Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Julia Quinn & Violet Charles

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The 2nd book I picked up for the Historical Romance Readathon was the graphic novel Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron. This was written by Julia Quinn and illustrated by her sister Violet Charles. It covered the prompts standalone, single parent and clinch cover. I also was able to apply this to the prompts diverse hero for the second board of Love has Sprung and Mine (book you own) for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Miss Butterworth has led a hard life with lots of crazy happenstances. When she ends up as a companion to the "Mad" Baron's grandmother, their paths intertwine once more. This is a graphic novel that's the novel from within the novel. Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron by Sarah Gorely is mentioned in several books by Julia Quinn.

Okay, so there's not too much to the summary because the graphic novel is really short and a lot of the events are mentioned where the "book" is mentioned in Julia's novels. This was just a fun romp and just as crazy and fun as expected. I loved that it still had an HEA in it's own right. Now, it was really well illustrated, but it's not the type of illustration I'm really drawn too (heh). I did get used to it after a few pages. I think my favorite parts of the novel were when we saw their inner-selves. It reminded me a lot of Skip Beat (my favorite manga) and I always love seeing the inner-struggle/thoughts of characters. It's a great literary technique, especially for graphic novels/comics.

I know I didn't really say too much about Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, but it was super short. If you enjoyed Julia Quinn's books, definitely check this out. It's a great addition to her backlist and just super fun. It's also a super quick read.

I do also want to extend my condolences to Julia Quinn and her family. Before this was published Julia lost her father, her sister Violet and Violet's husband when they were hit by a drunk driver. My heart goes out to her and her family. I've experienced grief before, but to have that many people in your family gone at once and from something that is so stoppable (DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE PEOPLE!), broke my heart when I first heard the news. There is a lovely note at the end of the book were Julia touches on what happened and I love that she's been somewhat open about what she experienced. 

Have you read Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, Julia Quinn & Violet Charles, 4-star, 0 days, Paperback, 144 pages, published traditionally

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn

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After watching the second season of Bridgerton on Netflix, I was very disappointed. I immediately picked up the book version, The Viscount Who Loved Me. This is the second book in Julia Quinn's Bridgertons series. I was able to use this to cover the prompt favorite author for Love Has Sprung as well as the Teardrops On My Guitar (instrument in the story) prompt for the Taylor Swift Quarterly Challenge.

Kate and her sister Edwina are in London to take part in the season. Since it's just them and their mother Mary, they are not as well off financially. There is really only once chance for a season and hopefully Edwina can find a good match. While Kate is also needing to be married, she's on the older end of the spectrum and is not the classic beauty that the ton likes. When Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, decides it's time to find a wife, he plans to go after whomever is the incomparable. When Edwina is known to be as such, he approaches Kate since she is the one to be offering a blessing in place of their father. As Anthony tries to sway Kate to gain her approval to marry Edwina, they start to feel a spark between them. When their respective traumas put Kate and Anthony to open up to each in a way they haven't with any other person, they just can't seem to hold back their feelings anymore.

Honestly, this is my favorite Bridgerton book and is absolute perfection. This is the third time I've read in in the past couple years and I feel like it gets better every time. I absolutely adore Anthony and Kate and love how much they connect to each over their role as eldest sibling. As the eldest sibling myself, I find myself connecting with them in a lot of different ways. And while my fears aren't the same as Kate's, I do understand wanting to keep any issues or problems that can be perceived as week since you have to be so strong for others as well as yourself. Now I loved this book before, but it has come to mean a lot more after loosing my mother. While I don't quite have the fear that Anthony does, I do relate in the fact that it's just really hard to comprehend that I will most like live longer than my Mom did. I understand it logically, but emotionally it's hard.

Usually I try to keep my reviews to two paragraphs about my thoughts on the book and while I could, it would just be more of me gushing about how beautiful and amazing this is, I'm going to keep it a little short this time. Seriously, if you enjoy historical romance and haven't read the Bridgertons, certainly check it out. There's a lot of variances on which is a favorite book (like most everything), but the family aspect throughout is just absolutely masterful! I would love to marry into the Bridgertons!

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Viscount Who Loved Me, Julia Quinn, 5-stars, 4 days, Paperback, 378 pages, published in 2000, traditionally published

The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn

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My first re-read of 2021 was the first in Julia Quinn's Duology, The Lost Duke of Wyndham. Both books were chosen for the Rake Appreciation Society hosted by Crystal and Jen on youtube.

It's been a while since I've re-read any Julia Quinn and I'm happy the Bridgerton show brought cause for me to revisit her backlist. First off, I am slightly biased towards Julia's writing. It's just so quippy and the banter is on point.

Description:

I love Jack. He's the charming rake that gets kidnapped into a family he didn't know he had (and didn't necessarily want). Grace is his saving grace (pun most definitely intended) to deal with the Dowager. I love their relationship and the way it progresses throughout the book. Grace and Jack try to stay away from each other and not tempt ruination, but I love that pretty early on Jack decides Grace is it for him. The way Julia Quinn writes just makes me feel so much when reading. I find myself smiling like a loon or laughing out loud. She evens brings us to understand the Dowager and her curmudgeonly ways in the end. And this without it seeming like the neat little bow at the end of a book. She's still curmudgeonly, but we're able to reach some form of empathy towards her.

If you haven't tried any of Julia Quinn's books, she's a great foray into historical romance and I couldn't recommend her more!

Have you read The Lost Duke of Wyndham?

Bookishly yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: The Lost Duke of Wyndham, Julia Quinn, 5-stars, 6 days, eBook, 371 pages, Published 2008