Brief Summary: Gregory Bridgerton is the last of the Bridgerton siblings to get married. Having seen his 7 siblings fall madly in love, he is a romantic at heart who definitely believes in true love. When he sees Hermione, he knows without a doubt that he has fallen in love-at-first-sight. However, he's baffled when she doesn't feel the same way and even imagines herself to be in love with someone else. Her friend Lucinda offers to help Gregory woo Hermione, but instead she falls in love with him. Hermione ends up marrying someone else, and Gregory realizes it doesn't bother him as much as it should, which leads him to the realization that he never loved her in the first place. A conversation or two later with Lucinda ("Lucy," as he calls her), and Gregory is now madly in love with Lucinda. But we are to believe it isn't flighty and frivolous like his infatuation with Hermione. No, it is true love...deep, gut-wrenching, eternal love. However, Lucy is engaged to be married. The papers are signed, and although her heart belongs to Gregory, duty calls her to marry another man. If she refuses, her brother and best friend face certain ruin. Whom will she choose?

The Good: Julia Quinn is an exceptional author, and for this reason, even a book with such a weak plot as this one deserves at least 2.5 stars. A lesser writer could not have pulled it off. Although I knew right away how it would end, there were unpredictable moments that truly shocked me. Every book should contain a few surprises, and this one certainly does. Some of Quinn's heroines behave in a manner which is utterly inconsistent with the times, but I felt Lucy's behavior was characteristic with an earl's daughter. She's also unlike most other heroines. She isn't bold, daring, outspoken, and mysterious. She believes in order, loyalty, and duty above all else. I found her to be a realistic character.

The Bad: Gregory falls in love twice...once with Hermione, and finally with Lucy. He believes in this lightning bolt recognition of true love which is absurd. (He fell in love with the back of Hermione's head, for crying out loud.) It was hard to take him seriously when he behaved like a lovesick pup after one glance at her. The main story here should have been the love story between Gregory and Lucy, however too much time was spent on his infatuation with Hermione and then his and Lucy's separation from each other. Quite simply, Gregory and Lucy were not together enough for their romance to really come alive on the page. You don't experience them falling in love, and that is what I love best about a romance. They rarely speak to one another (except about Hermione), and they just aren't given enough time for a real relationship to develop. One of the things I love best about her other books is the witty dialogue between the hero and heroine. It's missing from this book. There's no spark, no chemistry. They are lacking passion as well. (Yes, there is one steamy scene, but you wonder how they got there. There's no build up.) At the end, Lucy misleads Gregory. It was unforgivable and selfish for a character who is selflessly marrying a man she's not interested in to save her family.

The Verdict: I would rate this book a solid 3 star rating. It's just OK. Having read 9 other works by Julia Quinn, I was tempted to give it only 2 stars, because I know she's capable of much more. If you're a fan of the Bridgertons, you'll most likely find yourself a bit disappointed that Ms. Quinn did not give the family the send-off they deserve.

Brand	N/A
Rating	4.6 (25177 ratings)
Price	$7.99
Category	Anthologies

On the Way to the Wedding: Bridgerton: Gregory's Story (Bridgertons Book 8)