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75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Breath of Fresh Air...., August 20, 2000
I do like reading Romances but I've often found that many of them sound the same. Certainly the plots change and the character names and circumstances change -- but the essential dialogue and tensions often replicate themselves in book after book. This gives many Romance novels a homogenous, artificial flavor which I don't like and I feel cheated when I read books like this because I feel as if the author has underestimated the intelligence of her/his reader. How refreshing it was then to read Julia Quinn's, "The Duke and I." This was my first (certainly not my last) Julia Quinn book and I was highly impressed with her ability to create characters who don't always speak and behave the way you expect them too. Daphne and Simon's relationship is believable, they seem like "real" people and their problems were fairly ordinary and not overly dramatic or contrived. The secondary characters each deserve (and will probably get) a book of their own. Quinn also had a knack for making me laugh -- the humor was not forced or too cutesy, just well written. Although this book is set in the Regency period, it is not your "traditional" Regency as it does contain some frank sex scenes and the characters often act with a more modern sensibility than one might expect. In any case, this was a great read and I am eagerly looking forward to reading Quinn's other novels.
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53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh & Sigh - totally entertaining, February 24, 2001
Duke and I, is the first book of the Bridgerton Series. 2nd book is The Viscount who love me, 3rd would be the An Offer From A Gentleman which is still coming soon on July,2001. I read this book in one sitting, finished at 5am in the morning & was a zombie at work few hours afterwards :-) Since Julia Quinn is new to me, I honestly didn't think this book was going to keep me up all night. I was mistaken. Simon Basset, Earl of Clyvedon, Duke of Hasting is far from the regular heroes of most historical romance novels that I have read. Yes, he was described as handsome, rich, intelligent & a RAKE - just like most heroes... What made him different from the others is that he have a stuttering problems, which he has learned to control as he grew up yet it's still there when he's nervous or upset. This flaw made Simon more human, realistic. He had an awfully sad childhood too. His father denied him love and privileged because of his stuttering. His father was so shamed of him that he told people he no longer had a son. He would rather passed his dukedom to his cousin than to his son who he called stupid, idiot, imbecile and nitwit. This lead Simon to hate and yet it inspired him to worked hard in order to proved his father wrong. In the end, his father proudly saw that Simon was actually worthy of his dukedom and passed it on to him when he died. Because of his father's obsession on his dukedom lineage, Simon vowed never to marry, never to have children - to end the blood line with him. But when he returned to England & inherited his dukedom after his father's death, he was sought after by every MOTHER of the ton with marriageable daughters. Dafne Bridgerton on the other hand had a full happy childhood. Even if her father had died when she was only 10, She grew up with a loving mother, 7 brothers & sisters - who are all close knit. Naturally, because of her happy experience as a child, she longed to get married and have lots of children just like what she was use to growing up with. Being a wife and motherhood is her simple dream. Unlike most heroines of historical romances novels, Dafne didn't have an extra ordinary beauty but she is sweet, funny, philosophical, strong willed & determined. She might not have "THAT" extra ordinary beauty but she is well liked by everybody... and that is somehow a problem in finding a suitable husband. She possessed a unique character that draws every people to view her simply as A FRIEND. That is one of the two reasons why most eligible bachelors doesn't court her. She was everybody's friend. The other reason was his 3 elder brothers ( Anthony, Benedict & Colin) who watched her like a hawk. To keep ambitious mothers with marriageable daughters away from him, Simon propose a scheme to Dafne, who happens to be Anthony's (Simon's best friend) younger sister. They will feign "attachment". In return, he insisted to Dafne that when the Ton realize that the Duke had captured an interest towards her, Eligible bachelors who viewed her as a friend would eventually see her in different light. Rather conceited perhaps? She agreed & gotten 6 suitors the very next day. Interesting. So far, the scheme seems to be working well with both of them until Dafne realized she was slowly falling in love with Simon. That's when things got complicated. At the same time, Simon's feelings towards her were getting stronger. He tries so hard to keep it in control. After all, Thou shalt not lust after thy friend's sister! But what happens if Dafne seduces him? Would he be able to keep his emotions in control? Would he remember the most important rule amongst friends? I normally prefer the man to be the seducer but in this book, I rather like the way Julia Quinn wrote and described Dafne's thoughts. The way Dafne shows her emotions didn't sound disgusting nor exaggerated. She still have innocence but with a spark if naive naughtiness... Her actions are believable, understandable & practical considering the situation Simon is in, well.. the situation, they're both in. I also liked the idea that Simon & Dafne started as friends then developed into something deeper. They shared thoughts & dreams as well as fears & insecurities. They understood each other before words are passed, they formed a special bond before marriage - this is somewhat unusual in historical romances novels that I have read so far. I would like to mention my teeny bitty complaint about this story though, I wondered what happened to Nurse Hopkins. She who supposedly loved and took care of Simon ever since he was a baby. I would have loved to read about her. It would be nice to read her proud reaction to see what Simon had accomplished. Since she was the encouragement & Simon's maternal support, it would have been nice to see her involved in Simon's life all throughout the book. Oh well, this is just a small flaw which I thought I'd mention. Oh it won't be fair not to mention the famous Lady Whistledown's gossip column. My! Not only is she mysteriously accurate, she is soooo funny. Her column is one of my favorites in this book. I have a couple of guess who this lady might be but I'm not 100% sure. When you finish reading this book, email me your guess. It would be fun to compare thoughts and guess about this. I sure can't wait to read the rest of the Bridgerton Series to know who this elite lady is. This book is my first of Julia Quinn and definitely wasn't the last. I was thoroughly pleased & entertained with this one that I am now in the process of reading "The Viscount who love me", that is Anthony's story. Anthony is Simon's best friend & Dafne's eldest brother. Will write a review on that soon afterwards too.
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great Regency-era romp by Julia Quinn, January 9, 2000
THE DUKE AND I by Julia Quinn Review by Barb Deane, Barb's All Romance Book StoreJulia Quinn's latest Regency-era historical from Avon's Romantic Treasures line is entitled The Duke and I. The Duke and I is the latest in her line of classic movie title parodies, following How To Marry a Marquis and To Catch an Heiress. Like the classic movies with which these books share similar titles, these books are fun, entertaining romps that you should be sure not to miss. Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, had a difficult childhood, to say the least. His mother died giving birth to him, he couldn't speak until he was four years old, and his father rejected him because, when he did speak, he had a terrible stutter. Although Simon and his faithful nurse worked hard at ridding Simon of the stutter, he was so soured on his father, especially after the man told his servants that Simon was dead, that his life became focused on thwarting his father at every opportunity Daphne Bridgerton is the oldest daughter in a large, close, but somewhat eccentric, ton family. After two seasons and no marriage, Daphne's mother fears that she will end up on the shelf. Given that there are three more daughters to marry off, Daphne's mother become obsessed with getting Daphne a husband. To that end, Daphne is paraded out and forced to endure all of the more boorish men of the ton, in search for the acceptable husband. Fortunately, Daphne's oldest brother Anthony, the head of the household and Simon's best friend, is not inclined to force Daphne into an unhappy marriage. When Daphne and Simon meet, they each know enough of each other from Anthony to be fairly comfortable together, even given the immediate attraction between them. When Simon suggests that they act as if they have formed an attachment for each other, thereby saving Simon from the mothers of all the marriageable girls and making Daphne more attractive to the other eligible bachelors, Daphne agrees to his crazy scheme. What they are unable to control, however, is the way that the attraction between them grows in the inevitable togetherness their plan requires. The Duke and I is full of Julia's characteristic humor and her delightful trademark chapter openers - in this case, excerpts from the gossip column of Lady Whistledown. However, I did find that The Duke and I was not quite as light as Julia's recent books. Simon's angst-filled childhood and the scars that his father left behind, made Simon a more complex hero, for which Daphne had to be a deeper heroine as well. Their friendship and lively conversation made the tendre that developed between them very believable. The secondary characters were intriguing and I hope that we will see many of Daphne's numerous siblings in future stories. I have enjoyed every book Julia Quinn has written, and The Duke and I was no exception. Don't miss this wonderful story! Barb Deane Copyrightc 1999, Barb's All Romance Book Store. All rights reserved
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