2 in 1 Review: Bevelstoke 1 and 3 - Julia Quinn

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
Series: Bevelstoke 1
Genre: Historical romance
Pages: 373
Published: 2007

2 March 1810 . . .Today, I fell in love.

At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever. But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers . . . 

My thoughts:

I will try to write a short one. But it is so hard! Though I will try. And yes I did read book 2 before this one. Do not be shocked now (looking at someone stating with an M ;). But they are stand alone historical romances so you do not have to read in order.

This book was just sweet and lovely. Again a book that is just how I like my HR. The heroine is Miranda who is not as pretty as her best friend but then again she has been in love with her best friend’s brother for 10 years so what does she care about other men ;) Miranda was smart and funny. All in all a great girl. Her best friend Olivia likewise (but then I already read and loved her book). Our hero is Turner who is not like he used to be. He had a bitch of a wife who cheated on him and the poor guy is jaded. And yes he does take his time to fall for her and tell her what he feels, but he was in pain and he was afraid. I can live with that because I always knew he would realize she was his everything.

Conclusion:

This book is witty and cute. There is one scene where he threw a scone at her and that just made me laugh. It is certainly a HR I would recommend to others and it sure is an author I want to read more books by. Cute cover too.

Ten things I love about you

Series: Bevelstoke 3

Pages: 377

Published: 2010

Annabel Winslow is in a pickle. Having newly arrived in London for her first season and being in possession of a voluptuous figure, is being openly courted the the Earl of Newbury, who is at least 75 and a nasty brute to boot. Annabel does not want to marry him, of course, but feels that she has no choice since her father has recently died and left the whole family, includeing Annabel's mother her 7 siblings, almost destitute. Then, while attending a party in the countryside, Annabel met Sebastien Grey, the Earl of Newbury's nephew. And suddenly she found herself not only courted by the lecherous uncle, but also the charming young nephew. Should she follow her heart so that she can be with the one she loves, or should she marry the loathsome earl just so she can put food on the table for her family and make sure that her brothers get to stay in school? 

My thoughts: 

I will try to make it short again. For some reason I did not like this as much as book 1. Book 2 I did like, though not the last 100 pages. In this one it was the other way around in a way. I did enjoy the book and it was cute. But I just felt that it picked up more at the end. 

Annabel was nice enough and I understood her. Her family back home was not getting any help from her grandparents so therefore she had to marry a creepy old guy. What I grew a bit tired of was everyone speaking about how big her boobs and hips were. Ok I understood it the first time around. The guy needed kids but does it need mentioning every time? Sebastian then, well I actually did not like him that much in book 2. In this one I liked him a bit more since I saw he was tormented from the war and he writes books, I love that. Still he sure fell fast and she did ask something in the beginning that was a bit..oh why am i complaining? That is how HR is. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book a great deal.

Conclusion:

The book was funny and cute. It was still worth reading and I enjoyed it. I read it fast and it was nice to get lost for a few hours. A good book to read this summer. And the cover is cute I guess.