Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgerton Series, Book 4)

Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trop aboard he discovers notyhing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat—or his promise of a happy ending?

Sensuality: 7

Penelope Featherington fell madly, hopelessly in love with Colin Bridgerton two days before her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, Colin has always seen Penelope as the plump, shy best friend of his younger sister. By the time Penelope is 28 and a seasoned member of the English ton, she's accepted that her love for Colin is destined to remain unrequited and she shall be a spinster forever. Fate, however, has other plans. When Lady Whistledown's Society Papers announce that Colin has returned from his nearly nonstop travels, Penelope is blissfully unaware that her life is about to change dramatically. Colin is equally unaware of the turn his life is about to take. He's not surprised that his beloved mother is determined to marry him off, but he's rather astonished to find himself inexplicably drawn to Penelope. Her dry wit and intelligent mind are delightful, and Colin soon finds himself joining forces with her to deflect his matchmaking mama's good intentions. Together, the two will thwart their mothers' iron wills, face the formidable Lady Danbury, confront the gossips of London society, and resolve the lovely dilemma of falling in love. And, oh yes, there is that matter of the true identity of Lady Whistledown. Will the twosome unmask the elusive journalist? Or will their efforts be doomed to failure like so many others' before?

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton continues author Julia Quinn's wildly popular series of Regency historicals featuring the Bridgerton family, The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and An Offer from a Gentleman. True, the novel possesses all that we've come to expect from Quinn, including deft plotting, witty repartee, a faultless Regency setting, and expert characterization. But perhaps the book's most pleasing facet is Quinn's quietly nuanced handling of the hero's and the heroine's internal growth, which is furthered by their blooming relationship. They're two strong individuals made stronger by their bond. Now that's love. --Lois Faye Dyer

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Best of the Bridgerton Series, 2008-08-26
Absolutely my favorite in the Bridgerton series. I always wanted Penelope to meet her match, and Colin is the perfect man for her. Their story is sweet, and the couple is easy to relate to and cheer for (who doesn't want wallflower to finally find love, and to the object of her secret affection to boot). In addition, the Lady Whistledown mystery is solved in a fun and compelling way. What more can you ask for?


1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

My favorite Bridgerton!, 2008-06-06
Besides Colin being my favorite Bridgerton sibling (Anthony is a very close second), this book is one of my favorite romance novels. It's light, funny and you can't wait for Colin to come to his senses and finally fall in love with Penelope.

A lot of people are bothered by Penelope's lack of self-esteem. I personally enjoyed watching her grow a pair throughout the story. I think her self-esteem, or lack thereof, adds to her charm. Who wants a perfect heroine anyway?

Colin is absolutely enchanting....and watching him and Penelope interact throughout the book is delightful. Sometimes you want to smack him upside the head for being so obtuse, but even then you can't help but love him.

I can't even put into words how much I enjoyed this book. It's not the steamiest one in the Bridgerton series (see: When He Was Wicked), but the story is very well written and the love scenes will not let you down. This book is the epitome of a Julia Quinn novel: fun, witty and charming.


0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Lackluster Romance, 2008-05-04
Ever since I read "The Viscount Who Loved Me" I have been trying to enjoy Julia Quinn's other books. Try being the operative word. I agree with all the other readers that gave this book two stars, I could not continue reading and had to put the book down. I skimmed as much as I could and could not get myself to continue. How could this be the same writer as TVWLM? The book was completely insipid. It is evident why Penelope is a spinster, who could be attracted to her? She has such poor self-esteem issues. And Colin, he seems underdeveloped and sounds like a younger brother to me. This book reminds me so much of "On the way to the Wedding", it seems Julia likes to repeat the characters. She is falling into Stephanie Lauren's trap. Really, been there done that and really didn't like it. This book is so boring- or rather the characters were so well common. So this leads me thinking, Lady Whistledown is Julia - she likes to observe people and she does a good job as she writes with a discerning ability only people who are very detailed oriented and observant can do so I understand why she is compare to Jane Austen. And there are some very few parts of the book she shows cleverness and witticism. However, she is not constant in her ability to deliver the "seduction" aspect of romance book. She writes about puppy love more times than I can remember. Her heroines have self-esteem issues which is very unattractive - ask any guy. She is so belittling at times, Penelope seems pathetic and self-effacing, which makes her a bit sour and ungenerous. In a word, a involuntary spinster no matter how much she convinces herself. And she loves Colin for no other reason than his mere existence compells her to love him?? For an seemingly educated person she seems a bit dumb in her head and misguided. Grow up Penelope! What do you know of love? You hide yourself and enjoy blending into the background. You have no life and live vicariously through others, how pathetic? You admire Colin because he has more guts than you, he travels and tries to find himself. You well you wait for something to happen to you. I would not waste my money on buying this book I wish I had not.


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Please Pass the Real Romance Novel!, 2008-04-29
The other Bridgerton books were awesome. Julia Quinn is my favorite romance author and head & shoulders above the usual garbage out there. I was SO disappointed by this book. Sorry, but listening to Colin whine about the fact that it's not fair that he doesn't have a purpose in life is just stupid. Wah, wah. He comes off as a big whiny bug. The discovery of who is Lady Whistledown is anti-climactic and then to listen to Colin whinge about the fact that Lady Whistledown is a published author and he isn't is, once again, just tiresome. The romance side of things is pretty bland. I guess if you want to read the entire series, you have to get through this one, but don't read this one first! I can highly recommend the rest of the books, however!


1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

I cried :{, 2008-04-10
Beautiful story, i loved it. I really enjoyed reading the book, it was so pretty and very well written. Collin was such a sweetheart and so was the heroine. I cried in various parts of the story, since i felt very connected with the characters, and such is Mrs. Quinn's writing talents. I just thought Collin would be a little more playful and less serious, but nonetheless, it was beautiful.

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