Officially declaring Julia Quinn not an author for me, especially 2022 me. I think if I had read her 10-15 years ago I would be nostagically into her work, but alas, 'twas not the case.

I did finish this one, and I appreciated that Francesca was pretty removed from the Bridgerton shenannies mostly (away in Scotland) and that Michael (once they finally started boning) was a dirty talker and very into making up for lost time. The lead up to this was pretty sad yet dull, and ennui of loving your best friend and cousin's wife aside, not as angsty as I would prefer.

Michael's 'love making' skills were also, despite frequent once started, pretty cringe-y in the sense verbal consent was not super present, even if implied consent was, and I dunno, in 2022 it wasn't working for me.

Also, just the banality of these folks sitting around and having parties and somehow not otherwise suffering or working is just too much for me right now. I prefer this in the visual medium of the show.

Content notes: Scotland setting, miscarriage (on page), death of spouse (on page), illness (malaria and a bad cold presenting maybe as malaria)