It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn

Meet Our Hero ...Gareth St. Clair is in a bind. His father, who detests him, is determined to beggar the St. Clair estates and ruin his inheritance. Gareth's sole bequest is an old family diary, which may or may not contain the secrets of his past .. and the key to his future. The problem is — it's written in Italian, of which Gareth speaks not a word.Meet Our Heroine ...All the ton agreed: there was no one quite like Hyacinth Bridgerton. She's fiendishly smart, devilishly outspoken, and according to Gareth, probably best in small doses. But there's something about her — something charming and vexing — that grabs him and won't quite let go ...Meet Poor Mr. Mozart ...Or don't. But rest assured, he's spinning in his grave when Gareth and Hyacinth cross paths at the annual — and annually discordant — Smythe-Smith musicale. To Hyacinth, Gareth's every word seems a dare, and she offers to translate his diary, even though her Italian is slightly less than perfect. But as they delve into the mysterious text, they discover that the answers they seek lie not in the diary, but in each other ... and that there is nothing as simple — or as complicated — as a single, perfect kiss.

Much better! Happy Lady Danbury was such a constant. I think I just liked my heroes tortured or nerdy (Phillip and Gareth) so let's see how Gregory, Anthony, and Benedict go! Almost there with this series :)

It was alright. I really didn't like Gareth... or the plot line with the diamonds.

The stars are for Hyacinth and Lady Danbury.

When the 3rd season of Bridgerton came out on Netflix a while ago, it reminded me that I hadn't yet finished reading the series. So I put in a hold for the book I was on, saw the waiting list was long, and then forgot about it for a bit. When it showed up (on Saturday), I contemplated waiting to download it as I had just started another book. Then I thought, “I mean, it's not going to take me THAT long to read, is it?” ......and I was finished before lunch on Sunday.

If you're not familiar with Bridgeton at all, it is a series of romance novels taking place in Regency England. (Think Jane Austen but much, much spicier.) Each book follows one of the 8 Bridgerton children, and in book 7 it is Hyacinth's turn. I enjoyed seeing Hyacinth in adulthood and there is no doubt Julia Quinn knows how to write. There was a fun added twist of mysterious lost jewels and otherwise it was good, but nothing really earth-shattering.

If you are only familiar with the show, the books are very worth reading - but be aware that the show adds A LOT of extra stuff. Extra characters, extra plots, extra everything. It is a rare series where I am able to enjoy both even though they are different from each other. They are fun, quick reads and I'm going to have to get #8 so I can be done!