FINAL DECISION: I so much wanted to love this book, but in the end I found it pretty banal. It was okay but I didn’t feel any real heat between the hero and heroine and I thought it was well written but utterly forgettable.

THE STORY: Poppy Bridgerton inadvertently comes across a smuggler’s hiding place and finds herself kidnapped aboard ship. Left on the captain’s bed, she meets Captain Andrew James Rokesby who is masquerading as a privateer as a cover for his work for the British government. Andrew has no choice but to take Poppy with him as she threatens his current mission. What Poppy doesn’t know, however, is who Andrew really is — his brother is married to her cousin.

OPINION: This book had great potential but ended up a boring predictable story with characters who were too perfect and made no missteps. They felt unreal and had no real connection with one another. At points, I wanted to love this story, but I never felt anything for the characters. As a result, I ended the book saying okay and promptly forgot just about everything about the book.

The story has potential — the heroine is kidnapped and taken aboard the ship to meet the captain who is masquerading as a privateer in order to cover his work as a courier for the British government. Of course, the hero is without any faults. The heroine is only taken because the government gives him no other choice! He treats her with great courtesy and respect at all times (with the exception of some mild teasing)! He gives her a puzzle to relieve her boredom! They spend the week talking about their hopes and dreams! When they are taken hostage, he makes sure to be a totally wonderful man and doesn’t take advantage even while she wants him! He has spent his adult life on the sea, but really wants to work on land so there won’t be any conflicts in their future!

The hero was just boring with no faults (except not telling the heroine his real name). And the romance is pretty boring and as expected as a result.

WORTH MENTIONING: This series certainly doesn’t live up to the amazing original Bridgerton series. In fact, I realized while reading this book that I couldn’t remember either of the other two books in the series when I read this one (even though when I looked at my reviews I gave them pretty high marks), but I can remember several of the original Bridgerton books although I haven’t read them for several years.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE OTHER MISS BRIDGERTON is the third book in the Rokesbys series. Although there are overlapping characters, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2.5 stars.

“Husband? They were calling him her husband? Was he married? He couldn’t be married. How could he be married and not remember it? Who was this woman?”

FINAL DECISION:  Behind the British lines in the American Revolutionary War, this intense and emotional story of a husband and wife learning one another is a winner.  The twist? They aren’t actually married but only she knows it.

THE STORY:  Edward Rokesby awakes in a military hospital in the American colonies, he has a hole in his memory of what he was doing on an assignment in Connecticut.  Months are missing during which he apparently also acquired a wife he does not remember — Cecilia Harcourt.  The sister of Edward’s best friend, she has come from England in search of her brother who is missing.  There is a good reason that Edward doesn’t remember marrying Cecilia — they are actually not married.

OPINION:  An usual Julia Quinn book with less humor and more seriously emotional content.  Quinn’s books always have an underlayer of seriousness but usually there is more amusing events.  This book is quickly more serious than I expected.  With a different setting (the colonies during the American Revolution) and much of the action taking place in confined settings (so much happens in the four walls of a room) and a different emotional temperature, this book feels more fresh and different than other Quinn books while retaining the wonderful and likeable characters.

One of the best parts of this book is that both Edward and Cecilia are such nice people. Yet, circumstances twist them up and make them do things that they don’t anticipate.  This story is how two people who seem like they should have an easy road to happiness together become so mixed up that it seems like their happily ever after will pass them by.  The story goes deep into these characters as these semi-strangers begin to get to know one another.

I would say that this is a slowly developing story, but I don’t want to give the impression that the story is boring.  No, this is the story of two people who are discovering one another.  The deception that lies between them and the search for Cecilia’s brother has enough drama to keep the story interesting even as these two talk and laugh and cry and know one another.

I also especially enjoyed the change in venue to the colonies — especially because we get a glimpse of the British side of the war (which is not the usual side in this time period). Moving away from the expected place gives energy to the story as these new details suffuse the story was new relationships and details.  (Plus, I’m glad that we finally get a glimpse of a significant event that is often missing from historical romance books of the period).

I liked this book much better than the first in the series primarily because I really liked these characters who feel like nice people trapped in a situation that they cannot control which challenges their essential goodness.

WORTH MENTIONING:  It is pretty obvious who the next book in the series will be about.

CONNECTED BOOKS:  THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND is the second book in the Rokesby series.  It is not necessary to have read the first book in the series since this book is only loosely connected and the other characters of the series only make a very brief appearance.

STAR RATING:  I give this book 4.5 stars.

NOTE:  I received an ARC of this book via Edelweiss in order to provide a review.  I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions contained herein are my own.