About 12 hours later, he finds out she’s a wealthy heiress…so he’s like, “Cool! A young virgin of my own class! I will seduce her!” Because that’s what honorable men do.Įmma’s personality being as fiery as her hair (because of course it is), she accepts Alex’s friendship for the boon it is to her social life and is otherwise like, “Yeah, no, I’m not so into your nefarious seduction plans.” But when they decide to quit playing around and be friends for real, the magic happens! Alex and Emma become friends, and it’s totally adorable. When they first meet, Alex believes that Emma is a servant (it could have something to do with her being dressed as a servant and carrying a lot of eggs), so he kinda sorta wants to make sure she’s okay but he kinda sorta wants to bang her as well. Meanwhile, Alexander Ridgley, Duke of Ashbourne is a rake (because of course he is) who has decided women are not to be trusted (again, because of course) and has no intention of marrying any time soon because the begetting of heirs will be something he can do in his forties when he’s had a little living under his belt. Although all of them have plans for her to get married, she has plans for that shipping company back in the States. What is the plot of this story? Emma Dunster is the only child (a daughter! alas!) of a wealthy American shipping magnate, and she’s visiting her mother’s family in London. There is, in fact, very little about it that is not ridiculous, and this, frankly, is the reason I own every single Julia Quinn novel published. Once upon a time I read that Julia Quinn wrote her first book, Splendid, to be a romp. Overall: If I were to write a first romance novel, I would hope it approaches this level of entertainment

Plot: misunderstandings, compromises, kidnappings, OH MY! Heat Factor: Hotter than most of JQ’s later books, but still just maybe Bunsen burner levelĬharacter Chemistry: High drama but the overkill is fun

Splendid julia quinn series