Book
1 : The
Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
(Miranda Cheever and Nigel ‘Turner’ Bevelstoke,
Viscount Turner)
Copyright © 2007 by Julie Cotler
Pottinger
First published in Indonesia on Mei
2010 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback Edition, 21 Chapters
(including Prolog), 440 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)
Genre : Historical Romance, Adult
Novel
Other books in the series : What Happens In
London (Bevelstoke #2), Ten Things I
Love About You (Bevelstoke #3).
At the age of
ten, Miranda Cheever showed no
signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the
expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke,
the handsome and dashing Viscount
Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would
grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was
smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.
But the years that
followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as
intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a
lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never
forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will
not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers…
The
Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever
is the first book in the Bevelstoke series. This book tells a love story
between Miranda Cheever, the only daughter of Sir Rupert Cheever, with Nigel
‘Turner’ Bevelstoke, Viscount Turner, the first son and heir to Earl of
Ruthland.
Miranda is best friend since childhood with
Turner’s sister, Olivia Bevelstoke, and Miranda had fall in love with her best
friend’s older brother since she was 10 years old. Her feelings of course only
one sided and she kept it secretly only to herself. Turner, 19 years old at that
time, is a charming, handsome and kindhearted young man, and only consider
Miranda as another little sister since Miranda mostly spent most of her daytime
studying together with Olivia at the Bevelstoke’s house more than her own.
Fast
forward nine years later; Turner is turning to a bitter and cold-hearted 29
years man after the death of his cheating wife, Leticia. His former wife
tricked him to marry her by claiming that she is carrying their child, while in
fact the baby is actually from her affair with one of her married lovers. Even
when the baby didn’t survive, Turner still has hope and tries to save his
marriage with Leticia, but since his former wife never love him, she just keep
humiliated him by cheating him with her lovers. So when Leticia died because
she fell from her horse while visiting one of her lover, her death becomes kind
of a relief for Turner and also his family, who indeed didn’t like Leticia and
her behavior. But even after Leticia’s death, Turner’s bitter soul never
recovered from the betrayal, and he decided he never wants to marry ever again.
Could
Miranda’s love bring back Turner spirit and heal his wounded soul? Or her love
only will become a one sided love forever?
The
Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever
is a slow paced romance novel and focusing to the characters development of the
Hero and Heroine. And because of both of Miranda and Turner are serious people,
the tone for this novel is more dark and not much humors and silly moments
happen in it. This is quite a disappointment because while the story is quite
good without any dull moment, but still feels a bit plain without any memorable
scene.
Rating for
The Secret
Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever is 6.5/10.
Characters
in The
Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever are as follows :
Miss
Miranda Cheever : the
heroine, the only daughter of Sir Rupert Cheever.
Olivia
Bevelstoke : Miranda’s best
friend, the only daughter of Earl and Countess of Ruthland.
Nigel
‘Turner’ Bevelstoke : Viscount
Turner, Olivia’s older brother, the heir of Earl of Ruthland, Miranda’s love
interest since she was 10 years old.
Winston
Bevelstoke : Olivia’s twin
brother, Turner’s younger brother.
Sir
Rupert Cheever : Miranda’s
father, a Baron.
Earl
and Countess of Ruthland :Turner’s,
Olivia’s and Winston’s parents.
Lady
Chester : one member of the
Tons, second cousin of the Ruthlands.
Leticia : Turner’s late first wife
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Deleted scene
from The Secret Diaries
of Miss Miranda Cheever
(Written by Julia Quinn in her Extra from her
Website at http://juliaquinn.com/extras/deleted-scene-from-the-secret-diaries-of-miss-miranda-cheever/)
Studies
today were Latin and botany.
Olivia
declared herself bored with exotic grasses and turned to me, instead.
Olivia
bores easily.
But
she did declare that my face no longer appears quite so long. Then she
decided that I shall be a Great Beauty, after all.
Olivia
sometimes sees the world as she wishes it, and not as it truly is.
Then
she announced (after I pointed out that I had no need of Great Beauty; I intend
to find a husband among her thwarted suitors) that it didn’t matter, anyway.
I shall marry her brother.
I
couldn’t speak. How did she know?
Then
I realized she meant Winston.
Perhaps
sometimes I see the world as I wish it, too.
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The Secret Diaries Of Miss
Miranda Cheever merupakan buku pertama dari Bevelstoke series. Buku ini menceritakan
mengenai kisah cinta Miranda Cheever, anak tunggal dari Sir Rupert Cheever,
dengan Nigel ‘Turner’ Bevelstoke, Viscount Turner, anak sulung dan pewaris dari
Earl of Ruthland.
Miranda yang merupakan
sahabat baik dari Olivia Bevelstoke, adik perempuan Turner, sudah jatuh cinta
pada kakak sahabatnya itu pada umur 10 tahun. Cintanya tentu saja tidak
terbalas. Turner yang saat itu berumur 19 tahun merupakan pemuda yang mempesona
dan baik hati, dan menganggap Miranda sebagai adik.
Sembilan tahun
kemudian Turner berubah menjadi pria yang pahit dan berhati dingin setelah
kematian Leticia, istrinya yang menipu Turner untuk menikahinya dengan
membohongi Turner bahwa ia sedang mengandung bayi mereka, padahal sebenarnya
bayi tersebut merupakan hasil perselingkuhan dengan salah seorang kekasihnya.
Walaupun bayi tersebut tidak selamat, Turner masih mencoba menyelamatkan
perkawinannya dengan Leticia, akan tetapi almarhum istrinya tersebut ternyata
tidak pernah mencintainya dan terus saja berselingkuh secara terang-terangan di
depan Turner. Kematian Leticia menjadi kelegaan besar bagi Turner dan
keluarganya yang memang dari dulu tidak pernah menyukai Leticia. Akan tetapi jiwa
Turner tidak pernah pulih dari pengkhianatan Leticia, sehingga dia tidak pernah
berkeinginan untuk menikah kembali.
Akankah
Miranda dapat mengembalikan jiwa dan semangat Turner serta memulihkan luka hati
nya? Ataukah cintanya hanya akan terus menjadi cinta yang tidak terbalas?
Novel ini tergolong
novel yang sifatnya slow pace dan berfokus pada perkembangan karakter dari
tokoh-tokoh utama dalam buku ini. Dan karena karakter dari kedua tokoh utamanya
yang serius, tidak banyak kelucuan dan humor yang ada di dalam buku ini. Hal
ini cukup disayangkan karena walaupun cara bercerita JQ yang baik dan mengalir
serta tidak menimbulkan kebosanan selama membaca buku ini, tapi alur cerita di
dalam novel ini terasa datar-datar saja tanpa adanya salah satu adegan yang
dapat dikenang.
Nilai
rating untuk novel The Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever ini
adalah 6.5/10
Adapun
para tokoh dalam The Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever adalah sebagai
berikut :
Miss Miranda Cheever : tokoh utama dalam cerita ini, anak
perempuan satu-satunya dari Sir Rupert Cheever.
Olivia Bevelstoke : sahabat baik Miranda, anak perempuan dari
Earl dan Countess of Ruthland.
Nigel ‘Turner’ Bevelstoke : Viscount Turner,
kakak tertua Olivia, pewaris gelar Earl of Ruthland, Miranda’s love interest
since she was 10 years old.
Winston Bevelstoke : kakak kembar Olivia, adik laki-laki
Turner.
Sir Rupert Cheever : ayah Miranda, seorang Baronet.
Earl and Countess of Ruthland : orang tua Turner,
Olivia dan Winston.
Lady Chester : salah satu anggota kaum bangsawan, saudara
sepupu kedua dari keluarga Ruthlands.
Leticia : istri pertama Turner yang sudah meninggal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book
2 : What
Happens In London
Copyright © 2009 by Julie Cotler Pottinger
First Published in Indonesia on September 2011 by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback Edition, 25 Chapters, 440 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel
Other books in the series : The Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever (The Bevelstoke #1), Ten Things I Love About You (Bevelstoke #3).
When Olivia Bevelstoke is told
that her new neighbor may have killed his fiancée, she doesn’t believe it for a
second, but still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she
stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains,
watches, and waits… and discovers a most intriguing man, who is definitely up
to something.
Sir
Harry Valentine works for the
boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national
security. He’s not a spy, but he’s had all the training, and when a gorgeous
blonde begins to watch him from her window, he is instantly suspicious. But
just when he decides that she’s nothing more than a nosy debutante, he
discovers that she might be
engaged to a foreign prince, who might be
plotting against England. And when Harry is roped into spying on Olivia, he
discovers that he might be falling for her himself…
What Happens In London tells a
hilarious yet romantic love story between Lady Olivia Bevelstoke, the only
daughter of Earl and Countess of Ruthland, and also the annoying sister of Nigel
‘Turner’ Bevelstoke and best friend of Miranda Cheever from The Secret
Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever (The Bevelstoke
#1), with Sir Harry Valentine, a Baronet who works for the War Office.
What I mean by hilarious is in a positive compliment since the story is an
extraordinary story full of humors and funny moments which makes me really
really enjoying reading the book so much. For those of you who is familiar with
novels from Julia Quinn, you will love this book so much like I do. What Happens In
London is full with humors which always make me giggle whenever I
read it, the storytelling is flowing and easy to read, and Julia Quinn also
using epistolary writing technique (the technique of using other media in the
story) by adding a gothic novel in it. No doubt What Happens In London is in my
Top 3 list of Julia Quinn’s favorite novel.
The silly yet so
popular gothic novel called Miss Butterworth And
The Mad Baron, which made its debut in JQ’s previous novel It’s In His
Kiss (Bridgerton Series #7),
became the key factor in the falling in love process between Olivia and Harry.
There are some scenes that quite shine in the story, for example when Olivia
and Harry is doing their unusual courtship mostly through their windows since
their house are practically side by side, and also the moment when Sir Harry,
Prince Alexei (one of Harry’s biggest rival and Olivia’s suitor), Sebastian
Grey (the charming and handsome Harry’s cousin) and Edward Valentine (Harry’s
little brother) involve in an intense heated discussion regarding the level of
silliness of Miss Butterworth And The Mad Baron. I just loved the moment when
Sebastian Grey decided to performing one scene from that silly novel briliantly.
And of course just
like any other novels from Julia Quinn, she didn’t forget to insert a medical
condition in What
Happens In London. This time the medical theme is about Harry’s
color blind condition, which didn’t have any influence to the story plot, but
enough to make Harry’s character more realistic and loveable because of his imperfect
condition, and how sweet that Olivia tried to match her dresses she wears to
only dark colors when Harry is around her in the party.
Rating for What Happens In London is
9.5/10.
Characters in What Happens In
London are as follows :
Olivia
Frances Bevelstoke : the
heroine, the only daughter of Earl and Countess of Ruthland.
Sir
Harry Valentine : the
Hero, a Baronet, working for the War Office as a translator.
Sebastian
Grey : Harry’s cousin.
Winston
Bevelstoke : Olivia’s twin
brother.
Edward
Valentine : Harry’s younger
brother.
Sir
Lionel Valentine : Harry’s
late father, a Baronet.
Katarina
Dell Valentine : Harry’s
mother.
Anna
Grey : Sebastian’s
mother, Harry’s aunt, Katarina’s younger sister.
Olga
Petrova Obolenskiy Dell : Harry’s
grandmother, Katarina’s and Anna’s mother.
Anne
Valentine : Harry’s older
sister.
Earl of
Ruthland :Olivia’s father.
Lady
Ruthland : Olivia’s mother.
Anne
Buxon, Mary Cadogan , Philomena Waincliff
: Olivia’s friends.
Prince
Alexei Ivanovich Gomarovsky : a
Russian Prince, interested with Olivia.
Mr.
Winthrop : working for the
War Office, Harry’s superior.
Huntley : the Ruthland’s butler.
Vladimir : Prince Alexei’s bodyguard.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
What Happens In London menceritakan
kisah cinta yang aneh antara kedua tokoh utamanya, Lady Olivia Bevelstoke, anak
perempuan Earl of Ruthland, adik dari Turner Bevelstoke dan sahabat dari
Miranda Cheever di dalam cerita The Secret Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever (The Bevelstoke #1), dengan Sir Harry Valentine,
seorang Baronet yang bekerja untuk Kantor Urusan Perang. Aneh yang ku maksudkan
di sini merupakan pujian dan hal yang sangat positif karena terus terang banyak
sekali ‘keanehan’ yang membuat aku sangat menikmati membaca buku ini. Bagi
kalian yang tidak asing dengan novel-novel dari Julia Quinn, pasti familiar
dengan selera humor Julia Quinn yang sering sukses membuat pembacanya
terpingkal-pingkal, gaya penulisannya yang mengalir sehingga membuat ceritanya
enak dibaca, dan juga teknik penulisan epistolary (penggunaan media lain seperti kolom gossip, diary, dll) yang
sering kali dipakainya di dalam buku-bukunya. Buku ini merupakan campuran dari
semuanya itu sehingga tidak dapat diragukan lagi bahwa buku ini termasuk dalam
3 besar buku karangan Julia Quinn yang menjadi favoritku.
Untuk kali ini media epistolary yang dipakainya adalah novel
gothic konyol yang anehnya sangat populer berjudul Miss Butterworth and the Mad
Baron
yang memulai debutnya pada buku JQ sebelumnya It’s in His Kiss (Bridgerton Series #7). Buku Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron itulah
yang menjadi salah satu faktor yang memegang peranan penting dalam perkembangan
kisah cinta Olivia dan Harry. Ada beberapa bagian yang cukup mencuri perhatian
di dalam buku ini adalah saat Olivia dan Harry yang melakukan pendekatan yang
tidak biasa melalui ambang jendela rumah mereka yang bersebelahan, dan yang paling
mengesankan dari semuanya adalah keseruan saat Sir Harry, Prince Alexei (salah
satu saingan terberat Harry dalam memperebutkan perhatian Olivia), Sebastian
Grey (sepupu Harry yang sangat menawan), dan Edward Valentine (adik laki-laki
Harry) yang terlibat dalam diskusi hangat di ruang duduk Olivia memperdebatkan
kekonyolan buku Miss Butterworth and
the Mad Baron tersebut. Apalagi saat Sebastian Grey memutuskan untuk melakukan
pertunjukan dadakan dari salah satu adegan dari novel gothic konyol tersebut.
Dan tentu saja seperti novel-novel Julia Quinn lainnya, tidak ketinggalan pula
di sini sekilas dibahas tema kondisi medis Harry yang buta warna, yang walaupun
tidak banyak pengaruhnya terhadap jalan ceritanya, tapi cukup dapat membuat
karakter Harry lebih realistis dan loveable karena ketidaksempurnaannya itu. Apalagi
saat Olivia dengan manisnya menyesuaikan pilihan warna gaun-gaunnya saat berada
di dalam pesta yang juga dihadiri oleh Harry.
Nilai rating untuk novel What Happens In London ini
adalah 9.5/10
Adapun
para tokoh dalam What Happens In London adalah sebagai berikut :
Olivia Frances Bevelstoke : tokoh utama
wanita, anak perempuan satu-satunya dari Earl dan Countess of Ruthland.
Sir Harry Valentine : tokoh utama pria, seorang Baronet,
bekerja di War Office sebagai seorang penerjemah.
Sebastian Grey : sepupu Harry.
Winston Bevelstoke : adik kembar Olivia.
Edward Valentine : adik laki-laki Harry.
Sir Lionel Valentine : ayah Harry yang sudah meninggal,
seorang Baronet.
Katarina Dell Valentine : ibu Harry.
Anna Grey : ibu Sebastian, bibi Harry, adik perempuan
Katarina.
Olga Petrova Obolenskiy Dell : nenek Harry, ibu
dari Katarina dan Anna, berasal dari keluarga bangsawan Rusia kuno.
Anne Valentine : kakak perempuan Harry.
Earl of Ruthland : ayah Olivia.
Lady Ruthland : ibu Olivia.
Anne Buxon, Mary Cadogan , Philomena Waincliff :
teman-teman Olivia.
Prince Alexei Ivanovich Gomarovsky : seorang Pangeran
Rusia, menaruh perhatian kepada Olivia.
Mr. Winthrop : bekerja untuk War Office, boss Harry.
Huntley : butler keluarga Ruthland.
Vladimir : pengawal pribadi Prince Alexei.
Book 3 : Ten Things I Love About You
Copyright © 2010 by Julie Cotler
Pottinger
First published in Indonesia on November 2011
by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Paperback Edition, 28 Chapters (including
prolog), 440 Pages (for Indonesian Edition)
Genre : Historical Romance, Adult Novel
Other books in the series : The Secret
Diaries Of Miss Miranda Cheever
(Bevelstoke #1), What Happens in London
(Bevelstoke #2)
Ten
Things You Should Know About This Book:
1. Sebastian
Grey is a devilishly handsome rogue with a secret.
2. Annabel
Winslow’s family voted her The Winslow Most Likely to Speak Her Mind AND
The Winslow Most Likely to Fall Asleep in Church.
3. Sebastian’s uncle is the Earl of Newbury,
and if he dies without spring an heir, Sebastian inherits everything.
4. Lord Newbury detests Sebastian
and will stop at nothing to prevent this from happening.
5. Lord Newbury has decided that
Annabel is the answer to all of his problems.
6. Annabel does not want to marry
Lord Newbury, especially when she finds out he once romanced her grandmother.
7. is shocking,
8. is delicious,
9. is downright wicked, all of which
leads the way to
10. Happily. Ever. After.
Ten Things I Love About You tells a romantic
story between Sebastian Grey with Annabel Winston on 1822 in London, England.
Everyone in 1822 London season knew that
Sebastian Grey is currently the heir of Earl of Newbury, after his uncle lost
his only son last year. Everyone also knew that both Sebastian Grey and his
uncle, the Earl of Newbury, hate each other. And the Earl, in his old age, is
trying his best to find a new wife since last year to bear a new son and heir,
and eliminate the prospect for Sebastian to become his next heir and claim the
title of the old Earldom.
After three failed attempt to re-marry,
the Earl of Newbury sets his attention to Annabel Winston, a granddaughter of
his old friend, Viscount Vickers. Annabel, who is raised in the countryside of
Glouchestershire as the eldest of eight siblings of a simple moderate family,
is forced by her grandfather and grandmother to accept the Earl’s proposal,
considering her little brothers and sisters’ future after their father died.
Even when Annabel didn’t want to marry the Earl, she’s basically didn’t have
any other choice or any other suitor without a dowry or title since her mother
only married a local squire. But Annabel is still secretly hoping that she can
avoid the marriage arrangement made by her grandfather and the Earl.
Sebastian and Annabel meet in the backyard
of a house party in Hampstead. At that time Annabel is running away from Earl
of Newbury, who is trying to make an inappropriate move and wants to rape
Annabel in the dark alley outside the ballroom. The meeting and the
conversation makes a deep impression for both Annabel and Sebastian, even
though they just met and never knew each other before. Carried away by that
magical moment, both Annabel and Sebastian shared a kiss. When Sebastian
finally introduces himself, Annabel realizes who he is and decided to go back
to the party without telling him her name or who she is. When they meet again
the next morning at the park, Annabel still keeping her identity as the girl
that the Earl of Newbury wants to marry (The Earl hasn’t officially propose to
Annabel yet) as a secret.
When finally Sebastian found out that
Annabel is the girl that his uncle wants to marry, he decided to help rescue
her from his uncle.
Almost all supporting characters from
the previous book (What Happens In London) like Olivia, Harry,
Edward, and even Prince Alexei make an appearance in several scenes in Ten Things I
Love About You. But nothing could beat the funny moments from What Happens In
London. It is quite unfortunate since the main Hero is Sebastian
Grey, who previously kinda steal the spotlight in What Happens In London from the
Hero and Heroine. But in Ten Things I Love About You, I feel the story
for Sebastian is not as charming as the story for Harry. Not much funny scene
that could make me giggles away like in the previous book.
There’s also some medical condition
mention in Ten
Things I Love About You, like Sebastian’s Insomnia and his post
traumatic syndrome after he came back from the war. But unfortunately this medical
condition only briefly mention in several scenes and not much development
around it. To be honest, Ten Things I Love About You is quite good and
entertaining although could be better if there’s more to characters
development. Unfortunately for me Ten Things I Love About You just cannot top
the previous book What Happens In London.
Rating for
Ten Things I
Love About You is 8.5/10.
Characters in Ten Things I
Love About You are as follows :
Annabel
Winslow : the heroine, one
of Lord and Lady Vicker’s many granddaughters, coming from Gloucestershire.
Sebastian
Grey : the Hero, the heir
of Earl Newbury.
Robert,
Earl of Newbury :
Sebastian’s uncle, really hates Sebastian, currently wants Annabel to be his
bride-to be.
Sir
Harry Valentine :
Sebastian’s cousin.
Olivia
Valentine : Harry’s wife, the
only daughter of Earl and Countess of Ruthland.
Edward
Valentine : Sebastian’s
cousin, Harry’s younger brother.
Lord
Vickers : Annabel’s
grandfather, Earl of Newbury’s close friend.
Lady
Margaret Vickers :
Annabel’s grandmother.
Frances
Vickers Winslow :
Anabel’s mother, the eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Vickers who marry a
gentleman from countryside.
Lady
Louisa McCann : Annabel’s cousin,
daughter of Duke of Fenniwick.
Lady
Cosgrove : Louisa’s aunt, Duke
Fenniwick’s sister.
Lady
Wimbledon : Louisa’s aunt,
Duke Fenniwick’s sister.
Lady
Winifred Challis : a
countess, one of Lady Vickers’ friend, member of the Tons.
Lady
Rebecca Westfield : a
countess, one of Lady Vickers’ friend, member of the Tons.
Lady
Cressida Twombley :one
member of the Tons.
Mr.
Basill Grimston :
Cressida’s friend.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
Ten Things I Love About You merupakan cerita
cinta antara Sebastian Grey dengan Annabel Winston yang terjadi di London,
Inggris pada tahun 1822.
Semua orang di Season
tahun 1822 tahu bahwa Sebastian Grey merupakan pewaris gelar Earl of Newbury
setelah pamannya kehilangan anak laki-laki satu-satunya. Semua orang juga
mengetahui bahwa Sebastian Grey dan pamannya, Earl of Newbury, saling membenci.
Dan sang Earl di usianya yang sudah berumur cukup tua sedang berusaha dengan
sekuat tenaga untuk mencari calon istri lagi supaya bisa segera menghasilkan
pewaris baru, dan menyingkirkan Sebastian dari kemungkinan menjadi pewarisnya
dan mendapatkan gelar Earl tersebut.
Setelah tiga kali
gagal mendapatkan calon istri baru, perhatian Earl of Newbury terarah pada
Annabel Winston, cucu dari teman lamanya, Viscount Vickers. Annabel yang
dibesarkan di daerah pedesaan di Gloucestershire sebagai anak sulung dari
delapan bersaudara dari keluarga yang pas-pasan, setengah dipaksa oleh kakek
dan neneknya untuk menerima lamaran dari sang Earl, mengingat bahwa Annabel
harus mempertimbangkan nasib ketujuh adiknya yang masih membutuhkan banyak
biaya setelah ayahnya meninggal. Walaupun Annabel tidak mau menikah dengan Earl
of Newbury, pada dasarnya ia tidak mempunyai pilihan lain ataupun pelamar
lainnya tanpa adanya mas kawin ataupun gelar dalam keluarga, mengingat ibunya
hanya menikahi ayahnya yang tidak mempunyai gelar. Tetapi diam-diam Annabel
mengharapkan entah bagaimana caranya ia dapat menghindari kewajibannya untuk
menikahi Earl of Newbury yang sudah disetujui oleh kakeknya.
Sebastian dan Annabel
tanpa sengaja bertemu di sebuah padang belukar yang terletak di halaman
belakang pada suatu pesta di daerah Hampstead. Saat itu Annabel sedang berusaha
melarikan diri dari sang Earl yang berusaha menyudutkannya di koridor gelap dan
berusaha memperkosanya. Pertemuan tanpa sengaja antara Annabel dan Sebastian
itu menimbulkan kesan yang cukup mendalam bagi keduanya walaupun mereka belum terlalu
lama mengenal satu sama lainnya. Tanpa mengetahui jati diri Annabel, Sebastian
menciumnya, dan Annabel yang akhirnya menyadari siapa sebenarnya Sebastian saat
pria itu memberitahukan namanya, memutuskan untuk tidak memberitahu Sebastian
siapa dirinya meskipun keesokan harinya mereka bertemu kembali di taman saat
Annabel sedang bersama sepupunya.
Saat akhirnya
Sebastian mengetahui bahwa Annabel adalah gadis yang sedang diincar oleh
pamannya untuk dijadikan istri barunya, ia terdorong untuk menyelamatkan gadis
itu dari pamannya.
Tokoh-tokoh dari buku
sebelumnya (What
Happens In London) seperti Olivia, Harry, Edward, bahkan Prince
Alexei turut muncul sebentar dalam beberapa adegan. Namun terus terang kelucuan
yang dihadirkan masih belum bisa mengalahkan kehebohan yang terjadi di What Happens In
London. Hal ini cukup disayangkan
mengingat bahwa focus cerita dalam novel ini mengenai Sebastian Grey yang
sebelumnya sudah mencuri perhatian pada buku What Happens in London (Bevelstoke Series
#2).
Di sini juga dibahas
sekilas mengenai Sebastian yang menderita Insomnia (kesulitan tidur) dan sedikit
post-traumatic syndrome akibat perang. Tetapi masalah ini sayangnya tidak terlalu
banyak dibahas lebih lanjut, yang sebenarnya cukup disayangkan mengingat buku
ini cukup menyenangkan walaupun terus terang penggalian karakternya terasa
kurang mendalam. Menurutku buku sebelumnya What Happens In London masih jauh lebih bagus
dibandingkan dengan Ten Things I love About You.
Nilai rating untuk novel Ten Things I Love About You ini
adalah 8.5/10
Adapun
para tokoh dalam Ten Things I Love About You adalah sebagai berikut :
Annabel Winslow : tokoh utama wanita, salah satu dari banyak
cucu dari dari Lord dan Lady Vicker, berasal dari Gloucestershire.
Sebastian Grey : tokoh utama pria, calon pewaris gelar Earl
of Newbury, jika Earl of Newbury yang sekarang tidak dapat mendapatkan pewaris
lainnya.
Robert, Earl of Newbury : paman Sebastian, sangat membenci Sebastian,
dan berusaha mendapatkan pewaris lainnya untuk mencegah Sebastian mendapatkan
gelar tersebut, saat ini sedang mengincar Annabel untuk dijadikan calon
istrinya.
Sir Harry Valentine : sepupu Sebastian.
Olivia Valentine : istri Harry, anak perempuan satu-satunya
dari Earl dan Countess of Ruthland.
Edward Valentine : sepupu Sebastian, adik laki-laki Harry.
Lord Vickers : kakek Annabel, teman baik Earl of Newbury.
Lady Margaret Vickers : nenek Annabel.
Frances Vickers Winslow : ibu Anabel, anak tertua dari Lord dan
Lady Vickers yang hanya menikahi pria terhormat dari keluarga sederhana di desa.
Lady Louisa McCann : sepupu Annabel, anak perempuan dari Duke
of Fenniwick.
Lady Cosgrove : bibi Louisa, salah satu adik perempuan Duke
Fenniwick.
Lady Wimbledon : bibi Louisa, salah satu adik Duke
Fenniwick.
Lady Winifred Challis : seorang Countess, salah satu teman Lady
Vickers.
Lady Rebecca Westfield : seorang Countess, salah satu teman Lady
Vickers.
Lady Cressida Twombley : salah satu anggota bangsawan.
Mr. Basill Grimston : teman Cressida.
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