The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever (Bevelstoke, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Aug 20, 2009 Mir rated it it was ok

This book really fell off for me in the last third. I like Quinn's writing (despite the scattering of anachronistic expressions which sometimes threw me out of the era), I mostly liked Miranda, and I was prepared to like Turner if he got over his conviction that his previous lousy marriage entitled him to be a jerk. But I was really waiting not for him to fall in love with Miranda but to develop some respect for her and treat her as an adult, a friend, an equal. And I felt that Quinn wrote their ...more

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Jul 12, 2007 Chelsea rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2008, own, cheesyromance, 2007, historicalfiction, reread

July 2020 update: just reread this one, and YIKES. Male lead can’t control his temper, threatens his sister and the female lead and sort of threatens his mother while threatening his sister. He’s generally a controlling jackass who can’t keep it in his pants. And he constantly infantalizes his wife - ordering her around, yelling at her, constantly bringing up how he’s nine years older than her, regularly describing her as adorable (vs beautiful), being weirdly angry that she’s not blissfully hap ...more

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Jul 21, 2013 Adrienne rated it liked it

Shelves: type-ebook, 2016-new

2.5. I didn't dislike this, but it just wasn't very convincing, even though I cried (?). It fell into that trap romance novels tend to do when they try to avoid being the typical PWP. Plot and convincing slow burn are difficult to achieve, and the problem with committing to that development is that it becomes painfully obvious--even to an avid PWP fan like myself!--when the plot is lazily put together and full of holes and the development of emotions is lacking. I think I'm also a hard person to ...more

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Jun 26, 2007 Sara ♥ rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, 2011, romance, historical, regency-georgian, england

July 2-3, 2011

You know, I think I liked this book better the second time. Perhaps because I knew the general premise already, so I knew what I was getting myself into. Unrequited love isn't my favorite type of love story, after all. And I'm not sure the review below does the book justice.

Miranda Cheever has been in love with Nigel Bevelstoke (called "Turner") for 10 years, since she was 10 and he was 19. At first, of course, it was a childhood infatuation, but she's found that as she's gotten o July 2-3, 2011

You know, I think I liked this book better the second time. Perhaps because I knew the general premise already, so I knew what I was getting myself into. Unrequited love isn't my favorite type of love story, after all. And I'm not sure the review below does the book justice.

Miranda Cheever has been in love with Nigel Bevelstoke (called "Turner") for 10 years, since she was 10 and he was 19. At first, of course, it was a childhood infatuation, but she's found that as she's gotten older, her love for him has matured as well. The problem is that a while ago (it never really says how long), Turner married a woman who took stomped all over his heart and left him broken in a lot of bitter little pieces. He thought he loved her (although I think it was infatuation, personally), and so he's REALLY REALLY REALLY not interested in getting involved with anyone right now. Or maybe ever. Oh, and she's dead, by the way. Chapter 1 opens at her funeral. She was an über-witch-with-a-b.

But then Miranda, his little sister's best friend (who was always a little girl in his eyes), seems to be around all the time, and is quite easy to talk to and is a woman now. And suddenly he realizes that he's REALLY attracted to her. Which would be lovely if she was someone he could dally with, but she's a virginal debutante!

Anyway, the story takes some turns that I sure didn't think it was going to take (being a woman of really bad memory, I totally didn't remember). Turner kinda irked me... I mean, he had good intentions, but he didn't follow through the way he should have... And I thought she forgave him too easily. Although, no she didn't. But I dunno. I felt like her "love" for him was a bit childish still. *shrugs* But it was cute, and I'm glad things worked out for them!

June 26, 2007

I'm lazy right now. This is from Amazon:

"Miranda Cheever fell in love with the aristocratic Nigel Bevelstoke, Viscount Turner, when she was 10 and he 19. Now 20, and still in love, Miranda's designs are thwarted by the indiscretions of Nigel's late wife. Nigel isn't willing to risk another shot at love, even if it means hurting his close friend Miranda. Quinn's pitch-perfect humor remains intact, but her latest relies too much on romance conventions, including Miranda's scholarly but benignly neglectful father; an even more overused device involves Turner's hot-and-cold feelings toward Miranda, which reduce the heroine to tears more than once. However, the two make a lovable couple, and Miranda in particular shines, as do Turner's two siblings in strong secondary roles. Though a bit stale, this well-written, often funny and occasionally tender romance has much to enjoy."

It wasn't Julia's BEST, but The Viscount Who Loved Me is just SO DANG GOOD, it's hard to compare anything else to it... ...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Sara ♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, romance, audiobook, 2013

I dunno. I liked this book, but it's definitely my least favorite JQ book.

Turner (I like the name Nigel better, although it does NOT fit him...) is just such an ASS the whole time... except for like the last 3 chapters. I was like, "Ummm... okay, I get that you were in love with him when you were a little girl, but now? Seriously? WHY????? He was such a cynical jerk-faced ass-hat! :( (view spoiler) I dunno. I liked this book, but it's definitely my least favorite JQ book.

Turner (I like the name Nigel better, although it does NOT fit him...) is just such an ASS the whole time... except for like the last 3 chapters. I was like, "Ummm... okay, I get that you were in love with him when you were a little girl, but now? Seriously? WHY????? He was such a cynical jerk-faced ass-hat! :( (view spoiler)

Miranda comes off as so intelligent in What Happens in London (although she's not actually IN the book, so.... maybe that's just from Olivia's perspective as she was MORE studious than she, herself, was?), but her infatuation with Turner was just.... NOT terribly intelligent. Of course, you could argue that we don't pick who we fall in love with and the heart wants what the heart wants (although, personally, I think that's exactly the kind of BS that prompts people to cheat on their significant others, but....)

And OLIVIA! She's so LIKABLE in What Happens in London! But she mostly comes off as annoying in this book. Maybe that was the narrator? Or maybe she's matured in the couple years between books? I dunno. There was a disconnect between them, like maybe Ms. Quinn forgot to go back and reread Book 1 before writing Book 2? There was one error I found. In Book 2, Olivia specifically says that she doesn't remember Fiona's name, but she does in THIS book. Specifically, with circumstances. Does she forget between now and 2 years from now? Because it doesn't seem likely.

ANYWAY, NOT my favorite. The other two in the series are MUCH better, IMHO. The narrator was good though! ...more

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Jul 25, 2009 Maria Elmvang rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, chick-lit, not-owned, 3-stars, historical-fiction

Perfect for some light reading, and as such, I really enjoyed it. Of course I could see the ending coming a mile away, but unpredictability is not a requirement for literary candy. A great book for when you just want to be entertained and expect nothing else of it. I grew to like the main characters more than I'd expected to, and was gratified to see that the "hero" wasn't quite as stupid as I'd originally feared him to be. ...more

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Jun 14, 2022 Carolynn Garcia rated it it was ok

Turner is an ass. For 75% of the book I hate him. I loathe him. I revile him. I would certainly not forgive his behavior as quickly (or at all) as Miranda does. He is wholly undeserving of her and her adoration.

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Aug 19, 2010 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-romance

A stay-up-all-night-reading book! I didn't expect to really like this all that much, and it's always wonderful to be pleasantly surprised. ...more

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Oct 03, 2007 Casey rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, historical, sorta-chicklit

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The hero and heroine were fun. The secondary characters were well played. I loved that the heroine was smart. Also, I love a happy ending that starts when the H/H are children.

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