To Sir Philip, with Love by Julia Quinn

My dear Miss Bridgerton. We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you. Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me here at Romney Hall. It is my hope that after a suitable period of time, we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife'.

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her . . . and more.

Did he think she was mad? Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking . . . and wondering . . . and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except . . . he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered, and while Phillip was certainly handsome, he was a large brute of a man, rough and rugged, and totally unlike the London gentlemen vying for her hand. But when he smiled . . . and when he kissed her . . . the rest of the world simply fell away, and she couldn't help but wonder . . . could this imperfect man be perfect for her?

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This is the 5th book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series following on from Romancing Mr Bridgerton.
This book deals with the story of Eloise, who runs away in answer to an invitation from a man she has been corresponding with for over a year but has never met.

I did enjoy this book and I found the characters to be believable and likeable although I did find there were instances where some of the things they thought and did seemed out of character based on what we had been told and learned of them. For example, although she had run away from home I found it hard to believe that Eloise would not give a thought to her mother or how she would be suffering not knowing where Eloise was. I was also on occasion annoyed by how dense Philip was being but I suppose that's about par for the course with men in general!!

The sub plot of Eloise dealing with the children also seemed to fade out and become less important as the book went on and I was disappointed that more couldn't have been done to wrap things up together nicely at the end.

Despite all the faults, I genuinely did like this book and I think those who are familiar with the Bridgertons will enjoy it as much as I did.

P.S. Homely means something different in the UK and the US! Completely the opposite in fact!