Minx by Julia Quinn (Splendid Trilogy #3)

First Published: 1 September 1996
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 396
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 9 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

The attractive, yet utterly tomboyish, manager of a country estate is taken to London by her new guardian in order to be properly groomed for society. Her original spirit and winning manner capture society's attention and admiration, as well as her guardian's affections.

My Rating

My Review

Minx was a book that I really enjoyed. Dunford was a character that was shown since Splendid, the first book in the series. Hence, it was really a pleasure to read about him. Henrietta, or rather, Henry, is his perfect match in so many ways. Both of them together is just so sweet.

The beginning part was really funny. I really loved seeing how Dunford tried to resist his attraction to Henry out of some misguided sense of duty. And right at the beginning, when Henry tried to chase Dunford away, I was bursting out in laughter every few pages or so.

For me, this book was very real. The characters were very realistic and you could really feel their pain, their hurt, but also their love and joy. It was a book that made me feel a lot. It brought me through a whole maelstrom of emotions and even now, just flipping through the ending, I find myself tearing up at the sweet words they spoke to each other. Yes, it may be mushy and cheesy but it just is so sweet, is it not?

Alright, let me just start with a short summary.

So Dunford inherits the estate Henry is living on. She tries to chase him away at first. Afterwards, they strike a truce and become friends. However, they are both attracted to each other. Later, when Dunford finds out that he’s her guardian, he insists on bringing her to London so as to give her a season and find her a husband. And he tries to fight the attraction, thinking its very wrong to be attracted to her as he’s her guardian. But finally, in London, they both give in to their mutual desires and fall in love. They get engaged, but because of a major disagreement, which I won’t say what, they were estranged for quite a while. Of course, it all got resolved in the end and they had their HEA.

So the thing I really loved about this book was that it was really well written. I could feel the characters, as if I was living their lives. The part that I especially loved was when they had their major conflict. I really could feel their pain, and believe me, it was very painful. But when they finally made up, their love was so so sweet. Of course, before that, one could also feel their love. But I find that it is after major conflicts that you can truly see a couple’s love for each other.

As with the previous 2 novels in the Splendid Trilogy, the dialogue was very witty and I really enjoyed the times they spent together. Without doubt, I would be able to find something that I could laugh about, or sigh about within most of their dialogues.

There’s only one thing I didn’t really like, and what stopped this from being a 5 star read. I didn’t like the making up scene. It didn’t have that emotional impact on me that I thought it should have. The part after that was so sweet though, and of course, the epilogue where the baby is born just brings a smile to my face.

I think something I really liked in this book was how Dunford was humbled by love. He was a different man when he was in love. Still the same old adorable Dunford, but there was something so different about him when you saw him with Henry. Maybe its because we’ve seen him over 2 other books and thus can really see the change in him when he falls in love.

As for Henry, I really liked her a lot. She was someone that I could really relate to. The things she did were things I would have thought of doing were I in the same situation. And I like that she can swallow her pride and apologize when she’s in the wrong. I especially loved her tricks right at the beginning. She really fooled Dunford! Throughout the whole book, you could see Henry mature into a fine young lady. Before, she was really nice and really sweet, but still very innocent. At the end, she was truly a lady. I would call it, transformed by love. And not in a bad way. As in she didn’t change for him. It was a natural process that occurred because of love.

All in all, Minx was a great read and I really loved it. Certainly a book I would recommend to someone else. In fact, I would definitely recommend the whole series to another person. The final book, a novella in Where’s My Hero, was also very well-written. I won’t be doing a review for that so suffice to say that I really loved it and it did sum up all the characters that were introduced to us. And I loved the ending for that book. Funny and fantastic. But back to topic. Minx just shows me how love really changes people into becoming better persons. It was a completely enjoyable read. 4.5 stars.

Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn (Splendid Trilogy #2)

First Published: 1 December 1995
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 375
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 8 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

Lady Arabella Blydon can sense the secrets smoldering behind the dark, penetrating gaze of Lord John Blackwood. Still she desires his handsome, mysterious stranger who stirs her passions like no other man--even as he warns her to stay away.

War scarred Lord John's body and soul. But this brazen, intoxicating, infuriating bluestocking poses an even greater threat: she is forcing him to care again. For Belle is a woman of bold, independent spirit, equally unconcerned about society's petty restrictions and love's hidden perils. And the beautiful, determined schemer will not rest until she returns joy and light to the damaged lord's life...and wins a place in his shuttered heart forever.

My Rating

My Review

Dancing at Midnight was a very enjoyable read for me. It was very light-hearted and I found myself chuckling aloud at various points. It was very entertaining and I really loved the romance between the characters.

John and Belle are two completely opposite people. One is so sunny, nothing ever fazes her, the other is just tortured and tormented. But somehow, they fall in love. Then again, opposites do attract, don’t they?

At times I couldn’t stand John. He is so affected by the event in his past, then it affects his self-confidence, to the point where it affects his identity. It gets really annoying when he lets that stand in the way of him loving Belle. If Belle hadn’t loved him that much, he would have lost her. By his own hands. Because he was stupid enough to think that he wasn’t good enough for Belle, because of what he experienced in the past. He took an angry woman’s words as fact and it affected him so badly.

Belle is her usual sunny self. She is a very interesting character to read about and I really loved her. She just brings joy to the book, I feel. In the beginning, she desperately wanted John to like her, so much that she kept visiting him. Though people may feel its rather shallow, that she wants to be liked so much, I don’t really feel that way. I mean, Belle has always been loved by everyone around her, for someone to take an active dislike towards her is something she has never experienced and of course, she would want to rectify that.

There are several things I loved about the book. The dialogues were always interesting and witty. I found myself laughing out loud many times during the course of reading. I think the thing that really stands out is when John tries to recite poetry to Belle. Belle wants him to write his own poem for her, but he refuses to, saying he can’t. Instead, he tries to pass off other poets writing as his own. As in, he recites them to Belle, hoping that she’ll believe its his own. And Belle tries to circumvent him in that by reading tons and tons of books of poetry. It was really funny actually! I enjoyed the plot too. Though I hated John’s first reason of letting Belle go, I could totally understand why he wanted to avoid Belle when he found out someone was trying to kill him. It was interesting, though I had more or less figured out his would-be killer for quite a long time. And when it was all resolved, Persephone is shown to be amazingly smart and brave. That woman should get her own story. A pity she’s kind of old. But then again, who said age had to matter when it comes to affairs of the heart?

I also loved the characters in the book. Belle’s character is developed a lot more here, and we even see Alex and Emma (from Splendid) here. Their love never fails to touch my heart. I still love it when I read about Alex giving Emma tender looks and being so protective of her! It’s just so sweet and it really truly screams true love. Alright, that’s not really pertinent to the plot, but I just had to say it. John was a pretty interesting character and it was fun reading about him. Even though he was a very tortured person inside, it’s really amazing when you see how love changes all that. For a man who hardly ever smiled, to be able to laugh so freely around the woman he loves just shows me how amazing love is. The pace of the book was alright, not too fast and not too slow. But I do have several complaints.

I found the part before they went to London to be a little repetitive. I mean, it was kind of the same thing over and over again. Its not that it wasn’t interesting, it was. But I felt that a lot of unnecessary time was spent there because about the same events were repeated. Like them bumping into each other almost everyday. It was only when they were both in London and he really started courting her that the pace picked up. From there, it was an amazing read.

Oh yes, I also felt that they defeated John’s enemy, not saying who, a little too easily. I mean, he was quite a big part of the book and it was because of him that a lot of events happened. But the conflict was rather short, and thus a little disappointing. I did love Persephone’s part in that though. It was amazing. She fazed every single person in that room, even the men. Just for that, I love her. You wouldn’t expect it of her, thinking she’s a pretty shallow person. But let me tell you, that woman has a devious brain.

Alright, I just wanted to talk about my favorite parts for a while. As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed the poetry part. And the poem he finally composed at the end? I thought it was the best out of everything he had recited. I mean, that was from the heart. Another of my favorite parts was when John climbed into her bedroom. That marriage proposal was so so sweet. My mouth just dropped when I read it. Sigh, that was just so perfect.

Though there were several parts that were quite slow in the book, all in all, I really loved reading it. This was a very fun read and I really vividly remember myself smiling to myself every now and then while reading the book. No, it isn’t worth 5 stars, but definitely 4 stars. Now, I may be rather lenient when it comes to ratings, but well, I get very emotional easily, so a lot of books are great to me! I really enjoyed reading this book!

Splendid by Julia Quinn (Splendid Trilogy #1)

First Published: 1 May 1995
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 396
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 4 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

There are two things everyone knows about Alexander Ridgely. One, he's the Duke of Ashbourne. And two, he has no plans to marry anytime soon...

That is until a redheaded American throws herself in front of a carriage to save his young nephew's life. She's everything Alex never thought a woman could be—smart and funny, principled and brave. But she's a servant, completely unsuitable for a highborn duke—unless, perhaps, she's not quite what she seems...

American heiress Emma Dunster might be surrounded by Englishmen, but that doesn't mean she intends to marry one—even if she has agreed to participate in one London Season. When she slipped out of her cousins' home, dressed as a kitchen maid, all she wanted was one last taste of anonymity before her debut. She never dreamed she'd find herself in the arms of a dangerously handsome duke... or that he'd be quite so upset when he discovered her true identity. But true love tends to blossom just when one least expects it, and passion can melt even the most stubborn of hearts.

My Rating

My Review

I really enjoyed Splendid, it was a very light-hearted and easy read, yet not too simple that the plot is practically non-existent. The characters in the book, Alex and Emma were just so perfect for each other, you couldn’t help but root for them from the start. Sure, Alex is a bit too high-handed at times. Make that way too high-handed. He is essentially a male chauvinist. But well. I kinda do like guys like that. Sometimes it annoys me like crazy, but other times, I just love them. They’re just… irresistible to me. Heh, any feminist would be screaming at me to wake up! So, let’s started with the summary, shall we?

Emma is from the USA. She has a great head for business, beautiful, all that. She’s also really stubborn, and would do things without second-guessing herself if she thinks its right. No matter how impossible it is. She’s just that sort of person. As for Alex, he’s a person that doesn’t trust women. He’s a duke. Does that explain it all? Alright let me elaborate. Generally, dukes are very highly sought. Not just for their title, but also for their wealth, land and such. And heroes in romance are hot. Duke + hot = irresistible. That also means every single girl is gonna come throw himself at him for his money. And of course, Alex hates these kinds of shallow women. And so, he becomes very cynical, very jaded and has vowed not to marry until he has to. But of course as expected, Emma is the one woman who can change his mind.

NOTE. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF SUMMARY MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS. But then again, this is a romance, it’s possible to guess the summary!

Ok, you know I’m not really in the mood to write a summary so it won’t seem really interesting. Basically, Emma goes out, dressed as a maid. She saves a little boy on the way home, and he’s the nephew of the Duke of Ashbourne, Alex. Along the way, she injures herself by hitting the ground hard. Nothing serious, just a bump on the head. So as expected, there is an instant attraction and he kissed her. That same night, he goes to a ball. Why? To find her of course. He believes she is working there and convinces himself that he needs to check up on her. In reality, he just can’t wait to see her again and have his own wicked way with her… Yep, so basically at the party, he finds out she isn’t a maid. Basically over the next few months they become friends, even though the sexual tension between them is like whoa. Then they go to the country house where he does stuff to her, I don’t want to say it, but I think you can guess! She’s technically still a virgin. Yeah. Moving on. He wanted to propose, planned out everything alr, but… She proposed. He found out what he thought was the reason she wanted to marry him and being a stupid fool, broke up with her? Of course they reconcile. Now this part is the unique thing to every romance. So I won’t say anything, suffice to say it was interesting and believable. Totally what you would expect from her and from him!

Alright, that’s about it for the summary.

So Emma was a very likable character. Beautiful, but witty. And so very stubborn. She’s really funny and a very enjoyable character to read about. I absolutely love how she doesn’t ever give in to Alex. Their arguments are really funny to read. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t argumentative people but they certainly like having their own way. Besides, it’s more of a friendly argument, or as Emma puts it, a discussion. She’s a very real person and I’ll talk more about that later.

As for Alex, as I’ve mentioned earlier, he’s very high-handed and in a way, thinks he’s king. But, he’s an extremely filial guy and is super nice to his family. Now that just makes him a great man in my opinion. He comes from a great family, with women so sweet and nice. It doesn’t make any sense that he’s so cynical and jaded. But Emma was a refreshing presence for him. Through her, he learnt to trust a woman not from his family. It was difficult, and the first test he had, he did fail. But one thing he did well was loving Emma. He truly truly loved her. And can I just say how cute he is? He sometimes acts like a little kid around her and he is just so adorable! And it just shows me the depth of his love for her. That he can actually let go of himself enough and trust her, something which he has never done for a woman outside his family.

I felt that the part where she felt really guilty after engaging in, how shall I put it, illicit activities with Alex was very realistic. I mean, she’s spent her whole life being told that what she did was wrong. I find that in a lot of other books, the girls just somehow manage to put aside their morals because it was so pleasurable. And the part where they had a misunderstanding over the proposal? I was screaming at him when he just threw her out of his house. Seriously, what an ass right? How could he even think that way of her? That being said, I think she reacted really well when Alex apologized. I loved it when she said she forgave him but was not able to forget. It’s all this little things that really make her real to the reader. Emma isn’t portrayed as the perfect heroine, but rather a heroine with human faults. I think that makes her as a heroine really interesting to read about. You just can’t help rooting for her, and hoping she’ll put Alex in his place.

Now, the love between both characters are so sweet and so touching. You just can’t help but root for them from the beginning. From the start, all I wanted was for Emma to heal Alex’s distrust of the female sex. And she did. The love between them was so obvious and so so sweet. I especially loved it when Alex finally realised he was in love with her. He was just rationalizing so much and it was just so funny! I couldn’t help but grin like the Cheshire Cat when they finally confessed their love to each other. The life they had after marriage was just so sweet too, exactly the kind I hope to have. That even though the husband is busy at work, he always makes time for the wife. Hmm, one part that sticks out in memory was when Emma left him for a week, or at least she wanted to. His expression, or at least, what I imagine of his expression was the cutest thing ever.

And of course, the ending was pretty climatic. Ok fine, not that much, but it was enough. The kidnapping, trying to escape, all those were pretty interesting and it really gave a good ending to certain parts of the plot. It wasn’t boring and even though it seemed a little extraneous, it did round up some of what happened towards the end really well.

All in all, I really did like reading this book. It was a very easy read but it never got boring. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and the love between them was so sweet, it just made the book even more convincing. The pace of the book wasn’t too fast too. It was really just right. The first book written by Julia Quinn, yet already so good. One can only wonder how much better her books have gotten! But to be honest, I liked this more than the Bridgertons series, which is reputed to be really good. I dunno, maybe its just me! I think one thing I love about this book and Julia Quinn is that its really humorous. It doesn’t have to be explicitly made a joke, but through the conversations that the characters have, I can almost always find something there to be amused at. And I don’t mean the bad kind of amusement! It really did add to my reading experience! I really do recommend people to read this book. I’ve read the rest of the books in the series and I really feel it hasn’t deteriorated.