This made it very difficult for me to get to know or develop a connection to the characters. Most of the early chapters are virtual wall-to-wall dialog (great for dialog junkies, but utterly exhausting for an introvert like myself to read) punctuated with occasional passages of prose that more closely resembled narration than character introspection. This part is extremely dialog heavy, and while there is some clever and witty repartee, the conversations can also drag on a bit too long. The beginning of the book wasn't bad, but it did dip down into the just OK range for me a few times. The two halves almost seemed like they were written in completely different styles. Up until I was about 150 pages into The Duke and I, I was beginning to think I had started my second much-lauded romance series in a row, only to be sorely disappointed with it, but somehow Julia Quinn managed to pull out all the stops during the second half of the book and make me forget most of my frustrations from the first half. Whatever is a girl to do when the man she loves refuses to marry her even after compromising her, and worse yet, how can Daphne ever convince Simon that the secrets he's been keeping from her are hurting only himself and not the dead father against whom he is seeking vengeance? Review

What they didn't count on was their alliance turning into friendship, and then friendship blossoming into romance. In return for their efforts, he believes that the ladies will keep their distance from him, and Daphne will become more popular for having had the attentions of a duke. When he meets Daphne and learns of her predicament, Simon suggests that they pretend to be courting. As a result of his father's cruelty, the embittered Simon has decided that he has absolutely no intentions of ever marrying or having children, but as one of the most eligible men in England, it doesn't look like he'll be able to avoid the matchmaking mothers of the ton for very long. His mother died in childbirth and his father was a cold, unfeeling man who emotionally destroyed Simon because of his speech impediment. In sharp contrast to Daphne, Simon Basset has never known the love of family. When she chances to meet her brother's best friend, Simon, at a ball, the pair begin to cook up a charade that they hope will get both of them what they want. The few men who have asked for her hand are either too old or otherwise unsuitable, and those with whom Daphne might consider a match seem to only be able to think of her as a friend rather than a wife. However, she can't seem to find an acceptable suitor. Evernight Teen Summer Kick-off Blog Hopĭaphne Bridgerton and her seven siblings were raised in a happy, loving home, and consequently, she wants nothing more than to marry and have children of her own.Cosmo Red Hot Reads from Harlequin Launch.

The duke and i full book