The Other Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgerton Prequel

Three and a half stars. Poppy Bridgerton is spending a few weeks with her (very pregnant) friend Elizabeth in Somerset, every afternoon she explores the coastline looking for caves, until one day she stumbles across a privateers' cave and is kidnapped. Andrew James Rokesby is a former naval captain turned privateer on behalf of His Majesty, couriering letters and documents between the UK, France, Spain and Portugal under the name Captain Andrew James. He is on deadline to deliver some letters to Portugal and has no alternative but to take with him the young woman his men discover hiding among the brandy kegs. However, once they are at sea and he discovers that she is a Bridgerton, cousin to the family that lives next door to his family in Kent, he realises that there is a very real possibility that he will have to marry her to preserve her reputation. Poppy and Andrew have a great sparky relationship full of innuendo and sarcasm and I really enjoyed reading their exchanges while she was imprisoned on board the ship. I love Julia Quinn's writing and it had an added interest since I spent a long weekend in Lisbon this summer. Unfortunately, I am less enthused about shipboard romances and my enjoyment of the novel overall was tempered by the feeling that I just wanted them to get off the ship which unfortunately doesn't happen for a long time. I am also surprised to see that I somehow missed the second book in this series (love, love, loved the first book, Because of Miss Bridgerton) so I am off to rectify that omission tout suite. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fiercely independent and adventurous, Poppy Bridgerton will only wed a suitor whose keen intellect and interests match her own. Sadly, none of the fools from her London season qualify. While visiting her friend Elizabeth at Charmouth on the Dorset coast, Poppy is thrilled to discover a smugglers' hideaway tucked inside a cave then dismayed when two pirates kidnap her and take her aboard a ship The Infinity, leaving her bound and gagged on the captain's bed. Known to society as a rascal and reckless privateer, Captain Andrew James Rokesby actually transports essential goods and documents for the British government. Setting sail on a time-sensitive voyage to Portugal, he's stunned to find a woman waiting for him in his cabin. When Andrew learns that she is a Bridgerton, he knows he will likely have to wed her to avert a scandal-though Poppy has no idea that he is the son of an earl and neighbour to her aristocratic cousins in Kent. I love the Bridgertons & was thrilled when this series started. This is the third book in the series but whilst it’s easily read as a stand alone why would you when the series is so very very good. The pace flows effortlessly but it’s the depth of the characters that raise the author’s books above the run of the mill. A feisty heroine & a charming rogue of a hero whose war of words is so very well written & also extremely entertaining. Poppy is strong & verbally spars with Andrew from the start rather than crumpling & becoming a sobbing mess on being kidnapped. Andrew keeps his identity a secret but soon realises he’s met his match in Poppy. I look forward to more in the series My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

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