Title: Whitney, My Love
Author: Judith McNaught
Published: 1985 originals but re released in 2016
Pages: 739
Genre: Historical Regency England
Disclaimer: This book is intended for mature audiences.
*Disclaimer: I know this is being published on a Monday but I had technical difficulties yesterday.
When I started to read romance novels in high school, I typically read the shorter Harlequin historical’s. I loved reading about the medieval knights and ladies and the dashing dukes and duchesses. They were great quick reads that I could check out at the library by the dozen or search through the stacks at my local used bookstore.
Anyway, I remember being in a local used bookshop and a friend asked if I had ever read anything by Judith McNaught. I had not and the first book she pulls out of the shelves for me was a daunting 739 pages! What the What! Up to this point, I had read 300 pages at most and was pretty proud of that! But my friend said it was worth it and I decided to take a chance and buy the book. Spoiler alert! I finish the book and it now one of my all time favorites!
The basic synopsis of the plot is that Whitney Stone is the daughter of a broke noble who is sent away to live in Paris with her Aunt and Uncle (she has a crush on the wrong guy). She was considered a “Hoyden”, side note one great thing about historical romance novels is the random terms you learn and cant really ever use in a sentence… until now! She catches the eye of the Clayton Westmoreland the Duke of Claymore. She returns to England still in love with her childhood crush but is betrothed to Clayton without her knowledge by her father! Angst, conflict, jealousy, misunderstandings and romance ensue! One of my favorite lines in the books is “Reformed Rakes often make the best husbands.” This book has all the tropes of a historical Regency novel, the tall dark and dashing duke hero and the petite green eyed spitfire heroine. She brings color into his cynical world and he celebrates her spirit and intelligent mind. Also did I mention he is like a Regency Era millionaire (That is like being a billionaire now). Plus there are descriptions of beautiful ball gowns, lavish parties in Paris and England and the English countryside.
Ok, so when I read this book I did not know that it was controversial or that there was a rewrite. People either love or hate this book… for real just google it. It is one of those books that has a “But” in the description. Like when you love everything about a salad But…. the dressing or you love everything about a shirt But…the cut on you. I understand and agree with most people who have issues with parts of the book. But… being a historian, (I can say that I have a degree in History) I am able to look at the book and see that it is accurate of the time period. So I leave it up to you to form your own opinion and take mine with a grain of salt. But in the end I think I will always look at this book with nostalgia and pride that it got through all 739 pages!
Side note: I have heard that the digital versions of the book have a lot of typos, I bought the digital version of all her historical’s when they were re-released but have not re-read them in the digital format them to check.
I hope you have enjoyed my first Sunday Fun Day post! On Sundays, I will be posting my review and thoughts on some of my favorite books that have not been released in the last year. See you next Sunday!
Looking for the book on Amazon? Click on the image below for a link to the book!
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