The last full length book in the Bridgerton series at last! Since the love birds here both have a fondness for breakfast, I will proceed with a comestible more appropriate to this novel. If book 8 in the Bridgerton series were a breakfast situation, it would be a scramble of 90’s Rom Coms with a side of Austen hash browns.
Young George has come a long way from tossing peas across the dinner table and hiding frogs in his sisters’ beds. As the last of the Bridgerton brood to tie the knot, he has witnessed each of his siblings make a true love match. Basically, George is just waiting around for Cupid’s arrow to render him senseless.
Just such an arrow is slung when he spies young Hermoine Watson at his brother’s country estate. As fortune would have it, it’s one of those everyone-is-staying-for-a-fortnight shindigs so there is plenty of time for George to woo Miss Watson. However, there is one little wrinkle. He needs to get in line. Every other bachelor is in love with her as well AND she already fancies herself to be in rapturous love with an unsuitable commoner who is NOT at the party. Dilemma!
Hermione’s stalwart friend, Lady Lucinda, has a long history of watching her friend attempt to dodge over eager suitors. While she is a bit put out at being rendered virtually invisible while standing alongside Hermione, Lucy is resigned to the situation. After all, she is far too sensible to engage in the hubbub of the season since being all but promised to Lord Haselby since childhood. Lucy is definitely not swayed by George Bridgerton’s thick chestnut hair or smoldering good looks but she does find conversing with him (when he isn’t falling all over Hermione) to be somewhat entertaining. And, since Lucy is concerned for Hermione’s reputation should she run off with the aforementioned unsuitable commoner that she claims to love, why not help George out a bit with Hermoine? He is a much more suitable match for her friend after all. I don’t think that you need a road map to see where things are headed here.
Of all of the Bridgerton books in the series, this one felt the most Jane Austen-y to me. The whole watching a possible love match unfold when you want to be that love match was Austen pining 101. I thought it was interesting that the last male to marry was simply waiting around for lightening to strike rather than actively trying to avoid love. It was a bit refreshing especially when juxtaposed to his love interest, the practical Lucy, who wanted nothing to do with messy BIG feelings.
Each of these books really did get better as the series went along. Or, maybe it was spending so much time with the characters (devouring 8 books back to back) and witnessing them build their relationships with each other and their growing families that got me in the end. Honestly, they were a delight to spend time with (except for Benedict) and the more that I got to know them, the more I appreciated the good natured barbs and eye rolls. By the end, I felt like I really knew this family and spending a fortnight in the country with them would be a true pleasure.
