Eloise strikes up a correspondence with Sir Phillip after the death of his wife, her cousin Marina. Marina had depression and died by suicide, leaving her eight-year-old twins - but Sir Phillip doesn't mention either fact when he invites Eloise to come visit to see if they will "suit." Eloise, who has turned down a number of marriage proposals from London gentlemen, leaves under cover of her sister Daphne's ball and arrives in Gloucester without enough warning for Sir Phillip to arrange for a chaperone, as he had offered; they don't get off to a brilliant start, and Eloise is shocked he never mentioned his children in any of his letters. However, as one of eight siblings herself, she knows how to deal with children much better than Sir Phillip, who avoids them because he's afraid of repeating his abusive father's mistakes.

As Eloise and Sir Phillip have a "one step forward, two steps back" type of courtship, Eloise's four brothers discover her whereabouts and descend. Sir Phillip survives the encounter, but now he and Eloise have no choice but to marry. Eloise isn't necessarily opposed, but she wished for a love match and isn't sure this is it. Does Phillip want a wife, or a mother for his children? Of course, despite hiccups, the two do "suit," and after pranking her with a bucket of flour, Amanda and Oliver welcome Eloise.

Quotes

She was the sort of woman whose expressions made her beautiful. (ch. 3)

She hated that her family was trying to run her life, no matter how well intentioned they were, and it had left her feeling sullen and uncooperative. (ch. 11)

She had spent her adult life making her own choices....Maybe that was why it now felt so unbearable to be forced onto a path before she was ready. (ch. 11)

"My children never disappoint me," [Violet] said softly. "They merely...astonish me. I believe I like it that way." (ch. 14)

All her life, she'd known what to do. She hadn't always turned out to be right, but at least she'd felt sure of herself when she had made her decisions....,for her, at least, it was a great deal better to act and be wrong than it was to feel helpless and impotent. (ch. 16)

It had never occurred to me to wish for something I already had. (Amanda, 2nd epilogue) ( )

Only Eloise would do something so different! This has to be near the top for me! I loved that she fell for him and the kids. ( )

I kind of thought this one was an old-timey version of Internet dating romcoms like You've Got Mail. Can you take a chance on someone you only know through letters? Will it work out when you meet in person? There was also a blended family element, but that was full of cliches that reminded me of the Sound of Music. So, not my favorite, but not bad either. ( )

A bit of Beauty and the Beast, a dash of Sound of Music (kinda. this is its own story, but there are overlapping tropes). As a direct person with propensity to talk too much, Eloise is my favorite Bridgerton. Sir Phillip... could definitely use more growth, like this novel makes him realize how he's repeating bad parenting patterns but he'd still rather play wannabe Mendel in his greenhouse.

Also, until I saw the family tree at the end did I realize that the Marina referenced in this one is the same character we see in season 1 of the Netflix show... which makes sense for whenever they get around to Eloise (assuming a season per character, 5? Unless we squish this and [b:Romancing Mr Bridgerton|1859053|Romancing Mr Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4)|Julia Quinn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348559120l/1859053._SY75_.jpg|659482] into a season since their timelines are right next to each other and not a year apart like the others). I'm not thrilled with how this novel treats clinical depression (Sir Phillip claims he tried to make her happy, but we never really get particulars). All the Cranes need therapy, and Eloise is NOT here to be your therapist... ( )

Again I have been listening to these books and this book was such a fun read featuring my favorite character. I also loved how things romance was different than all the others in the series. I also liked how this book also had a element of a widow romance and loved the kids as main characters. I also really liked seeing the whole Bridgerton family again. I also really liked how the "starting" chapter elements was different from previous books, but I still enjoyed it. ( )