Daphne Bridgerton is a woman on a mission. Find a suitable match that actually sees her more than just a friend, while also pleasing her matchmaking mama.

Needless to say she's not really succeeding.

All the suitable men find her pleasant and "normal", while pursuing the belles of the ton blessed with "the right" coloring (blond and blue-eyed), relegating her into the wallflower territory.

Until her oldest brother's best friend, newly minted Duke of Hastings, recently returned to England, concocts a fool-proof plan to make Daphne insanely desirable and himself safe from other matchmaking mamas.

They'll pretend to develop a tendre, until Daphne finds a suitable match after which she'd jilt him...Unfortunately, the prospect of jilting the handsome duke becomes every day more unpalatable.


I read this book a long, long, long time ago, but decided to do it again, after the Netflix series dropped, to refresh my memory.

It was a very good decision, I've forgotten how much fun the Bridgetown brood can be. And maybe this time I'll actually read all the books in the series.

Daphne, the fourth child (and oldest girl) of the Bridgerton family and Simon Basset, the new Duke of Hastings, might come off as an odd couple at the beginning, but as the story progresses, and they develop an easy friendship that slowly evolves into something stronger and lasting, end up as a perfect match. Two completely opposites that somehow, also with plenty of help from her family, find a middle ground where they can both be themselves with each other.

It was nice reading about a regency-era relationship that stemmed from friendship and camaraderie instead of just two characters thrown together by happenstance, intrigue or whiff of scandal.
Their relationship was still rocky, especially thanks to Simon's demons and his stupid vow to a dead man (we cannot have a romance book without conflict and the big rift, now can we), and granted, the whole thing was rather quickly resolved (even that highly questionable act on Daphne's part), but the initial friendship and ease between them made it more believable and easier for the reader to accept the swift resolution.

And, because this is a series about a family, that family must not remain unmentioned, since it was a third main character in this story. The Bridgertons were a hoot to read about and they provided plenty of love and friendship, a touch of drama, and a whole lot of support for both Daphne and Simon (albeit in a more roundabout way).


Reading this story was like having a glass of refreshing lemonade and a perfect choice to break my reading fast. A fun, quick and easy read, that made it easy to empathize with and root for the characters; it made me laugh, it made me cry and it made me (once more) eager to read more. On to the next.

The final volume of the New 52 run of Batman is a disappointing collection of unrelated issues. It feels like all the leftover Batman issues were thrown together to get one more book to sell. This includes the Futures End Batman issue that takes place in a possible dark future and an annual that goes back a bit to when Bruce had amnesia still.

The saving grace for this volume is issue 51. Following Batman on a quiet night in Gotham as he tries to discover the cause of a blackout in the city, this issue was a beautiful celebration of Batman's legacy. Sometimes it can feel like Batman is fighting a losing battle in Gotham and is failing to change anything. But this issue highlights how the people of Gotham have been inspired by him and have hope for the future that they didn't have only years before. It is easily my favorite issue from this run of Batman.

The other issues in this book weren't bad. They just didn't do much for me. Without issue 51, this volume would only have been a 2 star read.

This is book #1.5 in the Turbulence series.  This book is not intended to be on it's own.  It is a continuation of the 1st book in the series.  I recommend reading in order.

Jake & Gillian's story continues here with a sweet and fun ending!  The author generously gives us this epilogue edition FREE on several platforms.  (See below)  I found that it made me feel better to revisit them and see how they ended up.  I also like they are still the same, just better together.  I give this a 5/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

You can get your own FREE copy at these locations:

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ B&N (nook) ~ iBooks ~ kobo

The first chapter had me entirely grossed out. Did I really want to read a book describing the disgusting things a parasite can do to my body? But then Carl Zimmer took it from the close to home sickness parasites can inflict on a human body to a fascinating journey into the world of parasites - what they are, where they come from, where we find them, how they evolved and adapt to their chosen niche, the fine balance between getting the most out of their host without tipping the scales and killing it outright, the role they play in keeping populations in check and in keeping ecosystems healthy.

814 promises to be another eventful season, but not, This Author believes, for Anthony Bridgerton, London's most elusive bachelor, who has shown no indication that he plans to marry. And, in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better . . . —Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, April 1814

But this time the gossip columnists have it wrong. Anthony Bridgerton hasn't just decided to marry— he's also chosen a wife! The only obstacle is his intended's older sister, Kate Sheffield—the most meddlesome woman ever to grace a London ballroom. The spirited schemer is driving Anthony mad with her determination to stop the betrothal, but when he closes his eyes at night, Kate's the woman haunting his increasingly erotic dreams . . .

Contrary to popular belief, Kate is quite sure that reformed rakes do not make the best husbands— and Anthony Bridgerton is the most wicked rogue of them all. Kate is determined to protect her sister—but she fears her own heart is vulnerable. And when Anthony's lips touch hers, she's suddenly afraid she might not be able to resist the reprehensible rake herself . . .