The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever

Author: Julia Quinn
Published: July 2007 (Avon)
Category: Historical Romance
Rating: 8/10

I think I picked this particular Quinn because Borders was out of the next Bridgerton book and I had a coupon that was about to expire. I actually find that Quinn's non-Bridgerton books are consistently good, whereas the Bridgerton titles are really good or disappointing, because they don't live up to the expected Quinn awesomeness.

At the age of ten, Miranda Cheever showed no signs of Great Beauty. And even at ten, Miranda learned to accept the expectations society held for her—until the afternoon when Nigel Bevelstoke, the handsome and dashing Viscount Turner, solemnly kissed her hand and promised her that one day she would grow into herself, that one day she would be as beautiful as she already was smart. And even at ten, Miranda knew she would love him forever.

But the years that followed were as cruel to Turner as they were kind to Miranda. She is as intriguing as the viscount boldly predicted on that memorable day—while he is a lonely, bitter man, crushed by a devastating loss. But Miranda has never forgotten the truth she set down on paper all those years earlier—and she will not allow the love that is her destiny to slip lightly through her fingers . . .

To make this quick, as yet again, I'm 12 reviews behind, Miranda has to overcome Turner's refusal to marry ever again because his first wife was a horrible woman. In the end, it takes the stereotypical "stuck in a remote cabin during a scavenger hunt at a house party during bad weather, and get preggers as a result" to push Turner into marrying her. Of course, he has to chase her to Scotland, because he was a dumbass and left the party "on business" and didn't return to town for a few weeks, during which Miranda discovered her condition and removed herself from society to have her child out of wedlock. And after she marries him, Turner has to figure out how to say "I love you" to his new and wonderful wife.

It's rare that I cry from a book, but I did during the dramatic birth scene at the end of the novel. Miranda was smart enough to ask Turner if he decided to say the long-awaited "I love you" because he thought she was going to die, and his response was so sweet and perfect that you realize how much he's grown since being with Miranda, putting his dark past behind him.

A fun read, but still doesn't topple Splendid as my favorite Quinn.