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Fiction. Romance. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: A New York Times Bestseller From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Hyacinth Bridgerton, in the seventh of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix. HYACINTH'S STORY Meet Our Hero . . . Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past . . . and the key to his future. The problem is�??it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word. Meet Our Heroine . . . All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her�??something charming and vexing�??that grabs him and won't quite let go . . . Meet Poor Mr. Mozart . . . Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual�??and annually discordant�??Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other . . . and that there is nothing as simple�??or as complicated�??as a singl… (more)
User reviews
JQ yu rock
Gareth’s unpleasant father starts to interfere with the budding relationship; threatening to tell Hyacinth Gareth’s paternity secret. Only when faced with losing Hyacinth does Gareth realize that he truly loves her and fights to keep her.
Again, a winner from Julia Quinn. She shows that she is capable of exploring many delicate subjects in the unforgiving time of Regency England. Gareth has had such a hard life with his nasty father, but Julia Quinn presents him in a redeemable light. Hyacinth has the potential of being one of those bluestockings that are left on the proverbial shelf.
The Good: Hyacinth is a likable character, and Gareth has much to recommend him as the hero. He's a devilishly handsome rake who also happens to be able to match Hyacinth's quick wit. At the end of the book, he is searching for a way to prove his feelings for Hyacinth. This was a beautiful scene. He was so tender and thoughtful, and this was when I really began to believe he was worthy of marrying a Bridgerton. Julia Quinn gives us the happy ending we expect, and all major loose ends are tied neatly.
The Bad: The so-called "mystery" involving the missing jewels is ridiculous. It simply doesn't work in this story. It comes across as an under-developed plot element that attempts to add an air of danger but simply falls flat. I never expected anything to come from it, and of course, nothing did. I was much more interested in the story of Gareth's grandmother (particularly, why she was forced to marry his grandfather). I was hoping for an explanation or just more to Sophia's story and was very disappointed that she played such a small role. Truly, she would have been the most interesting character, and I felt her loss deeply. Regardless of how handsome Gareth may be, he is the hero I've liked the least. When he decides to compromise Hyacinth so she will not be able to back out of their wedding, I was disgusted. I don't know why that part had to be in the book. I don't expect my characters to be perfect, but this was so dishonorable as to be unforgivable. I had to wonder how Hyacinth could ever be happy knowing his true motivations and intentions toward her. It was a bit unbelievable that he was able to fall in love with her so completely, especially considering his past. I thought he probably had some real issues that should have been dealt with first. If these were real people, I think their marriage would be a rocky one.
In Conclusion: I had been looking forward to Hyacinth's story all along. She was such a precocious child that I thought her romantic story would be drastically different from the rest. I just somehow expected more--more adventure, more laughter, more passion. However, if you love the Bridgertons as I do, you won't want to miss a minute, even if this is not as spectacular as the previous books. I'm hoping Gregory's story in book 8 will redeem this mediocre addition to what has been one of the best series I've ever read.
Gareth is itelligent, caring and has a dry, wicked sense of humor. While he has a reputation as a rake I think that is more to upset his father than anything else. He cares too much for his grandmother to be a real wastrel. He is also attracted to Hyacinth which makes him a wonderful person. Gareth is also a gentleman. I think that the scene where he goes to Anthony to ask for Hyacinth's hand in marriage is probably one of the most amusing in the book.
We get to see a little more of Gregory in this story and he is so much the brother that we all know in our own lives. He is always finding ways to pull pranks on Hyacinth and is sticking his nose into things that Hyacinth doesn't want him into. There is a scene where they are having tea in the drawing room at Number Five that is also quite funny.
Finally we have Hyacinth. I think that in many ways she is misunderstood. She is the youngest and I think that the youngest child in a big family develops a sarcastic sense of humor and a superior attitude as a defense mechanism. Most men are afraid of her because she has learn to ride and shoot and think as well as any of them. She also is lonely in a lot of ways and when Gareth seems to understand her and accept her she realizes that this is the man she wants to marry.
Overall this is a great addition to the Bridgerton series. I enjoyed it very much and it is a quick easy read.
I think that one of the trends in romance over the past decade or so has been to try to keep the 'magic' - the escapism, the one-true-love, etc. - but also to
So the fact that Hyacinth has to figure out that actually, she's been so intimidated by her equals in the past that she's brushed them all off as potential suitors, that she's dug her own grave in effect, and that she has her own mental baggage to sort out in the process of trying to get together with Gareth, was a big part of the book's appeal for me. I really sympathized.
I also really, really liked the end of the book. I don't think that it makes the mystery irrelevant; I think it just puts two kids of treasure on the balance, a treasure of gold and a treasure of love, and shows which is more valuable. And the answer is love.
It's not a very action-packed book, and I was a little underwhelmed by how much the characters had to be prodded into the relationship, but I liked them, and I liked their dynamic together.
I think that one of the strengths of the Bridgerton series is that all of the romances play out in a different way; all of the children have a different problem that they have to solve in themselves before they can really find love. I thought that this was a really good addition to the series.
A sweet book with a strong heroine that manages to fall in love without trading away any pieces of her own confidence, I greatly enjoyed seeing Hyacinth and Gareth find their happily ever after, even for the second time.
All of the ton agreed: there's no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken and —according to Gareth— probably best in small doses. But there's something about her —something charming and vexing— that grabs him and won't quite let go. And Hyacinth — or so she claims— speaks Italian...
4.5 Stars
Synopsis
Hyacinth Bridgerton is a handful to say the least - excessively intelligent, witty and outspoken. Most men are completely intimidated except for Gareth St. Clair who is both exasperated and charmed by her. Despised by his father, Gareth has secrets in his past that
Review
Definitely one of Quinn's best and ranks up there with The Viscount Who Loved Me and Romancing Mister Bridgerton as my favorite in the Bridgerton series.
Although not as steamy as When He Was Wicked, Hyacinth and Gareth's relationship is more romantic and magical. Hyacinth is my favorite Bridgerton sister, and her wit, charm and outspoken honesty make her endearing and delightful. As mentioned in many of my reviews, I am a sucker for a tortured hero and while Gareth is not as tormented as Simon, Michael or Phillip, he definitely fits into this category. He is gorgeous, witty and absolutely likeable despite one or two morally questionable actions (which are, nonetheless, quite understandable given his upbringing and fear of losing someone he loves).
Once again, the secondary characters are excellent, especially Lady Danbury whose conversations with Hyacinth had me laughing until I cried. Gareth's father is a spiteful and obnoxious villain, and it is a pity that he doesn't get more of a comeuppance.
The treasure hunt plot device is very entertaining but ultimately disappointing because it fizzles out at the end, possibly because Quinn wanted to save its conclusion for the 2nd epilogue.
Overall, a light-hearted and entertaining addition to a wonderful series. There is only one more to go, which leaves me with a bittersweet feeling.
This seventh entry in the Bridgerton series brings the banter and I am here for it. The quips fly thick and fast as Hyacinth, Gareth, and Lady Danbury are all wonderfully witty and I was delighted. A really sweet entry in the series with an entertaining subplot involving the diary, I was pleasantly surprised with this one as I'd anticipated that Quinn might have run out of steam with the Bridgertons. I'm very happy to be wrong.
Gareth and Hyacinth meet because of Lady Danbury, Gareth's grandmother. When Gareth is given a journal kept by his Italian grandmother, he learns that Hyacinth speaks and reads the language. Hyacinth learns a secret as she translates - the grandmother had diamonds she didn't tell her husband or son about. Gareth and Hyacinth begin a treasure hunt to find them before his father does and fritters them away.
This one was a sexier episode than many in the series since Gareth decides he needs to compromise her so that she can't back out of their engagement. Hyacinth is in love with him and would not back out for any reason but Gareth finds it hard to believe that.
Great episode.
He's directed to Hyacinth Brigerton; outspoken and smart she is determined to make her life her
It's a fun read and the two characters spark well off each other. I really enjoyed how they kept searching for the jewels and how that all resolved.
I did feel the pain of the concert.