On the Way to the Wedding

Last updated

On the Way to the Wedding
On the Way to the Wedding First Edition Cover.jpeg
First edition cover
Author Julia Quinn
LanguageEnglish
Series Bridgerton series
Genre Fiction, Romance, Historical Fiction
Publisher Avon
Publication date
June 27, 2006
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeMass market paperback
Pages371
Followed by The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After  

On the Way to the Wedding is a 2006 historical romance written by Julia Quinn, published by Avon. [1] [2] It is the eighth and final novel of Quinn's Bridgerton series [1] [3] set in Regency England and tells the story of Gregory, the youngest male Bridgerton sibling.

Contents

It won the 2007 RITA Award for Best Long Historical Romance, and reached #5 in the New York Times Bestseller List and # 4 in the USA Today bestseller list.

Background

Quinn noted that the title was derived from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum . Some of the heroine's slightly obsessive-compulsive tendencies were taken directly from traits of Quinn and her husband. [4]

Plot

The hero of the novel is Gregory Bridgerton, the youngest male and last unmarried sibling in the Bridgerton family. After catching a glimpse of the "breathtakingly perfect curve of her neck" at a house party, [3] Gregory falls immediately in love with the beautiful and extremely sought-after Hermione Watson. After he makes his attraction known, Hermione's best friend, the pretty-but-not-quite-as-attractive Lady Lucinda "Lucy" Abernathy informs him that Hermione is already in love, but with someone unsuitable - her father's secretary. Believing that Gregory is more sincere in his attempts to gain Hermione's favor than her other suitors, Lucy agrees to help him win Hermione's heart.

During the course of the house party, Lucy and Gregory become friends and then develop romantic feelings for each other. The author details Gregory's difficulty in determining whether his love for Lucy is real, or if it is simply an infatuation such as he felt for Hermione. Lucy is likewise given an inner conflict, as she is essentially engaged to Lord Haselby, an arranged match which she has already accepted.

After realizing he is in love with her, Gregory rushes to the church to stop Lucy's wedding to Haselby. Gregory arrives moments before the two exchange vows and confesses that he wants to marry Lucy. However, Lucy chooses to marry Haselby with a reason unknown to anyone but Lucy and her uncle.

After the wedding Gregory finds a way to speak with Lucy and eventually she tells him the truth. Lucy's uncle claims Haselby's father is blackmailing the family with proof that her deceased father was a traitor to England.

Now knowing the truth Gregory has to find a way to free Lucy from her marriage with Haselby. And it turns out it is the uncle who was the traitor.

Reception

The Romance Writers of America named On the Way to the Wedding the 2007 RITA Award winner for Best Long Historical Romance. [5] Romantic Times also nominated it for an award in 2006 in the category Historical Love & Laughter. [1]

Kathe Robin of Romantic Times gave a rave review of the novel, remarking that "Quinn deftly merges the elements of a Shakespearean comedy with the climax of The Graduate, delivering an utterly delightful love story that will have readers grinning with pleasure the instant the book is opened until the marvelous ending." [1] The review in Publishers' Weekly describes the novel as "as frothy and festive as a glass of bubbly, and more than worthy of a toast", but laments that the books does not include more interactions between the Bridgerton siblings, as previous books in the series had done. [3]

On the Way to the Wedding reached number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller List for paperback fiction. [6] The novel was on the USA Today bestseller list for six weeks, peaking at number 4. [2]

Adaptation

The book series the novel is a part of has been adapted by Shondaland and Netflix into a television series titled Bridgerton which premiered in 2020. [7] Gregory is played by actor Will Tilson who has appeared in seasons 1-3. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Quinn</span> American historical romance author

Julie Pottinger, better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author of historical romance fiction. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List 19 times. She has been inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Her Bridgerton series of novels has been adapted for Netflix by Shondaland under the title Bridgerton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nora Roberts</span> American romance writer (b. 1950)

Nora Roberts is an American author of over 225 romance novels. She also writes as J. D. Robb, Jill March, and Sarah Hardesty.

Lisa Kleypas is an American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts 1985 and competed in the Miss America 1986 pageant in Atlantic City.

Lynn Kurland is an American author of historical, time travel, and fantasy romance novels. The characters in most of her books all belong to one of three extended families. She is a recipient of the RITA Award.

Karen Ranney was an American author of historical and paranormal romance novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RITA Award</span> Literary award for romance fiction

The RITA Award, presented by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) from 1990 to 2019, was the most prominent award for English-language romance fiction. It was named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. After not being awarded in 2020, it was replaced by the Vivian Award, which was awarded once in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tessa Dare</span> American writer

Tessa Dare is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling American historical romance novelist. She has authored fifteen novels and novellas and created five different series. In 2012, she won the Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Regency Historical Romance for her book A Night to Surrender.

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever is a historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn. It won the 2008 RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance and was nominated for Romantic Times 2007 Historical Romance of the Year. The novel reached number 3 on the New York Times Bestseller List and number 4 on the USA Today bestseller list.

<i>The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy</i> Novel by Julia Quinn

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy is a Regency romance written by Julia Quinn and published in 2015 by Avon Books. Quinn's 24th novel is also the final installment of her series known as the Smythe-Smith Quartet. It features Iris Smythe-Smith and the eponymous Sir Richard Kenworthy. The novel reached number 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List and was in the top 10 for the USA Today bestseller list.

<i>The Book of True Desires</i> 2006 novel by Betina Krahn

The Book of True Desires is a historical romance written by Betina Krahn. It won the RITA Award for Best Short Historical in 2007 and was nominated for a Romantic Times Award.

<i>A Night to Surrender</i> 2011 novel by Tessa Dare

A Night to Surrender is a Regency romance written by Tessa Dare and published in 2011. It won a RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance and the 2011 Romantic Times award for Historical Love and Laughter.

<i>No Good Duke Goes Unpunished</i>

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished is a historical romance written by Sarah MacLean and published by Avon in 2013. Is it the third of four books in the Rule of Scoundrels quartet. The novel won a RITA Award for Best Historical Romance and a Romantic Times award for Historical Romance of the Year.

<i>Four Nights With the Duke</i> Book by Eloisa James

Four Nights with the Duke is a historical romance novel written by Eloisa James. It was published on March 31, 2015 by Avon and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at number 6.

Lorraine Heath is an American author of contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and young adult novels under multiple pen names, including Rachel Hawthorne, J.A. London, and Jade Parker. She is known for her "beautiful, deeply emotional romances" and in 1997, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Short Historical Romance for her novel Always to Remember. As of June 2015, fifteen of her titles made the USA Today bestseller list.

Bella Andre is an American author of more than 40 contemporary romance novels. As of 2019, Andre is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Sullivans™ series and her books have sold over 8 million copies. She also writes as Lucy Kevin for the Four Weddings and a Fiasco series and the Married in Malibu series.

<i>The Duke and I</i> 2000 historical romance novel by Julia Quinn

The Duke and I is a 2000 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn, first published by Avon. It is the first novel of Quinn's series of Regency romances about the Bridgerton siblings and tells the story of Daphne, the fourth child and eldest daughter of the family.

<i>The Viscount Who Loved Me</i> 2000 historical romance novel by Julia Quinn

The Viscount Who Loved Me is a 2000 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn, first published by Avon. It is the second novel of Quinn's Bridgerton series set in Regency England and tells the story of Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, the eldest Bridgerton sibling. It is a #1 New York Times Best Seller.

Romancing Mister Bridgerton is a 2002 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn and published by Avon. It is the fourth novel of Quinn's series of Regency romances about the Bridgerton siblings and tells the story of Colin, the third eldest child of the family.

<i>Bridgerton</i> (novel series) Series of Regency romance novels by Julia Quinn

Bridgerton is a series of eight Regency romance novels written by Julia Quinn. Released from 2000 to 2006, it follows the eight siblings of the noble Bridgerton family as they navigate London high society in search of love, adventure and happiness.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Robin, Kathe, "On the Way to the Wedding", Romantic Times, retrieved February 13, 2015
  2. 1 2 "On the Way to the Wedding", USA Today, June 21, 2013, retrieved February 13, 2015
  3. 1 2 3 "On the Way to the Wedding", Publishers' Weekly, July 2006, retrieved February 11, 2015
  4. ↑ Quinn, Julia, On the Way to the Wedding, JuliaQuinn.com, retrieved February 13, 2015
  5. ↑ RITA Awards, Romance Writers of America, archived from the original on July 14, 2015, retrieved February 13, 2015
  6. ↑ "Paperback Fiction", The New York Times, July 30, 2006, retrieved February 13, 2015
  7. ↑ "The Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn | Author of Historical Romance Novels". juliaquinn.com. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ Cuby, Michael (November 2, 2020). "Shonda Rhimes' Sexy, Scandalous Period Piece 'Bridgerton' Gets First Trailer". Nylon. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.