Let me just say that I absolutely love the Bridgerton series and I've found (most) characters to be witty, entertaining, heartwarming, (and a little obtuse when it comes to the men..); however, due to his portrayal in the first three in the series, I was most excited to get to Colin's story. Like Penelope, I think I put this poor man on a pedestal, which unfortunately did not do him any favors in his book. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy him, I was just expecting more of that Colin wit and humor to come through - the bit that we got at the beginning and end were just what I was looking for. I just wish it had been more prevalent throughout. Penelope (plus Lady Danbury) were the clear winners in this book for best characters and I was so happy to see Penelope come out of her shell and let others see who (and what) she has been keeping so close to the chest for so many years.

My initial thoughts when I finished the book were mixed with disappointment because the romance didn't quite hit the same notes that the previous three had, but after sleeping on it I've come to realize that it didn't need to and I probably would have been more disappointed had it. Colin and Penelope's love story does not follow the lines of 'convenience to lovers,' 'disdain to lovers,' or 'opposites attract' as in The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me, or An Offer From a Gentleman, respectively - their story is truly one of 'friends to lovers' (a trope that is very unfamiliar to my 'enemies to lovers' obsessed heart). As Daphne said "Love grows and changes everyday. And it isn't like some thunderbolt from the sky, instantly transforming you into a different man." Ultimately, I believe this was exactly the love story that Colin and Penelope needed - a comfortable transition into their love, to have grown into who they were supposed to be separate from one another, and then together.