Brighter than the Sun

Author: Julia Quinn
Published: December 1997 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 9/10
Quote of Choice: And, he added silently, he'd have to get himself an heir eventually. Might as well find someone with a bit of a brain in her head. Wouldn't do to have stupid progeny. He eyed her again. She was staring at him suspiciously. Yes, she was a smart one.

Brighter than the Sun is the second half of the duology that started withEverything and the Moon. Ellie, the cheeky younger sister of Victoria (heroine of EATM), is out for a walk when Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, falls out of a tree, drunk.

Their first exchange?

"You smell as if you've imbibed a winery."
"Whishkey," he slurred in response "A gennleman drinks whishkey."

I was sucked in from the first page and first drunken slur.

If you love fast, funny, witty banter between a hero and heroine, this is the book for you. In fact, the story moves quite fast, with the inebriated Charles proposing marriage by the end of chapter one! True, they don't have much in common, but their marriage benefits both of them. He had to find a wife within fifteen days or his fortune would pass to his cousin, thanks to a clause in his father's will. Ellie, facing a horrid life under the thumb of her future stepmother, chooses Charles, who offers her an opportunity to manage her life freely, even making her own investments.

Ellie is so often exasperated by the charming Charles, who is fascinated by his new wife. He respects her wish not to consummate their marriage until she knows him better (they do marry within a week of meeting), but he reserves the right to convince her the time is right by kissing her senseless and being absolutely adorable. He makes various lists, like the one on how "to seduce Ellie," and seeing his hilarious ideas organized in such a serious manner was so much fun to read. For example, "Compliment her business acumen. Typical flowery compliments will most likely not work on her."

The only reason this didn't get 10/10 was the annoying factor. Ellie tries to make Wycombe Abbey more of a home, but every effort she makes is sabotaged. She adjusts the rack in the oven so they won't get burnt toast, and immediately after, the kitchen's on fire. She gardens in the orangery, and then plants start dying amidst a horrible odor. The thing is, she didn't really investigate into things, and the orangery was the easiest thing to investigate, while all the other residents were blaming her for causing all these disasters. This, combined with Charles' unwillingness to believe her rather than seeing the obvious culprit, made me rethink the couple's intelligence.

I loved this book, and definitely prefer it over Everything and the Moon. This was also the only Quinn where the couple was married for almost the entire novel, and I really liked that.