It’s In His Kiss is the seventh book in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series. I’m generally not one for romance novels, but I started on these after viewing the television series and got hooked. It’s really light, fluffy, unrealistic chick-lit, but that can be enjoyable from time to time. A steady diet of books like this would make me crazy.

Hyacinth Bridgerton is at the center of this book. She’s been out in society for three seasons and has so far only attracted the attention of old men and gold-diggers. Her mother would like to see her married, but Hyacinth isn’t rushing into anything. She has a reputation for being very smart, with a cutting wit. Perhaps that’s why she enjoys Tuesday afternoons when she reads to Lady Danbury, whom she very much admires.

One day, Lady Danbury’s grandson, Gareth St. Clair, visits while Hyacinth is there. He has inherited the diary of his deceased grandmother. The only problem is, it’s in Italian and he doesn’t understand it. Hyacinth learned some Italian from her governess when she was young, and volunteers to try to translate it for him. This sends the two of them on a course that we know will lead to romance. It’s quite fun, though, and I enjoyed seeing the Bridgerton family and Lady Danbury finally tied together by a marriage.

There’s a lot of fun in It’s In His Kiss and a couple of good mysteries besides. Gareth is the second son, and his father detests him. We don’t know why at first, just that the two are not on speaking terms. Since Gareth’s older brother, and the apparent heir to the St. Clair title and fortune, died recently, both will now go to Gareth. However, his father seems to be determined to run it all into the ground. The only one who seems to be on Gareth’s side is his grandmother. Lady Danbury dotes on him, and he adores her, which is why Hyacinth makes the perfect match for him.

Translating the diary, Hyacinth learns there might be a fortune in jewels hidden in the St. Clair home. While dodging his father, as well as the rest of society or Hyacinth would be ruined, the two clandestinely make several trips to the house. It’s during one of these escapades that Hyacinth learns a truth that Gareth has been keeping from her.

The story is a light one for the most part. The issues Gareth has with his father are the only deep part of the story. At a time when society was ruled by who one’s parents were, Gareth benefits from the St. Clair name, but there’s a reason the two men are at odds. Some of Gareth’s decisions might be questionable, even knowing this. When he decides to marry Hyacinth, he seduces her to make sure there’s no way she can back out. That’s not really fair to her, and it doesn’t bode well for a relationship that he doesn’t have faith that even knowing his deep, dark secret, she would still want him. In that way, he seems to have learned some of the manipulation his father uses to control people in his life.

The rest of the story is a light romance with a mystery and some treasure hunting. There’s little doubt from the beginning that Gareth and Hyacinth will end up together, but it’s fun getting to that point. Both of them dodge society’s restrictions to go their own way. Add in Lady Danbury’s caustic wit and Hyacinth’s sharp retorts, and the dialogue alone is a lot of fun.

The audiobook is narrated by Rosalyn Landor. She does a good job, and for a while, I was convinced there had to be a second narrator, the way she handles Gareth and other male voices in the story. I enjoyed her performance quite a bit as she got the perfect tones for what was happening in the story and she made Lady Danbury come alive especially well.

If you’re looking for some light, fun reading, I recommend this series. It’s much different from the Bridgerton show, so don’t be expecting what you see there. It’s fun escapism that doesn’t look at the dark side of this era.

Previous book in the series:

Final book in the series: