What we have here is a case of Lastbookitis.
Before I begin, let’s sing a little song:
“Some enchanted evening you may see a stranger (or the back of their head)
You may see a stranger (or the back of their head) across a crowded room
And somehow you know, you know even then
That somewhere you'll see her (or the back of her head) again and again” – Rodgers and Hammerstein – sort of
So begins the last of the stories in the Bridgerton series, On the Way to the Wedding. At last
it’s Gregory Bridgerton’s turn. Poor Gregory - he’s alone and feeling blue. He’s blue because everyone has someone but him. He’s wants someone. He’s on the lookout for someone. And then, he enters a room. There - across the way - he spots a beautiful woman. He’s hit by the luv-lightening. Oh lovely lady, I luv you forever and ever. At least the back of your head. Yes, fellow readers, Gregory Bridgerton of the famous Bridgerton family falls in love with the back of some woman’s head.The woman belonging to that head-back is Hermione Watson. Excuse me while I ponder naming of characters in books. All the way through the book I had a problem with the name Hermione Watson. First of all I don’t like the name Hermione (sorry all you Hermione’s). Secondly I kept thinking of Hermione Granger from Harry Potter. Then it dawned on me that the actress who plays Hermione is Emma Watson. Ms. Quinn would not be so playfully cute as to combine those names for this character – would she. Because if she did, I have to tell you I found it very distracting.
But that's neither here nor there because Hermione is not the heroine of this book. No the heroine of this book is there in the crowd of men surrounding Hermione – Lady Lucy Abernathy. Yes, that’s her – the one who nobody pays any attention to. Anyway, Lucy happens to notice the moment of luv-lightening striking Gregory Bridgerton. She mentally shrugs her shoulders because she sees it all the time. Hermione and Lucy have been friends for a very long time and Lucy is used to men making fools of themselves over Hermione. But this time it’s different and not just because Lucy is sort of attracted to Gregory. No that not it. Lucy is sort of engaged so she can’t be interested in Gregory. But the beautiful Hermione is in luv with an unsuitable man and Lucy knows that this unsuitable man will be wrong for Hermione. Lucy decides to help Gregory in his quest to win fair Hermione’s hand. So she starts giving Gregory advice, advice which he has not asked for. Lucy likes to advise people. She likes to make everyone happy. Be prepared, she’s a martyr.
Gregory follows Lucy’s advice of ignoring Hermione in hopes that Hermione will notice him. Then one morning at the breakfast table Gregory says something and Hermione thinks he's interesting. He makes her flutter. But wait a minute! Lucy’s brother shows up with an emergency message! Lucy must go home immediately because her uncle must see her. But first there’s another party to go to. At that party Lucy’s brother, who is also in luv with Hermione, seduces Hermione. Well, he actually doesn’t work very hard at the seduction because you see Hermione is now in luv with Lucy’s brother. He makes her flutter. So much for the unsuitable guy and the fluttering Gregory was creating at breakfast. Hermione and Lucy’s brother marry. Gregory is alllll alone – again. However, he watches Lucy as she walks away.
Lucy has returned home. Her sort-of fiancé is there along with his fat, creepy father. She finds out her fiancé doesn’t care for women, but that’s ok. You see the creepy father informs her that if his son can’t put the erection set together, he will. Lucy turns him down. Lucy’s uncle blackmails her with words like treason, scandal, family destroyed. Lucy the martyr will marry the son.
Gregory returns to London. He is wandering through Hyde Park. He is once again struck by luvs-lightening when his eyes fall on the back of another woman’s head. It’s luv, luv, luv, luv. He luvs this woman! She turns! It’s…Lucy! Groan – not the good kind.
I had a big problem with this book. There were so many things that left me wondering just who had written this. This book had all of the signs of a last book in a series. It was rushed, the plots meandered all over the place. I had the feeling I was in grade school again watching people in the throes of their first love. All we needed was for Gregory and Lucy to write notes: “I love you, if you love me check this box”. They were soooo immature, falling in and out of love at the drop of a hat. Then there was the added blackmail, treason, evil uncle, and kidnapping thrown in at the end. On the Way to the Wedding was allll over the place. Then there was the short-sentence-paragraph-filler.
Anyone remember Robin Schone?
She wrote like this.
That is what happened in this book.
I was scratching my head wondering what was going on.
Why was Ms. Quinn filling the pages with sentences like this?
Overall. This was my least favorite book in the Bridgerton series. The plotline was all over the place, the characters were immature and the love/luv expressed in this book was just fickle. This story had the feel of a rushed job with different ideas thrown in just to get the writing done.
Time/Place: 1830s England
Sensuality: Warm
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