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53rd out of 1,608 books
—
2,744 voters
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke #1)
by
Julia Quinn (Goodreads Author)
2 March 1810 . . . Today, I fell in love.
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 sh...more
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 sh...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
June 26th 2007
by Avon
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May 21, 2013
Audrey Hepburn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
adults,
belvestoke-series,
beautiful,
books-i-love-and-own,
about-beauty,
2013-5-stars,
guilty-pleasure,
diaries,
drama-adventure,
erotic-romance,
historical-fiction,
historical-romance,
romance,
sex-sex-sex,
makes-me-jump,
2013-awesome-books,
2013-favorites,
2013-funny-books,
my-2013-book-reviews,
re-reading,
tricky-cover
FULL REVIEW TO COME or A BETTER ONE.
This book was so good. i just dont know what to write. Here are some of my emotions or whatever you want to call it.
Turner:
Miranda:
And finally: This story is a must read. I just really loved it. Despite my emotions up there I really enjoyed this book. Its a good thing I did a re-read it. And I can just walk and say:
I read this book and its awesome!! :)
If you want to see my blog see it right here:
http://audreyhepburnbooks.wordpress.c...
This book was so good. i just dont know what to write. Here are some of my emotions or whatever you want to call it.
Turner:
Miranda:
And finally: This story is a must read. I just really loved it. Despite my emotions up there I really enjoyed this book. Its a good thing I did a re-read it. And I can just walk and say:
I read this book and its awesome!! :)
If you want to see my blog see it right here:
http://audreyhepburnbooks.wordpress.c...
I think that this is one of those books that lots of people won't like, but I am not one of them. I love a bittersweet story of romance. The kind of melancholy tale that pulls your heart strings because it's more realistic. I read some reviews where people complained about a hero not being able to say the dreaded three words (I LOVE YOU). However, I honestly felt bad for the hero in this story. I could feel his pain, and I could feel the heroine's pain.
One reason I love Julia Quinn as an author...more
One reason I love Julia Quinn as an author...more
5 likes · like · see review
At the tender age of ten Miranda Cheever fell in love with the brother of her best friend; Viscount Turner, with his act of kindness to a awkward growing girl, Miranda never forgot his words that day to her and kept a journal with her thoughts of love since then. Now years later the once kind and caring Viscount Turner, Nigel Bevelstoke is left a bitter and cold hearted man after his wife ripped all his dreams of love and family to sheds with her numerous affairs before her death.
To return the...more
To return the...more
11 likes · like · see review
So...I started off loving this book even though the "hero" (Turner) was kind of (for a lack of a better word) weak. I instantly connected with Miranda... oh how I love the ugly duckling turned beautiful swan stories...but something happened that threw the book way off track and it never came full circle for me. I have read so many books where the main man went through a great tragedy and never quite moved on until he was faced with the loss of the smartest and the most gorgeous gal in England. T...more
6 likes · like · see review
Aug 20, 2012
Brittany B.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
HR fans
Recommended to Brittany B. by:
Anzu The Great Destroyer
I'm not surprised ths one the Rita award in 2008! It very much deserved it.
A Must Read!
I ADORE Miranda Cheever. She and her sweet friend Olivia are two of my favorite characters in modern writing.
The story was lovely and unexpected, filled with the unrequited love of a ten year old girl. (Miranda Cheeser) And with the pain and disenchantment with life that comes when all your hopes and dreams in life are shattered. (Turner Bevelstock) And it is about so much more, to be sure.
One of the theme...more
A Must Read!
I ADORE Miranda Cheever. She and her sweet friend Olivia are two of my favorite characters in modern writing.
The story was lovely and unexpected, filled with the unrequited love of a ten year old girl. (Miranda Cheeser) And with the pain and disenchantment with life that comes when all your hopes and dreams in life are shattered. (Turner Bevelstock) And it is about so much more, to be sure.
One of the theme...more
7 likes · like · see review
Oh, this was such a sweet story. I loved every page of it. I couldn't put it down, which I'm sorry because it was over so fast that I feel bad for having spend money in something that lasted useful in my hands only some hours,lol. Then again, I can't think in anything better than spending my money in this amazing books,lol, I don't regret it of course. It's just that sometimes it hurts to see my money being consumed so fast. But I guess you just can't help it when you find a good book.
Julia Quin...more
Julia Quin...more
11 likes · like · see review
This book really fell off for me in the last third. I like Quinn's writing (despite the scattering of anachronistic expressions which sometimes threw me out of the era), I mostly liked Miranda, and I was prepared to like Turner if he got over his conviction that his previous lousy marriage entitled him to be a jerk. But I was really waiting not for him to fall in love with Miranda but to develop some respect for her and treat her as an adult, a friend, an equal. And I felt that Quinn wrote their...more
Julia Quinn mungkin adalah author HR Pure romance kedua yang ceritanya aku sukai selain Lisa Kleypas. (yang satunya lagi adalah Teresa Medeiros, kalo Lisa Valdez itu gimana ya, hehehehe)
Buku ini seolah mengatakan bahwa first love never dies.Cinta Miranda pada Turner tidak pernah berubah selama 10 tahun sejak gadis itu mengenal Turner. Dari Turner pula Miranda memulai kegiatan menulis diarinya.
Sempat khawatir semenjak Turner kehilangan istrinya, bakal bikin dia jadi cowo menyebalkan (yang ingin k...more
Buku ini seolah mengatakan bahwa first love never dies.Cinta Miranda pada Turner tidak pernah berubah selama 10 tahun sejak gadis itu mengenal Turner. Dari Turner pula Miranda memulai kegiatan menulis diarinya.
Sempat khawatir semenjak Turner kehilangan istrinya, bakal bikin dia jadi cowo menyebalkan (yang ingin k...more
2 likes · like · see review
I was a little disappointed in this book. I love Julia Quinn; I find her novels engrossing, entertaining, funny, and romantic. They're generally just good reads. But The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever was just okay. It was one of the first novels she ever wrote -- she revised the manuscript when she needed a standalone novel to publish after the end of her Bridgerton series -- and it shows. It was mildly entertaining, but both Miranda and Turner lacked the spark that makes truly interest...more
2 likes · like · see review
To be honest, I am kind of obsessed with historical romance after watching lizzie bennet diaries. And this book is recommended to me after I finished "The Duke and I" which I found not really my cup of tea. But still, I want to read some historical one, so I tried my best to finish it anyways lol.
I didnt expect any thing from this read, but it indeed way better than "The Duke and I". I have to say the prologue of this book really catched my attention. This is the only reason why I continue to re...more
I didnt expect any thing from this read, but it indeed way better than "The Duke and I". I have to say the prologue of this book really catched my attention. This is the only reason why I continue to re...more
Miranda has always known that she is different, at age ten she knew that she would never be a classically beautiful woman and by age twenty she knew that she would never be the darling of the ton. While Miranda has not resigned herself to being a spinster she has trouble visualizing a future because she is in love with her best friend’s brother, Nigel (aka Tuner). Miranda fell in love with Turner at age ten when he kissed Miranda hand after informing her that one day she will be as beautiful as...more
This started out well and unravelled for me midway through the book. I felt this book had so much promise but failed to live up to the expectations. Still, it is a far better read than some of latter Bridgerton romances and is an enjoyable read overall.
Miranda has been steadfastly in love/infatuated with Turner for years, which I thought was adorable considering they hardly met in those years. Meanwhile, Turner barely gave a thought to this quiet little miss. The development of their romance was...more
Miranda has been steadfastly in love/infatuated with Turner for years, which I thought was adorable considering they hardly met in those years. Meanwhile, Turner barely gave a thought to this quiet little miss. The development of their romance was...more
Initial half was readable, latter half deteriorated into mindless 'mind games' and descriptive sex. The protagonist, Miranda, to her good fortune, has for a best childhood --> adulthood friend, a rich lady with two handsome brothers, the elder one, a possible Baron, who is just nine years older to her. Miranda has fallen in love with the elder brother at the tender age of ten, after a chance encounter and carries her flame burning bright throughout her formative years well into her adulthood....more
This was the first book of JQ that I had to wait to be released. I had discovered her Bridgerton series some years back, and thanks to the power of the internet, I was able to find them all.
I love JQ. I’ve enjoyed all of her books, this one included.
If you could tell there was a ‘but’ coming, you’re right.
I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. For myself, I love for some reason, stories with one of the characters being secretly in love with the other character.
However, this bo...more
I love JQ. I’ve enjoyed all of her books, this one included.
If you could tell there was a ‘but’ coming, you’re right.
I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. For myself, I love for some reason, stories with one of the characters being secretly in love with the other character.
However, this bo...more
(Taken from Two Old Farts Talking Romance)
We don't grade books here or give a number of hearts or anything like that. But I was thinking about it in regards to this book and would give it a solid B grade. The first two thirds of this book was wonderful. Maybe even the first three fourths. Then the last part went straight to bad trope-ville and ruined a great book.
Miranda is a great heroine. She's pretty without being beautiful, smart as heck and her repartee is brilliant. The hero Turner is pret...more
We don't grade books here or give a number of hearts or anything like that. But I was thinking about it in regards to this book and would give it a solid B grade. The first two thirds of this book was wonderful. Maybe even the first three fourths. Then the last part went straight to bad trope-ville and ruined a great book.
Miranda is a great heroine. She's pretty without being beautiful, smart as heck and her repartee is brilliant. The hero Turner is pret...more
For all of Julia Quinn's followers who loved the Bridgerton Family, this book might seem a let-down. I believe that's due to the totally different circumstances of the characters.
Almost every young girl falls in love with an 'older' man, usually a friend's male cousin or brother sometimes almost a decade her senior. Miranda Cheever fits that mold but her youthful crush has far outlived its usefulness. Growing up on the lower rungs of British society she was not a commoner although there was no...more
Almost every young girl falls in love with an 'older' man, usually a friend's male cousin or brother sometimes almost a decade her senior. Miranda Cheever fits that mold but her youthful crush has far outlived its usefulness. Growing up on the lower rungs of British society she was not a commoner although there was no...more
Observant & average-looking heroine has written in her journal about her unrequited love for her BFF's older brother since she was 10. She is shocked that Hero kissed her even though it was mostly due to his anger with his recently deceased wife. Hero is shocked at his behavior as well, given that he's never looked at heroine other than as a longtime family friend. But hero finds himself becoming more drawn to willing heroine. Their attraction eventually ends up in a consummation but hero le...more
Hmm. I liked this. It was a fun, quick, easy read, except it's missing the make-you-dizzy-with-happiness element that every Awesome romance novel is guaranteed to have. Of course, not very many romance novels are Awesome that way. Julia Quinn did well with The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, creating a likable cast of character and a believable relationship between our hero and heroine.
I think what bothered me most was how repetitive it got when Turner realized his feelings for Miranda....more
I think what bothered me most was how repetitive it got when Turner realized his feelings for Miranda....more
This is one of my favorites of Quinn's because of the character Miranda. Miranda is the kind of character I would want as a friend- smart, witty and faithful.
My favorite part of the book was when Miranda who loved books above fashion went into the "gentleman only" bookstore and fought with the owner because he wouldn't sell a book to a woman. Miranda has a crush on Turner since she was 10 years old and he gave her a journal- one that will contain all the emotions she feels growing up. Unrequited...more
My favorite part of the book was when Miranda who loved books above fashion went into the "gentleman only" bookstore and fought with the owner because he wouldn't sell a book to a woman. Miranda has a crush on Turner since she was 10 years old and he gave her a journal- one that will contain all the emotions she feels growing up. Unrequited...more
This is a rare one-star book that I actually finished, largely because I'm still waiting for the two books I want to read to come in the mail and I couldn't sleep last night.
I'm afraid this is everything trite and meaningless about HEA romance. I can't stand romance novels in which the crux of the tension is the hero's inability to say three words. This book exacerbates the problem because it is so perfectly obvious that the hero does love the heroine and he shows her in a million ways, which l...more
I'm afraid this is everything trite and meaningless about HEA romance. I can't stand romance novels in which the crux of the tension is the hero's inability to say three words. This book exacerbates the problem because it is so perfectly obvious that the hero does love the heroine and he shows her in a million ways, which l...more
Julia Quinn is one of my favorite romance authors, but this is not my favorite of her books. I've now read it twice because I couldn't remember what happened in it/wasn't sure I'd read it before. I had. It just wasn't that great. I liked that the heroine, Miranda, wasn't ravishingly beautiful, for a change. And there are some funny moments. But the hero, Turner, takes a ridiculous amount of time to realize he loves his wife, and in the meantime, he makes her miserable. Frankly, I found Turner to...more
I was so excited for this book as Julia Quinn is a favorite of mine; I normally love her work and I also (surprise, surprise) love to see the quiet/shy girl get the guy. Though there was witty dialog and moments that had me laughing out loud, I really have to say I was disappointed and bothered by many aspects of this book.
PRAISE:
(1) Funny moments that will make you laugh
(2) Connection between Turner and Miranda is interesting to watch in about the first half of the book
(3) I liked Olivia and Tu...more
PRAISE:
(1) Funny moments that will make you laugh
(2) Connection between Turner and Miranda is interesting to watch in about the first half of the book
(3) I liked Olivia and Tu...more
Apr 24, 2013
Christiana
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance
Listened to the first 8 chapters because I wanted to try an audiobook from the local library. The narrator was ok except when she did Turner's voice; she sounded like nails on a chalkboard and so not like a hot male of twenty eight in any century. I really wanted to like Julia Quinn's writing and the story. blamed my disappointment on the narration and decide to change tactics and got an ebook version that I read to completion.
I loved Miranda and her bond with Olivia. Loved the bookshop scenes...more
I loved Miranda and her bond with Olivia. Loved the bookshop scenes...more
After looking at the other reviews, I'm not sure I read the same book.
To me, the hero and heroine both seemed rather immature, and pretty self-centered. There were times when I cringed at the things the heroine would say to the hero. It was like reading some fourteen year old's full-blown but painfully embarrassing crush on their idol.
The other thing that irritated me was the numerous stated comments that the hero and heroine were like brother and sister. This was like suddenly being slapped ar...more
To me, the hero and heroine both seemed rather immature, and pretty self-centered. There were times when I cringed at the things the heroine would say to the hero. It was like reading some fourteen year old's full-blown but painfully embarrassing crush on their idol.
The other thing that irritated me was the numerous stated comments that the hero and heroine were like brother and sister. This was like suddenly being slapped ar...more
When you see the accident coming and you play Cassandra and try to warn people, but then just keep driving towards the trauma what can a reasonable person do? Well, Wallflower, Miss Miranda Cheever watched as her first and only love married someone totally unsuited to him and then watched as that awful wife destroyed Viscount Turner's innocence and ability to love.
Let's not underestimate the writing of a funny and thoughtful writer like Julia Quinn because she finds a way to a great HEA ending t...more
Let's not underestimate the writing of a funny and thoughtful writer like Julia Quinn because she finds a way to a great HEA ending t...more
Now here's a protagonist who is smart, witty, and stands up for herself. I pretty much fell in love with Miranda - when I think I was supposed to fall in love with Turner. I'm not so sure what I think about him. While I do see why she loves him, some aspects of him are not really that likable.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
I knew from the description on the back of this book that I was going to love The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. I'm not sure what about it made me so confident that I was going to enjoy the book, but it made me very excited to read it. And I really did have a good time with this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, and I love the myriad of different characters too.
Miranda is an awesome historical romance heroine. She is completely badass. She's not afraid to stand up for herself and is...more
Miranda is an awesome historical romance heroine. She is completely badass. She's not afraid to stand up for herself and is...more
3 likes · like · see review
I wasn't sure if I'd like this book or not but once I sat down to read it I didn't stop until I was on page 138! It was a great romance story in my opinion, but it was a little irking at times. I wanted to slap Turner for most of the book as I suppose we were supposed to want to.
I cried and cried near the end of the book. I wasn't expecting such a heart-wrenching twist in the plot and it really hit me. It had a good ending that I am thankful for and wasn't quite the traditional: Girl and boy lik...more
I cried and cried near the end of the book. I wasn't expecting such a heart-wrenching twist in the plot and it really hit me. It had a good ending that I am thankful for and wasn't quite the traditional: Girl and boy lik...more
It is getting increasingly difficult to rate books these days. But I shall do my best.
So a fellow reviewer said she felt vaguely cheated after she finished this book. At the time, I didn't quite understand what she meant but now I think I do. The Prologue is awesome, quite the cutest thing I've ever read, making it nearly impossible to not want to read the whole book after you've read it. That being said, the rest of the book is not half as good. It's not quite boring but it comes close.
So, my...more
So a fellow reviewer said she felt vaguely cheated after she finished this book. At the time, I didn't quite understand what she meant but now I think I do. The Prologue is awesome, quite the cutest thing I've ever read, making it nearly impossible to not want to read the whole book after you've read it. That being said, the rest of the book is not half as good. It's not quite boring but it comes close.
So, my...more
First of all, I can't really say that I enjoyed reading this as I read it in my not so perfect condition as I was struck by fever few days ago. Much to my surprise I actually managed to finish it up in 3 days. It's quite an accomplishment, isn't it? Somehow it doesn't seem so sweet as I can't truly enjoy it but only for the sake of spending my time. Well, reading a book is meant to filled the extra time we have, haven't they?
While reading this, all I can feel is it lacks something. I don't quite...more
While reading this, all I can feel is it lacks something. I don't quite...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BEST HISTORICAL ROMANCE EVER | 8 | 91 | May 15, 2013 01:33pm |
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand style, competing on the the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British an...more
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“She hated that she was still so desperate for a glimpse of him, but it had been this way for years.”
—
222 people liked it
“Now I want you to listen to me," he said in a low voice, taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him. "And listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once. You are going to marry me before this week is out. Since you have conveniently run off to Scotland, we don't need a special license. You're just lucky I don't haul you off to a church right this instant. Get yourself a dress and get yourself some flowers, because, sweeetheart, you're getting yourself a new name.”
—
16 people liked it
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