Splendid

Author: Julia Quinn
Published: May 1995 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 10/10

Splendid is the book that comes before Dancing at Midnight, which I picked up at the library and loved. Of course I had to run out and buy the aptly-named other half of the duology, and this may be my favorite Quinn yet! Alex and Emma were so much fun to read, what with Alex's belief that all women are after his fortune and title, and Emma's desire to go back to America and run her father's shipping company.

There are two things everyone knows about Alexander Ridgely. One, he's the Duke of Ashbourne. And two, he has no plans to marry anytime soon...

That is until a redheaded American throws herself in front of a carriage to save his young nephew's life. She's everything Alex never thought a woman could be - smart and funny, principled and brae. But she's a servant, completely unsuitable for a highborn duke - unless, perhaps, she's not quite what she seems...

American heiress Emma Dunster might be surrounded by Englishmen, but that doesn't mean she intends to marry one - even if she has agreed to participate in one London Season. When she slipped out of her cousins' home, dressed as a kitchen maid, all she wanted was one last taste of anonymity before her debut. She never dreamed she'd find herself in the arms of a dangerously handsome duke... or that he'd be quite so upset when he discovered her true identity. But true love tends to blossom just when one least expects it, and passion can melt even the most stubborn of hearts.

I often complain about how the hero and heroine should be truthful with one another, but in most romances, there's something they keep hidden from each other (i.e. the fact they actually love the other person or are that same person they met several years ago in a masquerade). I understand why it happens so much, as there wouldn't be much conflict to write about and be entertained by, but I feel like the conflict and ignorance of the characters crosses my imaginary "level of tolerable annoyance" boundary. Splendid manages to have this conflict and entertain me, but resolve the conflict before I get annoyed.

For example, Emma's cousin, Ned, loses at cards to a cheater, and she would help him pay the debt, but can't touch her funds until she's married or reaches a certain age. She proposes to Alex, who was planning to propose to her by the end of the week, and he's so happy and they make plans. Then he asks her what made her propose, and she says, "I needed money...", triggering his distaste of marriage, as he believed that women were interested only in money and titles. At this point, the usual romance novel would drag this out until almost the end of the book, but Alex realizes his mistake the next day after waking up with a horrid hangover.

The resolution of that conflict didn't end the book, as Quinn found more than enough to keep the book going, with Emma saving Belle from the scumbag who cheated Ned at cards. Of course, Alex had to save Emma and Belle, as her rescue didn't go quite to plan, and after being wounded, he told Emma that he would lock her up.

I couldn't get enough of this book. In fact, I think I have to read Dancing at Midnight again because Emma and Alex play such large supporting roles. Time to buy more books that don't fit in my bookcase!