Romance: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

Author: Julia Quinn 

Title: The Viscount who Loved Me

Genre: Historical Romance

Publication Date: December 5, 2000

Number of Pages: 378

Geographical Setting: London, England

Time Period: Regency Era (April-June 1814)

Series: Book 2 in the Bridgerton series

Plot Summary: 

Anthony Bridgerton's days are numbered. He may not be immediately dying, but there is absolutely no way he will be outliving his father who dyed at the young age of 38. So it is his turn to find himself a wife in order to produce an heir. Any woman will do, as long as she is moderately attractive, smart, and, most importantly, someone he will never fall in love with. 

Kate Sheffield is, by the ton's standards, basically a spinster. She is 21 and making her debut at the same time as her 17 year old sister. While Edwina Sheffield is considered "the diamond of the season," Kate has accepted that she will never compare to Edwina and holds no grudge over her sister for it. Kate has already come to terms with the fact that she will probably never marry, and has made it her mission to find a suitable husband for Edwina.

From the beginning, Kate and Anthony do not agree about what is the best future for Edwina. Anthony has decided that she will do as the next Viscountess Bridgerton because she checks all the boxes for him. Kate is convinced that reformed rakes do not make for great husbands and will do anything in her power to prevent Edwina from marrying the viscount. But what will she do as she learns more about Anthony and finds herself falling for him?

Subject Headings:

England > Social life and customs > 19th century > Fiction.

Man-woman relationships > Fiction.

Marriage > Fiction.

Sisters > Fiction.

Romance Appeal:

    This is a quintessential Historical Romance to its core. According to Wyatt and Saricks, all romances contain the following characteristics: 

1. An evocative, emotional tone that draws the reader into the story.
2. Characters that are quickly described.
3. The story contains some form of misunderstanding that eventually leads to reconciliation.
4. Worldbuilding that is engaging and describes the time period and place in way that attracts readers.
5. They are fast-paced.
6. They contain a specific, identifiable language that uses descriptive adjectives to describe characters, setting, and romantic interludes. (Wyatt & Saricks, 2018, pp. 216)

Julia Quinn was able to create this feeling and more with the Bridgerton series. You were introduced to most of the characters in the previous book, The Duke and I, so there was only a need to introduce Kate, Edwina, and Marry Sheffield to the reader. The prologue reveals the main "misunderstanding" between the couple before they are ever introduced, and this defines how Anthony views his own life expectancy. This is a central theme throughout the whole book, along with Kate always being compared to Edwina's beauty. This series as a whole is fast-paced and has the classic Romance storyline, but Julia Quinn has managed to make them not feel repetitive. 

3 Terms that Describe this Book:

• Enemies to lovers
• Man vs. woman rivalry
• Overcoming personal demons

3 Similar Non-Fiction Works:

Mortimer, I. (2022). Time traveler's guide to regency Britain. Pegasus Books.

In this continuation of the Time Traveler's series, Ian Mortimer looks into the Regency period of Britain and all it had to offer. It was the last bit of true freedom before the morality of Victorian England. Mortimer delves into the past to examine what people ate, drank, and wore as well as where they shopped, went for amusement, and even what their beliefs and fears were.

Common Appeals: 19th Century, Regency period (1811-1820)

Koch, B. (2020). Mad and bad: Real heroines of the regency. Grand Central Publishing. New York.

Bea Koch looks into the women of Regency England that are not the standard wealthy, white, and upper class. She focuses on women like Anne Lister, who lived with her common-law wife at Shibden Hall or Caroline Herschel, who assisted her brother with identifying comets and was even able to identify eight comets on her own. Bea is able to look beyond the pop culture view of Regency England to reveal an more fascinating, diverse, vibrant historical truth.

Common Appeals: 19th Century, Regency period (1811-1820)

Morrison, R. (2019). The regency years: During which Jane Austen writes, Napoleon fights, Byron makes love, and Britain becomes modern. W. W. Norton & Company. New York. 

This title examines the period of time when the future King George IV ruled as Regent for his father, King George III. The arts and sciences flourished during this time, with works from the likes of Jane Austen, The Shelleys, and Lord Byron as well as inventions that shaped the future of the world like the steam locomotive and even the blueprint for the modern computer.

Common Appeals: 19th Century, Regency period (1811-1820)

3 Similar Fiction Works:

Waters, M. (2020). To have and to hoax. Atria Books. 

Violet Gray and James Audley were a love match, and everything was going well in their marriage until a fight to end all fights caused them to stop speaking. Four years later, Violet receives a letter stating that James was in n accident at their country estate. She leaves immediately to be by his side, but along the way she stops at a tavern to find him alive and well. This leads her to decide to fake an illness to get even with James, but Violet is a horrid actress and James sees through her act almost immediately. Will their marriage be able to recover from the lies and miscommunications?

(I have listened to/read this series and it is one of my favorites)

Common Appeals: 19th Century, romance, men-women relations

Riley, V. (2020). A duke, the lady, and a baby. Zebra.

When Indian heiress Patience Jordan questions her English husbands mysterious suicide, she loses everything:  her son Lionel, fortune, and freedom. She does everything she can to get back to her son, even risking her life. With the help of The Widow's Grace, a secret society that helps widows regain their status, families and even love, she is able to get hired as her son's nanny. the new guardian of her son, Busick Strathmore, the Duke of Repington is a wounded military hero that is determined to right the wrongs created by Lionel's father.

Common Appeals: 19th Century, banter-filled, men-women relations

Irwin, S. (2022). A lady's guide to fortune-hunting. Pamela Dorman Books.

Kitty Talbot is her family's last hope to recover from her father's massive debts, so she enters into the London Season for the sole purpose of finding a rich man to marry. Lord Radcliffe sees Kitty for the fortune-hunting miss that she is and does all he can to thwart her plans. 

Common Appeals: 19th Century, aristocracy, men-women relations

References:

Wyatt, N. & Saricks, J. G. (2018). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. American Library Association.

Quinn, J. (2000). The viscount who loved me. Avon.