Oh, I have loved many of Julia Quinn’s books, and adored the Bridgerton saga but I have to say it’s time to let go of that family. This is the third book in the Rokesby’s series, and much like the first two, this one just didn’t do it for me. I guess I was hoping that this one was better! Poppy Bridgerton is the heroine of this one, and is a typical spunky gal who hasn’t been courted and has no marriage prospects despite being pretty and sweet. While she’s visiting a friend along the coast, she stumbles across a cave, as you do, and lo and behold it’s a smuggler’s cave. And of course, said smugglers find her and have no other choice but to kidnap her and take her back to the ship.
The captain of the ship is Captain Andrew Rokesby, who is masquerading as a pirate while he covertly carries out secret missions for the British government. Naturally he is somewhat irked to find that his crew have left a woman restrained in his cabin, but of course there is no other choice than to set sail with her on board. He can’t let her run back to her friend – she might tell tales of pirates and secret caves! And he has to keep his true identity a secret from her, since her cousin is married to one of his brothers. And so the journey begins – like a play set in only location for the most part, there’s not much action. Poppy and Andrew spend time trading barbs and banter and slowly get to know each other. It’s fine, but not a lot happens that is new or noteworthy.
Andrew is a completely honorable man, who treats Poppy with respect. He has no discernable faults, and neither does she. Poppy settles in and accepts that she’s relegated to one room, no change of clothes or other feminine necessities, and even the crew come to like her. She’s like Snow White among the dwarves, so sweet and cute – if there had been a parrot on board, she would have been singing to it.
I admit I skimmed along to get to the end, with the prerequisite happy ending and the epilogue of babies. I still think that Ms Quinn is a talented writer, but she needs to find something new to bring some spark back to her books.