To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn

Rating: 3 1/2

Synopsis: Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her . . . and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking . . . and wondering . . . and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except . . . he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled . . . and when he kissed her . . . the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder . . . could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

Review: I adored the first four Bridgerton books, to varying degrees, but this one really flopped for me. I think perhaps Julia Quinn's idea of "rough brute" and mine differ greatly. I adored the idea of a rough ill-mannered hero! What fun! Would he have any manners at all? Would he be like Tarzan?? Imagine my disappointment when a mild botanist who is a bit afraid of his children emerges from the pages of this book. I'm afraid it just never made me sit up and take notice. The romance was a bit tepid, to be sure. I somewhat enjoyed Eloise's interaction with the wild children (much more Tarzan like actually than their father), but overall I had hoped for much more....