The Duke and I Bridgerton series part 2 – Julia Quinn

I am back with my duke and I review part 2, read part 1 here. Let’s get right into it.

To remind you: What is this book about?
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely -and almost-on-the-shelf- Daphne Bridgerton. But the who of them know the truth- it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable…

Their ruse works like a charm – at first. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly, it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her. It wasn’t the plan, but it seems she’s falling for the duke, for real. And amidst the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule…

What did I think
I love the fact that Simon is doing so well with the rest of Daphne’s family. It is also interesting that Hyacinth and Eloise are more similar in age than Eloise and Daphne in the series. I did love the heart-to-heart Daphne and Anthony have, it shows that they have quite a strong sibling bond which in turn shows why Anthony hasn’t made Daphne marry when she was unwilling. It’s very interesting to see that Daphne transforms into the bell off the ball when Simon is interested in her. This is an interesting way to show that as Simon puts it a man wants what some other men want. Then they go to the terras… You can just feel the electric energy between them even through the pages of the book. How amazing it is to read and truly feel that two people are falling in love. Isn’t love amazing? Then, they kiss and are seen by Anthony. It’s so sad that Simon does admit that he liked Daphne. Nor that he likes her enough to want to marry her because he feels that his father wins if he does that. I think this didn’t come across to a lot of people when they watched the series, which was a missed opportunity in many ways. As it truly is not a one-way love story.  When someone chooses death over your hand in marriage, it hurts no matter what decade you live in. I love the little bit where Daphne finds out that Simon has looked at her so much that he knows she has some green in her eye. It shows that he paid attention to her. That he liked her. I love the birds and bees talk when Violet doesn’t know how she can tell Daphne what happens in the bedroom without truly telling her what happens in the bedroom.

Then the wedding happens and Simon is not very considerate because Daphne wants to consummate the marriage and he wants to stay in the inn. Daphne is very worried as Simon told her he can’t have children and Violet has told her what happens in the bedroom results in children so naturally Daphne thinks Simon might not be able to ‘perform’ which results in a very funny scene. Simon sometimes really is an ass, which makes you feel a sort of love towards Daphne as you know that she must love him with all that she has to be able to put up with him. It was interesting to me how Daphne found out how children are made, I think this made more sense in the book than in the series. He has hurt her over and over again, lying to her. It is one thing to not be able to have children it is another to not want them but it is a whole different thing to not want them but to say you cannot. Especially because Daphne was very oblivious which she was insecure about to begin with. When they have their encounter in which Daphne possibly conceives we understand that Simon feels bad not because of the possible baby but because of his stutter and how he couldn’t express how he felt. He felt the same as when he was a little boy, he couldn’t say anything. That is where his hurt came from, which is a different conversation altogether. Talking for Simon was always easy with Daphne so not being able to talk was hard for Simon, it then makes sense that he is also heartbroken when they haven’t conceived. It then follows that he wants to make a baby, why he is happy his baby is born. This whole part of the book makes a lot of sense whereas in the series it did not. Both Daphne and Simon are better people and have a better relationship in the book than in the series.

Lots of love, Melissa