Staff Pick
I typically hate the "lying to an amnesiac" trope and have a hard time imagining a HEA for someone who starts a relationship with a lie, but this book has turned my bias upside down. Julia Quinn found a masterful way to make me fall in love with Cecilia — despite her deception — and especially with Edward. Edward's essential goodness and good humor, even when he felt betrayed by the woman he loves, puts him in the running for Hero of the Year. These two were so in love and so heartbroken, I was in thrall to their story and found myself crying for the last few chapters! Recommended By McKenzie W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
While you were sleeping...
With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He's unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier's life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie...
I told everyone I was your wife
When Edward comes to, he's more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out six months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is even if he does not recall her face and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he'd always assumed he'd marry his neighbor back in England.
If only it were true...
Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself — completely — to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.
Review
"This is one of those novels where the reader longs to shout at the characters to tell each other the truth already, but it is a great read nevertheless, with mystery and adventure and, yes, romance." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Quinn keeps things fresh by switching up her customary English setting with that of Revolutionary-era Manhattan while at the same time retaining the abundance of dry wit and swoonworthy romance for which she is best known and loved." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Funny, spicy, and fast-paced, this spirited Bridgertons prequel is sure to be a fan-pleaser and may gain Quinn some new devotees as well." Library Journal
About the Author
Julia Quinn started writing her first book one month after finishing college and has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen novels for Avon Books, she is a graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges and is one of only sixteen authors ever to be inducted in the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. Please visit her on the web at www.juliaquinn.com.