What Happens in London is an entertaining Regency and Julia Quinn’s best book in years.
Olivia Bevelstoke is bored. Since her eldest brother married her best friend, she’s been obliged to keep company with a group of worthy-but-dull debutantes. When she learns that her mysterious new neighbour is rumoured to have murdered his fiancée, it’s the first exciting piece of news she’s heard in months. Although she doesn’t believe a word of it, Olivia decides to keep an eye on him, just in case…
Sir Harry Valentine is an ex-military man currently employed as a translator for the War Office. When he takes up residence in London, he is looking forward to a comfortably dull existence. Soon, however, comfortably dull turns to tedious. Harry welcomes the unexpected diversion provided by his beautiful neighbour who, for some strange reason, appears to be spying on him.
To add to the absurdity of his situation, Harry is ordered to shadow a dubious Russian Prince, who might be a Napoleonic spy, and who just happens to be courting the lovely Lady Olivia. Thus ensues a delightful farce with wit, sparkling dialogue and an entertaining cast of characters.
As I was underwhelmed by the last few Julia Quinn books, I wouldn’t have bought What Happens in London had it not been for the glowing reviews it received from Katiebabs and The Book Smugglers. I’m so glad I did! I’m not usually a fan of Regency farce, but Julia Quinn excels at it and in this book she has surpassed herself. I laughed out loud on several occasions. Harry and Olivia are fun and don’t take themselves too seriously. In fact, I suspect that’s why the book works as well as it does. Julia Quinn does humour extremely well. I felt her attempts to write more serious books fell flat, so I’m glad to see she’s returned to her comedic roots.
The one element which made this book a less-than-perfect read was a rather silly melodramatic scene towards the end. This irritated me and didn’t really fit with the rest of the book. Thankfully, Harry’s hilarious proposal in the last pages ended the book on a high note.
I’m looking forward to Julia Quinn’s next book, which will feature Harry’s cousin, Sebastian Grey. I’m hoping I’m hoping he’ll be paired with one of the girls from the infamous Smythe-Smith musicale. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait until next summer to find out.
If you’re looking for a light, witty historical, What Happens in London is an excellent choice. Grade: B+
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Hi Sarah,
This is the kind of historical that is a true leap of faith for me, sometimes I enjoy myself very much and other times it just aggravates the hell out of me. But I always love reading reviews how much everyone else is enjoying these novels. You definitely enjoyed this new Quinn and hope she remains with her roots!
@Leontine I generally prefer darker historical romances and tend to steer clear of Regency farce, which is why Julia Quinn is not usually a good match for me. I actively disliked her last two books and hadn’t planned on reading this one. I’m glad I gave it a chance as it really is a fun read.
I loved this book…just so sweet. I laughed out loud too..rare for a book to make me do that:)
Love laughed and laughed some more. This may possibly be my favorite Quinn book out of all of them. Harry is so, so sweet. When he realizes that Olivia is the one woman for him, it is so very romantic.
@Mandi I just read your review & commented. Now I’m curious to read Kate Noble’s ‘Revealed’.
@katiebabs I loved the way Quinn brought in elements from previous books. She was very clever about it as it didn’t feel contrived. After finishing the book, I’m fervently hoping the sequel contains two things: a Smythe-Smith heroine and a certain male as author of a certain book…
I thought this was a cute book as well. I thought Olivia was really cute and so was Harry. Their relationship was adorable. Quinn doesn’t always work for me either, but she has a hit here.
This book has really been getting good reviews. I must get around to read it soon!
Thanks for the review, Sarah!
@Holly @nath Quite a few readers seem to think it’s Quinn’s best book in years. Mandi at http://smexybooks.blogspot.com also reviewed ‘What Happens in London’ yesterday, and Janicu has just posted her opinion http://janicu.livejournal.com I’m sure someone’s bound to disagree at some point, though.
To be honest, I didn’t have this book on my to-buy list, I just wanted to visit your blog (you left a comment on my blog some time ago). The last two books I’ve read by Quinn didn’t work all that well for me. Thanks to your review, I’ll give this one a go. Too bad I just went book shopping this morning!
I’m so glad you feel this way! I’ve been really looking forward to this book and it’s fantastic to hear that Quinn is returning to form.
@Taja If you’re referring to the Wyndham books, I didn’t care for them, either.
@Meghan Her next one also sounds interesting…
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