It has been a while since I have picked up a Bridgerton Book but with Season 4 about to Air on Netflix I decided this was the perfect time to dive back in. Mostly because I heard that Eloise starts a bit of her journey this season and so I would like to be overly caught up.
“Men. The day they learned to admit to a mistake was the day they became women.”
Julia Quinn, To Sir Phillip, With Love
About The Book
Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher: Avon
Published Date: July 1st, 2003
Page Count: 372 Pages
Main Genre: Historical Romance
GoodReads Rating: 3.69
Format: Audio Book
“. . . I do not tell you often enough, dear Mother, how very grateful I am that I am yours. It is a rare parent who would offer a child such latitude and understanding. It is an even rarer one who calls a daughter friend. I do love you, dear Mama.”
Julia Quinn, To Sir Phillip, With Love
Synopsis
Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife’s distant cousin 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…
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 he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young – and decidedly unruly – children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip is in need of a wife.
Rating
Review
Eloise is my favorite character in the Netflix adaptation but to be honest I haven’t felt the exact same way throughout the books. Getting to read her specific story really did help that picture adapt in my mind though.
I have a hard time seeing the Eloise from earlier in the series becoming the Eloise this Book depicted but I think that is an important part of typical character growth as she goes from not wanting to be married to finding the right man and finally finding a place she truly belongs.
I love that their romance starts with the exchange of letters as that is the one main thing I have always linked Eloise to. This is a very common aspect sprinkled throughout the book and that helped me really grasp her character. Another thing that felt a lot like her character was when she ran away to officially meet this man. She makes split decision without thinking of the consequences and that felt absolutely correct for her.
I absolutely adored the interaction with her step kids. She never really treated them as step kids and truly accepted them as her own. Getting to see this dynamic felt extremely refreshing. I also loved the playfulness she allows these children to express. The kids should get to feel like kids while they are young and she really embraces this.
Overall, I found the romance was really cute! I really enjoyed how easy it was for Phillip to lean into her family and accept them, it felt very seamless. Her brothers over protectiveness was probably one of my favorite scenes as the Bridgerton Brothers will always be my favorite characters.
I can’t wait to watch the adaptation!
“I had to do something,” she said. “I couldn’t just sit and wait for life to happen to me any longer.”
Julia Quinn, To Sir Phillip, With Love
QOTD: Who is your Favorite Bridgerton Sibling?
World of Bai 