Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, a review

Julia Quinn is by far my favorite romance author! I’ve read nearly every one of her books (some more than once) and follow her blog religiously. That being said, when I heard there was a show coming to Netflix called Bridgerton, which would be based on Julia’s series, I was beside myself with joy!

In anticipation, I wanted to go through the series again and review them before the show itself comes out. I started more in the middle with Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, as it was available and (here’s the fun part) you don’t have to read the books in order! Sure, it gives you more context and sometimes there will be bits in the story that are important, but they can stand by themselves and that is just the best.

But you’re all here for the review, so here we go. Let me start by saying this will be spoiler free! I want all of you to read the story for yourself! Let’s start with the description (direct from GoodReads):

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 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 decide...is she his biggest threat -- or his promise of a happy ending?

Now, I’m not going to break down and rank an author like Julia Quinn. But, I will give you my honest opinion and tell you a bit about what makes this book so fantastic.

To start with, you have a main character who isn’t perfect. She’s a shy girl who doesn’t quite fit society’s standards and who much prefers food to dancing at parties. I can relate! I loved Penelope from the first page and liked seeing her develop over the course of the story.

Colin was equally flawed, with a refreshing vulnerability and striking weaknesses. Still, he had the ability to make a woman’s heart race!

Great characters combined with a wonderful story made for a more than enjoyable read! I loved that there was classic romance, but also a mystery aspect as you try to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown. And, can I just point out that Julia Andrews, regal goddess that she is, has been cast as Lady Whistledown?!

Expect much more Bridgerton content on this blog, dearest readers, because This Author has so much to share!

                                                                                  Lori Fayre’s Romance Blog, 16 February 2020

If you wish to read Romancing Mr. Bridgerton here is the GoodReads link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9138518

Post-Publication Syndrome

Writing is hard. This had been said often and by many people. It’s also stressful, but if you love it, you can usually handle it. But what happens when you’ve finished and published a book? What is the next step as an author?

Well, I continued to write after querying The Devil’s Maverick. I thought it would be good to get a step ahead and have something to submit if this one didn’t work out. (I would highly recommend all writers do this!)

Over the past week since The Devil’s Maverick has been released, I find myself in a strange limbo. I’m motivated to keep writing, but also need to prep my other manuscripts for submission. I have to market The Devil’s Maverick, but I’m not prepared  to do that now that it’s out. The bubble has burst, and I am now experiencing post-publication syndrome.

This is not uncommon and it is not necessarily a bad thing. As I said, I’m extremely motivated and continuing to work. I just have this odd mindset of, “Can I do it again?”

I suppose it still hard for me to believe I’m published and I’m not sure I can provide quality books. Maybe it’s a fear of rejection or criticism. PPS is similar to impostor syndrome, but not (in my opinion) quite as taxing. It’s just something else that we as writers have to push through.

I guess if I had to give any advice it would be to know your worth and realize that, published or not, your story deserves to be heard. Pour your heart and soul into your writing or job or whatever you want and, even when it feels surreal and impossible, you have to keep going.

That’s all I have for you this week. I hope this helped in some way and, please, if you’re experiencing something similar, let me know!

One more note before I leave, if you have commented on any of my posts and I haven’t responded, I am sorry! There’s something wrong with blogger where it won’t allow me to reply. Just know that I’m working to fix this issue, I do see your comments, and I really appreciate it J

The Devil's Maverick Book Launch!

Last Tuesday was a blast!

I launched my debut novel, The Devil’s Maverick, at my local library on January 28^th and it was better than I could have imagined. My friends were all there to support me and the turnout was pretty good.

We had some great prizes and goodies lined up…

I even had a speech before my reading!

Then, there was the trivia game…

And the giveaways! (Congrats to the winners again!)

You’ll notice you don’t see a lot of people in these pictures. My friends showed up to help and there were people in attendance, but they all preferred not to be photographed.

I want to thank everyone again for their love and support! You’ve all been so amazing! See you next week J

Get your copy of The Devil’s Maverick today!

Totally Bound: https://www.totallybound.com/book/the-devils-maverick

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082B82PRJ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_V-lfEbK0ARJYP