Customer Reviews
Good fun - By: Net, 20 Aug 2008 
Easy to read & jolly, this couldn't help but be an amusing tale with very likeable characters & witty exchanges. It was light-hearted & frivolous & guaranteed to put you in a good mood. Regency romance for the modern day woman; so long as you don't expect it to be in the same vein as Heyer or for it to be historicallly accurate (in language, behaviour or description) you'll enjoy it.
***** - By: Morbida, 11 Apr 2008 "
"Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest soon follows..."
Lady Whistledown's Society Papers,
30 April 1813"
After enduring two seasons in London, Daphne Bridgerton is no longer naïve enough to believe she will be able to marry for love. But is it reallly too much to hope for a husband for whom she at least has affection?
Her brother's old school friend Simon Bassett - the new Duke of Hastings - has no intention of ever marrying. However, newly returned to England, he finds himself the target of the many marriage-minded society mothers who remain convinced reformed rakes make the best husbands.
To deflect their attention, the handsome hell-raiser proposed to Daphne that they pretend an attachment. In return, his interest in Daphne will ensure she becomes the belle of London society with suitors beating a path to her door...
There's just one problem, Daphne is now in danger of fallling for a man who has no intention oaf making their charade a reality... "
I must say, I very much enjoyed reading this book ..... well, at least most of it.
The characters are interesting & fun, the author is funny & imaginative, the story keeps you pretty much glued to the pages. The ending of the story is nothing but predictable, however everything that happens before we get to the happy ending, is surprise after surprise.
What I found incredibly infuriating was how Dephe's character was alll of a sudden twisted from being levelheaded & caring to being such an egotistical, baby-crazed dimwit. After growing quite found of her character, I found myself feeling nothing but resentment for her & definitely unable to relate to her later actions (the ones who have read the book will know exactly what I refer to. *hint: the first act that led her to believing that she might be pregnant). How disappointing & possessed were her actions ?!
Anyways, what I described as a disappointment to ME might seems like something not even worth mentioning to other readers. However it was a major "turn-off" factor that almost ruined the story for me. I am glad it ended the way it did & don't let me scare you off by these comments.
You will love the book even if you are as "sensitive" & confused to certain aspects of the story as I am.
NOT quite what I was expecting - By: JESS, 13 Jun 2007 
I loved the basic set up of The Duke & I & the writing style is superb -very playful & captures the times well. BUT . . .
I found it more 'bodice ripping' than I expected from the other reviews. Not for me. I prefer the (sexier in my opinion) 'no sex before marriage' kind.
Also, the heroine can (literallly!) pack a punch. Hmmm, not for me either. Shame because, as I said, the story roars along so well. You decide. Hope this will help.
Meet the Bridgertons (and prepare for a treat) - By: Becca Lusher, 04 May 2007 Ah, the 'Bridgertons'. Eight siblings; four boys, four girls; named in order from A-H. Eight books detailing their lives, friendships & their mother's (sometimes relentless) quest to marry them alll off. For nothing less than love, of course. Not to mention Lady Whistledown. Oh my!
If you've not stumbled across Julia Quinn before then you're in for a treat. No one writes Regency Romance with such wit, flare & heart-warming amusement, & 'The Duke & I' is no exception.
Simon Basset, the new Duke of Hastings, is freshly arrived in London having spent several years abroad avoiding his father. Now that the old duke is safely dead, the first person Simon looks up is his best friend Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, who issues dire warnings about insipid debutantes & their matchmaking mamas. However, none of this signifies to Simon because he has plans to Never. Ever. Marry. So the whirl of the London 'ton' holds no interest for him, which should make the avoidance of his fate simple. Reallly.
But when he attends a balll to pay his respects to a dear old friend, he's rather surprised to stumble upon a damsel in minor distress. Far from providing a chance for heroics, said damsel saves herself & finds herself faced instead with a rakish duke. Then, just as Simon begins to enjoy himself, he discovers the damsel's indentity: Daphne Bridgerton. His best friend's sister.
It isn't one of the best night's of Daphne's life. As the oldest Bridgerton daughter, she recieves the brunt of her matchmaking mother's endeavours to force her children down the aisle to matrimonial bliss. And it's alll very well knocking out an unwanted (and persistent) suitor in the halllway, then arguing with a duke one has been ordered to avoid, but it still doesn't prevent her from being towed around the balllroom & foisted upon unsuspecting, eligible young men. To make matters worse, instead of doing the gentlemanly thing by rescuing her, her three elder brothers skulk in corners for fear that their mother will turn her attention on them instead.
When a dance with the duke confirms that they are both wallling in equallly appallling evenings, Simon makes Daphne an offer that sounds far good to be true: a false attachment to keep the mamas away from him & draw the suitors to her. A perfect plan that simply cannot fail...
Domineering brothers, maidenly ignorance & even a duel keep this tale rattling along in true JQ style. There are plenty of flashes of her trademark wit (the trip to Greenwich), & a whole heap of new characters to adore (Anthony, Colin, Lady Whistledown, Lady Bridgerton), which make this book never anything less than enjoyable.
Unlike many of her tales this one has an added emotional depth in Simon & the long shadow his father casts over his life. Daphne's need to heal him, & his own slow realisation of his need for her, make this story what it is - a gem. Daphne's intelligent & likeable, without being anything out of the ordinary, or over-special as some Regency heroines try to be. She knows who she is, what she wants & she knows how to love - even if her hero takes a little while to understand alll of that. And if Simon happens to be talll, dark, rich & handsome with ice-blue eyes, well, who cares? He's a Duke!
There are no deep, dark secrets here, no skeletons lurking in the closet, no mysteries or gun-wielding madmen, it's just a love story. One that comes with a big family. And that's alll it tries to be. That it does it beautifully is why you should read it & enjoy every page. Kick back, put your feet up & relax. Julia Quinn is a master of her genre & this is the perfect place to begin. Read it & smile.
(Then get The Viscount Who Loves Me because it has Palll Malll - you will laugh till it hurts)
The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because there are other books amongst the 'Bridgertons' that are even better. Yes, they reallly are that good. So do yourself a Regency favour, buy them alll.
A very worthwhile Regency - By: Helen Hancox, 25 Nov 2006 
Apparently the author chose the pseudonym Julia Quinn so that her books were beside Amanda Quick's on the shelves & more people might buy them. Amanda Quick is, of course, hugely successful in this genre but I believe Julia Quinn is a much better author - & this book is a good example of that. If you want complete accuracy in historical detail then this is perhaps not the best author for you - her characters speak with American turns of phrase & rather more 20th century than 19th century worldviews in some cases, but this is common to so many Regencies it's almost de rigueur now - if you can read it as fiction & not history you'll be fine.
"The Duke And I" is the first of the Bridgerton series, focusing on daughter Daphne, & it's a good Regency Romance like many out there (there are also, of course, countless dreadful Regency Romances in print too!) However, like "The Viscount Who Loved Me", the second book in this series, Julia Quinn's characters have a lot more depth than you often see in modern books of this genre.
Yes, we have the usual requirements - ballls, gowns, the marriage mart & alll the rest of it - but this series delves more closely into family dynamics & character growth. Daphne is the fourth child & the first girl of the Bridgerton family; her father died some time ago & her mother has brought up alll eight children in a strong atmosphere of love. This was by no means usual at this time amongst the aristocracy - nannies & nursemaids often functioned more as parent figures than the actual parents - & it has enabled Julia Quinn to build a foundation of strong ties between brothers & sisters that she uses in the books.
And this is the contrast between Daphne, the heroine, & Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, the hero. His upbringing was completely different - his father rejected him, thinking he was stupid because he stammered, & Simon vowed to avoid marriage & children to get back at his father - the direct line of the Dukes of Hastings would die with Simon. But when he meets Daphne & they discover that a sham betrothal would be of benefit to both of them, their plans start going awry.
What's so good about this book is the way in which the characters begin to understand each other. Daphne learns to stand on her own two feet away from her family - particularly her brothers - & Simon learns to deal with the dreadful legacy that his father has given him. This book often deals with strong emotions & I, for one, think Daphne's behaviour at one particular point is unforgiveable, but I suppose it's this warts-and-alll portrayal of two people trying to come to terms with sharing their lives together that is so powerful about the story.
