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Welcome to Series Sunday!
This is the day that we get to celebrate books written in series – one of my all time favorite things 🙂 If you have been following along…..we have been reviewing Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, in anticipation of her new release at the end of May (less than a month now, if you are keeping track!) Today’s book is To Sir Phillip with Love. Of this series, it is my least favorite. That isn’t to say that it is poorly written, or lacking in any way. It is just quieter than the rest and in my mind, less romantic and more a practical love story. Just my view, which I might add, doesn’t keep with all the awards this book has won! I hope you give this book a go and feel free to disagree with me 🙂
To Sir Phillip with Love by Julia Quinn
ISBN: 0-380-82085-4
Publisher: Avon books
Source: I purchased this book to read
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 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?
The fifth installment of the Bridgerton series is my least favorite, I think. Maybe that’s a bad way to start a review, but I might as well be honest up front that this particular story didn’t really appeal to me.
The story explores the relationship between Eloise Bridgerton and Sir Phillip Crane. Sir Phillip’s first wife died due to a fever after a suicide attempt. Since his wife is a distant relative of Eloise’s, she writes a letter of condolence upon the woman’s death. This starts a year long letter writing affair ending with Sir Phillip inviting Eloise to visit in order see if they would suit. Eloise feels lost after the marriage of her best friend, Penelope, to her brother Colin, and decides to visit Sir Phillip. Interestingly, she decides to go without taking a chaperone or letting her family know where she is going. She arrives to find two unruly, motherless children who do everything in their power to drive her away. Sir Phillip, it seems, is looking for a mother for his children. Eloise, growing up as 1 of 8 children, easily responds to the children’s pranks and turns them around but not until after several hilarious pranks are played by both sides! Sir Phillip is more work, but the decision to marry is taken out of their hands when all four of her brothers arrive to find her unchaperoned. Yet another interesting situation!
Although this is a story about tragic circumstances, I miss the glitter and the glamor of most of Julia Quinn’s books. I like the character of Eloise, but I found very little to like about Sir Phillip; he seems too stiff to me. Maybe it’s the missing glitter, but I thought Eloise could have found a better match.
This book was named one of the 6 best mass market original novels of the year by Publisher’s Weekly and was a New York Times bestseller. I guess I don’t share their opinion. What is your opinion of this book?
Related articles
- Series Sunday – Review of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (sugarbeatsbooks.com)
- Series Sunday – An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (sugarbeatsbooks.com)
- Series Sunday – Review – The Duke & I by Julia Quinn (sugarbeatsbooks.com)
- Series Sunday – Review of The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (sugarbeatsbooks.com)
- Julia Quinn Reading Challenge – April Reviews (stitchreadcook.com)
- Julia Quinn Reading Challenge – March Reviews (stitchreadcook.com)
My least favorite of the series was Francesca’s book. The one thing I love as a whole about the Bridgerton series was that she really made each sibling stand out. I’m a HUGE Stephanie Laurens fan (two of her books are in my all-time top five), but most of the Cynsters seem rather interchangeable at times, which is okay because you love them so much. But Julia Quinn made her characters really different, but they’re not all equally likable. Also, does this one follow Collin’s book? Because I think that’s the most-loved of the series (although I loved Daphne’s the most). It’s hard to follow great material.
Hi Mo!
I agree! Julia Quinn creates characters that are distinct yet belong in a family and interact in a normal familial fashion. This isn’t limited to the Bridgertons, as the same feeling comes from the next group of books…..just wonderful!! We could talk all day about these books 🙂 Thanks for dropping by!
Barb