Bridgerton yang bertempat tinggal di Inggris pada awal abad 19. Selain memiliki harta melimpah, keluarga Bridgerton juga terkenal memiliki keturunan yang melimpah. Total buku dalam serial ini ada sebanyak 9 buku, yang setiap bukunya menceritakan kehidupan masing-masing anak dari Edmund dan Violet Bridgerton, setelah kematian Edmund pada tahun 1803.

Di dalam 8 bukunya diceritakan mengenai kisah cinta dari masing-masing anak Bridgerton (Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, dan Hyacinth), bersama dengan Ibu mereka, Violet Bridgerton. Untuk 1 buku terakhir (The Bridgerton : Happily Ever After) merupakan kumpulan Epilog kedua dari ke-8 buku pertama yang berisi 9 cerita pendek yang menjadi penutup manis untuk serial ini.

Setiap buku dalam serial ini dapat dibaca sebagai novel independent tanpa tergantung oleh urutan buku lainnya (kecuali untuk buku Epilog terakhir yang sebaiknya dibaca setelah selesai keseluruhan 8 buku sebelumnya supaya bisa lebih nyambung bacanya). Tapi aku sarankan sebaiknya membacanya dimulai dengan berurutan dimulai dari buku pertama The Duke And I sampai dengan buku terakhir, selain dapat menghindari bocoran cerita dari buku sebelumnya, juga supaya kalian para pembaca dapat lebih memahami dan menghayati masing-masing karakter unik dari para Bridgerton dan juga kondisi keluarga besar mereka yang hangat penuh cinta dan kocak. Serial Bridgerton ini mengandung materi dewasa yang tidak cocok untuk usia di bawah 18 tahun.

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Book 1 : The Duke And I

(Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset)

First Published in Indonesia on January 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 23 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 464 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Viscount Who Loved Me (The Bridgertons #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (The Bridgertons #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (The Bridgertons #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (The Bridgertons #5); When He Was Wicked (The Bridgertons #6); It’s In His Kiss (The Bridgertons #7); On The Way To The Wedding (The Bridgertons # 8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (The Bridgertons #9).

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 sutiors 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…

The Duke And I sets in London, England on year 1813, and tells a romantic love story between 21 years old Daphne Bridgerton (who is raised in a warm and loving family even when she did lose her father in an early age), with 29 years old Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (who is raised alone with only by his nanny after his mother’s death, and his father rejects him and considered him as a failure because disappoint by Simon’s condition since he has difficulty to speak without shutter when he was a child).

Simon, who just came back to England a week ago after his father’s death, meet with Daphne in Lady Danbury’s Ballroom party (How To Marry A Marquis), when Daphne is trying to avoid a very eager suitor. Her eldest brother, Anthony Bridgerton (who happens to be Simon’s best friend from Eton and Oxford), already declined that young man’s marriage proposal on Daphne’s behalf, but that persistent young man is still trying to convince Daphne of his love.

Admired by Daphne’s personality and her smart logical thinking, Simon then suggested a scheme for both of them to be pretending to attractive to each other. The scheme can benefit to both Simon and Daphne. For Simon, he can avoid the pressure of all the unwanted attention he received from all the silly single ladies and their mothers, who are chasing him for his title and his money. As for Daphne, she will finally get a chance to attract the right eligible suitors after the Duke of Hastings is interested in her.

Daphne is definetely not a wallflower, but somehow for these past three seasons in London, she only got marriage proposals from the wrong prospects. Some are too old, the other is too snob, while the last one is not suitable for Daphne intelligence; while the other eligible gentlemen only see her as a friend instead of a Lady suitable to be marry. Simon believes that by showing the tons that a Duke like himself attracted to Daphne, he can set an example for other gentlemen to change their perspective about Daphne.

With all that reasons and with reluctant blessings from Anthony, both Daphne and Simon agreed to be pretending in front of the Tons. But their simple plan falls apart with their growing feeling for each other. While Daphne wants to have a family with a husband and kids, Simon doesn’t want to get marry or even have a family at all, ever.

Simon’s lonely childhood background and his experience with his own father’s rejections, makes Simon vows never to get married and have any children to carried the family title. And when the situation face him with only two options : to marry Daphne or die in a duel with his best friend Anthony, Simon prefers death. But luckily at the last moments, Daphne managed to stop the duel and convince Simon to marry her. But can Daphne heal Simon and makes him forget about his past and his obsession of revenge towards his late father, and convince Simon to live a happily ever after?

There’s something special in The Duke And I and other books in the Bridgerton Family series compare to other historical romance books out there, which is the close family relations between the Bridgertons that feels warm and so real. And the way Julia Quinn describe the stories of this big family are very good in all of her books with a little bit humor but also feels touching at the same time. The interactions between brothers and sisters, and also between the mother with all of her childrens are so entertaining, since all the fight and arguments happens between all of them are full with humors that can make me laughing reading it. Beside that, the Hero character, Simon, is not a perfect human being, he got some flaws which makes him more real and makes me as a reader feels strong emphaty towards him, and understanding all of his stupid actions and choices in the book is because of his past and his relation (or his lack relation) with his father. Because to be honest, I don’t really relate with all other romance novels that describe their Hero as a perfect man (so handsome, so smart, so successful, so kind, so rich and respectable). Oh Come on, just be real, there isn’t someone that perfect in real life, everybody has their own flaws.

But besides the storyline and the interesting characters, there’s something else that steal the show and makes this novel unique compare to others, which is Lady Whistledown, a mysterious newspaper gossip column specialize in reporting what’s going on with the Tons in London seasons. Nobody knows who his/her real identity is. Julia Quinn uses Lady Whistledown’s article as an opening for every chapters in the book. I can say that this is a very genius way to get a bigger pictures of the story from other angle besides the existing characters involve in the book, an outsider point of view to some important highlighted scenes, also in Lady Whistledown, we could see some of the characters from other books by Julia Quinn. If you have read other books or series by Julia Quinn is so fun trying tolook and catch all the easter egg of other characters from other books.

Characters appear in The Duke And I are as follows :

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings.

Daphne Bridgerton : the 4th children from the Bridgerton family, the eldest daughter.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest big brother from the Bridgerton family.

Benedict Bridgerton : Daphne’s 2nd brother.

Colin Bridgerton : Daphne’s 3rd brother.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Daphne’s mother.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury (supporting character from How To Marry A Marquis).

Nigel Berbrooke : Daphne’s latest suitor before she met with Simon, kind but not too smart.

Robert Kemble : Earl of Macclesfield, one of Colin’s friend (the hero from another novel Everything And The Moon).

Mrs. Portia Featherington : one of the ambious mammas that Simon wants to avoid.

Prudence Featherington : Mrs. Fetaherington’s daughter.

Philipa Featherington : Mrs. Featherington’s daughter.

Penelope Featherington : Mrs. Featherington’s daughter.

Lady Whistledown : the mysterious gossip columnist in newspaper, who reports everything happens in the Tons with detail accuracy, but no one seems to know his/her identity.

Rating for The Duke And I is 7.5/10.

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The Duke And I ini bersetting di London, Inggris pada tahun 1813, menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta antara Daphne Bridgerton, 21 tahun (yang dibesarkan di dalam keluarga bangsawan yang hangat penuh cinta kasih walaupun kehilangan Ayahnya di usia muda), dengan Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, 29 tahun (yang dibesarkan dalam kondisi kesepian akibat kehilangan Ibu yang meninggal saat melahirkannya, serta Ayah yang menolaknya dan menganggapnya sebagai kegagalan karena kecewa dengan kondisi Simon yang kurang sempurna akibat kesulitannya berbicara dengan lancar).

Simon, yang baru 1 minggu kembali ke Inggris setelah Ayahnya meninggal, bertemu dengan Daphne di pesta Lady Danbury (How To Marry A Marquis) saat Daphne sedang berusaha menghindari seorang pemuda pelamar yang ngotot, walaupun lamarannya sudah ditolak oleh kakak tertuanya, Anthony Bridgerton, yang kebetulan adalah sahabat baik Simon dari masa sekolahnya di Eton dan Oxford dulu.

Kagum dengan kepribadian Daphne dan cara pikirnya yang logis, Simon kemudian mengusulkan supaya mereka berpura-pura saling tertarik satu sama lain. Bagi Simon, siasat itu dapat menghindari kerumitan dan tekanan dari perhatian berlebihan yang diberikan oleh para debutante yang konyol dan para ibu mereka tanpa menyinggung. Sedangkan untuk Daphne, Simon percaya bahwa dengan menunjukkan kepada para Gentleman yang lainnya bahwa seorang Duke seperti dirinya tertarik kepada Daphne dan berniat untuk mengejarnya sebagai calon istri, Simon berharap hal tersebut dapat membuat para Gentleman lainnya sadar dan mengubah pandangan mereka kepada Daphne, bukan hanya sebagai teman, tetapi sebagai calon istri yang sangat layak.

Simon dan Daphne sepakat untuk melakukan pendekatan pura-pura walaupun dengan persetujuan setengah hati dari Anthony yang langsung berubah menjadi kakak super protektif. Akan tetapi saat Simon dan Daphne banyak menghabiskan waktu bersama di acara-acara social, mereka menjadi dekat dan bunga-bunga cinta mulai tumbuh di antara mereka berdua.

Latar belakang masa kecil Simon yang tumbuh besar dalam kesepian dan dendam terhadap penolakan ayahnya yang awalnya tidak mau mengakuinya sebagai anak karena Simon dianggap tidak sempurna untuk menjadi pewaris Hastings, membuat Simon bertekad untuk tidak akan menikah dan mempunyai anak untuk meneruskan gelar keluarganya.

Saat keadaan menghadapkannya antara dua pilihan untuk menikahi Daphne ataukah mati dalam duel dengan Anthony, Simon lebih memilih untuk berduel. Untungnya di saat-saat terakhir Daphne datang dan berhasil menghentikan terjadinya duel tersebut dan meyakinkan Simon untuk menikahinya. Tapi dapatkah Daphne menyembuhkan luka batin Simon, membuatnya dapat melupakan dendam masa lalu dan meyakinkan Simon untuk dapat hidup bahagia selamanya?

Ada beberapa hal yang menarik di dalam buku The Duke and I ini, yaitu keakraban dan kehangatan relasi di keluarga Bridgerton yang terasa nyata dan tergambarkan dengan baik oleh Julia Quinn. Interaksi antar kakak-adik dan antara ibu-anak sangat menghibur, karena pertengkaran dan perdebatan yang terjadi diantara mereka sarat dengan humor-humor yang dapat membuat aku tergelak. Selain itu tokoh utama Simon yang digambarkan mempunyai kekurangan dan tidak sempurna (sering tergagap terutama jika sedang marah atau emosi), membuat tokoh utama ini cukup real sebagai manusia nyata yang membumi dan mempunyai kekurangan yang membuat kita dapat lebih mengerti dan merasakan empathy terhadap semua tindakan bodoh yang dibuat oleh Simon di sepanjang novel ini dikarenakan alasan latar belakangnya tersebut. Karena terus terang aku kurang bisa related dengan novel-novel romance apapun yang tokoh utama prianya digambarkan sebagai pria terlalu sempurna (sangat tampan, pintar, sukses, baik hati, sangat kaya dan terhormat). Masa iya sih ada seseorang yang benar-benar sempurna seperti itu di dalam kehidupan nyata, setiap orang pasti memiliki kekurangannya masing-masing.

Namun selain penggambaran cerita dan karakter-karakternya yang menarik, ada 1 hal lagi yang mencuri perhatian di dalam novel ini, yaitu adanya kolom gossip Lady Whistledown, penulis artikel koran misterius yang khusus menulis mengenai tingkah polah para bangsawan, yang membuka setiap bab dari novel ini sebagai pengantar cerita. Ini merupakan cara yang cukup genius untuk sekilas mendapatkan cerita dari sudut pandang orang lain di luar karakter-karakter yang ada di dalamnya.

Characters appear in The Duke And I are as follows :

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings.

Daphne Bridgerton : anak ke-4 dari keluarga Bridgerton, putri yang paling tua.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, anak sulung dari keluarga Bridgerton.

Benedict Bridgerton : kakak laki-laki Daphne yang ke-2.

Colin Bridgerton : kakak laki-laki Daphne yang ke-3.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Daphne.

Gregory Bridgerton : adik laki-laki Daphne.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : adik perempuan Daphne yang paling bungsu.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Nigel Berbrooke : salah satu pelamar Daphne sebelum ia bertemu dengan Simon, berkepribadian baik namun tidak terlalu pintar.

Robert Kemble : Earl of Macclesfield, salah satu teman Colin (tokoh utama dalan novel Everything And The Moon).

Mrs. Portia Featherington : salah satu Ibu Ambisius yang dihindari oleh para bangsawan bujangan (termasuk Simon).

Prudence Featherington : salah satu anak perempuan Mrs. Featherington.

Philipa Featherington : salah satu anak perempuan Mrs. Fetaherington.

Penelope Featherington : salah satu anak perempuan Mrs. Featherington.

Lady Whistledown : penulis berita gossip di koran, yang menerbitkan berita mengenai setiap kejadian dalam pesta-pesta dan kehidupan kaum bangsawan dengan cukup akurat, namun tidak ada seorangpun yang mengetahui siapa identitas sebenarnya.

Nilai rating untuk novel The Duke And I ini adalah 7.5/10

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Book 2 : The Viscount Who Loved Me

(Anthony Bridgerton and Katharine Sheffield)

First Published in Indonesia on February 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 24 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 456 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

1814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London’s most elsuive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry.

And in 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 is 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 is 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…

The Viscount Who Loved Me tells a love story between Anthony Bridgerton with Katharine ‘Kate’ Sheffield. The story begins in 1814, one year after the ending of Daphne’s story in The Duke and I, and took place in London and Kent, England.

Anthony, who is 30 years old that year, decided that the time has come for him to finally get married and have an heir to carry on his Viscount Bridgerton title. As the eldest son, Anthony is the one that really took a huge hit and feeling the lost the most when his father died suddenly compare to his brothers and sisters. He is admired and idolized his father, Edmund Bridgerton so much that Anthony convincing himself that he won’t top his father achievement in every way, including his age when he died, which is 38 years old.

Anthony irrationally sure that he won’t reach 39 years old and see his children grow up. Which is why he got three main criteria to look for a wife: she must be easy in the eye, she has to be smart, and the most important one, she must be someone that Anthony cannot fall in love with, since love will make everything in his life more complicated.

With those criteria on his mind, he begins his search in London Season that year and soon his choice falls to Edwina Sheffield, who got the reputation as The Incomparable of 1814, because of her astonishing beauty and grace. However, there’s one slightly problem for Anthony to get Edwina’s hand in marriage, which is her older sister, Kate Sheffield.

Both Kate and Edwina have their debut together that year (Edwina at 17 years old, and Kate at 21 years old) because they are not a very wealthy family in Sommerset after their father passed away several years ago, their small family only can afford one London season. And Edwina announcing at the very beginning of the season that she won’t accept any proposal of marriage without her dear older sister consent, and therefore all of her admires are also trying to win Kate’s approval. And as for Kate, who really love her younger half-sister (they are from different mother), feels responsible to make sure Edwina’s happiness above everything else, so she’s gladly selecting Edwina’s admires to search for the best husband for her sister and takes her role seriously to protect her sister from any bad candidate that didn’t suit Edwina or cannot make her happy.

Considering Anthony’s reputation as a Playboy and Rake in England, and the bad impressions that Kate have on their first, second and third meetings, Kate decided that she will try her best to prevent Anthony to have Edwina’s hand in marriage, even The Viscount is extremely handsome and rich. Meanwhile, Anthony is also not impress with Kate’s bluntness and strong personality, and mostly because Kate is not affected at all by his charming persona like most women do. And Anthony also consider Kate’s determination to keep her sister from him as a challenge, and makes him even more willing to put all of his effort to win and get Edwina.

But as they spent more time together at the house party held by Anthony’s mother in Aubrey Hall, one of Bridgerton’s family house in Kent, both Kate and Anthony learn a lot about each other and soon found out that they have a lot in common and that their bad perception of each other is not entirely true. In the end they develop a friendship between them, and Kate finally give up and allows Anthony to marry her sister. But something happens that changes everything and makes them have to get married instead. Will everything turn out happily ever after for both of them?

This book is one of my favorite novels by Julia Quinn. She smartly can combine her historical story with a certain medical theme in her novels. In The Viscount Who Loved Me the medical theme is about Phobia (an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something, usually triggered by a traumatic experience in the past). The other reason that I really ike this novel is a love and hate relationship between Anthony and Kate is very interesting to read and didn’t fail to keep me laughing the whole time they’re together. Especially when they’re playing Pall Mall along with Colin, Daphne, Simon and Edwina; and their sneaky effort to sabotage each other. Their interaction with each other during the game is the highlight of the show, especially Colin, I just love him. The romance between Anthony and Kate also kinda sweet and romantic when Anthony is helping Kate dealing with her fear to thunder storm, and Kate is helping Anthony dealing with his irrational fear with death and makes him enjoying life. I can say that this book is in the list of my favorite historical romance.

Characters appear in The Viscount Who Loved Me are as follows :

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest son from the Bridgerton family.

Katharine ‘Kate’ Sheffield : Edwina’s older step sister, the oldest daughter of a Baron’s second son.

Edwina Sheffield : Kate’s younger half sister.

Mary Sheffield : Edwina’s mother, Kate’s step mother.

Edmund Bridgerton : the late Viscount Bridgerton, Anthony’s father.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Anthony’s mother.

Daphne Bassett : Duchess of Hastings, the 4th children from the Bridgerton family, Anthony’s sister.

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings, Daphne’s husband, Anthony’s best friend from Eton and Oxford.

Colin Bridgerton : Anthony’s 3rd brother.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Penelope Featherington : one of a young lady in London season, a wallflower just like Kate.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : Penelope’s mother, one of Violet Bridgerton’s friend.

Cressida Cowper : one of a young lady in London season, very pretty but likes to bully other people, especially Penelope.

Basil Grimston : Cressida’s friend.

Nigel Berbrooke : one of Edwina’s suitor this season.

Lady Whistledown : the mysterious gossip columnist in newspaper, who reports everything happens in the Tons with detail accuracy, but no one seems to know his/her identity.

Nilai rating untuk novel The Viscount Who Loved Me ini adalah 9/10

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The Viscount Who Loved Me bercerita mengenai perjalanan kisah cinta antara Anthony Bridgerton, dengan Katharine ‘Kate’ Sheffield. Kisah ini terjadi pada tahun 1814, setahun setelah kisah Daphne selesai di buku The Duke and I, dan mengambil setting di London dan daerah Kent, Inggris.

Anthony, yang tahun itu berumur 30 tahun, memutuskan bahwa sudah waktunya ia menikah supaya segera mendapatkan pewaris untuk meneruskan gelar Viscount yang disandangnya (bukannya ia kekurangan cadangan pewaris dengan 3 adik laki-laki yang sehat bugar). Sebagai anak yang tertua, Anthony sangat terpengaruh terhadap kematian ayahnya yang sangat tiba-tiba dan paling kehilangan akan sosok ayahnya dibandingkan dengan adik-adiknya yang lain. Ia sangat mengagumi dan mengidolakan Edmund Bridgerton, sehingga ia mempunyai keyakinan yang sangat aneh bahwa ia tidak akan pernah dapat melampaui pencapaian ayahnya dalam segala hal, temasuk juga melampaui umur ayahnya saat meninggal dinia, yaitu 38 tahun.

Dengan keyakinan bahwa ia akan mati muda dan tidak akan bisa melihat anaknya bertumbuh besar, Anthony mempunyai 3 kriteria untuk mencari calon istrinya tersebut, yaitu : wajah wanita itu harus cukup menarik, wanita itu juga harus pintar, dan yang terpenting dari semuanya itu adalah wanita tersebut tidak boleh seseorang yang dapat membuat Anthony jatuh cinta. Karena cinta akan membuat segalanya menjadi rumit.

Dengan 3 kriteria tersebut, Anthony memulai pencariannya di London Season tahun itu yang baru saja dimulai dan tidak diragukan lagi bahwa pilihannya segera jatuh pada Edwina Sheffield, yang mendapat julukan ‘Yang tak tertandingi di tahun 1814’ karena merupakan debutan tercantik yang memukau pada tahun itu. Hanya saja ada satu penghalang bagi Anthony untuk segera meminang Edwina, yaitu Kate Sheffield, kakak tiri Edwina.

Baik Kate dan Edwina melakukan debut secara bersamaan pada tahun itu (Edwina pada umur 17 tahun, dan Kate pada umur 21 tahun) karena keterbatasan dana untuk dapat melakukan 2x season untuk keluarga kecil dari Sommerset tersebut setelah ayah mereka meninggal. Semua pengagum Edwina berusaha sebaik-baiknya untuk mengambil hati Kate, setelah Edwina di awal season secara mengejutkan mengumumkan bahwa ia tidak akan menikah tanpa restu dan persetujuan dari kakaknya. Kate, yang sangat menyayangi adiknya itu, merasa bertanggung jawab untuk memastikan kebahagian Edwina di atas segalanya, sehingga ia bertekad meyeleksi para pengagum Edwina untuk mendapatkan kandidat calon suami terbaik untuk Edwina.

Mengingat reputasi Anthony sebagai seorang Playboy yang sudah tersohor di seluruh Inggris, dan kesan buruk tersebut semakin diperkuat pada saat pertemuan pertama, kedua, dan ketiga mereka, Kate memutuskan bahwa ia akan berusaha dengan segala cara untuk menghalangi seorang Playboy seperti Anthony untuk mendekati adiknya, walaupun Anthony bergelar dan sangat kaya. Anthony, yang juga tidak terkesan dengan sikap Kate yang blak-blakan, suka mengatur, dan karena wanita itu sama sekali tidak terpengaruh dengan pesonanya, menganggap tekad Kate untuk menjauhkannya dari adik perempuannya itu merupakan sebuah tantangan, dan membuatnya semakin gencar untuk mencoba mendekati Edwina.

Akan tetapi sejalannya waktu yang dihabiskan mereka berdua untuk saling mengenal di pesta rumah pedesaan di Aubrey Hall, kediaman keluarga Bridgerton di Kent, yang diselenggarakan oleh Ibu Anthony, Violet Bridgerton, baik Anthony maupun Kate sadar bahwa mereka ternyata mempunyai banyak sekali kemiripan dan bahwa selama ini persepsi buruk mereka akan satu sama lain ternyata salah. Pada akhirnya persahabatan mulai terjalin di antara mereka, dan Kate akhirnya menyerah untuk mengijinkan Anthony mendekati Edwina. Akan tetapi suatu kejadian yang tak terduga malah mengubah semuanya dan membuat Anthony dan Kate terpaksa harus menikah. Akankah semuanya akan berakhir bahagia bagi keduanya?

Buku ini merupakan salah satu novel karangan Julia Quinn yang menjadi favoritku. Julia Quinn dengan cerdasnya selalu dapat menyisipkan tema kondisi medis di hampir setiap novelnya. Di dalam The Viscount Who Loved Me ini yang dibahas adalah mengenai Phobia (ketakutan secara berlebihan terhadap sesuatu hal yang tidak dapat dijelaskan, biasanya dipicu dari trauma yang dialami pada kejadian di masa lalu). Selain itu hubungan cinta dan benci antara Anthony dan Kate di sepanjang cerita ini sangat menarik dan selalu menimbulkan gelak tawa saat keduanya bersama. Apalagi pada saat mereka bermain Pall Mall bersama dengan Colin, Daphne, Simon, dan Edwina, dengan secara liciknya berusaha saling menyabotase kemenangan satu sama lain. Tidak ada yang dapat menandingi interaksi lucu di antara mereka semua, terutama Colin yang cukup mencuri perhatian di sini. Selain kelucuan, terdapat pula adegan-adegan romantis yang mendalam antara Anthony dan Kate, pada saat Anthony membantu Kate mengatasi ketakutannya akan hujan badai dan petir, serta Kate yang membantu Anthony mengatasi ketakutannya akan kematian dan mengajarinya untuk dapat menikmati hidup. Buku ini termasuk salah satu Historical Romance favoritku.

Adapun para tokoh dalam The Viscount Who Loved Me adalah sebagai berikut :

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, anak laki-laki tertua dari keluarga Bridgerton.

Katharine ‘Kate’ Sheffield : kakak tiri Edwina, anak tertua dari seorang anak kedua seorang Baron.

Edwina Sheffield : adik tiri Kate.

Mary Sheffield : ibu Edwina, ibu tiri Kate.

Edmund Bridgerton : ayah Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton sebelumnya yang sudah meninggal.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Anthony.

Daphne Bassett : Duchess of Hastings, anak ke-4 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, adik Anthony.

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings, suami Daphne, sahabat Anthony sejak masa sekolah mereka di Eton dan Oxford.

Colin Bridgerton : adik ke-3 Anthony.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Penelope Featherington : salah satu Lady muda di season London, seorang wallflower seperti Kate.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : ibu Penelope, salah satu teman Violet Bridgerton.

Cressida Cowper : salah satu Lady muda di season London, sangat cantik tapi suka membully orang lain, terutama Penelope.

Basil Grimston : teman Cressida’s friend.

Nigel Berbrooke : salah satu Gentlemen yang mengejar Edwina season ini.

Lady Whistledown : penulis kolom gossip di koran yang misterius, yang melaporkan semuanya yang terjadi dikalangan bangsawan dengan detail akurat, tetapi tidak ada yang mengetahui identitasnya sebenarnya.

Nilai rating untuk novel The Viscount Who Loved Me ini adalah 9/10.

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Book 3 : An Offer From A Gentleman

(Benedict Bridgerton and Sophia Beckett)

First Published in Indonesia on March 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 25 Chapters, 504 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

Will she accept his offer before the clock strikes midnight?

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she’d be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball—or that “Prince Charming” would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid’s garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

An Offer From A Gentleman is a love story between Benedict Bridgerton with Sophia Beckett that took place between 1815 untili 1817.

Benedict met and dance with a beautiful mysterious Lady in a silver gown at a Masquerade Ball that host by his mother, Violet Bridgerton on 1815, and he instantly fell in love with her, eventhough she never reveals her true identity and fled from the party before the clock struck midnight. With the only clue he had, a glove with an ancient family crest, Benedict tries to find the beautiful mysterious Lady that stole his heart.

Sophie Beckett didn’t want to reveal her identity to Benedict without any reason. She is after all a bastard daughter of Earl of Penwood. And since she’s 3 years old, she’s been living at Penwood House in the country as the Earl’s ward. When she’s 10 years old, the Earl married to a widow with two daughters age 11 years old and 10 years old. Four years later when the Earl died without a male heir, the Countess treat Sophie as a maid and torturing her with ridiculous and mean tasks.

Until one night Sophie secretly attend a Masquerade Ball held by Lady Bridgerton without her step mother and step sisters consent, and met with Benedict. That night is an enchanted night for Sophie, who at first only wants to have a little taste of a life that she will never have after her father’s death. And she found a forbidden love instead, since Benedict is a respected member of the Tons that is out of her reach while Sophie is only a mere servant. There’s no future for their love to blossom in the society.

An Offer From A Gentleman is clearly inspired from the classic tale of Cinderella, with a twist. Usually I’m not too fond with a love story that inspired based on a fairy tale since it’s not so original; and I also not too keen to read a book with the Hero and Heroine falls deeply in love at the first sight, since it feels a bit too cliché for me. But Julia Quinn’s writing style and her story line makes this love story mesmerizing, and feels unique and very interested to read. Every page stirs some bittersweet magical feelings inside me that is very hard to resist from the very beginning until the very end, I just cannot put it down and curious with how everything will play out until the ending.

To be honest, An Offer From A Gentleman is my first novel from Julia Quinn, and from this novel I started follow her other books and series. So I can say that An Offer From A Gentleman is one of my favorite books from Julia Quinn.

Characters appear in An Offer From A Gentleman are as follows :

Sophia Maria Beckett : Earl of Penwood’s bastard, but the Earl’s declares to the world that she is his ward and lives at his country estate during her childhood. Sophie becomes a lady’s maid for the Earl’s wife and step daughters once the Earl passed away when she was 14 years old.

Benedict Bridgerton : the second son of the Bridgerton Family.

Richard Gunningworth : the late Earl of Penwood the 6th, Sophie’s biological father.

Araminta Gunningworth : Dowager Countess of Penwood, the Earl of Penwood’s wife.

Rosamund Reiling : Araminta’s eldest daughter from her previous marriage, the late Earl of Penwood’s step daughter.

Posy Reiling : Araminta’s youngest daughter from her previous marriage, the late Earl of Penwood’s step daughter.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Daphne’s mother.

Colin Bridgerton : Benedict’s brother, the 3rd children in the Bridgerton family.

Daphne Bridgerton : the 4th children from the Bridgerton family, the eldest daughter.

Eloise Bridgerton : the 5th children from the Bridgerton family, Violet’s second daughter.

Francesca Bridgerton : the 6th children from the Bridgerton family, Violet’s third daughter.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : The youngest children in the family.

Penelope Featherington : Eloise’s best friend.

Felicity Featherington : Hyacinth’s best friend.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest son from the Bridgerton family.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : Penelope’s and Felicity’s mother, a friend of Violet.

Mr. & Mrs. Crabtree : care taker of My Cottage, Benedict’s small estate in the country.

Phillip Cavender : son of Mr. And Mrs. Cavender, where Sophie was working after she left Araminta and Penwood House.

Lady Whistledown : the mysterious gossip columnist in newspaper, who reports everything happens in the Tons with detail accuracy, but no one seems to know his/her identity.

Rating for An offer From A Gentleman is 9/10.

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An Offer From A Gentleman merupakan kisah cinta antara Benedict Bridgerton dengan Sophia Beckett dari rentang waktu tahun 1815 sampai 1817.

Benedict bertemu dengan seorang wanita misterius bergaun perak di dalam pesta topeng yang diselenggarakan oleh Ibunya, Violet Bridgerton pada tahun 1815, dan ia pun jatuh cinta pada pandangan pertama dengan wanita itu walaupun wanita itu tidak mau memberitahukan namanya. Berbekal dari satu-satunya petunjuk berupa sebuah sarung tangan berlambang sebuah keluarga bangsawan kuno, Benedict berusaha mencari wanita misterius yang mencuri hatinya tersebut.

Sophie Beckett adalah seorang anak haram Earl of Penwood, yang sejak berumur 3 tahun dibesarkan di rumah keluarga Penwood sebagai anak perwalian sang Earl. Pada saat ia berumur 10 tahun, sang Earl menikah dengan seorang janda yang sudah mempunyai dua orang putri berumur 11 tahun dan 10 tahun. Empat tahun kemudian saat sang Earl meninggal dunia tanpa pewaris, sang Countess memperlakukan Sophie sebagai pelayan dan sering menyiksanya dengan memberikan tugas-tugas yang tidak masuk akal.

Pada suatu malam ia secara diam-diam menghadiri pesta topeng yang diselenggarakan oleh Lady Bridgerton tanpa sepengetahuan dari Ibu dan saudara tirinya, dan bertemu dengan Benedict di sana. Malam itu merupakan sebuah malam menakjubkan bagi Sophie yang hanya ingin sedikit mencicipi pengalaman pesta dansa dan kehidupan yang tidak dapat dijalaninya setelah kematian ayahnya. Dan ia malah menemukan cinta yang terlarang, karena Benedict merupakan anggota bangsawan yang terhormat sedangkan Sophie hanya seorang pelayan belaka. Tidak ada harapan masa depan untuk cinta mereka berdua bertumbuh dalam pergaulan kalangan atas.

An Offer From A Gentleman jelas terinspirasi dari dongeng klasik Cinderella dengan sedikit twist. Biasanya aku sering kurang suka dengan cerita yang merupakan adaptasi dari dongeng atau cerita lainnya yang sudah pernah ada karena idenya ceritanya terasa kurang original. Dan juga biasanya aku tidak tertarik dengan buku yang tokoh utamanya jatuh cinta pada pandangan pertama karena kok rasanya sangat klise. Akan tetapi, gaya penulisan Julia Quinn yang cerdik dapat membuat kisah cinta ini menjadi sebuah kisah baru yang benar-benar unik dan menarik untuk dibaca. Setiap halaman dari novel ini terasa penuh dengan kesan magis yang sulit untuk diabaikan dari awal hingga akhir, sehingga mengundang rasa penasaran di setiap halamannya dan sungguh sulit untuk dapat berhenti membacanya.

Terus terang saja An Offer From A Gentleman merupakan novel pertama dari Julia Quinn yang aku baca, dan bermula dari novel inilah aku baru mulai mengikuti novel-novel karya Julia Quinn lainnya, baik di dalam serial Brigerton ini maupun di dalam serial-serial lainnya. Jadi tidak dapat disangkal lagi bahwa An Offer From A Gentleman merupakan salah satu karya Julia Quinn favoritku.

Adapun para tokoh dalam An Offer From A Gentleman adalah sebagai berikut :

Sophia Maria Beckett : anak haram Earl of Penwood, tetapi diakui oleh sang Earl sebagai anak perwaliannya dan tinggal di rumah keluarga pedesaannya semasa kecilnya. Sophie kemudian diperlakukan sebagai pelayan oleh janda Earl dan anak tirinya setelah ayahnya meninggal saat Sophie berusia 14 tahun.

Benedict Bridgerton : anak laki-laki kedua dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

Richard Gunningworth : Earl of Penwood ke-6 yang sudah meninggal, ayah kandung Sophie.

Araminta Gunningworth : Dowager Countess of Penwood, istri Earl of Penwood.

Rosamund Reiling : anak perempuan Araminta tertua dari pernikahannya sebelumnya, anak tiri Earl of Penwood.

Posy Reiling : anak perempuan Araminta yang lebih muda dari pernikahannya sebelumnya, anak tiri Earl of Penwood.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Benedict.

Colin Bridgerton : adik laki-laki Benedict, anak ke-3 dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

Daphne Bridgerton : anak ke-4 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, anak perempuan tertua.

Eloise Bridgerton : anak ke-5 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, anak perempuan kedua.

Francesca Bridgerton : anak ke-6 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, anak perempuan ketiga.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : anak paling bungsu dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

Penelope Featherington : sahabat baik Eloise.

Felicity Featherington : sahabat baik Hyacinth.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, anak sulung dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : ibu Penelope dan Felicity, teman Violet Bridgerton.

Mr. & Mrs. Crabtree : pengurus My Cottage (rumah kecil di pedesaan milik Benedict).

Phillip Cavender : anak dari Mr. dan Mrs. Cavender, tempat Sophie bekerja setelah meninggalkan Araminta dan Penwood House.

Lady Whistledown : penulis kolom gossip di koran yang misterius, yang melaporkan apa yang terjadi dikalangan para bangsawan dengan details yang cukup akurat, tetapi tidak ada yang mengetahui identitasnya yang sebenarnya.

Nilai rating untuk novel An offer From A Gentleman ini adalah 9/10.

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Book 4 : Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

(Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington)

First published in Indonesia on May 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 25 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 472 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for… well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret… and fears she doesn’t know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the neverending sameness of his life, and, most of all, tired of everyone’s preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply… there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide… is she his biggest threat—or his promise of a happy ending?

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton tells a romantic love story between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington that took years to blossom. This story sets in London, England with 12 years time, which begins from 1812 to 1824.

Penelope falls in love with Colin for the first time when she’s almost 16 years old on 1812. That love only one sided of course, since Colin, 21 years old that year, is a very popular Gentleman and he’s still looking for fun and adventures without even thinking about marriage. But that doesn’t mean that Colin didn’t like Penelope at all, he just never thinking about Penelope from any romantic side at all, even nobody thinks about romancing Penelope. To be honest, Colin and the other Gentlemen cannot be blamed fully, since her shyness and her discomfort around new people makes Penelope a true wallflower at every ball in London for every season.

So imagine the surprise he feels when Colin began to notice Penelope and attracted to her after all those years, when Colin finally back to London from his long latest journey on 1824, twelve years later after their first meeting. Penelope, who is 28 years old at that time and already consider as a spinster, is finally free to be herself without any pressure or intervention from her mother or the tons in her fashion sense, appearance, and her approach towards others. And she’s blossoming into a mature, smart and sophisticated Lady that captured Colin’s heart and mind.

I will try my best to review Romancing Mr. Bridgerton without revealing too much details that contains spoiler. I can say that this book is really interesting but still gives me a mixed and conflicted feelings between I Love this book but I also not very much like it. It is full with both positive and slightly negative aspects that makes this love story quite unique. First of all, I’m very happy with Penelope’s character development from a shy and clumsy Wallflower in the previous 3 books (The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and An Offer From A Gentleman) and she turns into a strong and proud Heroine that worthy of the charming Colin Bridgerton’s attention. Their love story feels quite sweet and romantic, but with all the conflicts and so many things happens in this book, the love story feels a bit rushed and not too focused with the courting process between Colin and Penelope. It’s a bit disappointing for me since both Colin and Penelope are my favorite characters from the previous books, and I expected more sweet moments for their love story.

I can say that Julia Quinn quite daring taking a big risk with her decision to end Lady Whistledown in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, and although I’m a bit sad, but I really respected her for the risk that she’s taking. It’s a tough decision to take since Lady Whistledown’s gossip column is one of the factor that gives a unique perspective that makes this Bridgerton Series different from other Historical Romance novels. In my opinion, Julia Quinn’s decision with Lady Whistledown gives a huge impact not only to this book, but also for her two next book in the Bridgerton Series (To Sir Phillip, With Love and When He Was Wicked) that happens around the same time that also suffer with the lost of Lady Whistledown character.

Characters in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton are as follows :

Colin Bridgerton : the 3^rd son in the Bridgerton family, really likes to travel around Europe.

Penelope Featherington : best friend with Eloise (Colin’s sister) for years, and already consider as an honorary Bridgerton with all the time she spents with all the Bridgertons, including Colin.

Eloise Bridgerton : Penelope’s best friend, Colin’s sister, the 5^th children in Bridgerton family.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : Penelope’s mother.

Prudence Featherington : Penelope’s older sister.

Philipa Featherington : Penelope’s older sister.

Felicity Featherington : Penelope’s little sister, best friend with Hyacinth Bridgerton (Eloise’s youngest sister).

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings.

Daphne Bassett : Colin’s sister, Duchess of Hastings, married to Simon.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest brother in Bridgerton family.

Benedict Bridgerton : Colin’s 2^nd brother.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Colin’s mother.

Gregory Bridgerton : Colin’s little brother.

Kate Bridgerton : Viscountess Bridgerton, Anthony’s wife, Colin’s sister in-law.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : Colin’s youngest sister.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Nigel Berbrooke : Penelope’s brother in law.

Robert Kemble : Earl of Macclesfield, one of Colin’s friend. (a Hero in another novel Everything And The Moon).

Cressida Twombley : maiden name Cressida Crowper, one member of the Tons, likes to bully Penelope when they’re still debutantes.

Lady Whistledown : a mysterious gossip column in newspaper, who reports what happens in the Tons wit details accuracy, nobody knows his/her identity.

Viscount Burwick : Ned Blydon, one of the character from Splendid.

Lucas Hotchkiss & Jane Hotchkiss : brother and sister from How To Marry A Marquis.

Geoffrey Albansdale : soon to be Felicity’s fiancée.

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Romancing Mr. Bridgerton menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta yang memerlukan waktu sangat panjang untuk bertumbuh diantara Colin Bridgerton dan Penelope Featherington yang bersetting di kota London, Inggris.

Penelope jatuh cinta pada Colin saat ia akan menginjak usia 16 tahun pada tahun 1812. Cinta itu tentunya bertepuk sebelah tangan karena saat itu Colin yang baru berumur 21 tahun sangat populer dan masih suka bersenang-senang tanpa pernah memikirkan mengenai cinta dan pernikahan. Tapi itu bukan berarti Colin tidak menyukai Penelope, Colin hanya tidak pernah melihat Penelope dari sisi pendekatan yang romantis. Memang tentu saja Colin dan para pria lainnya saat itu tidak dapat sepenuhnya disalahkan, karena dengan penampilan Penelope yang tidak menonjol, kegugupan serta sikap pemalu dan kikuknya yang selalu muncul saat ia merasa tidak nyaman ketika bertemu dengan orang baru, menjadikan Penelope sebagai gadis Wallflower Sejati di dalam setiap pesta-pesta di London dalam setiap season.

Jadi bayangkan betapa terkejutnya Colin ketika ia mendapati dirinya tertarik dengan Penelope saat ia kembali ke London dari perjalanan wisata terakhirnya pada tahun 1824, dua belas tahun setelah pertemuan pertama mereka, padahal selama ini ia hanya menganggap Penelope sebagai sahabat baik adiknya Eloise Bridgerton. Penelope yang saat itu sudah berumur 28 tahun dan sudah dianggap sebagai perawan tua, akhirnya dapat bebas dapat menjadi dirinya sendiri tanpa campur tangan dan tekanan dari ibunya dalam segi mode, penampilan maupun cara bersikap. Dan saat Penelope berubah menjadi dirinya sendiri inilah, Penelope berubah berkembang menjadi gadis matang yang pintar yang menawan hati dan pikiran Colin.

Aku akan mencoba membahas mengenai Romancing Mr. Bridgerton tanpa terlalu details sehingga membocorkan spoiler apapun. Dapat dikatakan bahwa buku ini sangat menarik walaupun aku selalu terombang-ambing berada pada dua sisi yang bertentangan antara I Love this book but I also not very much like it. Tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa buku ini mengundang reaksi yang campur aduk setelah membacanya karena penuh dengan kontradiksi antara sisi positif dan sisi negatifnya.

Pertama aku sangat gembira dengan perkembangan positif dari karakter Penelope yang bertumbuh dari karakter pendukung sekunder seorang gadis Wallflower yang canggung dan pemalu di dalam 3 buku sebelumnya (The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, dan An Offer From A Gentleman) menjadi karakter tokoh utama yang cukup dapat dibanggakan sehingga menjadi benar-benar layak untuk dapat mendampingi Colin Bridgerton yang mempesona. Selain itu kisah cinta antara Penelope dan Colin benar-benar cukup manis dan romantis, tetapi di satu sisi ceritanya terkesan terlalu padat dengan banyaknya hal dan konflik yang terjadi di dalamnya sehingga ada kesan ceritanya menjadi kurang berfokus dengan cerita dan pendekatan romantis antara Colin dengan Penelope.

Julia Quinn cukup berani mengambil resiko besar dengan keputusan yang dibuatnya saat menuliskan alur cerita dalam Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ini, and I really respected her because of that. Terus terang sangat disayangkan Julia Quinn memutuskan untuk mengakhiri penampilan karakter Lady Whistledown di dalam Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ini. Sebenarnya ini keputusan yang sulit karena kolom Lady Whistledown merupakan salah satu faktor yang memberikan Bridgerton Series ini suatu karakteristik yang unik yang membedakannya dari sekian banyak novel-novel Historical Romance lainnya. Keputusan Julia Quinn ini menurutku cukup memberikan pengaruh yang cukup besar untuk dua buku berikutnya di dalam Bridgerton Series, yaitu To Sir Phillip, With Love dan When He Was Wicked yang juga terjadi dalam rentang waktu yang hampir berbarengan sehingga kedua buku selanjutnya itu cukup terpengaruh dengan rasa kehilangan dari karakter Lady Whistledown ini.

Adapun para tokoh yang muncul dalam Romancing Mr. Bridgerton adalah sebagai berikut :

Colin Bridgerton : anak ke-3 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, sangat menyukai bepergian keliling Eropa.

Penelope Featherington : sahabat baik Eloise (adik Colin) selama bertahun-tahun, dan sudah dianggap sebagai bagian dari keluarga Bridgerton dengan banyaknya waktu yang dihabiskan di rumah mereka dan dengan seluruh anggota keluarga Bridgerton, termasuk Colin.

Mrs. Portia Featherington : ibu Penelope.

Prudence Featherington : kakak Penelope.

Philipa Featherington : kakak Penelope.

Felicity Featherington : adik Penelope, sahabat baik Hyacinth Bridgerton (adik bungsu Eloise).

Simon Bassett : Duke of Hastings.

Daphne Bassett : adik Colin, Duchess of Hastings, menikah dengan Simon.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, kakak tertua dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

Benedict Bridgerton : kakak Colin yang ke-2.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Colin.

Gregory Bridgerton : adik laki-laki Colin.

Kate Bridgerton : Viscountess Bridgerton, istri Anthony, kakak ipar Colin.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : adik bungsu Colin.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Nigel Berbrooke : kakak ipar Penelope.

Robert Kemble : Earl of Macclesfield, salah satu teman Colin. (tokoh utama dalam novel lainnya Everything And The Moon).

Cressida Twombley : namanya sebelum menikah adalah Cressida Crowper, salah satu anggota bangsawan yang suka membully Penelope ketika mereka masih baru keluar di kalangan masyarakat.

Lady Whistledown : penulis kolom gossip di koran yang misterius, yang melaporkan segala sesuatu yang terjadi di kalangan Bangsawan secara detail dan akurat, namu tidak ada siapapun yang mengetahui identitiasnya.

Viscount Burwick : Ned Blydon, salah satu tokoh dari Splendid series.

Lucas Hotchkiss & Jane Hotchkiss : kakak beradik dari How To Marry A Marquis.

Geoffrey Albansdale : calon tunangan Felicity.

Nilai rating untuk novel Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ini adalah 8.5/10

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Book 5 : To Sir Phillip, With Love

(Eloise Bridgerton and Sir Phillip Crane)

First Published in Indonesia on July 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 21 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 448 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

My dear Miss Bridgerton,

We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you.

Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me. It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife.
—Sir Phillip Crane

Sir Phillip Crane knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he’d proposed, figuring that she’d be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except… she wasn’t. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her… and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn’t marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking… and wondering… and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except… he wasn’t. Her perfect husband wouldn’t be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled… and when he kissed her… the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn’t help but wonder… could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

To Sir Phillip, With Love tells a romantic love story between Eloise Bridgerton with a Baronet named Sir Phillip Crane. This story begins in 1824 around the same time as the ending in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, when Eloise secretly disappear from Daphne’s party. To Sir Phillip, With Love sets in England countryside, in Gloucestershire on 1824.

Eloise, who at that time already 28 years old, feels lonely and lost after she found out that her brother, Colin Bridgerton falls in love and married with her very best friend, Penelope. The lonely feeling that Eloise felt is not because she’s not happy or not approve of her two favorite people tying the knot, she’s more than happy to have Penelope as her sister, but that feeling is more because all this time she always pictures herself and Penelope will spend their spinster life together. And now that Penelope unexpectedly got her happy ending, Eloise realise that she wants that kind of relationship also in her life. So when Sir Phillip (whom Eloise had correspondence with for the past one and a half year) suggested Eloise to come and visit him (with the presence of a lady companion of course) at his house Romney Hall in Gloucestershire, for courting and to see if they have possibility of a match to marry; without second thought Eloise decided to pack her bags and secretly go there by herself without her family knowledge, or even without telling anything to her best friend Penelope or even inform Sir Phillip regarding her arrival (since Eloise never reply the last letter of invitation from Sir Phillip).

So imagine Sir Phillip’s surprises when he found a Lady knocking at his doorstep claiming to be Eloise Bridgerton. He caught himself of guard since he hasn’t got a chance to arrange one of his old relative to come stay at the house as Eloise’s Lady companion, or even to prepare his twin children, Amanda and Oliver, to behave nicely to the guest, or even prepare himself to explain to Eloise that he have a very naughty twins. And of course he never expected a 28-year-old spinster, whom he had correspondence for more than a year is in fact a beautiful Lady. Sir Phillip indeed consider to re-marry to give his 8-year-old twins a mother, but he would never have expected to find a beautiful wife. Not to mention Eloise’s warm personality and her smart mind, makes her a worthy opponent for all the mischief and naughty things that the twins have in store to welcome their guest.

But will the challenge to live in the country and become a good step mother for both Amanda and Oliver is good enough for Eloise, while Sir Phillip only seems interested with his works inside his green house?

I can say that I’m one of Julia Quinn’s fans of her novels. Some of her books are amazing above the other, and some are just average. And for To Sir Phillip, With Love, too bad I have to put it in the average list. It didn’t feel special at all compare to all the books in Bridgerton Series or Julia Quinn’s other series. Not that this novel is poorly written or anything, but compare to the high standard of other Julia Quinn’s novels, To Sir Phillip, With Love just didn’t deliver. The story line feels flat and plain, and I cannot feel enough chemistry between Eloise and Sir Phillip, so it’s hard for me as a reader to love and invested in their characters and love the story. Also Eloise in this book feels out of her usual portrayal character mention so many times before in the previous books in the series. Feels like seeing two completely different characters for me. This is such a pity and disappointment for me since Eloise is one of a strong supporting character of the series that often steals the show whenever she’s around. So with a flat boring storyline (I just never expected of Eloise would just settle down for marriage of convenience to someone the opposite character like Phillip), To Sir Phillip, With Love is my least favorite book in the series, especially with Lady Whistledown gone.

And as for medical theme, in To Sir Phillip, With Love tells about depression that Phillip’s first wife have, and then there’s also a mention about Willow bark which contains the same active ingredient as aspirin and is indeed quite useful in reducing a fever.

Characters appear in To Sir Phillip, With Love are as follows :

Eloise Bridgerton : the 5th children in the Bridgerton family.

Phillip Crane : a Baronet living in Gloucestershire as a Botanist.

Marina Crane : Phillip’s late wife, Eloise’s second cousin.

Oliver Crane : Phillips’ and Marina’s son.

Amanda Crane : Phillips’ and Marina’s daughter, Oliver’s twin sister.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest big brother from the Bridgerton family.

Benedict Bridgerton : Eloise’s 2nd brother.

Colin Bridgerton : Eloise’s 3rd brother.

Gregory Bridgerton : Eloise’s little brother.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Eloise’s mother.

Penelope Featherington : Eloise’s best friend and sister in-law, Colin’s wife.

Sophie Bridgerton : Eloise’s sister in law, Benedict’s wife.

Rating for To Sir Phillip, With Love is 6.5/10.

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To Sir Phillip, With Love menceritakan mengenai kisah cinta antara Eloise Bridgerton dengan seorang Baronet bernama Sir Phillip Crane yang terjadi dalam kurun waktu yang dimulai hampir bersamaan dengan akhir kisah Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

To Sir Phillip, With Love berlatar belakang di daerah pedesaan Gloucestershire, Inggris pada tahun 1824. Eloise yang saat itu berumur 28 tahun merasakan perasaan hampa dan kehilangan saat secara mengejutkan kakak laki-lakinya, Colin Bridgerton jatuh cinta dan memutuskan untuk menikah dengan sahabat karibnya, Penelope. Perasaan hampa dan kehilangan itu Eloise rasakan bukan karena ia tidak bahagia ataupun menyetujui pernikahan kedua orang favoritnya tersebut, melainkan karena selama ini ia selalu membayangkan bahwa ia dan Penelope akan menghabiskan sisa kehidupan mereka sebagai perawan tua bersama-sama. Jadi saat Sir Phillip (yang sudah selama satu setengah tahun belakangan ini berkoresponden melalui surat dengan Eloise) mengundang Eloise untuk datang mengunjunginya di Romney Hall, tempat tinggal pria itu di Gloucestershire untuk menjajaki kemungkinan kecocokan mereka untuk menikah, tanpa pikir panjang Eloise memutuskan untuk berkemas secara diam-diam dan segera berangkat ke Romney Hall tanpa memberitahukan keputusannya itu kepada siapapun juga, baik keluarganya, Penelope sahabat karibnya, ataupun Sir Phillip sendiri (Eloise tidak pernah membalas surat terakhir dari Sir Phillip yang menyatakan niat untuk mengundang Eloise tersebut). Kisah dalam To Sir Phillip, With Love dimulai hanya beberapa saat sebelum kisah dalam Romancing Mr. Bridgerton selesai, saat Eloise memutuskan untuk segera berangkat kabur dari keluarganya ke Gloucestershire pada malam pesta Daphne yang legendaris.

Jadi betapa terkejutnya Sir Phillip saat mendapati Eloise tiba di rumahnya tanpa pemberitahuan sebelumnya sehingga ia bahkan belum sempat mengatur adanya pendamping ataupun menyiapkan kedua anak kembarnya, Amanda dan Oliver untuk bersikap manis. Dan yang paling mengejutkan Sir Phillip adalah bahwa ia sama sekali tidak menyangka bahwa wanita 28 tahun yang sudah berkorespondensi dengannya selama satu setengah tahun belakangan ini adalah wanita yang sangat cantik. Sir Phillip memang sedang mempertimbangkan untuk menikah lagi untuk memberikan sosok ibu bagi kedua anak kembarnya yang berusia 8 tahun. Namun Sir Phillip tidak pernah mengharapkan bahwa wanita yang dilamarnya lewat surat dan ada di rumahnya saat ini adalah seorang wanita yang sangat cantic. Apalagi ditambah dengan kepribadian Eloise yang hangat dan cerdik, yang membuatnya dapat dengan mudah menghadapi kedua anak kembar Sir Phillip yang bandel dan sulit diatur. Akan tetapi apakah semua itu cukup bagi Eloise untuk menghadapi tantangan kehidupan pernikahan di pedesaan dan menjadi Ibu tiri yang baik bagi Amanda dan Oliver, sementara Sir Phillip hanya terlihat tertarik dengan pekerjaannya di rumah kacanya?

Dapat dikatakan bahwa aku merupakan salah satu penggemar novel-novel karya Julia Quinn, walaupun memang ada beberapa novelnya yang lebih menonjol dibandingkan novel-novelnya yang lainnya. Untuk To Sir Phillip, With Love ini sayangnya menurutku termasuk salah satu novel yang kurang istimewa dibandingkan dengan yang lainnya, baik di dalam Bridgerton Series maupun untuk serial Julia Quinn lainnya. Bukan berarti novel ini buruk, hanya saja jika disandingkan dengan standart novel Julia Quinn lainnya yang cukup tinggi, To Sir Phillip, With Love ini menjadi kurang istimewa baik dari segi alur ceritanya yang terasa datar maupun untuk hubungan chemistry antara karakter Eloise dan Sir Phillip kurang terasa nyata untuk dapat lebih dicintai oleh para pembacanya. Hal ini sangat disayangkan berhubung Eloise ini termasuk salah satu karakter sekunder yang cukup kuat dan sering muncul serta cukup mencuri perhatian di dalam buku-buku sebelumnya dalam Bridgerton Series ini. Sehingga terasa cukup anti klimaks dengan alur cerita yang kurang sesuai dengan harapan dan ekspetasi pembaca setia dari Serial Bridgerton ini. Apalagi di dalam To Sir Phillip, With Love Eloise sama sekali tidak terlihat seperti gambaran karakter dirinya ada di dalam buku-buku sebelumnya. Rasanya seperti melihat dua karakter yang berbeda sama sekali. Aku sama sekali tidak dapat membayangkan Apalagi ditambah dengan absennya karakter Lady Whistledown di sini sehingga makin membuat buku ini semakin terasa biasa-biasa saja.

Untuk tema medis di dalam To Sir Phillip, With Love diselipkan tema mengenai depresi yang di alami istri pertama Sir Phillip dan juga ada sedikit mengenai kegunaan batang pohon willow yang dipakai sebagai penghilang demam, karena mengandung bahan aktif yang sama dengan kandungan pada obat aspirin di masa modern ini.

Adapun para tokoh dalam To Sir Phillip, With Love adalah sebagai berikut :

Eloise Bridgerton : anak ke-5 dari keluarga Bridgerton, 28 tahun.

Phillip Crane : seorang Baron yang tinggal di Gloucestershire yang berprofesi sebagai seorang ahli tumbuh-tumbuhan.

Marina Crane : istri pertama Phillip yang sudah meninggal, sepupu jauh Eloise.

Oliver Crane : anak laki-laki Phillip dan Marina, saudara kembar Amanda, 8 tahun.

Amanda Crane : anak perempuan Phillip dan Marina, saudari kembar Oliver.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, kakak tertua di keluarga Bridgerton.

Benedict Bridgerton : kakak laki-laki Eloise yang ke-2.

Colin Bridgerton : kakak laki-laki Eloise yang ke-3.

Gregory Bridgerton : adik laki-laki Eloise.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Eloise.

Penelope Featherington : sahabat baik Eloise dan kakak ipar Eloise, istri dari Colin.

Sophie Bridgerton : kakak ipar Eloise, istri Benedict.

Nilai rating untuk novel To Sir Phillip, With Love ini adalah 6.5/10

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Book 6 : When He Was Wicked

(Francesca Bridgerton-Stirling and Michael Stirling)

First published in Indonesia on Oktober 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 26 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 440 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

In every life there is a turning point.

A moment so tremendous, so sharp and breathtaking, that one knows one’s life will never be the same. For Michael Stirling, London’s most infamous rake, that moment came the first time he laid eyes on Francesca Bridgerton.

After a lifetime of chasing women, of smiling slyly as they chased him, of allowing himself to be caught but never permitting his heart to become engaged, he took one look at Francesca Bridgerton and fell so fast and hard into love it was a wonder he managed to remain standing. Unfortunately for Michael, however, Francesca’s surname was to remain Bridgerton for only a mere thirty-six hours longer–the occasion of their meeting was, lamentably, a supper celebrating her imminent wedding to his cousin.

But that was then… Now Michael is the earl and Francesca is free, but still she thinks of him as nothing other than her dear friend and confidant. Michael dares not speak to her of his love… until one dangerous night, when she steps innocently into his arms, and passion proves stronger than even the most wicked of secrets…

When He Was Wicked tells a love story between Francesca Bridgerton Stirling with Michael Stirling, sets in London and Scotland, take place on 1824, parallel with Penelope’s story in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and Eloise’s story in To Sir Phillip, with Love.

Francesca is the 6^th child in the Bridgertons, and she’s married with John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin on 1818, staying mostly in Scotland and London, when her husband needed in the Parliament. Too bad two years after her marriage, her husband John died because of a terrible headache, and make Francesca become a young widow. Tragically, Francesca had a miscarriage few days after her husband passed away, which adds to her grief and loss. She tried to seek support from her best friend, Michael Stirling, the heir of Earl of Kilmartin, who happens to be John’s cousin and best friend. But also suffer from his own guilt and sorrow for his cousin’s sudden death, Michael turn his back from Francesca and run to India.

Michael’a attitude towards Francesca is not without reason, since he carries a very big secret that he always tried to hide all this time, even when his cousin still alive. Michael, a charming rake, falls in love with Francesca Bridgerton since the first time he saw her, which ironically only mere hours before she become his cousin’s wife. And since Michael grew up with John, love and consider John more like a brother not just cousin and best friend, then Michael kept his feelings for Francesca just to himself, buried it deep down inside his heart and try not to show it by covering it with his Rakish reputation.

So when John died and all of his belongings, obligations and title falls to Michael as his only heir, Michael is devastated and feels guilty since he has to take over his beloved cousin’s place. That’s why he decided to go to India to running away from that guilty feelings and also running away from Francesca.

But Michael cannot run away from all of his duty and obligations waiting for him in England forever. He finally decided to come back to England after 4 long years in India. Meanwhile, Francesca finally decided to move on and end her mourning period for John’s death after 4 years since she wants to have a baby to fulfill her life. So she decided it is time to come to London to find another suitor for marriage. And so accidentally both Francesca and Michael meets again in London.

The love story between Francesca and Michael is quite interesting even the theme and tone for this book is a bit heavy and dark. Francesca’s character also quite mysterious and the last time I saw her I think is in An Offer From A Gentleman when she’s still hasn’t doing her debut, and after that she didn’t appear in both Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and To Sir Phillip, With Love.

According to my opinion, the book quite entertaining, but I have a few When He Was Wicked could be perfect if only we got to see also in the first chapters the additional scenes of John’s and Michael’s younger years and their bonding and friendship, the courting process and the relationship between John and Francesca before they were married, and the moment when Michael first saw Francesca. In this way the readers could more invested by the sorrow both Michael and Francesca feels when they lose John forever, and become more understanding with the conflicted feelings they have when both Michael and Francesca realize their feelings for each other. Also I think the time frame of the book could allow us to see Lady Whistledown’s gossip column about John, Michael or Francesca, considering that Francesca is married on 1818, a year after Benedict in An Offer from a Gentlemen, and ending around the same time with both Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and To Sir Phillip, With Love. I honestly just curious wants to see Lady Whistledown’s point of view on the charming Michael Stirling.

In When He Was Wicked there are 2 medical themes that Julia Quinn presented in almost all of her books. The first medical condition is Anurisme that causing John’s death (which of course is still a mystery to his family and friends during that time since there’s still not any scanning or MRI machine exist and according to Julia Quinn on her website, an autopsy for an Earl or any member of the tons is not a common practice). The other medical condition is the Malaria and its symptom that Michael suffered and the condition that he infected while he was in India.

Also in When He Was Wicked, we also got to see the special bonding between mother and daughter, Violet Bridgerton and Francesca, due to their similar experience to losing their beloved husband at such a young age.

Characters appear in When He Was Wicked are as follows :

Francesca Bridgerton Stirling : Countess of Kilmartin, the 6th children in the Bridgerton family.

John Stirling : the late Earl of Kilmartin.

Michael Stirling : the new Earl of Kilmartin, John’s cousin and heir.

Helen Stirling : Michael’s mother

Janet Stirling : Dowager Countess of Kilmartin, John’s mother.

Colin Bridgerton : Francesca’s 3rd brother.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Francesca’s mother.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : The youngest Bridgerton, Francesca’s little sister.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Kate Bridgerton : Anthony’s wife, Francesca’s sister in law.

Sophie Bridgerton : Benedict’s wife, Francesca’s sister in law.

Eloise Bridgerton : Francesca’s sister.

Rating for When He Was Wicked is 7.2/10

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When He Was Wicked merupakan kisah cinta antara Francesca Bridgerton dengan Michael Stirling, bertempat di London dan Scotlandia, terjadi dalam kurun waktu yang berbarengan dengan kisah Penelope (Romancing Mr. Bridgerton) dan Eloise (To Sir Phillip, with Love) pada tahun 1824.

Francesca merupakan anak ke-6 dalam susunan keluarga Bridgerton, dan ia menikah dengan John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin pada tahun 1818 dan banyak membagi waktunya untuk tinggal di Scotlandia dan London, seiring dengan tugas suaminya di Parlemen Inggris. Sayangnya dua tahun kemudian, suaminya John meninggal dunia akibat sakit kepala dan membuat Francesca menjadi janda di usianya yang masih sangat muda. Lebih tragisnya lagi Francesca juga mengalami keguguran tidak lama setelah itu, yang semakin menambah kesedihannya. Ia mencoba berpaling kepada sahabatnya Michael Stirling, pewaris gelar Earl of Kilmartin, yang juga merupakan sepupu dan sahabat baik suaminya, tetapi karena kesedihannya sendiri akibat kematian John yang mendadak, Michael pun menjauh dari Francesca.

Sikap Michael ini bukannya tanpa alasan, karena sebenarnya ia mempunyai sebuah rahasia besar yang selalu berusaha ia tutupi sejak sebelum sepupunya John meninggal. Michael, yang sesuai istilah saat itu merupakan salah seorang pria lajang populer pemikat wanita, jatuh cinta sejak pertemuan pertamanya dengan Francesca Bridgerton, yang ironisnya akan segera menjadi istri John sepupunya hanya dalam waktu beberapa jam lagi. Dan berhubung Michael, yang tumbuh besar bersama-sama dengan John bukan hanya sebagai sepupu dan sahabat baik melainkan sebagai saudara kandung yang selalu saling menyayangi, maka Michael hanya dapat menyimpan rapat-rapat perasaannya sendiri terhadap Francesca. Oleh karena itu saat John meninggal dan seluruh harta dan gelarnya jatuh kepada Michael sebagai satu-satunya pewaris John setelah Francesca keguguran, Michael sangat terpukul dan berusaha keras menghindari Francesca bahkan berlari jauh ke India, akibat merasa bersalah karena Michael seolah-olah telah mengambil alih tempat dan hak milik John setelah kematian sepupunya yang terkasih tersebut.

Tetapi Michael yang tidak dapat berlari menghindar dari tugas dan kewajiban yang menunggunya di Inggris untuk selamanya, akhirnya memutuskan untuk kembali ke Inggris setelah berada di India selama 4 tahun. Sementara itu Francesca yang sudah berkabung selama 4 tahun setelah kematian John, mempunyai kerinduan yang amat besar untuk segera mempunyai anak demi mengisi kekosongan hidupnya, juga memutuskan sudah saatnya ia kembali mencari calon suami. Dan mereka pun bertemu kembali di London.

Cerita antara Francesca dan Michael ini cukup menarik walaupun tema dan konflik cerita yang dibahas di dalam novel ini cukup berat. Karakter Francesca ini cukup misterius dan jarang muncul di dalam interaksi keluarga Bridgerton di buku-buku lainnya dibandingkan saudara-saudarinya. Satu-satunya buku yang cukup banyak menampilkan karakter Francesca sebelum menikah adalah dalam kisah Benedict dan Sophie di dalam An Offer from a Gentlemen. Walaupun cukup menarik tetapi When He Was Wicked ini seharusnya dapat menjadi lebih baik lagi jika seandainya kisah pendekatan antara John dan Francesca serta relasi antara John dengan Michael dapat lebih dibahas dan ditambahkan pada awal-awal cerita sehingga pembaca dapat lebih mendalami rasa kehilangan John dan lebih memahami konflik perasaan yang dialami Michael dan Francesca. Selain itu akan lebih menarik seandainya kisah Francesca ini di terbitkan setelah An Offer from a Gentlemen dan sebelum Romancing Mr. Bridgerton mengingat sebenarnya Francesca menikah lebih dahulu dibandingkan Colin dan untuk time frame nya juga cukup pas sehingga masih memungkinkan untuk munculnya kolom Lady Whistledown. Aku cukup penasaran ingin tahu bagaimana pendapat dari sudut pandang Lady Whistledown terhadap Michael Stirling yang mempesona dan kembalinya Francesca di London Season dalam rangka untuk mencari suami.

Di dalam buku ini juga ada 2 tema medis yang seperti biasa dihadirkan oleh Julia Quinn dalam hampir setiap bukunya, yaitu Aneurisma (pembengkakan pembuluh darah pada otak) yang menyebabkan kematian John, dan penyakit Malaria yang diderita oleh Michael akibat tertular saat ia berada di India.

Di dalam When He Was Wicked ini juga kita dapat melihat kedekatan khusus yang secara mengharukan terjalin antara Francesca dengan ibunya, Violet Bridgerton, akibat kesamaan nasib menjadi janda di usia mereka yang masih muda.

Adapun para tokoh dalam When He Was Wicked adalah sebagai berikut :

Francesca Bridgerton Stirling : Countess of Kilmartin, anak ke-6 dalam keluarga Bridgerton.

John Stirling : suami Francesca, Earl of Kilmartin sebelumnya yang sudah meninggal.

Michael Stirling : Earl of Kilmartin yang baru, sepupu John dan pewarisnya.

Helen Stirling : ibu Michael.

Janet Stirling : Dowager Countess of Kilmartin, ibu John.

Colin Bridgerton : kakak Francesca, anak ke-3 dari keluarga Bridgerton.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Francesca.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : anak bungsu dalam keluarga Bridgerton, adik perempuan Francesca yang paling kecil.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury.

Kate Bridgerton : istri Anthony, kakak ipar Francesca.

Sophie Bridgerton : istri Benedict, kakak ipar Francesca.

Eloise Bridgerton : kakak Francesca.

Nilai rating untuk novel When He Was Wicked ini adalah 7.2/10

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Book 7 : It’s In His Kiss

(Hyacinth Bridgerton and Gareth St. Clair)

First published in Indonesia on Oktober 2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 23 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 440 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

Meet Our Hero…

Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth’s sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past… and the key to his future. The problem is—it’s written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.

Meet Our Heroine…

All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She’s fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there’s something about her—something charming and vexing—that grabs him and won’t quite let go…

Meet Poor Mr. Mozart…

Or don’t. But rest assured, he’s spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual–an annually discordant—Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth’s every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other… and that there is nothing as simple—or as complicated—as a single, perfect kiss.

It’s In His Kiss tells a romantic love story between Hyacinth Bridgerton with Gareth St. Clair, sets in London on 1825.

Hyacinth is the youngest of Bridgerton siblings with a wide age difference between her older brothers and sisters (except for Gregory). With her smart mind, stubborn character and not afraid to show everyone else that she rarely wrong, makes Hyacinth didn’t get much suitor that could match her intellectually and could make her happy. But Hyacinth is not in a hurry to get marry, after all she’s only 22-year-old and she’s only in her 3^rd season in London.

In the Smythe-Smith musicale held that year, Hyacinth meet with Gareth St. Clair, Lady Danbury’s favorite grandson. Every Tuesday afternoon Hyacinth always visit Lady Danbury (How To Marry A Marquis and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton) to read her a book, so she’s quite fond with Gareth’s grandmother. Gareth is one of a few men that could intrigue Hyacinth with his charm and his smart mind, and gives her a tingling sensation in her stomach whenever he’s around. So when Gareth ask Hyacinth to help him translate his Italian Grandmother diary, Hyacinth is more than happy to accept the challenge.

Reading It’s In His Kiss makes me love the Regency world created by Julia Quinn even more with so many supporting characters from other series and connecting to each other, from Lady Danbury, the Smythe-Smith and even the silly novel of Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron (which become the center of attention in What Happens in London and Ten Things I Loved About You from The Bevelstoke Series) also make an appearance in this book. It’s In His Kiss is full with so many factors that makes it very interesting to read.

Characters appear in It’s In His Kiss are as follows :

Miss Hyacinth Bridgerton : the youngest daughter in Bridgerton family.

Mr. Gareth St. Clair : the youngest sond of Baron St. Clair, and become an heir after his brother died one year ago, Lady Danbury’s grandson.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury, Gareth’s grandmother from his mother side.

Isabella Marinzoli St. Clair : Gareth’s late grandmother from his father’s side, an Italian Lady married with Gareth’s grandfather, Baron St. Clair’s mother.

Lord Richard St. Clair : Baron St. Clair, Gareth’s father, really hate Gareth.

Lady Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Hyacinth’s mother.

Penelope Bridgerton : Hyacinth’s sister in law, married to Hyacinth’s brother, Colin Bridgerton, her maiden name is Penelope Featherington.

Mr. Gregory Bridgerton : Hyacinth’s older brother, the youngest son in the family.

Felicity Albansdale : Hyacinth’s best friend, Penelope’s little sister, married to Mr. Albansdale.

Lord Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest big brother from the Bridgerton family, Hyacinth’s esldest brother.

Daphne Bassett : Hyacinth’s eldest sister, the 4th children in the Bridgerton family, Duchess of Hastings, married to the Duke of Hastings.

Rating for It’s In His Kiss is 8.5/10.

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It’s In His Kiss menceritakan mengenai kisah romantis antara Hyacinth Bridgerton dengan Gareth St. Clair, bertempat di London pada tahun 1825.

Hyacinth merupakan anak bungsu dari 8 bersaudara Bridgerton yang mempunyai jarak usia yang terpaut cukup jauh dari kakak-kakaknya. Dengan sifatnya yang terkenal cerdas, keras kepala dan tidak mau kalah, membuat Hyacinth tidak banyak mempunyai pelamar yang bisa mengimbangi kecerdasannya dan bisa membahagiakannya. Walaupun Hyacinth memang tidak terburu-buru untuk segera menikah di usianya yang masih 22 tahun, walaupun sudah menjalani 3 season di London.

Dalam pertunjukkan music Smythe-Smith yang diadakan pada tahun itu Hyacinth bertemu dengan Gareth St. Clair, cucu dari Lady Danbury. Setiap hari selasa siang Hyacinth selalu menghabiskan waktunya membaca untuk Lady Danbury (How To Marry A Marquis dan Romancing Mr. Bridgerton), sehingga ia cukup akrab dengan nenek pria tersebut. Tidak banyak pria yang dapat mengusik rasa penasaran Hyacinth dan dapat mengimbangi kecerdasannya, dan Gareth adalah salah satu dari sedikit pria yang dapat mempengaruhinya seperti itu. Jadi saat Gareth meminta bantuan Hyacinth untuk menerjemahkan isi dari buku harian nenek Gareth dari pihak ayahnya yang bernama Isabella yang ditulis dalam bahasa Italia, Hyacinth dengan senang hati membantu Gareth.

Membaca It’s In His Kiss membuatku semakin mencintai dunia Regency yang dirajut oleh Julia Quinn dengan adanya banyaknya karakter-karakter menarik yang saling berhubungan satu sama lain seperti Lady Danbury, keluarga Smythe-Smith bahkan novel konyol Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron (yang menjadi pusat perhatian dalam What Happens in London dan Ten Things I Loved About You) juga ada muncul di sini. It’s In His Kiss ini dipenuhi dengan berbagai faktor yang membuatnya sangat menarik untuk dibaca.

Adapun para tokoh dalam It’s In His Kiss adalah sebagai berikut :

Miss Hyacinth Bridgerton : anak bungsu keluarga Bridgerton.

Mr. Gareth St. Clair : anak laki-laki kedua dari Baron St. Clair, dan menjadi pewaris saat kakaknya meninggal satu tahun yang lalu, cucu dari Lady Danbury.

Lady Agatha Danbury : Dowager Countess of Danbury, nenek Gareth dari sisi ibu Gareth.

Isabella Marinzoli St. Clair : nenek Gareth yang sudah meninggal dari sisi ayahnya, seorang anggota bangsawan Itali yang menikah married dengan kakek Gareth, ibu dari Baron St. Clair.

Lord Richard St. Clair : Baron St. Clair, ayah Gareth, sangat membenci Gareth.

Lady Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Hyacinth.

Penelope Bridgerton : kakak ipar Hyacinth, menikah dengan kakak Hyacinth yang ke-3, Colin Bridgerton, namanya sebelum menikah adalah Penelope Featherington.

Mr. Gregory Bridgerton : kakak Hyacinth, anak laki-laki termuda dalam keluarga Bridgerton, anak ke-7.

Felicity Albansdale : sahabat baik Hyacinth, adik bungsu Penelope, menikah dengan Mr. Albansdale.

Lord Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, kakak laki-laki tertua dan kepala keluarga Bridgerton.

Daphne Bassett : kakak perempuan Hyacinth yang paling besar, anak ke-4 dalam keluarga Bridgerton, menikah dengan Duke of Hastings dan menjadi Duchess of Hastings.

Nilai rating untuk novel It’s In His Kiss ini adalah 8.5/10.

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Book 8 : On The Way To The Wedding

(Gregory Bridgerton and Lucinda Abernathy)

First Published in Indonesia on November 2010 oleh Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 27 Chapters (including Prolog and Epilog), 512 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); and Bridgerton Happily Ever After (Bridgerton #9).

Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except…

She wasn’t the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with someone else. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except…

Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar…

On the Way to the Wedding tells a difficult and tough love story between Gregory Bridgerton with Lady Lucinda Abernathy, daughter of the late Earl of Fennsworth. The story takes place in 1827 in Kent and London, England.

Gregory always believes in true love, how can he not with so much examples from all of his brothers and sisters, who all married based on love with theirs spouses. And for all this time Gregory always looking forward for that magical moment when he finally falls in love. He just never expected that magical moment will happens in the house party that his sister in law, Kate, arrange in Aubrey Hall, the Bridgerton family estate in Kent, England, and it happens also so soon when he is only 26 years old.

When Gregory first sees Miss Hermione Watson at that party that night, the young lady makes him mesmerized and literally stop breathing. Lady Lucinda, mostly known just as Lucy to her closed friends, is Hermione’s best friend. Lucy frequently sees that same effects happens everytime. Hermione unconsciously has that effects to all the gentlemen that sees her for the first time, and she didn’t noticed it at all, since secretly she already gives her heart to someone else that her parents won’t approve. Feeling that Gregory would be a better match for her best friend, Hermione, than the other guy that Hermione thinks she loves, Lucy decided to help Gregory to win Hermione’s heart. But an unexpected visit from her brother, Richard, Earl of Fennsworth, at the home party changes everything. Richard comes with news from home that Lucy’s engagement with Lord Haselby, the only son and heir to Earl of Davenport already official. Their uncle and guardian already arranged and signed the marriage contract with Earl of Davenport, and Lucy’s wedding ceremony will be held in London in two months. Their uncle asked Richard to pick Lucy up from the home party and back to London immediately.

And to everyone surprises, on Lucy’s last night at Aubrey Hall before she head back to London, Hermione and Richard were found in a compromised situation, so both of them also have to announce their engagement immediately and get married soon, even before Lucy’s wedding. Gregory, who feels disappointing with this turn of events, oddly realized that he didn’t feel a devastated heart break over Hermione, he only feels a little bit unhappy since he got beaten before he even got the chance to courts her. He feels much more heart-broken with the news that Lucy is getting married with her fiancee in two months time. Lucy has told him that she is practically engage when he met her the first time, but her brother arrival with her wedding date news is making the whole thing more real for them to even think about the whole situation and their growing feelings for each other.

Characters appear in On The Way To The Wedding are as follows :

Gregory Bridgerton : the youngest son of Bridgerton family.

Hermione Watson : a very beatiful young lady that captures Gregory attention from the first moment he saw her. The only daughter of a Viscount. Has a romantic view through life.

Lucinda Abernathy : Hermione Watson’s best friend, daughter of the late Earl of Fennsworth. More practical view through life.

Richard Abernathy : the current Earl of Fennsworth, Lucy’s older brother, just finished his education in Cambridge last year.

Robert Abernathy : Lucy’s and Richard’s uncle and guardian ever since their father died seven years ago.

Lord Haselby : Lucy’s fiancee, the only son and heir to Earl of Davenport.

Earl of Davenport : Lord Haselby’s father.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : The youngest children in the Bridgerton family, Gregory’s little sister, married two years ago to Gareth St. Clair.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest big brother from the Bridgerton family.

Kate Bridgerton : Viscountess Bridgerton, Anthony’s wife, Gregory’s sister in law.

Daphne Bassett : Duchess of Hastings, Gregory oldest sister.

Colin Bridgerton : Gregory’s older brother.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, Daphne’s mother.

Neville Berbrooke : Nigel Berbrooke’s younger brother, and one of Gregory’s friend from Cambridge.

Rating for On The Way To The Wedding is 7/10. `````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

On the Way to the Wedding menceritakan kisah cinta penuh perjuangan dari Gregory Bridgerton dengan Lady Lucinda Abernathy, putri dari almarhum Earl of Fennsworth pada tahun 1827.

Gregory selalu mempercayai adanya cinta sejati dengan adanya banyak contoh dari para saudara-saudarinya yang sudah menikah dengan sangat bahagia. Dan selama ini Gregory selalu menanti-nantikan terjadinya momen indah tersebut ketika ia akhirnya jatuh cinta. Ia tidak menyangka saat usianya 26 tahun, momen magis yang indah itu akhirnya tiba juga saat ia datang menghadiri pesta rumah yang diadakan oleh Kate, kakak iparnya, istri Anthony, di Aubrey Hall, rumah keluarga Bridgerton di daerah Kent, Inggris.

Saat pertama kali melihat Miss Hermione Watson di pesta tersebut, wanita itu membuat Gregory terpaku, tertegun, terpesona dan berhenti bernapas. Lady Lucinda, atau yang lebih dikenal dengan Lucy, sudah sering melihat reaksi tersebut ditimbulkan sahabatnya Hermione terhadap banyak pria. Sayangnya diam-diam hati Hermione sudah diberikan kepada orang lain yang tidak akan disetujui oleh kedua orang tuanya. Merasa bahwa Gregory lebih cocok bagi sahabatnya dibandingkan dengan pria yang Hermione pikir cintai, Lucy memutuskan untuk membantu Gregory untuk merebut hati Hermione. Akan tetapi kedatangan kakak Lucy, Richard Fennsworth, di pesta rumah itu mengubah segalanya. Richard datang membawa kabar dari rumah bahwa pertunangan Lucy dengan Lord Haselby, anak dan pewaris dari Earl of Davenport, sudah diresmikan oleh paman dan wali mereka, dan pernikahan Lucy akan segera diadakan dalam waktu 2 bulan lagi, dan Richard diminta oleh paman mereka untuk segera menjemput Lucy pulang ke London.

Tanpa bisa diduga pada malam terakhir pesta tersebut, Hermione dan Richard tertangkap basah sedang berduaan sehingga malam itu juga mereka harus bertunangan dan segera menikah. Gregory yang merasa kecewa dengan perkembangan yang terjadi itu anehnya baru menyadari bahwa ia ternyata tidak merasakan patah hati yang mendalam terhadap Hermione, hanya merasa sedikit kesal karena dikalahkan sebelum pendekatannya dimulai. Ia baru merasakan kehampaan yang aneh saat ia mengetahui bahwa Lucy juga akan segera menikah dengan tunangannya dalam waktu dekat.

Adapun para tokoh dalam On The Way To The Wedding adalah sebagai berikut :

Gregory Bridgerton : anak laki-laki termuda di keluarga Bridgerton.

Hermione Watson : seorang gadis muda yang memikat perhatian Gregory dari pandangan pertama, anak perempuan satu-satunya dari seorang Viscount. Mempunyai pandangan romantis dalam hidupnya.

Lucinda Abernathy : sahabat baik Hermione Watson. Lebih memiliki pandangan praktis dalam mejalani hidupnya.

Richard Abernathy : Earl of Fennsworth, kakak laki-laki Lucy, baru saja menyelesaikan pendidikannya di Cambridge tahun sebelumnya..

Robert Abernathy : paman Lucy dan Richard yang juga menjadi wali mereka setelah kematian ayah mereka tujuh tahun lalu.

Lord Haselby : tunangan Lucy, anak laki-laki satu-satunya dan pewaris Earl of Davenport.

Earl of Davenport : ayah Lord Haselby.

Hyacinth Bridgerton : anak bungsu keluarga Bridgerton, adik perempuan Gregory, sudah menikah dua tahun lalu dengan Gareth St. Clair.

Anthony Bridgerton : Viscount Bridgerton, kakak sulung dan kepala keluarga Bridgerton.

Kate Bridgerton : Viscountess Bridgerton, istri Anthony, dan kakak ipar Gregory.

Colin Bridgerton : kakak Gregory yang ketiga.

Daphne Bridgerton : Duchess of Hastings, kakak perempuan Gregory, adik Colin.

Violet Bridgerton : Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton, ibu Gregory.

Neville Berbrooke : salah satu teman Gregory dari Cambridge, adik laki-laki Nigel Berbrooke (kerabat jauh keluarga Bridgerton).

Nilai rating untuk novel On The Way To The Wedding ini adalah 7/10.

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Book 9 : The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After

First published in Indonesia on 2013 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama

Paperback Edition, 9 Chapters, 392 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)

Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel

Other books in the series : The Duke And I (Bridgerton #1); The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2); An Offer From A Gentleman (Bridgerton #3); Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgerton #4); To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgerton #5); When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton #6); It’s In His Kiss (Bridgerton #7); and On The Way To The Wedding (Bridgerton #8).

Once upon a time, a historical romance author created a family…

But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, (not to mention an overweight corgi), plus an irrepressible matriarch who’s a match for any of them… These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature. Through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love. But they wanted more.

And so the readers asked the author…

What happened next? Does Simon ever read his father’s letters? Do Francesca and Michael become parents? Who would win in a Pall Mall grudge match?

Does “The End” really have to be the end?

Now, with The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After, Julia Quinn delivers eight sexy, funny, and heartwarming “2nd epilogues,” plus a bonus story about none other than the wise and witty Violet Bridgerton herself. So get to know the Bridgertons all over again—because Happily Ever After is a whole lot of fun.

The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After contains eight stories of 2nd Epilog for each books in the Bridgertons Family Series and 1 story about the time Violet met with her beloved husband, Edmund Bridgerton, and after his death.

In each story from The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After, Julia Quinn finally answers some questions that still lingers with all the readers who follows the Bridgerton Family Series.

Rating for The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After is 8.5/10.

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The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After berisikan 8 Epilog kedua untuk masing-masing buku di dalam Serial Bridgerton dan 1 kisah singkat mengenai kehidupan Violet saat ia bertemu dengan Edmund Bridgerton dan sesudah kematian suami tercintanya.

Di dalam masing-masing Epilog kedua ini Julia Quinn menjawab rasa penasaran dari para pembaca yang mengikuti serial Bridgerton ini untuk hal-hal yang masih menggantung dan belum terjawab.

Rating untuk The Bridgertons : Happily Ever After adalah 8.5/10.

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Thursday, December 7, 2017

Book Corner # 9 – The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn