Ten Things I Love About You (Bevelstoke, #3) (2024)

Hum, should I list the 10 things I liked about this book, or the 10 things I didn't like?
As a compromise, I will list 5 of each.Liked:

1. The Hero, Sebastian, was a rake. I'm a sucker for a rake.

2. The heroine has a great sense of humor and laughs out loud. Not in a lady-like way. I love when someone snort-laughs. It makes me laugh so much harder.

3. The hero writes books that are ridiculous. One of his characters is killed by a pigeon.

4. The love story is cute and awwwww-worthy.

5. The grandma, although she starts out pretty shaky, turns into my favorite person by the end.

1. The Earl of Newbury, who wants to marry our heroine, is a disgusting lech and he gets away with a lot of crap.

2. The grandma and grandfather start off pretty horribly. They are determined to marry off their granddaughter to the Earl of Jabba. When she has the nerve to talk to our hero at the opera, they act like she has ruined herself.

3. There is a lot of rumination by both characters. Over-thinking is bad enough in real life, I don't want to read about someone else's crazy, endless thoughts.

4. Our heroine was continuing her course towards marriage to the Duke of Jabba long after he practically rapes her in a hallway. Some might call it "selflessness". I called it stupidity.

5. THE STUPID EARL OF JABBA DOESN'T DIE!!!!!!

Still, overall, a good story.

*** 2 1/2 stars ***

Ten Things I Didn't Love About This Book

1. Way too much internal dialogue. Plus the internal dialogue was often about completely random stuff. Show me, don't tell me.

2. It was boring.

3. The hero came off as wimpy when he allowed the villain (his uncle) to push him around and do stuff to the heroine.

4. There were a million references to the hero's books, plus there were so many times where the hero would think "If I were writing this scene..." It was really annoying.

5. The uncle was allowed to assault the heroine multiple times and he pretty much just got away with it. Ridiculous.

6. There was only one short love scene. I think the descriptions of the uncle assaulting her were more graphic than the love scenes.

7. The love didn't seem all that passionate between the hero and heroine.

8. The heroine's grandmother was creepy, she didn't seem to care what happened to her granddaughter.

9. We were supposed to believe that only one nasty old guy was interested in the heroine? That didn't seem plausible. The way her family threw that nasty old guy at her was very distasteful and hard to read.

10. The book couldn't quite decide whether it wanted to be funny or serious at certain points. The serious issues such as the heroine being assaulted and the hero's PTSD from war were glossed over in too light of a manner.

So while some parts of the book were okay and a bit humorous, the story didn't work for me and I was just trying to reach the end without being too annoyed.

I always enjoy Julia Quinn's novels but this one was particularly good. Her characters were wonderful. Sebastian Grey is one of those book characters everyone falls in love with, and Annabel is his ideal foil.

Together these two main characters give us heaps of humorous dialogue plus the development of a delightful relationship. They are perfect for each other. The story is entertaining, and the secondary characters are all well written and also given lots of amusing banter. The theme of counting to ten was used brilliantly as was the authorship of the romantic novels.

In fact it was all so good that I am giving it five stars. If you are looking for an historical romance to while away a few hours this is it.

Ten Things I Learned in This Book:
1) Annabel's family was poor
2) Annabel loved her family
SO
3) Annabel had to marry rich to save her family.
4) The Earl of Newbury was rich
BUT
5) Annabel detested the Earl of Newbury.
NEVERTHELESS
6) Annabel's Grandmother ordered her to marry the Earl
EVEN THOUGH
7) Annabel was happier with Sebastian
WHO
8) was a handsome rogue with a great secret from everyone except the reader!,
AND WHO
9) discovered that he felt more than lust for Annabel
AND THEREFORE
10) did what he had to do to keep Annabel from marrying the duke
SO THAT
Oops! That's already ten things, so you'll have to read the book to find out what comes next!

Sebastian is SUCH a charmer, I loved him. And I loved the fact that he’s the author of all the scandalous romances these Julia Quinn characters have been reading!

I generally really like Julia Quinn but something was « off » about this story as well as the whole Bevelstoke series when all was said and done. It’s an okay read but when you know how great Quinn can be you’re sort of disappointed that it’s not as good as some of her Bridgerton novels for example. What I enjoy about Quinn’s stories is that you have what appears to be a light regency style romance but there’s a seriousness underneath it all which you don’t get here. This book is much bawdier than anything else I’ve read by her, almost like she was trying too hard and it bordered on the silly.

The series continues on with Sebastian Grey who you meet in book two What Happens in London. Sebastian is a devil may care kind of hero whose character reminded me of the stereotypical campy gay guy which I didn’t particularly like for someone who's supposed to be a rakish alpha. He adored women, there was no ambiguity there, but it was the way he spoke and how he went about life that I didn’t really like. Sort of like one of those guys tsk-tsking away and going around saying things like “oh pshaw dear”. Nothing seemed to bother him so it was hard to get a good feel for his character. He was too “light”. Sebastian ends up falling for Annabel Winslow. Annabel has to marry quickly in order to support her family (her dad kicked the bucket and they’re destined for the poor house if she doesn’t find a Daddy Warbucks pronto). Her grandparents take it upon themselves to find her a husband and think they found the perfect man in the very gross Earl of Newbury. This geezer is the king of pervs. He wants a wife who can pop out an heir asap so he’s checking out prospective brides in terms of their hip size, boobs and how many brothers and sisters she has. It’s all very horse breeder like and though Quinn presents it at first as funny it was a bit much and seemed un-regency like. So the h/h meet by accident one night and then later they cross paths again and exchange a few light jabs making the reader think it might turn out to be a battle of words as the story goes on but it doesn’t really happen. Then there are the grandparents who are well-drawn characters if totally detestable. Yucky people there especially the grandmother whose crass talk and attitude again added to the non-regency vibe.

Anabelle is also a list maker which is where the title comes from. The 1 to 10 lists are sometimes funny but it gets old fast and seems forced at times. The whole story is sort of like that, it’s ok but it doesn’t really hold your attention. Even the steam is barely there and once you get to it you’re not really all that interested anymore. There's an interesting secret that's revealed that added to the fun but again after awhile it just got boring.

So it’s not Quinn’s best and I hope she hasn’t lost her touch but this read was just “meh-ish" and felt like she was trying too hard sometimes to make it all work.

Ten Things I Love About You is funny in Miss Quinn's signature writing style. I got bored with contemporary romance, so I pick up historical romance for a change.

Annabel is certainly playing that perfect part of damsel in distress. I do love her. Her insecurity about herself and yet she tried to stay stronger. Making sacrifices for people she loved.

The banter is fun and tender. I do love Sebastian. As clever as he is, he is sometimes very clueless.

Overall, a very good book.

4 stars

What can I say? This book was absolutely adorable. Sebastian Gray is one of the most lovable heroes in Romancelandia. I suppose he could be described as a "tortured hero", but unlike others who are labeled as such, Seb prescribes to the "when life deals you lemons...make lemonade" theory and therefore is always positive and upbeat. He is honest, forthright, loyal to family and friends, and his manners are impeccable. He is also so damn handsome (and virile) he is in constant demand by the young matrons of the ton. His relationship with Annabelle begins when they meet quite by accident in a moonlit garden. Seb is amused by Annabelle's candidness and happily gives her a kiss when she requests one. Annabelle, resigned to the sad fact that she must heed to familial duty and marry a lecherous old man for his title & money, figures she has nothing to lose when she hits Seb up for a kiss. And WOW! what a kiss to remember as they both take their leave...never expecting to see one another again. Of course the plot thickens and the H/h are thrown together for the rest of the book to enjoy several madcap escapades. But their love for each other develops slowly...naturally...and is a pleasure to be part of. I do wish they would've had sex somewhere along the way, but I suppose abstinence stayed in check with Seb's respect for Annabelle.
4 1/2 ****
JQ's humor still seems a little forced but IMO this is her best book to date. Recommended to readers who enjoy sweet, fluffy romances with the beloved Epilogue so necessary for a perfect HEA!

Definitely the best of the Bevelstoke books. Perhaps my favorite JQ. Sebastian and Annabel have more passion than Quinn's usual characters.

What a breath of fresh air!! So incredibly romantic, without too much angst. Just a beautifully charming, sexy, funny story. I couldn't ask for more. The plot had no wild murders, blackmail or misunderstandings. The tension for the characters was actually realistic, and flowed perfeclty.

Sebastian is currently my favorite HR hero. (subject to frequent change) He's not even an Alpha. Actually, he 's a little like my own hubby-to-be, so maybe that's why I love him so much....

The Grandmother was an absolutely unpredictable hoot! I think she might be more interesting than Mrs. Davenport (From "It's In His Kiss"). I loved Annabel's cousin, and Sebastion's cousins added much to the charm of the book. However, my favorite supporting character was Sebastion's writing...:) I have loved those crazy books since early in the Bridgerton series. It was such a great happy part of this book as well.

Overall, this is the best "happy" book that I can think of. Ms Quinn impresses me a little more every time.

I'm rereading my favourite historical romances and this one always makes me smile! I forgot how funny this one was too!!!

Very ho-hum. 2 stars.

Boring heroine.

Boring romance.

Cute ending, but the part that leads up to is weird. I don't like when authors use rape attempts on the heroine in romances. Like, really - can we not? I mean I like that she was going to fight him - but then, her grandma and lover come into the room - and everything becomes rather flippant and "humorous." Humor after a rape attempt scene, especially when the rapist is still in the room? Doesn't seem right.

Also, this book seems to focus too much on "the other guy"/villain than building on the actual romance in the book. In addition, the heroine seems to have poor characterization. She is the eldest child of a huge family, so her grandparents are trying to force her into marrying the villain. OK - so mind vs. heart situation here. And she has big breasts and she tells the hero that she used to compete with her brothers in random competitions. OK. A bit too much emphasis on the breasts throughout the book, but OK. But what else about her? I feel like there's a lot of telling and not showing on WHO she is. I can't seem to relate to her or admire her. She's neither likable or unlikable. I wanted to get a better sense of who she is or get another layer to her because I want a protagonist who makes me feel SOMETHING. This heroine is honestly bland.

Overall, definitely not my favorite Julia Quinn book.

Sometimes I give 4 stars to books for no reason at all. It just means that the story is very good, but for some reason it lacked that special something that would turn it into a 5-star read. And I guess that's what's called personal taste. But I always have a reason for 3-star ratings. Always.

Except this time I don't. The hero is wonderful. He's exactly my type of hero. Even the heroine is okay. Nothing stands out about her and she is a bit indifferent, IMO, but she's definitely not bad or annoying.

So why the 3-star rating? I have no idea. Something was off about this book and I know that, try as I might, I couldn't enjoy it. And believe me, I did try.

The writing style is typical Julia Quinn, the banter is witty and funny as always; I really can't put my finger on what went wrong. Maybe it was the short time span this book covered (everything happened in a little more than a week) that failed to convince me this is a great love story.

In all honesty, this is my least favourite JQ up to date, but having no idea how to explain why, I'm convinced this is a case of "it's not you, it's me". Considering that this is most people's favourite in the series, please feel free to ignore me and read it anyway. I'm quite sure you're going to like it much better than I did.

Another brilliant book by Julia Quinn... 5 stars!!!

Ten Things I loved about this book:

One: Sebastion Grey is charming and witty; LOVED him! Two: Annabel Winslow has an excellent sense of humor and is not annoying! Three: Sebastion has a secret that shocked me! Four: Sebastion does not fight his feelings for Annabel, but does fight for her! Five: Annabel's grandmother is hilarious! Six: There is a scandal! Shocking! Seven: We get to see a lot of Olivia and Harry Valentine! Eight: Sebastion and Annabel are both list makers.. preferring to list things in Tens! Nine: Sebastion is very vocal about his desires, aka dirty talker! and Ten: Many, many laugh out loud moments from the beginning until Sebastion and Annabel get their happily ever after!

4,5

Reseña completa http://letraslibrosymas.blogspot.com/...

¡Me ha cautivado! Es que todo me parece increíble y perfecto, la historia, como se va desarrollando, los personajes y su romance, incluso los secundarios son tremendos. Al principio tenía una cosilla que no terminaba de cuajar, que son las listas de diez cosas que hacían los protagonistas, me resultaba forzado y extraño y por eso le he bajado medio punto al libro, pero luego me fue gustando más según se veía reflejada en ellas la personalidad de los personajes.

La historia es sencilla, pero el camino se disfruta muchísimo. Una historia romántica con sus buenas dosis de drama, obstáculos y malentendidos, pasión, piques, mucha química y humor y momentos dulces y bonitos que te dejan embobada. Y es que Annabel y Sebastian son la leche, tanto por separado como juntos, me han robado el corazón y me han hecho pasar grandes momentos.

La pluma de la autora es perfecta para esta novela, sencilla, ágil, con diálogos ligeros y chispeantes, descripciones precisas y creando momentos memorables y personajes arrolladores, así que engancha y la historia de devora. Me han gustado sobre todo los protagonistas, porque son muy carismáticos y divertidos, inteligentes y agudos, con varias capas e imperfectos, además vamos viendo como van creciendo y sus sentimientos y pensamientos cambian porque ambos son narradores y eso le aporta más profundidad a la historia y a ellos.

Una deliciosa novela romántica.

Nedendir bilinmez ama ilk defa bir Quinn romanını çok da keyif almadan okudum.
Bir yerlerde bir sıkıntı vardı ama çözemedim gitti...

Me, jumping up and down. Julia Quinn is back. After ditching Because of Miss Bridgerton and losing interest towards the end of the original Bridgerton series I went on a break. Sad as JQ and Lisa Kleypas are the two authors that pulled me back into romances.

Ten Things was delicious and charming. Plenty of banter from the hero, and the heroine is yet another intelligent and sweet heroine that gets her happy ending.

The premise is that Annabel’s awful grandparents want her to marry the even more awful Earl of something. He’s in search of a young bride he can breed to get another heir. He’s old enough to be her grandfather which is brought home in a ridiculous way later.

Our hero, Sebastian, is a charmer. A hint of PTSD from the war, he just so happens to be heir to the awful Earl.

Events come to a head at a house party that has a thrilling confrontation.

JQ’s writing is fluid and easy to read, and she nails the Sebastian’s inner voice well as some nice banter between the hero and heroine.

But her grandmother cut her off with a sigh worthy of the Covent Garden stage.

“Go ahead,” she said, waving an arm to the connecting door. “Put him in my bed.”

“What?” Annabel gasped.

“We’ll just have to let everyone think he died having his way with me.”

“But—but—” Annabel gaped at her grandmother, then looked at Lord Newbury, and then at Sebastian, who appeared to be speechless.

Sebastian. Speechless. Apparently, this was what it took.

Not perfect by any means as the the heroine’s grumpy grandfather goes missing halfway through and some other minor issues, but the enjoyment of reading a book where the hero and heroine actually like each other without dragging into boredom more than made up for any infractions.

Brief reread for steam stats 11/20/21:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes

Pg 70 - kiss
Pg 242 - kisses and light touches
Pg 278 - kisses and touches
Pg 354 - full sex scene (missionary)
Total pages 377

Book takes place in 1822

Original Review (1/16/2019):
This book was overall mildly enjoyable 😄. I gave 🌟🌟🌟. It’s not Quinn’s best work in my opinion but a nice story. Light, fast read. Some humor. Nothing that made me feel any strong feelings. I can see people calling most of the book boring.

The hero, Sebastian Grey, was a different type of character and I really enjoyed him. Witty, funny, charming, he didn’t have the dark, abused persona that so many hero’s have. He is a war veteran and the current heir to an Earl title.

The heroine, Annabel, was not a strong character, in my opinion. She is rather weak, annoying, and flat as a character. She is “assumed” engaged to the current Earl, the hero’s uncle. As the Earl once romanced her grandmother, she is not too keen on the match but feels she must do what she can for her impoverished family.

The story takes forever to get going. It has some dark themes that aren’t really addressed very well, including Sebastian’s ptsd from the war and the rape attempt by the Earl. In fact they are basically glossed over or regaled with humor in/around the scene and I felt it should have been done differently.

To me there wasn’t a lot of good tension. The book didn’t pick up for me until about page 290 which is a long time to wait. However, I did enjoy the end of the book. I do wish the heroine explored the hero’s “big secret” some more. It was so important for him and such a part of his life and I felt like we never even got a true view of how the heroine felt about it.

3.5 stars

Cute but not particularly memorable. I liked this, it has a heroine that's the third most likely to outrun a turkey in her family and a hero who writes ridiculous but popular books under a pseudonym. There's also a rape-y, obese uncle, acting as a villain, who doesn't get the end that he deserves. I just wish there was a bit more action to the plot.

Hacía mucho, mucho, mucho tiempo que no leía a Julia Quinn. No sé por qué dejé exactamente de leerla, creo que un libro me dejó indiferente y por eso la aparqué o quizá se me fue de la cabeza.
La cuestión es que el otro día una gran amiga me habló de ella y tuve unas ganas tremendas de retomarla. Elegí esta novela porque el título me encantó y porque tiene el mejor booktrailer que he visto nunca (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dJKe...).
"Ten things I love about you" me ha gustado mucho, me ha parecido una novela en principio sencilla pero repleta de diálogos absolutamente brillantes. El protagonista me ha fascinado, Sebastian tiene muchas capas y, bueno, los protagonistas "imperfectos" siempre han sido y serán mi debilidad.
En cuanto a Annabel, me ha parecido un gran protagonista, es lista y romántica y utiliza tanto la cabeza como el corazón, he conseguido entenderla y respetarla.
Las escenas entre ellos dos son fantásticas y la declaración de amor del último capítulo es de las mejores que he leído en histórica en mucho tiempo.
Me alegro muchísimo de haberme "reencontrado" con Julia Quinn y voy a recuperar todos los libros que me he perdido en este tiempo sin duda por culpa mía y no de ella.

I loved reading this again... one of my favorites

---------
Reading the back cover of this book did nothing for me. In any case, it was getting the book for free that even motivated me to start so quickly, instead of sticking it on the back burner. Which is especially unfortunate because this is one hellava book. I even number it as one of my favorites and will gladly re-read within this month - that's saying something.

Sebastian (I hate how this name is so popular in HR, I'm really bored of it) is an insomniac/gothic romance writer (under a pseudonym, of course), who is heir to earldom, if his uncle dies without a son. Considering how much the old man hates him, the uncle is trying to marry the most fertile lady in the market, Annabel Winslow. Annabel is a country lass who doesn't really fit in with the English ton, but is obliged to find a match with the Wealthy Lord Newbury, a man who had once courted her grandmother and has the manners of a dog (he's just lewd and disgusting and old and ugly to top it off - typical). After meeting Sebastian, she tries to keep him from finding out that his uncle was courting her and finds a friend in him - making her question whether she should really marry for money. But Sebastian comes with a set of his own secrets and a few demons.

I adored Sebastian. He is the best hero that has come by for a long time. He is witty and jovial, yet has a sense of honor and respectability that makes him irresistible. Then there is a bit of tortured hero in him, but he manages to hold onto optimism that would definitely charm my socks off (or I guess in this case, my stockings off, along with my drawers, and my chemise, and just about everything). I have never read a hero such as he. Annabel was an interesting character - not exactly someone I connected with at first, especially when she did not possess a love of reading. But, she appealed to me in a novel way, as she unfolded as a young woman placed in an uncomfortable situation with only a scandalously promiscuous grandmother to guide her.

The whole book was hilarious, with a lot of sarcastic humor - some of it not even relevant to the progression of the book, but was enjoyable enough. There was bit of a modern, American twist in the funnies, but I didn't mind. Nothing was dumb or too random to detract from the book. It makes me look forward for JQ's new take on HR.

The plot was also quite interesting, because there were such novel concepts incorporated (an unique novel writing hero, a non-bluestocking heroine, a romance not entirely dependent on unnatural horniness toward each other, and an ending in which the dead don't stay dead when you expect them to), I was not sure when and how things were going down. Lot's of love to Annabel's grandmother - she was certainly unexpected.

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a fun, unique read that keeps you on your toes without getting very dramatic.

Bitti. Yine çok tatlı bir Quinn romanıydı. Severek okudum, hızlı bir şekilde akan bir kitaptı.

Serinin ikinci kitabını çevirirken en çok Sebastian karakterini sevmiştim ve en merak ettiğim de onun hikayesi olmuştu. Hemen birkaç ay sonra bu kitabın çıkması çok güzel oldu.

Karakterlerin işlenişini beğendim. O okuduğumuz Sebastian'dan farklı bir şekle sokulmamıştı, hala aynı yaramaz, tatlı adamdı. Fakat onunla ilgili öğrendiğim bir şeye çok şaşırdığımı ve güldüğümü söylemeliyim.

Kadın karakterimiz kendini bilen, ailesine ve kardeşlerine bakabilmek için iyi bir evlilik yapması gerektiği için zor durumda olan bir kadındı.

Historical deyince direkt aynı kalıpta sanıyoruz ama öyle olmuyor işte. Dram ögesi daha fazla olan tarihi aşklar var, macerası daha yoğun olanlar var (özellikle canım İskoçlarda), bir de bu kitaptaki gibi dili daha basit, konusu daha yüzeysel, daha komik olanı var. O yüzden çok fazla detay, çok fazla skandal falan beklemeyin :)

Ayrıca 2. kitaptaki o korkunç romanlar bunda da var, çok güldüm onlara :))

It was a captivating story. The author did an impressive job of keeping it light and fun while developing the plot.

Let me establish this from the outset: I have somewhat odd taste :) I tend to fall in love with the less popular works of popular authors. My very favorite Loretta Chase, for example, is one that most LC fans I know have never heard of or were resoundingly indifferent to: The Devil's Delilah. And...*deep breath*...I never fell quite as in love with Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series as I wanted or expected to. Most of the entries were enjoyable---some more so than others---but I just wasn't as head over heels, 'these are coming with me to my proverbial desert island' enamored with the Bridgertons as most of my fellow HR addicts. In fact, I've found myself developing a shameful preference for a few of JQ's non-Bridgerton novels, like Just Like Heaven, What Happens in London, and now, most notably, Ten Things I Love About You.

This was not just my favorite JQ book; this was easily among my favorite of the many, many, MANY (no, I don't have a life!) HRs I've read over the past few years. You know how occasionally you come across a book that seems almost custom written for your particular quirks and preferences? This was it. As someone who's semi-insomniac and who's forever compelled to list and rank pretty much everything I come across, I related to these characters scarily well...these were my kind of people ;) It's funny, because while I almost never *dislike* Quinn's heroes or heroines---something of a feat for me---I don't often connect quite as strongly to them as I do with some other authors' H and hs. They're often blandly likable but easily forgettable for me. In this book, though, I found myself absolutely adoring Annabel, our relatably flawed but very endearing heroine. Sebastian, while my clumsy attempts to describe him will make him sound like 'just another charming, amusing and underlyingly kind recently reformed "rogue"' catapulted towards the very top of my surprisingly selective Favorite Heroes Ever list. Seriously, he is THAT awesome. And it's not just that I happened to love them---it's that I totally bought THEIR compatibility, chemistry and soulmate-y connection to each other. That's more of a rarity for me than you might expect: many HR couples strike me as far more in lust than in love, or as having a sort of fiery but superficial passion and chemistry that's likely to fizzle out all too quickly, leaving them as one of those perpetually bickering, sniping, woefully ill-suited couples you dread having to go out to dinner with ;) But I truly, deeply loved Sebastian and Annabel and bought their love for each other.

Despite my fangirly adoration for this book, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for those craving a lot of angst, a lot of sex scenes (there's only one main sex scene, which for me was a plus but for others will probably be a drawback!), a very brooding, dark and tortured hero and a lot of dark intensity in plot and tone.

If, however, you want humor, charm, razor sharp dialogue, mood-lifting joy that doesn't descend into eye-rolling sappiness and one of the most awesomely lovable (though endearingly imperfect!) heroes ever, I truly cannot recommend this one highly enough!

A/A- for objective quality; A+++++ for my subjective, off-the-charts enjoyment :)

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

Okay, I am a long-term Julia Quinn fan (Bridgerton series...yay!). I realize that her books have moved from pretty emotional and having some substance to more-or-less fluff. Now don't get me wrong. I love fluff. I love endless, silly banter. I don't even mind cutesy stuff like top ten lists sprinkled throughout the book. But as I was reading this book, several things occurred to me. I was about 1/3? of the way through and nothing had happened yet. Nothing. There is a lot of deep POV (internal dialogue, etc. etc) and no freaking action. And I do mean none. No matter how good a writer Julia Quinn is, she's gotta pick up the pacing, unless it's a cute little novella or something. Also, the top ten lists were so mindless they actually turned from being cutesy to making the characters look like imbeciles.

My favorite part of Quinn's writing is the banter. Oh, how Penelope loves banter! I love the banter in Amanda Quick's books. I love the banter in Gail Carriger's books. I adore the banter in the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. I love banter that is sharp, funny, and witty. (Annette Blair does it in a very fresh, modern and snappy way in her books, too). However, I noticed something about the banter in this latest Quinn novel. Even though the characters are set in a historical romance, the banter comes across as very, very modern. Part of the great thing about the dry banter between Quick's characters is that it's set in a historical time-frame, and the language and dialogue is formal, stilted and the characters have to insult each other in a round-about way. Quinn's banter has lost that fun, historical edge. It sounds like 2 characters from a contemporary novel sparring with each other. Which is fun, it's just not a historical. (Deep thoughts by Jack Handy coming at you, LIVE, from Penelope's Romance Reviews...hee hee!).

A couple other problems...since Quinn appears to be shying away from serious topics, it's a little strange that she introduces the fact that the hero is suffering from PTSD and never really resolves it. I also thought the scene at the end of the book where the "villain" sneaks into the heroine's room was unnecessary and felt like an add-on scene.

This is not Quinn's greatest creation, but it was entertaining enough for a read by the pool. My favorite part was the secret author storyline and the cute "Grey Most Likely To Outrun A Turkey" joke. I must admit I am missing the sparkle of old Julia Quinn books. She created some incredible characters and beautiful love stories with the original Bridgerton books. I would love to see her get back to that level of writing--creating strong, conflicted characters with some meat on their bones. Instead of marshmallow fluff.

Grade: B

I loved this book. Adored it. Absolutely a terrific read. I had already loved the first book in the series, although not so much the second one. But this one was amazing. It helped me to remember why I loved JQ so much. I must admit after having read her Bridgertons series, I would never read something from her as good, but this one definitely was.

I enjoyed terribly each page. This book was wicked, hilarious and extremely entertaining. Laugh hard with almost every page. I mean, you must always remember that JQ is a light read, if you're looking for a very deep read, this isn't it. This author is to spend a nice quality time reading.

Sebastian was the greatest of her heroes,really. He had such an interesting personality. Maybe it was just me because I felt totally drawn to him, but I felt the whole time wishing for him to be real. I would definitely fall hard for a guy like him. He has this incredible sense of humor, always looking for the bright side of things and trying to keep everyone smiling and happy. So cute. But he also has this deep hidden side you dye to know more about the whole book. You know he went through so much during all his life and that he just needs someone to get to know him for what he really is. I just couldn't help but to LOVE him. I think I never felt something so strong towards a hero of any of the books I had read before. Maybe it's because as the books in this genre have nothing paranormal and you know that there could actually be someone like him out there,lol. I definitely wouldn't mind to find someone like him,lol.

Then there was Annabel Winslow, who I never thought would end up being such a terrific heroine but she was. She was just what Seb needed, someone as wicked and caring as him. Her personality kept surprising me constantly. Both of them definitely made an impression on my. I adored them.

I see many gave 3 and 4 stars to this book, I just can't understand it. For me it was amazing. I would definitely recommend it.

Ontem apeteceu-me ler algo ao estilo Bridgerton, e e-reader para que te quero! Às quatro da manhã tinha terminado a leitura.

Julia Quinn domina, além dos ingredientes base para este tipo de história, o humor. É o humor que me mantém pregada às páginas, e que me faz acreditar na química entre as personagens. E que química!

Sebastian Grey regressou da Guerra Peninsular com alguns traumas, nomeadamente insónias. Sem outra perspetiva de futuro que não herdar o condado de um tio asqueroso, acaba por expiar os seus fantasmas e conseguir os seus rendimentos da escrita.

Numa noite, sentado num cobertor no bosque, uma jovem muito desgostosa com o seu casamento arranjado tropeça no sonhador Grey, e puff há borboletas e foguetes.

É aqui que a autora espalha magia como ninguém... já li tantos livros do género, mas ainda assim consegue introduzir novos ingredientes, emprestar espontaneidade às personagens e pôr-me a rir e a torcer pelo casalinho principal quase do princípio ao fim.

Apaixonei-me pelo Mr. Grey, pelo seu jeito teatral e cavalheiresco, mas também pelo modo como a autora permitiu que vissemos os sentimentos a nascer nele. Annabel Winslow também é uma boa personagem, mas acaba por não ser tão rica quanto o Mr. Grey. (A autora faz questão que nos apaixonemos pelos seus heróis).

Para terminar, gostei muito de uma coisa: por uma vez, o estatuto social não importou. Quer dizer, importou, mas para toda a gente menos para o casal principal. Por uma vez, saímos da aristocracia e entramos nos burgueses, que eram obrigados a ter ideias para se sustentar.

Belo! Divertido! Impulsivo!...
...Não posso fazer isto todas as noites.

Reread Sept. 2019. Enjoyable, but more like 3 stars than 5. Things got too farcical at the end. The heroine just instantly decides not to marry the fat old earl in order to save her family - because he pinched her bottom! This same man had practically forced himself on her earlier in the novel.
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Feb 2015
This was so much fun to read! Not much in this genre earns 5 stars from me. I was completely entertained and grinned through much of this novel. Yes, it was formulaic, right down to the annoying bit of danger tacked on to the end. Fluffy cotton candy for the brain.

8/10
Es una bonita y entretenida historia pero quizás haya sido un poco siempre

Sebastian is my fave character in this series, and fortunately his book was amazing.
I really love when there's no stupid drama between the characters. This was a very lovely story.
Also Sebastian is Sarah Gorely!! He wrote the books that are in almost every Julia Quinn book. I wasn't expected that, but I love this!!

My ranking of the series:
1) Ten Things I Love About You
2) What Happens In London
3) The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

4.5 stars

I’ve been on a bit of a Julia Quinn audio-glom this year, having listened to Just Like Heaven, A Night Like This, and It’s in His Kiss in the last few months alone! I frequently turn to her books or audios when I want something light and a bit fluffy, which has plenty of humour and engaging characters, and I can say that Ten Things I Love About You most definitely fits that particular bill.

It may not be up to the standard of some of her earlier Bridgerton books, but in Sebastian Grey she has created a hero who can give any of the Bridgerton men a good run for their money! He’s everything one would expect of a romantic hero – handsome, extremely charming, and very witty, but he’s also rather a troubled young man whose distressing dreams lead to bouts of serious insomnia. In the midst of one of these bouts, he starts toying with the idea of writing a book – something we discover later has actually served him rather well.

I’m not quite sure what it is exactly, but there is something that sets Sebastian in a class apart from your usual handsome, charming, and witty hero; and the only word I can come up with to describe it is to say that he’s intensely loveable.

You can read the rest of this review over at AudioGals.