Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* If Cecilia Harcourt hadn't lied and told her horrible cousin Horace that she was going off to Scotland to stay with a maiden aunt she invented on the spot, she is positive he would have found some way to coerce her into marrying him. But instead of traveling to Edinburgh, Cecilia sets off for America to find her brother, Thomas, a British soldier who has reportedly been injured in battle. However, once Cecilia arrives in New York, she discovers Thomas is missing, which leads her to lie number two. By claiming to be the new wife of her brother's best friend, Captain Edward Rokesby, Cecilia establishes a valid reason for remaining in Manhattan. And since the injured Edward is suffering from amnesia, it isn't as if her little lie is really hurting anyone, right? In this stellar prequel to her best-selling Bridgertons series (Because of Miss Bridgerton, 2016), Quinn keeps things fresh by switching up her customary English setting with that of Revolutionary-era Manhattan while at the same time retaining the abundance of dry wit and swoonworthy romance for which she is best known and loved.--Charles, John Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this charming sequel to Because of Miss Bridgerton, Quinn heads to late-18th-century America for a tale of romance and international intrigue. Cecilia Harcourt has come from her Derbyshire village to occupied New York to search for her missing brother. She finds that his best friend and her sometime correspondent, Capt. Edward Rokesby, is in the hospital with a head injury. By claiming that she is Edward's wife, Cecilia is allowed to care for him while getting more information about her brother's whereabouts-but when Edward wakes with no memory of the last few months, Cecilia finds herself trapped in the lie. Edward and Cecilia make a captivating couple whose relationship grows naturally from their letters and personalities, and even their flaws-including Cecilia's ongoing deception-are understandable and appealing instead of frustrating. The secondary characters, mostly other British officers, are less well constructed, however, bordering on cliché in their deference toward Edward and dismissal of Cecilia. This is a solid entry in the Bridgerton universe. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
When her father dies, Cecilia Harcourt is left without viable options-dismissing out of hand a distasteful marriage to a greedy cousin. Her brother, Thomas, has been wounded in the war in America, so she heads across the pond to help him. But instead of finding Thomas in the hospital, she comes upon his fellow officer Edward Rokesby, in a coma. Deciding she'll give him aid until her brother appears, Cecilia is allowed to step in-but only after claiming to be Edward's wife. The situation proves even more problematic when it turns out that Edward has lost his memory and believes they are actually wed. -VERDICT Funny, spicy, and fast-paced, this spirited Bridgertons prequel is sure to be a fan-pleaser and may gain Quinn some new devotees as well. Quinn (Because of Miss Bridgerton) lives in the Pacific Northwest. [See "Summer Escapes," LJ 5/15/17, p. 78.] © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A young Englishwoman travels to New York during the Revolutionary War and ends up impulsively passing herself off as the wife of an injured officer.Cecilia Harcourt has too much bad news all at once. Her father dies and leaves her alone, she receives word that her brother, Thomas, has been injured fighting in the American Revolution, her loathsome cousin pressures her to marry him, and she stands to lose her only home if her brother doesn't survive to inherit it. She does the only thing she can think to do sail for America to care for Thomas. But when she gets there, she finds her brother missing and his best friend unconscious in a hospital on the island of Manhattan. Only immediate family is allowed to care for him, so Cecilia passes herself off as his wife. That's how Capt. Edward Rokesby, second son of the Earl of Manston, came to wake up and find himself married to a woman he'd never met in person. But he does know herand is half in love with herjust from reading the letters she sent to her brother. A head injury keeps Edward from remembering the past few months, so Cecilia's cover is not immediately blown. By the time the mix-up is all sorted out, Cecilia is thoroughly compromised and Edward and Cecilia are thoroughly in love. This is one of those novels where the reader longs to shout at the characters to tell each other the truth already, but it is a great read nevertheless, with mystery and adventure and, yes, romance. This is the second of Quinn's (Because of Miss Bridgerton, 2016, etc.) Rokesby novels and a prequel to her popular Bridgertons series. Quinn's fans will be grateful she's crossed the pond for this textured look at life in New York during the 1770s. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
