The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Rokesbys #3
Historical Romance
November 20, 2018 by Avon

Favorite Quote:

He had made her happy, and that made him happy.

Reviewed by Angela 

The Other Miss Bridgerton is the third installment of The Rokesbys, a prequel series featuring the previous generation of Bridgertons and their closest friends and neighbors, the Rokesbys. I loved the first book in the series, Because of Miss Bridgerton, felt kind of iffy about the second book, The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband, and went into this book with high hopes that the old Bridgerton magic would make an appearance.

Julia Quinn’s newest release features Poppy, a Bridgerton cousin from Somerset, and Andrew, the second to youngest Rokesby son, formerly of the Royal Navy, currently exploring the seas as a merchant ship’s captain. (He’s also a spy for the Crown, but no one knows that yet.) While visiting a friend in the last months of her confinement, Poppy goes exploring alone and happens upon a cave. Which is how she finds herself aboard the Infinity as an unwanted, problematic captive to the mysterious privateer, Captain Andrew James.

Andrew loves his family and he loves his country. When he is asked to “deliver” correspondences around Europe with no questions asked and to perform certain duties in certain situations when his country asks him to, he takes on the role of a merchant ship captain and, despite his family’s angst over his career choices, keeps the reasons why to himself. When Poppy Bridgerton boards his ship (forcibly, and in a burlap sack) he has no choice but to take her with him on his next secret mission. He is on a deadline, and not even a Bridgerton discovering his secret hiding place and becoming his unwilling guest, will delay him.

You guys, I really, really enjoyed this one. It had all the charm, wit, and wonderfully flawed, complex characters of the original series, and I simply adored this couple’s interactions with each other. The only girl, raised with four brothers, Poppy is adventurous, competitive, and has a mind that is constantly thinking and working out mysteries. Andrew presents a conundrum, as he is supposed to be the bad guy, but doesn’t act like a bad guy should. He’s charming, and fun to banter back and forth with, and he seems to be trying very hard to make her stay as easy as possible.

Andrew can’t believe he has a Bridgerton confined to his room. The Bridgertons are his closest neighbors and he grew up running around the countryside with them, one even married his older brother. He’s determined to get Poppy back to England as soon as possible, hopefully with no one finding out about their little trip. He does his best to appear the devilish rogue, but he really isn’t. Poppy is fascinating and easy to talk to and he loves her curiosity. They have this easiness together that I loved. There was this sense that they are becoming fast friends, while at the same time falling deeply for each other.

“Take my hand,” he said, reaching out.

And even though everything within her that was sensible and true screamed that she ought not to touch this man; she ought not to let her skin even so much as brush against his…

She did.

He was still for a moment, looking down between them as if he couldn’t quite believe she’d done it. His fingers curled slowly around hers, and when their hands were truly clasped, he brushed his thumb against the tender skin of her wrist.

She felt it everywhere.

I know right. Sometimes the best scenes are the ones where a simple joining of hands becomes a revelation.

Something light and luminous began to rise within him. That heady, fizzy feeling of infatuation, of flirtation and desire.

No, not desire. Or not just desire.

Anticipation.

The moment before. When you could feel the beat of your heart in every corner of your body, when every breath felt as if it reached all the way down to your toes. When nothing could quite compare to the perfect curve of a woman’s lips.

Happy sigh. This isn’t this author’s sexiest novel, and Andrew and Poppy don’t have a ton of love scenes, but I simply adored the way their relationship built. The anticipation. The sly looks and witty banter and getting to know you. Their chemistry was apparent and their connection palpable. By the end and their HEA they had become one of my favorite Quinn couples. It was so easy to love them, together and individually.

The last book in the series comes out next year… at least I’m assuming it will be the last as it will feature the youngest Rokesby son and the youngest Bridgerton daughter. I’m more than ready. Final Grade- B+

Series List * Author Website

GR * AMZ * BN * K * GP