The Other Miss Bridgerton is Julia Quinn's third installment to her Rokesby series. Julia Quinn will always have a special place in my heart because it was reading her first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, that started my obsession with Historical Romance. Since then, I've learned that I dislike some of her books, love some, and anywhere in between. However, I always read anything she releases. The Other Miss Bridgerton fell into the "loved it" category.
Poppy Bridgerton is visiting a friend on the coast who is pregnant. She is an adventurous young lady, so she likes to explore the shore line. Usually she brings along a lady's maid as her companion, but because she doesn't want to be held back, she convinces the maid to leave her be and take a break. Poppy discovers some caves and whilst investigating some crates she finds, a couple of sailors find her. They capture and take her to their captain on their ship.
Captain Andrew James (secretly Andrew Rokesby) finds himself in quite a pickle. He has a young lady on his ship, and the gentleman in him must try to keep her safe and her reputation intact, especially since her cousins are his family's neighbors. Also, he has no time to send her back to her friend's home since he has time critical cargo to be delivered. On top of that, Poppy is no mild miss. She is a fire pistol and becomes the bane of his existence during their trip to Portugal.
Both characters cannot deny their attraction for each other. However, Poppy continually has to remind herself that despite Andrew's charm, he is still her captor and is confining her to one room for at least two weeks. He is trying to keep her safe, but it isn't good for her adventurous heart. Andrew knows he may have to marry her at the end of the trip to save her reputation, but he tries everything in his power to not pressure the two of them into a loveless match. Of course matters of the heart don't listen to silly things like logic.They cannot stop thinking of each other.
I don't want to give too much away of the story, but I will say that the plot definitely spices up. There were a few heart stopping romantic scenes that took my breath away. I loved how the two characters became acquainted with each other. I adored Poppy to no end. Parts of her personality reminded me of me, so I connected with her quite a bit.
This isn't your typical ballrooms and trips to Gunter's for ices kind of historical romance. It takes you onto a ship and then to Portugal. This book was a joy to read, and I am happy it fell into my "love it" category for Julia Quinn's books. I am excited to read the next book in the Rokesby series! ( I am also excited for the Bridgerton based show coming to Netflix!!)
**ARC provided by Publisher**
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author and RITA Finalist, Carolyn Brown, has published more than seventy books. These days she is concentrating on her two loves: women’s fiction and contemporary cowboy romance. She and her husband, a retired English teacher, make their home in southern Oklahoma.
