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When He Was Wicked (Bridgertons, #6)

Julia Quinn

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Can I read The Viscount if I've watched Bridgerton but not read The Duke & I?
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Mar 01, 2011 (Nat) Reading Romances rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, hot, must-read, i-love

I don’t have much to say about this story. It’s so touching, so beautiful, SEXY and wicked! One of my favorite books EVER. A romance about really finding love for the first time.When He Was Wicked- The PERFECT title fot this book. Michael was so wicked…*dreams*

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Jul 04, 2011 Melissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-reads, 2012-reads

Another great Bridgerton book! This book was one that I had looked forward to reading. Francesca was one of the Bridgerton siblings that was pretty absent in the previous five books. She was married early and widowed after only two years of marriage. Since that time she spent much of her time in Scotland, so she didn't have an active part in any of the other Bridgerton romances. This book begins during her first marriage to John, but much of the later action of the book takes place simultaneousl Another great Bridgerton book! This book was one that I had looked forward to reading. Francesca was one of the Bridgerton siblings that was pretty absent in the previous five books. She was married early and widowed after only two years of marriage. Since that time she spent much of her time in Scotland, so she didn't have an active part in any of the other Bridgerton romances. This book begins during her first marriage to John, but much of the later action of the book takes place simultaneously with some of the action of the previous two books as Colin and Eloise both get married. That was kind of fun to read. The story of this book was intriguing. Michael fell in love with Francesca as soon as he laid eyes on her, but unfortunately that was a little more than a day before she married his cousin and best friend, John. That creates quite a dilemma for Michael. He spends much of his time with John and Frannie, so he is forced to see their love before him always. Michael is unable to say how he feels about Frannie, and he would never do so anyway because he loves his cousin too much. Michael is just the merry friend to both of them. He earns a reputation for being a womanizer, but this is simply because he is doing everything in his power to forget about Frannie. Then the unthinkable happens, and John dies suddenly. You would think that this would be a great blessing for Michael, but he does not deal with the death well. First of all, he loves John, and his death was difficult to handle because it was so sudden. Secondly, he feels tremendous guilt for the love he has for John's wife, and in the back of his mind he worries that his pining for Frannie led to John's death, like he had wished it to happen. Frannie is desperate for Michael to comfort her because he is the only other person who could understand her grief, but Michael instead runs away from her to India. He just can't deal with the guilt of his feelings for her. Four years pass and then they are reunited.

I won't get into more of the plot. I'll just express my feelings about what I read. I was rooting for Michael all along the way. It seemed obvious that he would be an excellent candidate for marriage once Frannie decided that she was ready to remarry. He was the only one who truly knew and loved Frannie, but he kept fighting against himself, feeling as if he was dishonoring the memory of John. It was frustrating to read about the two of them as they struggled with their feelings. They both obviously loved one another, but neither one believed that the other felt the same way. So many times I wanted for Michael especially to just open up and tell Frannie how he felt. Well, that finally happened, and I have to admit that I did not like how that played out. Michael had been holding those feelings inside for so many years. It seemed as if when he finally opened up and shared his feelings it would be somewhat romantic. Not so much. I thought that Frannie would take a little more time to absorb everything, but she didn't really spend much time thinking about the fact that her bff had been secretly in love with her since the days of her marriage. I was just disappointed that it wasn't better written and explored. Then, more than in any of the other Bridgerton books I felt like there was such an emphasis on sexuality, not as an expression of the love within marriage, but as a more primal passion used as a means to an end. It irked me to no ends that Michael used sex as a method to somewhat trap Frannie into marriage. That isn't exactly what he thought he was doing. I think that he thought that if Frannie could see that there was passion between them then she wouldn't feel bad about marrying her husband's cousin and friend. But it just read like he was just trying to use her passion to trap her one way or another. This was troubling to read because I felt like it was so unnecessary. They had a perfect relationship. They got along wonderfully and trusted one another in all things. They were already perfect friends. And it was also obvious that both of them were attracted to one another, even if they were afraid to face that. The sex in this book was troubling and unnecessary. When Frannie worried that she was becoming wanton, I'm afraid that I had to agree with her. It took away from the possibility of a great love story.

With all of these complaints, though, it was still a great book. I wouldn't list it as one of my favorite Bridgerton books. There were too many things that played out in the wrong way for me. But still, I enjoyed the two main characters of this book, and it was a quick and fun read. I would say that it rated more of a four and a half star book. But, after all my disappointment, I was happy to see that Michael and Francesca could find their happy ending. I was super happy to see Colin, one of my favorite Bridgertons, take an important role in this book. He saved the day for this relationship.

2018 Audio Update - Another wonderful Bridgerton book. This audio version was a bit jarring to hear. The previous five books in the series have been narrated by Rosalyn Landor, and I had grown accustomed to hearing her way of creating these characters and the atmosphere of the books. This book was narrated by Simon Prebble who did a nice enough job, I think. It was just weird hearing the book through a male narrator. Once I wrapped my head around having a man as a narrator, I still struggled with his style. He didn't create the moods of the story in the same way I did in my head when I read the story in print originally. As for the story, Francesca is probably my least favorite Bridgerton heroine, and I have always struggled with her weird aversion to marrying her bff, Michael. I think that this story could have been epic, but the way it all unfolded was not quite as satisfying as a story like this should be. I did love the constancy of Michael's feelings, not only for Francesca, but also for her first husband and his cousin, John. It's a good story. It just doesn't rise to the top of this wonderful series. Four stars. I really liked it. ...more

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Jul 09, 2011 Grace Elliot rated it really liked it

A lovely book that in the hands of a less skilled author may not have worked.
The plot is somewhat unusual - we find the heroine, Francesca, happily married to John - who is not the hero but his best friend.
So how will Francesca lose a husband she loves, get over his death and fall in love with his best friend...and all in the best possible taste?
Well somehow Ms Quinn manages this in a believable and engrossing manner.
I thoroughly enjoyed 'When He Was Wicked' and based on this book, would con ...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Kat ~ Forever Book Lover ♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical

My Review

_When He Was Wicked_ is a quieter, more introspective Bridgerton book—and one of the most emotionally rich. Michael Stirling, known in London’s social circles as a charming rake, has loved Francesca Bridgerton from the moment he met her—two days before she married his cousin. After years of silent longing and unbearable guilt, fate brings them together again, but the emotional weight they both carry makes this romance one of the series’ most poignant.

Julia Quinn masterfully weaves theme ...more

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May 16, 2011 Nana rated it it was ok

Bukan bacaan yang menarik, menurut gue.
Memaksa seseorang untuk menikah lewat sex kayaknya nggak banget deh.
Dan sayangnya ini yang terjadi di cerita ini.

Ga mau cerita panjang lebar karena takut jadi spoiler, tapi beneran deh menurut gue novel ini nggak ada romantis-romantisnya.
Agak-agak nyesel udah baca.
Heu...

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Jul 21, 2011 Judi Lacanlale rated it it was amazing

My favorite all-time JQ book and that is saying a lot since I'm a BIG JQ fan!!! ...more

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Mar 29, 2011 AG rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

Rating: 5/5 stars

Without a doubt, this book has the most romantic ending I have ever read in romance novels. I just cried it was so beautiful and touching. I have read many good romance novels, some excellent ones, and on rare occasion, some true keepers. This book is one of them. It was absolute perfection.

A must-read for all.

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Jan 16, 2020 Antica rated it really liked it

Like all Bridgeton novels. This was spectacular .. though Micheal and Francesca were at times .... difficult where I was screaming in my car as I was listening to it but at other times I adored them

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