Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesby Series: The Bridgerton Prequels #1)

by Julia Quinn

Overview

Sometimes you find love in the most unexpected of places...

This is not one of those times.

Everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families have been neighbors for centuries, and as a child the tomboyish Billie ran wild with Edward and Andrew. Either one would make a perfect husband... someday.

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should...

Or not.

There is only one Rokesby Billie absolutely cannot tolerate, and that is George. He may be the eldest and heir to the earldom, but he's arrogant, annoying, and she's absolutely certain he detests her. Which is perfectly convenient, as she can't stand the sight of him, either.

But sometimes fate has a wicked sense of humor...

Because when Billie and George are quite literally thrown together, a whole new sort of sparks begins to fly. And when these lifelong adversaries finally kiss, they just might discover that the one person they can't abide is the one person they can't live without...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504696753
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Series:	Rokesby Series: The Bridgerton Prequels , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Julia Quinn is a New York Times bestselling author whose novels are perennial bestsellers. As a graduate of Radcliffe College and Harvard University, she loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance. She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America's Hall of Fame. There are ten million copies of her books in print in the United States alone.

Rosalyn Landor is an English-born television, theater, and multiple-award-winning audiobook narrator. Her television credits include Love in a Cold Climate, Rumpole of the Bailey, Sherlock Holmes, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has won numerous Audie awards and AudioFile magazine Earphones awards.

Editorial Reviews

Narrator Rosalyn Landor brings dignity and subtle humor to this sweet “at-long-last” romance between lifelong neighbors. Although their families are practically intertwined, differences in age and disposition keep Billie Bridgerton and George Rokesby at a polite distance until circumstances cause each to view the other in a new light. The even pacing of Landor’s narration illuminates textual detail and gently underscores the author’s wit. Landor’s precise characterizations cue the listener to Billie and George’s slowly developing attraction over the course of days and weeks. Landor knows how to ramp up tension with a precisely timed conversational pause and perfectly delivers the catch in the throat that accompanies the shy thanks of a girl at her very first ball as she receives her very first compliment from a boy. T.M.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2016 - AudioFile

03/07/2016
Quinn (The Sum of All Kisses) skips back a generation in her best-selling Bridgerton family series, establishing the relationships and connections of the family during the late 18th century. Billie Bridgerton is a reckless tomboy who grew up playing with her neighbors Andrew and Edward Rokesby. She's dismayed to wind up trapped on a farmhouse roof with their disapproving older brother, George. Billie and George have never been friends, but they keep being thrown together in awkward situations, such as a house party to celebrate Andrew's leave from the navy. Soon they join up on purpose to locate Edward, who's missing from his regiment in the American colonies, and they realize that their time together has changed the nature of their relationship. George and Billie are clear preludes to their descendants, and their love hinges on both their self-discoveries and their interactions. The dangling threads of other characters may be frustrating for those looking for a standalone experience. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters, Because of Miss Bridgerton is top-drawer, polished-to-perfection Quinn that will most certainly be savored by both longtime fans and new readers alike.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Quinn is incomparable! The latest addition to her beloved Bridgerton series is funny, charming, witty and wildly romantic. This is Regency romance at its best, with strong characters, fast-paced action and lots of drama between two unlikely sweethearts destined for each other.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick) on Because of Miss Bridgerton

“For all the Bridgerton family fans who worried the series was over once all the siblings stories were told, prepare to rejoice! Fans will not be disappointed.” — San Francisco Book Review on Because of Miss Bridgerton

“Julia Quinn simply writes great heroines who march to the beat of a different drummer, while keeping them grounded in reality. The fact that she manages to write them such amazing heroes—all with the wit she’s renowned for—only serves to make her books better. Because of Miss Bridgerton definitely does not disappoint; instead, it reaffirms my belief that Julia Quinn is one of the best historical romance novelists of our time.” — Heroes and Heartbreakers

“This lively, effervescent Georgian tale takes place a generation before Quinn’s wildly popular Bridgerton series and nicely adds to the family history.” — Library Journal on Because of Miss Bridgerton

From the Publisher

Quinn is incomparable! The latest addition to her beloved Bridgerton series is funny, charming, witty and wildly romantic. This is Regency romance at its best, with strong characters, fast-paced action and lots of drama between two unlikely sweethearts destined for each other.

RT Book Reviews (top pick) on Because of Miss Bridgerton

For all the Bridgerton family fans who worried the series was over once all the siblings stories were told, prepare to rejoice! Fans will not be disappointed.

San Francisco Book Review on Because of Miss Bridgerton

Julia Quinn is one of the best historical romance novelists of our time.

Heroes and Heartbreakers on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

For all the Bridgerton family fans who worried the series was over once all the siblings stories were told, prepare to rejoice! [F]ans will not be disappointed.

San Francisco Book Review on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

Like an episode of Downtown Abbey mixed with a great rom-com.

iBooks Best Books of March on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

Quinn is incomparable! The latest addition to her beloved Bridgerton series is funny, charming, witty and wildly romantic. This is Regency romance at its best, with strong characters, fast-paced action and lots of drama between two unlikely sweethearts destined for each other.

RT Book Reviews (top pick) on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

Powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters, Because of Miss Bridgerton is top-drawer, polished-to-perfection Quinn that will most certainly be savored by both longtime fans and new readers alike.

Booklist on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

Powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters, Because of Miss Bridgerton is top-drawer, polished-to-perfection Quinn that will most certainly be savored by both longtime fans and new readers alike.

Booklist (starred review) on BECAUSE OF MISS BRIDGERTON

Julia Quinn simply writes great heroines who march to the beat of a different drummer, while keeping them grounded in reality. The fact that she manages to write them such amazing heroes—all with the wit she’s renowned for—only serves to make her books better. Because of Miss Bridgerton definitely does not disappoint; instead, it reaffirms my belief that Julia Quinn is one of the best historical romance novelists of our time.

Heroes and Heartbreakers

Powered by a surfeit of dazzling wit and graced with a cast of unforgettable characters, Because of Miss Bridgerton is top-drawer, polished-to-perfection Quinn that will most certainly be savored by both longtime fans and new readers alike.

Booklist (starred review)

04/15/2016
With their homes in Kent only three miles apart, the Rokesbys and the Bridgertons were practically family, and although it rarely crossed her estate-focused mind, forthright Billie Bridgerton assumed that if she married at all, it would be to one of the Rokesby boys. It just would never be George Rokesby, Viscount Kennard, the condescending, serious eldest son and heir, the one brother with whom she'd never gotten along. But when George tries to help Billie down from a roof and ends up trapped on top of the structure with her, their relationship begins to shift, and despite their resistance and the inevitable ups and downs, it's only a matter of time before they are made to yield to their feelings. A pair of childhood acquaintances who couldn't stand each other growing up are thrown into a tizzy when they realize they are falling in love. VERDICT This lively, effervescent Georgian tale takes place a generation before Quinn's wildly popular Bridgerton series and nicely adds to the family history. Quinn (The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy) lives in the Pacific Northwest. [An LJ Editors' Spring Pick, ow.ly/ZVCzS; a March LibraryReads pick.]

Library Journal

2016-04-13
Two childhood friends finally stop squabbling and realize they're meant for each other in 18th-century England. At 23, Sybilla Bridgerton—known as Billie to her friends and family—is impulsive and tomboyish, riding around her father's estate in breeches and reading agricultural treatises for fun. The latest installment of Quinn's (The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy, 2015, etc.) Bridgerton series opens with Billie stranded on the roof of an abandoned house, nursing a sprained ankle. She climbed a tree to rescue a cat, then fell onto the roof from the tree. She's appalled when her nemesis, George Rokesby, Viscount Kennard, happens along and she's forced to ask for his help. Although the two grew up on neighboring estates, Billie has always been closer to George's three younger siblings. George, as the heir to an earldom, was always too serious and busy to romp with the other kids, and when they did interact, George and Billie always needled each other mercilessly. But after George helps rescue Billie from the roof, they begin to see each other in a new light, and gradually both are horrified to realize that their strong feelings of antipathy have given way to strong feelings of a different kind. For both of them, "this had to be the most inconvenient attraction in the history of man." Although George and Billie are both likable characters and Quinn is an accomplished writer, the book's exciting opening is not followed by additional exciting plot points. A brief house party and a single ball make up nearly all the events in the novel. Everything else is just the characters' thoughts and conversations. Although the plot is rather a sleepy one, the book is worth reading for fans of the Bridgerton clan and for readers who like character-driven novels.

Kirkus Reviews