Throwback Thursday: Splendid by Julia Quinn

Author: Julia Quinn
First published in 1995 by Avon

There are two things everyone knows about Alexander Ridgely. One, he's the Duke of Ashbourne. And two, he has no plans to marry anytime soon...

That is until a redheaded American throws herself in front of a carriage to save his young nephew's life. She's everything Alex never thought a woman could be—smart and funny, principled and brave. But she's a servant, completely unsuitable for a highborn duke—unless, perhaps, she's not quite what she seems...

American heiress Emma Dunster might be surrounded by Englishmen, but that doesn't mean she intends to marry one—even if she has agreed to participate in one London Season. When she slipped out of her cousins' home, dressed as a kitchen maid, all she wanted was one last taste of anonymity before her debut. She never dreamed she'd find herself in the arms of a dangerously handsome duke... or that he'd be quite so upset when he discovered her true identity. But true love tends to blossom just when one least expects it, and passion can melt even the most stubborn of hearts.

I have pretty mixed feelings about this Splendid.  While I didn't love book, I did enjoy it.  The characters were fun and there was plenty of humor.  Emma is a great character and her antics wqere amusing.  I loved the way Emma and Alex became friends before they became lovers.  I loved their banter and their HEA was fun.  The secondary characters were also endearing, especially Belle and Dunford.  

What I didn't like was the length.  I listened to the audio and It took forever to get through it.  It was really too long. It could have used some serious editing.  There were several scenes that really didn't do much to advance the story and could have been left out.  I also thought, at times, Emma sounded too much like a modern american given the year this takes place.  But that probably a bit nit picky.  IN all, it was a fun story and worth checking out.