ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING

Author: Julia Quinn ISBN: 0060531258 7/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: England 1827

Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except... She wasn't the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with someone else. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except... Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar...

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Gregory Bridgerton loves Hermoine Watson (or at least he thinks he does), but Hermoine loves Mr. Edwards (or at least she thinks she does). Not to be left out, Hermoine's best friend, Lucy, falls in love with Gregory (of this, she knows for certain), but he thinks he loves Hermoine, remember? And then there's Lucy's brother, Richard. He loves Hermoine, too. Well, doesn't everybody? Mix into this love mess a subplot of blackmail, arranged marriages and treason, throw in a few surprising twists, and Quinn ends her Bridgerton series on a high note.

Lucy and Gregory are great antagonists; their sparring alone is worth the purchase of this book. With her trademark ability to take what should be a ho-hum scenario and turn it into an original, as usual, Ms. Quinn mixes drama, humor, endearing characters and a love quadrangle with a twist, to perfection. Fun dialogue, some sensual lovin', an action-packed ending and visits by a few of the Bridgerton clan round out this last installment to one of my favorite Regency families.

However, least you despair about the finality of this series, and without me giving too much away, rest assured that Gregory holds true to his lighthearted, buoyant personality in the end (with a little help from Lucy), thus providing Ms. Quinn with ample inspiration to revisit the Bridgerton's sometime into the future. At least, one can always hope.

Nancy Davis