The Duke & I (Julia Quinn)

EN The Duke and I, de Julia Quinn, appeared in my life after seeing the Bridgerton series. This is the first in a nine-book saga and I almost felt obliged to buy the book after I fell in love with the whole plot surrounding this period novel. I was delighted with all the details given by the author about the 19th century London scene. And then we have several characters with very enigmatic personalities, mainly in the Bridgerton family, the main cast of the entire saga.

In this book we have as main characters Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. I admit that I’m loving their initial interaction. The series is a little different from the book but the complicity and intensity is very present in both forms. Their romance is very beautiful and I commend Daphne's patience with Duke. I understand that his behavior is a consequence of his difficult childhood and his father's rejection, but the struggle he has with himself should be a more obvious indication that he should have considered it earlier, that all the decisions he was making were based on the vengeance that he had on his father and not at the expense of his happiness.

There are several characters that entertained me a lot. In addition to the interaction between the Bridgerton brothers, we also had several sarcastic comments, discussions, attempts of violence and a lot of humor in the mix. This humorous sense was making the reading so easy and so fluid that it was impossible for me to let go of the book. I loved that at each beginning of the chapter we had a small introduction, with the words of Lady Whistledown, suggesting what we could expect in each chapter.

Even though I loved the whole story, there is a certain attitude of a character in the book that I consider reprehensible and that I didn't enjoy at all. However, and even condemning this attitude, I understood the whole context of the event and why the action happened. But a limit has, nevertheless, been exceeded, which should not have been exceeded, regardless of all the reasons behind it.

The television series had to be adapted a lot, because, let's face it, the book only revolves around Simon and Daphne. In the series there is the interaction of several characters and, even with secondary stories, it is inevitable that the characters will be introduced and known more quickly than in the books.

I highly recommend the book, for those who like light readings and love romances. It was a very good book to read. Easy reading and fascinating storyline. The truth is, it makes us more eager to know the rest of that family's history, which is huge, by the way.

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