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To make your plot more exciting: call 1-800-IA, the Ilona Andrews emergency hotline. This week only: 30% discount on Character Development 101 classes. The titular duke, Simon Basset, is cast in your typical damaged hero mold of "I slut around because I have daddy issues." In his case, the issues are probably warranted. He didn't speak until he was four years old, and when he did, it was with a stutter. After his dad basically rage-quits on parenting, Simon is left on his own, unloved, except for the tender hand of his nurse. His father basically disowns him, telling his servants and all his friends that he has no son, and refuses to answer any of his correspondence. Daphne finally understood that when Simon said he couldn't have children, he didn't mean he couldn't father them, but rather that he could never be a father...he wouldn't have children. Her dream of a family was dead.
Nurse Hopkins proved true to her word. While the Duke of Hastings removed himself to London and tried to pretend he had no son, she spent every waking minute with Simon, sounding out words and syllables, praising him lavishly when he got something right, and giving him encouraging words when he didn’t. Well, I thought some of the humor aspects were a bit off. I couldn't find the balance between humor and angst. On the plus side, I did like the family dynamics, and the humor they brought to the situation. Those were some of my favorite humorous moments. I liked very much that Daphne's family were useful weapons in her arsenal to win her fair prince. Simon had never felt the loving bonds of family. He was captivated by the Bridgerton family dynamics, good and bad.Anthony laughed. “I’ll put my mother on her best behavior, and don’t worry about Daff. She’s the exception that proves the rule. You’ll like her immensely.” I’d console you by pointing out that this will all be over soon, but you’ve what, three other sisters waiting in the wings?” Daphne read: “‘The rake formerly known as Earl Clyvedon has finally seen fit to grace London with his presence. Although he has not yet deigned to make an appearance at a respectable evening function, the new Duke of Hastings has been spotted several times at White’s.’” She paused to take a breath. ”‘His grace has resided abroad for six years. Can it be any coincidence that he has returned only now that the old duke is dead?’” Daphne looked up. “My goodness, she is blunt, isn’t she? Isn’t Clyvedon one of Anthony’s friends?”
For their honeymoon, Simon takes Daphne to the estate where he spent his childhood. The housekeeper tells Daphne about Simon's childhood stutter. Through the housekeeper's vague insinuations Daphne also realizes that Simon has been purposefully preventing her from having children by pulling out as they have sex and is not infertile as she was led to believe. This leads to a rift between the married couple and Daphne decides not to have sex with Simon as long as he does not want to have children. No,” Simon said rather emphatically. “Hastings will always be my father. He never answered to anything else.” He paused. “I’ll assume his title if I must, but I won’t be called by his name.” Quinn has stated that readers' reactions to the scene have changed since the book's publication in 2000. In a 2021 interview, she said, "Women’s understanding of ourselves and our agency has changed so much. It’s harder for us to identify with Daphne and the fact that, within that marriage and in that society, she has no power. I’m not saying what she did was right. I’m just saying it’s harder for a modern woman to understand it than it was 20 years ago." [8] Adaptation [ edit ]
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And now that I'm done with the book, I can't help but feel slightly underwhelmed. Like, is this what everyone is swooning over? To be fair, the story is mostly fine, though a bit superficial. The majority of it is told via dialogue form. And while witty repartee is a big part of reading a Regency romance, this felt less witty and more cheesy. So while I smiled a lot, I also cringed at the overwritten and hammed up style. Es que no se condena esto de ninguna manera. Onda, Simon se enoja porque él tartamudea, no por lo que ella hizo eso. Y al final son felices para siempre? Cuál más tóxico xd.
A look of amusement crossed Simon’s features. “I take it, then, that you have become something of an eligible gentleman during my time abroad?” So, even though Quinn is a super popular author and I'd already read and liked ish a few of the Bridgerton books, I just sort of crossed The Duke & I off my list. I think it's been a while since I've seen such an even split among my friends when it comes to how they rated the book. Half my friends loved THE DUKE AND I and the other half apparently hated it. The Bridgertons series is Julia Quinn's most famous historical romance offering so I've been wanting to read it for a while, but I'm not unfamiliar with her work. In my opinion, she's a bit notorious for over-aggressive heroines who come across as petulant and bitchy and Big Misunderstandings that are especially stupid and tends to draw them out for extra dramatic tension in the last act. Hastings sank onto the window seat. “What have I done to deserve this? What could I have possibly done…”The duke was taking no chances this time. He would have a son, and the dukedom would remain in Basset hands. That’s rather indulgent of you.” Anthony shrugged. “Love is probably too much to hope for in a marriage these days, but I don’t see why she shouldn’t be happy with her husband. We’ve had offers from two men old enough to be her father, one who is a bit too high in the instep for our often boisterous clan, and then this week, one who was perfectly amiable, but a rather bit dim in the head.” In this world, I was a debutante. An innocent girl seduced by a devilishly handsome duke. A woman determined to fight for the man she loved. However—and this is a big one—there is one particularly questionable scene near the end that I think most readers will object to. Reproductive coercion is not okay, and I'm baffled that this book not only portrayed it as no big deal, but in fact made it into the moral high ground. (I know this book is set during the 1810s, but was it written during that time too?) Ah, yes,” Anthony said with a slight roll of his eyes, “the Bridgerton method of naming children. Guaranteed to make certain no one forgets who you are.” Simon laughed.
The Duke and I was a finalist in the 2001 RITA Awards in the Short Historical category. The RITAs are awarded by Romance Writers of America and are the highest honor in romance writing. The eventual winner was The Mistressby Susan Wiggs.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society--just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend's sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar. Simon took three long breaths in through his nose, his mouth still clamped together in anger. He forced his jaw to relax and rubbed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, trying to remind himself of how it felt to speak properly. Finally, just as the duke was about to dismiss him again, he opened his mouth and said, “I am your son.” The Duke and I has been on my TBR list for years, but I just never got around to reading it. Now I can't believe I waited so long. I wasn't two chapters into this book before I knew two things for sure 1. I loved the Bridgertons and 2. Julia Quinn would be a new favorite author. This book grabbed me right out the gate. It captivated my heart, and I fell in love with this big, loud but sweet family. This book was cute, at times sad and had me laughing out loud more times than I can count.
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