#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn continues her Bridgerton prequel series with a new novel following the adventures–and love stories–of the Bridgerton and Rokesby families.
She was in the wrong place…
Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season … intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy is pleasantly surprised to discover a smugglers’ hideaway tucked inside a cave. But her delight turns to dismay when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain’s bed…
He found her at the wrong time…
Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew James Rokesby actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government. Setting sail on a time-sensitive voyage to Portugal, he’s stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. Surely, his imagination is getting the better of him. But no, she is very real—and his duty to the Crown means he’s stuck with her.
Can two wrongs make the most perfect right?
When Andrew learns that she is a Bridgerton, he knows he will likely have to wed her to avert a scandal—though Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an earl and neighbor to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. On the high seas, their war of words soon gives way to an intoxicating passion. But when Andrew’s secret is revealed, will his declaration of love be enough to capture her heart…?
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I’m waiting for Julia Quinn to write a book I don’t love … I don’t think it will happen so I’ll just stay in my Bridgerton love haze and smile.
I loved this one.
I loved Poppy and Andrew. I loved their banter and wit. Just a wonderful story all around.
Julia Quinn is one of the reasons that I read Historical romance. Usually when an author continues a series past 3 of 4 books, it gets stale. Not so with the Bridgerton/Rokesby series. This was such a fresh story. Poppy was so sassy and adorable. There is a scene where she is looking out the window…so funny!! Her banter with Andrew was fantastic. Her wit and intelligence threw Andrew for a loop and I loved seeing him off balance. The last couple of chapters I had butterflies in my tummy in anticipation. Highly recommend!
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Book hangover alert. I was not ready to leave these characters and wanted to start over from the beginning as soon as it ended. Excellent read.
I love the entire Bridgerton series and I’m really looking forward to this next installment.
This is another fun read from Julia Quinn. Her characters are warm, witty, and thoroughly likable even while they’re at odds. Their romance builds nicely, never seeming forced. As usual, there’s some interesting information about the Regency period, this time concerning sailing ships and early jigsaw puzzles. This prequel is a very nice addition to her Bridgertons series, and I recommend it.
It’s always a delight to read about a woman who falls in love with a pirate and Quinn doesn’t disappoint!
Poppy is delightfully curious, to distraction. I was amazed at how Ms. Quinn was able to write a story about a woman essentially in prison, nowhere to go, nothing to do, and make it interesting. Excellent read the I would highly recommend.
Amazing banter and a wonderful romance! I loved these characters so much that I wanted 300 more pages of just them stuck in a ship cabin together. I will definitely read this again.
Prepare to get caught up in the whirlwind. that is Julia Quinn. Intrigue, fire and adventure await on the high seas, this time around. They never should have met, but fate had other plans. Poppy is an inquisitive soul with a romantic heart. Andrew is a wanderer with a penchant for danger. Thrust into a world that is unpredictable at best, temptation ignites and hearts are lost. Two strangers find an unquenchable passion, but what happens when their true identities are revealed? The Other Miss Bridgerton is a pleasure that captures the soul from beginning to end.
3.5 stars – Rounded up.
Miss Poppy Bridgeton is in Charmouth visiting her dear friend Elizabeth after enduring another London season. As Elizabeth is heavy with child, Poppy ventures out to the beach alone. She discovers a series of caves and decides to explore. She finds a smugglers cache and is making plans to return with a lantern, when she hears voices. The men are surprised to see her and unsure what to do with her, so they take her back to their ship.
Capt. Andrew James Rokesby is a younger son of the Earl of Manston and his family believes he left the Navy to become a privateer. In reality, he works for the crown delivering communications from England to several envoys, mostly in Portugal and Spain. He has important papers to deliver and when he learns his men have taken a prisoner, he has no choice but to keep her on board. He can’t believe his rotten luck that the feisty girl in his cabin is a Bridgerton and understands the ramifications of keeping her. He has her write to Elizabeth and then sets sail – with a very unhappy Poppy.
Over the course of the voyage to Portugal, Andrew finds himself liking Poppy and finds excuses to see her. Poppy likes Andrew too, but is still not happy about being confine. When they reach Portugal, he surprises her and takes her ashore.
But what began as a fun adventure, devolves into a nightmare and they are separated. Will they find their way back to each other? Or will King and Country keep them apart.
I thought this was a nice story, but in my opinion it dragged for the entire sea voyage and I didn’t feel a romantic spark between them until almost the very end of the book. The end was fantastic and the epilogue was sweet and saved the book from a 3 star rating. The banter between them is amusing, the action scenes are very well done and the love scenes are saved until the end of the book and are steamyish. Both Andrew and Poppy were likable, but I don’t really understand why he didn’t tell her who he was when they were parted, it just didn’t make sense. This is the third book in the series, but it can easily be read as a stand alone title, with no issues at all.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*
Poppy Bridgerton is very independent and follows her own rules. While visiting a friend, she loves to go escape on long walks and explore. This time she found more than she hoped for, a hidden cave, hidden with treasured. Only to be discovered by pirated and kidnapped.
Andrew is a privateer, but secretly transfers secret documents for the British government. He is about to set on an important sail to Portugal when two of his men bring a woman on board.
He knows who she is, but she has no idea. Spending so much time together, the sparks fly.
It’s a lovely story, but for some reason, I had the hardest time getting into it. I didn’t hold the same magic for me, as did the first one in the series.
3.5 stars rounded up.
Poppy Bridgerton is curious about everything and refuses to settle for a suitor who doesn’t have a similar wit or interest in the world around him. None of the men she’s met during her two London seasons have made the cut. During an extended visit to a friend on the Dorset coast, Poppy’s curiosity leads her to explore a remote cave which turns out to be a smugglers’ hiding place. This of course means that when two pirates return for their hidden supplies and discover her there, Poppy is kidnapped, brought aboard their ship, and left for the captain to deal with.
Captain Andrew James Rokesby has a reputation as a careless privateer but that façade has been cultivated to hide his efforts as a courier of sensitive documents for the British government. Now he’s in route to Portugal to deliver an awaited packet and the last thing he expects is to find a woman in his cabin. He’s at a loss but given the sensitive nature of his duty to the Crown, he has no choice but to take her with him.
When Andrew learns his captive is a Bridgerton, the niece of his mother’s best friend no less, he knows he’ll probably wind up having to marry her to prevent a scandal, but Poppy still doesn’t know he’s the son of an earl and neighbor to her cousins. The close quarters of the ship give Poppy and Andrew plenty of time for caustic repartee but as they come to know each other better, neither wants to do without the other, though Andrew’s secret-keeping could drive a wedge between them.
I loved this premise and I loved Poppy and Andrew as a couple, but man this was a slow burn. I was a little surprised by how things worked out in the final third of the book and, though it was satisfying, it was somehow still not quite all that I wanted. I enjoyed the meaningful conversations between Andrew and Poppy aboard ship, and I wanted a bit more of that once they were back in England than what we got on the page. I was glad there was minimal angst here and I adored the humor and banter between these two. They came to know each other on a deep level without knowing some of the basic details of each other’s lives and that made this story unique. I was surprised at how much I wound up enjoying the slow burn between these two and how they both knew they wished to be together without any gameplaying. I wanted more from the ending, but the humor and charm of the characters did make up for that for the most part.
Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-other-miss-bridgerton-by-julia.html
The Other Miss Bridgerton is definitely another great book in this series or rather this world that Julia Quinn created. It’s a sweet and fun story. I really enjoyed Poppy and Andrew’s banter and their connection. It was lovely to read how their kinda hate for each other turned into something different. I really enjoyed reading their story!
At the beginning of the book I was really excited to read more about Andrew and what happens with him. His story is just so special and lovely. And then there’s Poppy, she’s independent, feisty and strong. I really enjoyed their meeting and their interactions. At the beginning of the book I didn’t feel the connection and the romance between those two which was refreshing. The situation was very unique and I loved that it was a slow burn between those two, from hate to acquaintances to friends and then to lovers. I really enjoyed their whole development. Their story is just amazing!
I love Julia Quinn’s books and rhis one was one of my favorites !!
The ending! The name! I have never cried over a book until today… when I finished this one. I connected deeply with the character’s view of family and loyalty. It made me think of my brother who isn’t very fond of me. I do not know why. However, I would honestly do anything for him and have already. I absolutely loved this book!
Good continuation of the adventures of the Rokesby and Bridgerton families. In this book, third son Andrew meets his match in the form of Poppy Bridgerton. Andrew appeared in the first book (Because of Miss Bridgerton) as a rogue and a flirt. He’s light-hearted and cheerful, and no one in his family suspects that he is a spy/courier working for the British government. In this book, Andrew has a time-sensitive mission to Portugal. Beneath the cheerful exterior is a man who is deadly serious about carrying out his duties. There is also a small part of him that is weary of the demands that keep him away from his family, and he ponders the idea of giving it up and moving on to a more settled life.
Poppy Bridgerton is a woman who knows her own mind. She is independent and a bit impulsive, intelligent and forthright. She’s had two Seasons, but none of the men she met have lived up to her exacting expectations. She escapes for a while to visit a friend, where she can take long walks and think about her future. On one walk she stumbles across a smugglers’ cave filled with booty. Unfortunately for her, it also contained two pirates who were determined to keep her from revealing what she knows. They tie her up and take her aboard ship, where they leave her on the captain’s bed for him to deal with.
I thoroughly enjoyed Poppy’s encounter with Brown and Green, the two pirates in the cave. She talked rings around them, but it still wasn’t enough to keep them from kidnapping her. Andrew’s shock at finding her in his cabin was nothing compared to the shock he got when he found out who she was. He knew he was fortunate that they had never met, considering how close their families are – especially with her cousin Billie married to his brother George. I’m not sure why he didn’t tell her who he was from the start, but it certainly made for some entertaining moments. He also knows that there is a good chance he will have to marry her to prevent a scandal.
I loved the development of the relationship between Poppy and Andrew. Poppy is, of course, upset about her abduction and worried about the effect it would have on her family, friends, and reputation. However, nothing she says convinces the captain to set her free, though he does allow her to send a letter to her friend with a story that will keep her family in the dark. I loved the back-and-forth between Poppy and Andrew as she pleads her case, and he counters every argument. I was impressed with her acceptance of her confinement, intelligent enough to realize that it was for her safety. I could also feel her frustration at being on an “adventure” and yet bored out of her mind. The only bright spots were meals with Andrew when their conversations ran the gamut of subjects. Andrew was impressed and intrigued by her intelligence and curiosity and finds that he wants to find ways to counter that boredom. Poppy responds as she realizes that he is a kind and decent man despite being a pirate and kidnapper. I loved watching them grow closer over that week.
Things look fairly promising between them since Andrew at least knows that they are a suitable match. But things go sideways when they reach Portugal. Andrew’s attempt to give Poppy a pleasant interlude off the ship ends up with them both as captives. The situation is intense as Andrew bargains for Poppy’s release, tells her the truth of why he is there, and sends her off to his contact for help. That scene was pretty funny as Poppy’s stubbornness was no match for the needs of King and Country. I ached for Poppy, who was returned to England, not knowing if Andrew was safe or not. As a reader, you know very well that trouble is just around the corner when Andrew arrives at his parents’ home, determined to stay only long enough to discover where Poppy is, not knowing that she and her family are coming to dinner that very night. That dinner scene was fantastic, with the soup incident being one of my favorites in the whole book. I loved Andrew’s big moment and how they came together. The epilogue was terrific, too.
Good story that could have been shorter. So much was spent on what was happening when they were apart from each other on the outbound journey that it got boring. I persisted because it’s a Julia Quinn story, but I think more time should have been spent on when they were together, and less on when they were apart. When they were together it was entertaining, action-packed, and wonderful characters.
Not my favorite Julia Quinn book. I could not stand Poppy and the banter made me cringe. It got old really fast.
Loved it!
Not the best Bridgerton book, but not the worst. A nice box of candy read.