The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)

by Julia Quinn

'Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest soon follow'.
– Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, 30 April 1813.

After enduring two seasons in London, Daphne Bridgerton is no longer nave enough to believe she will be able to be marry for love. But is it really too much to hope for a husband for whom she at least has some affection?

Her brother's old school friend Simon Bassett—the new Duke of Hastings—has no intention of ever marrying. However, newly returned to England, he finds himself the target of the many marriage-minded society mothers who remain convinced that reformed rakes make the best husbands.

To deflect their attention, the handsome hell-raiser proposes to Daphne that they pretend an attachment. In return, his interest in Daphne will ensure she becomes the belle of London society with suitors beating a path to her door. There's just one problem, Daphne now in danger of falling for a man who has no intention of making their charade a reality.

Reviewed by Angie on

4 of 5 stars

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The Duke and I was so freaking cute! It has fake courting! My favorite! Daphne comes from a huge family and would like to start a family of her own. Unfortunately, the only men offering her marriage, are not ones that she can see herself with, and she doesn't think they see her as more than a friend either. Meanwhile, Simon has sworn off marriage, but being a duke, all of the mothers are throwing their unwed daughters at him. A hilarious, random meeting brings the two together, and they decide that faking a courtship would be beneficial to them both.

I just loved everybody in The Duke and I! Simon has this tragic backstory that made me want to climb into the pages and hug him. He basically does everything to spite his father, who recently died. But he's smart and funny! Daphne has four brothers, so she's a bit more outspoken and bold than your average society miss. She knows how to handle men, and she won't be put off by Simon's rakish persona. And her family is hilarious! She has seven siblings and her mother, and everybody loves everybody and are a little overprotective. There's just so much love oozing off these pages! And banter! Everybody banters!

Daphne and Simon are super cute together! I loved how they spent time together and actually had conversations. There wasn't quite enough of their fake relationship for me at the beginning, but I enjoyed the scenes that were there very much. The tone of The Duke and I does change about midway through when Simon does agree to marry Daphne after a failed duel. Of course, she has to learn about his childhood and how awful his father was to him. Daphne also finds out the real reason Simon won't have children. There is a very troublesome and uncomfortable scene in regards to that. Daphne does realize later that she shouldn't have done it, but it still made me squirm. It's also the reason I didn't give five stars.

Aside from that one questionable scene, I loved The Duke and I! I can't believe that I waited so long to read it! Not only does it use my all-time favorite trope, but it's an amazing start to this series. I found that I really like, or am curious about, all of Daphne's siblings who will be the stars of the following books. I also loved her mother and can't wait to see more of her meddling!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 March, 2017: Finished reading
  • 5 March, 2017: Reviewed