El corazón de una Bridgerton

This is Francesca's story. She married John Stirling who was the Earl of Kilmartin when she was young and was widowed just a couple years later when he suffered a brain aneurism. They were always close with his cousin Michael but Michael had a secret. He fell in love with Francesca at first sight.

Some years pass after John's death. Francesca spends her time managing the estate and keeping up with both the Stirlings and her own Bridgerton family. Michael flees to India in the hopes of putting her out of his mind. He comes back to England suffering from malaria at the same time Francesca decides that she needs to remarry if she ever wants to have children.

Both feel guilty when the possibility of marrying each other comes up because they feel they are betraying John. It takes a lot of convincing for both of them to get over their guilt and find happiness with each other. Along the way they also deal with Francesca's infertility.

More sensual than the usual Bridgerton story but also quite romantic. I liked that Francesca was the one who was always a little different than her brothers and sisters and felt like she didn't fit in. ( )

When He Was Wicked - Quinn
Audio performance by R. Landor
2 stars

There was just too much angst and suffering in this Bridgerton addition.The devastating loss and mutual grief of the two main characters would have been more than enough without adding all the issues of infertility on top of it. It simply didn’t have the escape and relaxation value that I usually expect from this genre. I wonder if the author intended to create a character who was so emotionally blocked from her own motivations. Or, just possibly, allowing Francesca to repeat ‘I don’t know’ ad nauseum eliminated the need to write intelligent conversation. The only benefit of this book was that it provided a bit of fill-in-the-blanks for the other characters in the series. ( )

Not my favorite of the series by any stretch but much better than Eloise's story. I liked Francesca and how she was a bit removed from her siblings. Her absence from previous installments made a lot more sense once we saw her personality and why she chose to stay in Scotland. I missed the usual banter, but liked the glimpses, particularly Colin in the club. Michael wasn't my favorite hero in this series but, again, he was much more interesting and likable than Phillip (in the last book). ( )

From the moment he met her, Michael Stirling has been in love with Francesca Bridgerton. The only problem is he met her at a party celebrating her imminent marriage to his cousin, John, the Earl of Kilmartin. When two years after their marriage, John dies leaving Francesca alone and Michael with the earldom neither Michael nor Francesca know what to do. Years pass and while both grieve the loss of John, they both come to realize they need to move on with their lives. But can they imagine moving on with each other?

As the sixth book in the Bridgertons series, Francesca is no stranger to this reader but she's a lovely protagonist to spend time with. When her marriage and widowhood was casually mentioned in one of the previous novels, I was surprised and it's nice to get the full story here. I appreciate how well Quinn handles Francesca's grief and finding love again. Michael is as charming a hero as one could hope for and his interactions with Colin Bridgerton were an added delight. As books four, five, and six all take place at roughly the same time, it's fun for readers of the series to see what was going on for the different Bridgertons. Recommended for fans of the series. ( )

Author Julia Quinn delivers another winning romance story with When He Was Wicked, the sixth book in her Bridgerton Family Series. Francesca is the sixth Bridgerton child and has just enjoyed two years of marital bliss with John, Earl of Kilmartin. When John dies unexpectedly, both Francesca and John’s cousin, Michael, the new Earl, are devastated. Michael has been holding tight to his secret love for Francesca and tried to be happy for the two people that he cared for most. John’s death makes him feel guilty about the feelings that he has for the new widow and so he leaves the country and spends the next few years in India.

Francesca was rather put out with Michael, leaving the way he did, as she was relying upon him for support. She sees him as her best friend not realizing the torture he is going through over her. Francesca goes through her grieving period and begins to think about remarriage and having a child. As she takes off her widow’s clothing, society takes note, and suitors spring up everywhere. Michael, meanwhile has returned, still believing that Francesca is untouchable. It takes a quiet word in his ear from Francesca’s brother Colin, to open Michael’s eyes to the possibilities. Meanwhile, Francesca has noticed that Michael’s return has the society mamas and debutantes desperate to be the one to land him, and she doesn’t understand why she feels hostile about this. Can these two every work through all their issues and find happiness?

This was a fun addition to the series, both Francesca and Michael were characters that I could easily root for. The age old story of falling in love with your best friend’s girl was handled well and I enjoyed this smouldering romance story. ( )