Author: Julia Quinn,
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3 out of 5 stars)
The fourth installment of the Bridgerton series revolves around the third eldest Bridgerton sibling, Colin, and a close family friend, Penelope (Pen). Like the previous books, we’re still in the Regency area where every book is about a member of the Bridgerton sibling finding their love matches. This time, however, we’re not introduced to a new character to match with a Bridgerton sibling, the love has been there all along – specifically beside Colin’s sister, Eloise, Pen’s best friend.
This, I understand, is one, if not the most, important book in the series as we finally unmask who Lady Whistledown is. However, since I already spoiled myself by watching the Netflix series, the building tension around it unfortunately no longer worked for me.
Despite ruining the big reveal to myself, I still enjoyed this book, and that, again, is a huge credit to the author for being able to make every page as entertaining as possible.
One of the major things I was worried about in this book is how the ‘friends to lovers’ trope were going to be executed. A lot of the times I see this trope in media made me roll my eyes since they most often use shallow excuses for why one person fails to look at his/her friend romantically for so long. Let’s be honest, most often, it’s because the other person isn’t as pretty or as handsome so the romantic in me can’t really accept that. That being said, I applaud the author for having a valid excuse for our dear Colin Bridgerton.
Colin, having a middle-child crisis of finding his place in the family and in the world, turned to travel. Thus, he has a valid excuse for not developing a romantic affection towards Pen who has always liked him. To Colin’s credit, he was a really good friend to Pen and kept open communication with her while he was away. And although his dances with Pen were urged by his mother in the previous years, the book seems to indicate that he didn’t feel like it was a burden and did enjoy Pen’s company.
Another thing I really like in this book is the way the seed for this was planted in the previous Bridgerton book. Pen overheard Colin talking to his brothers and made a comment about how he could never look at Pen as a romantic interest and that little tension basically brought us where we are in this book.
As usual, the loving Bridgerton siblings and their mother are also present to set the atmosphere. If there’s one thing that doesn’t disappoint, it’s the way the Bridgerton siblings tease each other using witty retorts. Colin managed to stand out as the one who was always looking for food. I really love that his character has been so consistent.
My favorite part of all, however, is how the author made both Pen and Colin authors and how that affected their dynamics. Colin was sympathetic and in awe of what Pen had accomplished with Lady Whistledown, making him a logical ally; not just because he was romantically involved with her. Plus, the reality that professional jealousy happens with partners has also been raised. Colin felt bad for being jealous of what Pen’s writing achieved but they dealt with it and ended up being fruitful for them both. Pen had become Colin’s editor and Colin finally found a vocation he clearly enjoyed. Honestly, this was such an awesome turn of events.
We’re now in the 4th book of the franchise so it’s to be expected that the steamy scenes are still present. There’s a steamy carriage scene in this book that took me by surprise. The author seems to be taking it up a notch with every book that passes, and honestly, I’m not complaining. Good for Colin and Pen.
Lastly, I like this pattern of sowing seeds in the previous books to connect it with the next one. Colin just suspected Eloise as the real Lady Whistledown because he notices she’s been writing a lot lately. I think I’m correct in saying that the next book will be about Eloise. It makes me so excited to read the next installment!
The Stray Reader 
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