Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (Bridgertons #4) by Julia Quinn

 

Summary (from the summary): On the sixth of April, in the year 1812 - precisely two days before her sixteenth birthday - Penelope Featherington fell in love. But Colin Bridgerton certainly didn't fall in love with her in 1812 (and not in 1813, 1814, 1815, or - oh blast, not in all the years 1816-1822, either, and certainly not in 1823, when he was out of the country the whole time, anyway..' Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend's brother for well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret and fears she doesn't know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of everyone's preoccupation with the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can't seem to publish an edition without mentioning him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same - especially Penelope Featherington! The girl haunting his dreams. But when he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decides she his biggest threat - or his promise of a happy ending?

Review: In the fourth installment of the Bridgerton series, the reader finally gets to see the love story between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington unfold. Penelope, close friend to Eloise Bridgerton, has spent years secretly in love with the dashing Colin Bridgerton. But Colin barely notices wallflower Penelope. As the years pass, Penelope is resigned to remaining an unmarried spinster and Colin despairs of every finding a purpose or greater meaning to his life. But after returning from a trip abroad, Colin finds himself surprisingly interested in Penelope. As they fall in love, Colin discvoers Penelople has been harboring quite a significant secret of her own. 

In many ways, the three first books of the series have been teasing at and building up to Colin and Penelope's story, as well as the big reveal of who the gossip columnist Lady Whistledown is. Finally, in this novel, both come to light. It's nice to see the forgotten girl, the one who is always the last to be asked to dance, triumph in the end. This novel was also nice in the sense that it was about characters who have been built up over multiple novels. They feel like old friends at this point. 

I was a little disappointed that this novel was much lighter on romance and the love story element and much heavier on the mystery and intrigue of Lady Whistledown. But overall, another entertaining tale from the world of the Bridgerton clan. 

Stars: 3

Related Titles: 

• The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn
• The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons #2) by Julia Quinn
• An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons #3) by Julia Quinn