3.5 stars 
 I know, as Julia Quinn books go, a 3.5 is a pretty low score. I just didn't believe in their romance. It wasn't very moving and I didn't much like the heroine nor the hero. 
 Our hero Gregoery sees the back of a woman's neck and he thinks he has fallen in love, madly and deeply. He thinks: I am wrecked . 
 Unfortunately for him the object of his new but deep affections, Hermoine, who is not our heroine - had the exact same devastating reaction to someone else. So Hermoine fancies herself in love too, but with this other man who is not present. As the story progress however, we see Hermoine describes having "flutters" with Gregory and another man. A spoiler here but she also (view spoiler)[ends up getting into a compromising situation with a man who is not the one she had believe herself to be in love with. They had to get marry. (hide spoiler)] 
 Gregory never comes to any realization about Lucy while Hermoine was still available to be courted. Julia wants us to believe that Lucy and Gregory are suppose to have superior conversations to him and Hermoine but I didn't feel it. The conversations had no chemistry, they were so ho hum, and when he laughed at something she said it felt forced. 
 Supposedly their budding love is a comfortable thing, and they can chat about anything. But I can't help but think yes that would be something Lucy craved in her life, but surely for Gregory who has a big loving family and especially a very close sister this was not something new to him that he cannot have or have never had before. 
 After Hermoine is engaged, he gets drunk, and finally Lucy and Gregory kiss. You would think this is his Moment of Truth. But no. Not even when our dear heroine confess she is to be married in a week does our dear boy Gregory have his epiphany. 
 Of all the different or better ways he could have realized the truth, Julia Quinn had him had same reaction again from seeing the back of Lucy's neck . And again only in a ballroom (he saw her walking away only a week before when she left Kate's party). Why?? To use the same silly ploy, that has been shown to be falluable by Gregory and Hermoine, made it feel like this was Gregory's desperate second attempt to find himself in love. And this only when his original objection if affections was no longer available. 
 What if he never happen to see Lucy at the park to invite her to this event where he sees her back of neck? 
 Then, once they both confess their love, the author throws in another plot twist to keep the couple apart. Lucy's blackmailed into staying w her initial engagement. 
 I know JQ was trying to show Gregory fighting for his love this time. To maybe show a character maturing and the depth of his love. Instead I lose respect and patience with Lucy at this point. Why wouldn't she tell Gregory why she wasn't able to marry him? He has to force it out of her after she actually says her vows to another and is by all accounts a married woman minus the consummation. And by that point I just want to be done with both of them. She also sleeps with Gregory the night before her wedding, knowing tomorrow she would be married the next day. She never asked to see her uncle's blackmail material. Naive. She keeps following orders even before the blackmail. I go from lukewarm about her to disliking her by the end of the book. 
 The epilogue and second epilogue were both a little disappointing to me too. First one especially so when you get mostly letters - from Hyacinth his sister, and not witnessing first hand sweet moments between the couple. I think I recall it was mostly about how many kids they managed to pop out. Not romantic. 
 At a Glance 
 Hea (view spoiler)[Yes (hide spoiler)] 
 Safety concerns (spoilers ahead) 
 (view spoiler)[He fancies himself in love with someone else intially. But nothing physical happens between the two. The heroine Lucy does become officially betrothed towards the end of the story, and she has sex with Gregory just the night before her wedding to another man (the man is reportedly gay, they have no physical interactions). She gets married to this OM but the marriage is never consumated. (hide spoiler)]