As one of eight Bridgerton offsprings and the oldest girl who is of marriageable age, Daphne finds herself paraded around London's society parties with the hopes (of her mother) that she'd find a suitor. To Daphne, most men sees her as a friendly companion instead of something in the romantic sense. The few who are interested in her hand for marriage... well she feels nothing for them. That is, until a certain duke returns to London. 
 The Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset, had overcome quite a lot since he was young. He's well versed, well traveled, educated, and smart. So you wouldn't have known that he struggled with speech as a child. He's not perfect by any means, but he proved his father wrong who had shunned and disowned him long ago. 
 With his return to London, Simon finds himself immersed in parties and fending off mothers and their parades of young daughters. Until he meets Daphne and they both scheme to be a pretend couple so that he can avoid the advances of other females, while Daphne may be able to have more suitors come to call if she look more desirable. 
 This is my first book by Julia Quinn and I quite enjoyed it. I love the large and imposing Bridgerton family. Their meddling ways was entertaining to read. Simon and Daphne were quite fun themselves, I love the witty banter between them. They're not the perfect couple and their flaws make the story have more depth. 
 I'll be continuing on with the rest of the series. Who is Lady Whistledown?