"Croquet Anyone?"

This is the second book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series. This is the tale of oldest brother Anthony, who happens to be quite a rake but who has also decided it is time to wed. Before he dies. When Anthony was 18, his father died very young and Anthony has gotten it into his head that the same thing will happen to him. He knows he needs to father an heir and when he asks his brothers who the diamond of the season is, he sets his sights on her.

Enter the kind and witty Kate Sheffield and her beautiful half sister, Edwina. Anthony sets his sights on Edwina because, even though she is beautiful, he feels that he will never fall in love with her and that keeps him safe from agonizing over his eventual early death. He has a bigger problem though: Kate must approve of Edwina's suitors and she absolutely can't stand Viscount Bridgerton. The banter between Anthony and Kate had me cracking up some times.

While Kate and Anthony appear at first to be so different, they both hold the value of family in highest regard. And they both share some irrational fears brought about by childhood trauma. With Kate's consistent negative attitude toward Anthony one would think that he would want to avoid her at all costs. However, he finds himself quite intrigued with her and has a difficult time staying away even though they argue most of the time they are together. One of my favorite scenes in the book involves Kate, Edwina and a few members of the Bridgerton family playing a game of Pall Mall, which, where I come from is called Croquet.

This book was truly entertaining and for me to laugh out loud while reading doesn't happen often enough. I'd recommend it and am excited to read the next one in the series, An Offer from a Gentlemen.

Reviewed by Kathy Rollins
Posted June 13, 2009