THE MOST ELIGIBLE BRIDE IN LONDON by Ella Quinn

Alas, it's not the most eligible St. Vincent contender

The Most Eligible Bride in London was my first Ella Quinn book, and while I enjoyed some parts of the book, others (mainly their relationship) fell a little flat to me. When the book opened, I was sooooo excited because Nate was giving me HUGE Sebastian St. Vincent (from Lisa Kleypas' Devil in Winter) vibes 😫😫😫 coupled with all the child saving and whatnot I thought this would be a reallyyy interesting book. However, parts of the plot were a bit dry to me and overall, I didn't really sense any chemistry between the main couple.

Plot wise, it was pretty predictable, and you could kinda see the 3/4 conflict coming. However, I don't feel like it was really properly resolved? Also there was a lot more politics in this book than I expected, which I did find interesting for an HR, but didn't seem like much value-add besides I guess showing that both Nate and Henrietta were into politics?

But overall, I feel like the relationship was just really lacking the spark. When they had their first conversation, I thought the stiltedness was more of a 'breathless, can't take my eyes off you, who are you angel' vibe. However, as the novel went on and they got to know each other more, the dialogue still remained really stiff. There also seemed to be no buildup at all. At one point, Henrietta was like "i'm keeping an open mind" and then a few pages later she's all like 'i'm in love.' While I get you might not realize you're in love until something triggers it, the whole relationship development seemed so sudden and forced.

I wish there was more chemistry between the main couple and that the dialogue flowed better. But overall, it's a decent HR that explores some interesting areas. You can tell Ella Quinn did her research, and it makes for an interesting (at times) book.

Ratings:

⭐⭐⭐⭐ overall

🔥🔥🔥 (that dry humping scene though)

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🛑🛑WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!🛑🛑

REALLY HOW DOES ONE DRY HUMP SOMEONE TO COMPLETION Yes, logically, I understand that's a thing and it's quite possible, but for some reason the book makes it sound like Henrietta and Nate are just making out and then she rubs herself on his leg a few time and then just comes?? GIRL HOWWWW!! This isn't a major point of contention for me, but I think it really highlights the strangely written chemistry in the book.

When Henrietta and Nate are in the same room together, all they talk about is how attractive the other is and how much he wants to bang her (from Nate's POV). While I understand physical attraction is a huge part of a couple's chemistry, it felt like it started with physical attraction and just ended there. I get that they have similar (philanthropic and political) interests and their viewpoints on marriage and other important topics align, but I feel like besides the very basic building blocks for love and a healthy relationship, they lacked the something extra that makes me think "wow now that's a couple who love each other"

Also, for some reason I was so quick to forgive St Vincent (who in Lisa Kleypas' books also does a light kidnap) but Nate's actions don't sit as well with me even though it seems like St. Vincent's was way more extreme? I guess having read neither of the books where the MMC does the actual kidnapping, I didn't have any preconceived notions of them going in. But for some reason, the portrayal of Henrietta's older sister and the girl Nate kidnaps as stubborn or unforgiving really rubs me the wrong way. I think anyone would be kinda peeved that their younger sister runs off with the man that kidnapped you... And Dottie is totally in the right to be sus of this man?? I understand that people can change, and that Nate definitely went through a major transformation, but the way it was handled/portrayed made me a bit peeved.