Rants N Scribbles: [Review] The Bluestocking Duchess by Julia Justiss

Title: The Bluestocking Duchess
Series: Heirs in Waiting #1
Author: Julia Justiss
Genre: fiction, romance, historical, regency
Format: ebook
Publication Date: February 23 2021
Published By: Harlequin Romance
Source: NetGalley

Synopsis from Publisher

Her good friend...

Is suddenly a duke’s heir! Miss Jocelyn Sudderfeld is working at Edge Hall, indulging her love of translating ancient texts with her librarian father—and evading the need to marry! She’s always enjoyed a teasing friendship with estate manager Mr. Alex Cheverton. Until he unexpectedly becomes the duke’s heir. Now his first duty is to marry a suitable debutante, not consort with an earnest bluestocking like her… So where does that leave their friendship?

About Lexi Post

Julia Justiss grew up breathing the scent of sea air near the colonial town of Annapolis, Maryland, a fact responsible for two of her life-long passions: sailors and history! By age twelve she was a junior tour guide for Historic Annapolis, conducting visitors on walking tours through the city that was a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. (Annapolis hosted its own tea party, dispensing with the cargo aboard the "Peggy Stewart," and was briefly capital of the United States.) She also took tourists through Annapolis's other big attraction, the United States Naval Academy. After so many years of observing future naval officers at P-rade and chapel, it seemed almost inevitable that she eventually married one.

But long before embarking on romantic adventures of her own, she read about them, transporting herself to such favorite venues as ancient Egypt, World War II submarine patrols, the Old South and, of course, Regency England. Soon she was keeping notebooks for jotting down story ideas. From plotting adventures for her first favorite heroine Nancy Drew she went on to write poetry in high school and college, then worked as a business journalist doing speeches, sales promotion material and newsletter articles. After her marriage to a naval lieutenant took her overseas, she wrote the newsletter for the American Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Before leaving Tunis, she fulfilled her first goal: completing a Regency novel.

Children intervened, and not until her husband left the Navy to return to his Texas homeland did she sit down to pen a second novel. The reply to her fan mail letter to a Regency author led her to Romance Writers of America. From the very first meeting, she knew she'd found a home among fellow writers--doubtless the largest group of people outside a mental institution who talk back to the voices in their heads.

Her second goal was achieved the day before her birthday in May, 1998 when Margaret Marbury of Harlequin Historicals offered to buy that second book, the Golden-Heart-Award winning novel that became THE WEDDING GAMBLE. Since then, she has gone on to write fourteen novels, three novellas and an on-line serial, along the way winning or finalling for historical awards from The Golden Quill, the National Reader’s Choice, Romantic Times, and All About Romance’s Favorite Book of the Year.

Julia now inhabits an English Georgian-style house she and her husband built in the East Texas countryside where, if she closes her eyes and ignores the summer thermometer, she can almost imagine she inhabits the landscape of "Pride and Prejudice." In between travelling to visit her three children (a naval officer son stationed in Washington, DC, a textiles and design major daughter who cheers for University of Texas at Austin, and a mechanical engineering major son also at UT Austin) keeping up with her science teacher husband and juggling a part-time day job as a high school French teacher, she pursues her first and dearest love--crafting stories.

To relax, she enjoys watching movies, reading (historical fiction, mystery, suspense) and puttering about in the garden trying to kill off more weeds than flowers.

My Thoughts:
I have to admit in advance that I am not the hugest fan for romance novels, unless they are really well done. Thanks to the popularity of Bridgerton on Netflix, and the books by Julia Quinn (which I have already devoured The Duke and I) I have started to delve into some more historical (especially regency) romance novels. But, if you are looking for another Bridgerton type novel, this is not really for you.

While Bridgerton focuses more on the social season, the ton, extravagant social gatherings and gorgeous dresses, this novel focuses on Miss Jocelyn Sudderfeld and her relationship with her father, brother, and her dear friend who is the estate manager for Edge Hall, where she lives and works. Although there are a couple references to the ton and social events, etc. it is not the basis of this novel. So if that is what you are looking for, then this is not the book for you, and it really wasn't quite the book for me either, even though I did enjoy it somewhat.

The language often felt awkward, but I understand that is because the author is trying to seat us firmly in the place and time of the novel. But I found this took me out of the novel multiple times to look up words like bluestocking (an intellectual, well-read woman), hoyden (a rude, ill-bred, boisterous and noisy girl), and several others as well as forcing me to re-read several passages multiple times for understanding. At least I know some new words now! Not sure where I would use them however.

The story is very predictable, as I personally find most romance novels tend to be. I know a lot of people love that part of romance novels, but that is one of the main things that stops me from reading them a majority of the time. If I already know how it's going to go then where is the entertainment? In this case it's even more predictable because the very short summary, and the title, both give away the main exciting part, that Alex ends up becoming the Duke's heir!

The one thing I really liked was the character of Jocelyn. She has a secret she has been hiding for a very long time, and the discovery of this secret would ruin her whole family's life. She is a true intellectual. Even though everyone knows she helps her brother and father with translations by transcribing what they dictate, what they don't know is that she often comes up with translations and interpretations herself. If the secret was ever to be discovered that a woman helped on these projects they would be fired, evicted, and previous work would be rejected and ridiculed. This is the main reason why Jocelyn feels she cannot form an attachment with any man, as he would never understand her need to be part of this work, and even continue on her own later down the road once her father retired and her brother married.

I welcomed the addition of Lord Dansbury about halfway through the book as it was a nice break from the boring back and forth of Jocelyn having feelings for Alex, but knowing they couldn't be together because of her work and his rank, and Alex feeling a pull to Jocelyn, but being stopped by his rank. He knew he would be expected to marry a high ranking female with a large dowry, which of course Jocelyn did not have. Things had been so slow and boring during the second quarter of the book! Lord Dansbury was quite dashing for a somewhat older gentleman, and he seemed willing to wait for Jocelyn to finish her project to marry her, and they had so many things in common. I actually almost found myself rooting for him, even though I knew how things had to end (typical romance novel).

Overall the story was pretty good. The second half more than made up for the first half. I really liked the way most of the story was wrapped up, but the very ending was a little too conveniently happily ever after, especially for the character involved. It didn't fit the way their character had been described throughout the novel, so it left a bad taste in my mouth, like the character was changed just for that happily ever after. Even a typical romance reader would find this disconcerting I think. Let me know what you thought if you read it.

I would have rated it a 3.5/5 if my blog or Goodreads allowed for it, but I didn't like it enough to bump it up to a 4.

The Pros: