When Sir Harry Valentine moves in next door to Lady Olivia Bevelstoke and her family in London, rumors start to fly. Olivia hears that he killed his fiancee and she starts watching him through her bedroom window, convinced he can’t see her but perplexed when he wears strange hats and throws papers into the fire. She decides that he is a very peculiar man. Harry, trained by the War Office, knows Olivia is spying on him, but it’s not until they meet that he hears the rumor that a Russian prince is after her, a Russian prince who may be a danger to the state, and that he must stay near her. Forced to stay close together, Harry and Olivia learn that rumors aren’t the only thing that happens in London; love does too.

This lacks the intensity of a truly great romance novel but is a funny, heartwarming read anyway. Olivia and Harry make so cute a couple that in real life, half of us would be a little sick watching them. Julia Quinn is great at building a friendship bond between the characters, making a relationship that is way beyond passion, and that’s certainly true here, since there is only one love scene and if I recall correctly, it isn’t even very long. Possibly it’s that lack of intense chemistry which is missing, but we’re still left with the feeling that this couple will be very happy together. There are some adorably romantic scenes, like the many window conversations the couple has, particularly when they read to each other across the short distance. Quinn includes another hilariously bad pulp novel which results in some very entertaining scenes.

I also felt that the suspense plot fizzled a little. There is an event towards the end which didn’t fit quite as well with the quirky, cute tone of the book, trying to add in more suspense. I just felt it was somewhat annoying, even if it served a purpose in the plot. The ending, however, made up for that with some of the sweetest scenes I’ve ever read. After the cringefest that was The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, I am relieved, and look forward to her future work. What Happens in London is not as great as the Bridgerton books, but worth a read for romantics. ( )

Olivia Bevelstoke is intrigued with the man who has moved in next door. She has been surreptitiously been watching him through her bedroom window trying to find out what he does all day in that room. Rumor has it that he killed his fiance. Harry Valentine is trying to figure out why the lovely young lady next door has been watching him for the past five days through her bedroom window. One day, their eyes meet making it awkward when they meet face-to face later at a society event.

This is one of the funniest books I've read by Julia Quinn. I laughed out loud in some places. This is a highly enjoyable Regency romance. Very entertaining. ( )

I enjoyed this book, however, it is not Quinn's best. It took me a while to get into the story but once I did, it was entertaining even if it was bordering on ridiculous (such as the scene where Sebastian reads out-loud). Once the story really got going, I thought it ended to quickly. I was slightly disappointed with it so I couldn't give it a full five stars but it was a entertaining read despite it's flaws. ( )

Okay regency, but not one of her best, but it had it's funny moments. More a light hearted romp than her usual.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2009/10/w... ( )

Olivia Bevelstoke believes her new neighbour, Harry Valentine, may have killed her fiancee and thus finds herself unable to stop spying on him. Harry, a trained spy, notices Olivia's interest and in turn believes that her relationship with a Russian prince may mean that she has turned traitor on England. As they work through their actual reasons for being interested in each other, Olivia and Harry fall in love. A good romance, but not a great romance. ( )

This book sets the bar very high for hystorical romance novels. The story captivates you stright from the beginning...I usually takes me after two chapters to emotionally involve me. It begins with a dark and sad description of Harry's background, then suddenly the language instantly changes to one that is cheerful. The book then focuses on Olivia, who is London's highly admirered debutante as she is beautiful and can demonstrate a polite and graceful demure. She, however, is anything but given the fact that her mission is to find out about Harry, who happens to be her neighbor, by spying on him. Him being trained in the Military and in espionage, is aware of this fact. He is now curious about her and atempts to giver her remarks that suggest his awareness, though the comments are ambiguous to those around them. Of course, they are not the only ones who know what she is upto:: her brother, who caught her in the act and Harry's cousin, Sebastian Grey. So, now she is being taunted and teased byy all of them. Just as Harry decded not to continue, he recieves an order that he must keep an eye on the prince of Russia, Alexei, who happens to be attracted to Olivia. Now she becomes his assignment, only the job becaomes harder for Hary as he is begenning to see thier relationship in a different light. This book is an entertainly and easy read, but can also be analyzed deeper. I will definatelly be reading this book again. It is my first time reading Julia Quinn and it definately will not be the last. ( )

Quinn -- always a fun read. Olivia and Harry are fun characters, and the slightly strange, silly, and convoluted plot is entertaining. ( )

I rarely read romance novels anymore, but Julia Quinn is my 'go to' author for girly romance and she never lets me down. Hers are the only true romance novels that I always get.

The story begins as your typical 'girl meets boy, girl hates boy and the feeling is mutual' story. But Harry Valentine isn't your typical boy and his job requires him to get closer to Olivia Bevelstoke whether he wants to or not. So of course, over the course of the novel they get to know each other and fall in love.

It may sound like your typical romance, and in several ways it is, but Quinn is such a talented writer you barely notice the cliche story. She creates smart, witty characters that you want to see happy. Through the course of the novel, her characters undergo a voyage of discovery and learn about themselves as they learn about each other.

After the requisite 'rescue the female from a dire situation', the novel comes to a satisfying conclusion and I can happily recommend this to anyone looking for a happy ending to read. ( )

Lady Olivia Bevelstoke has spent the past week spying on her new next door neighbour, Sir Harry Valentine, through her window, and is mortified when she realises that he's seen her. He on the other hand, being employed in translating some documents for the government is a little worried she might be a spy. When he's ordered to keep an eye on the mysterious Russian courting Olivia, he's forced to become close to Olivia too.
This was a lot of fun - Olivia's internal list-making made me laugh out loud at times, and while there were a couple of plot holes, overall I enjoyed it.

I liked this book! I love Julia Quinn's style, and the characters in this book are charming. While I don't think they're as well developed as the Bridgertons, and this story has a few plot holes and not a lot of sex, it's definitely worth reading. ( )

I am a huge fan of Quinn's Bridgerton family series but I was a little disappointed with her Wyndham books so I was a little leery about this book. I am glad to say this was a thoroughly enjoyable book and more along what I had come to expect from Julia Quinn. I loved both Olivia and Harry as well as the other characters such as Olivia's twin brother, Winston, and Harry's cousin, Sebastian. I am happy to see Sebastian's story is due out next year and hopefully Winston's story will follow shortly. The whole fiasco of Olivia spying on Harry was hilarious and I seriously laughed out loud at another spot that involves a man who man one day become an earl enacting out a scene from a "lurid gothic novel" for a group including a foreign prince. Now if that doesn't peak your curiosity I don't know what would. This was a delightful read full of the wonderful humor you come to expect from Quinn. ( )

Is he a murderer? Is she a spy? Can they keep their hands off each other? Light and fun, with Quinn's trademark wit.

Quinn is always delightful; this is no exception. It's not her very best book, but it's still head and shoulders above most of the Regency-era romances out there. ( )

This was rollicking good fun. Completely implausible but damn entertaining! Contains all the elements of a fab romance: lots of chemistry between our couple, hero and heroine both thoroughly likeable & some of the dialogue was laugh out loud funny. I see more Julia Quinn in my reading future. ( )

An enjoyable and frivolous historical romance. I don't think it's Quinn's best book, but it's pretty good. The characters veer a bit close to being cardboard cutouts at times, but most of the time they're pretty well rounded and there are some great comic moments. I especially love some of the parts with Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron, which is so fantastically silly I really wish it were a real book. There's not a lot of plot but since most of the book is firmly centred on the characters' personalities it all jogs along nicely enough - which makes the whole Deadly Peril at the Russian Embassy section near the end seem somewhat dissonant.

Although I'm not entirely convinced that the hero and heroine are as much in love and as committed to one another as they claim to be by the end of the book, I can see them heading firmly in that direction, and I do think they're well suited to one another.

All in all, a nice, light read. ( )

Light-hearted fun with a bare wisp of a sideplot; "What Happens in London" concentrates almost 100% on the humorous story of a hero and heroine who dislike each other at first sight, very much so. But of course, once they spend time together they quickly realize they are perfect for each other.

Olivia is many things: titled, beautiful, intelligent, and curious. And it's her curiosity that first has her spying on her neighbor. She's sure the rumor that he killed his fiance isn't true, but still. She just can't figure out what it is he does all day at his desk...and what's up with the hat?

Sir Harry spotted his spying neighbor right away, but didn't bother to let on. Of course he did try to entertain her with the hat and a few other ludicrous actions. Upon meeting, she seems rather icy and snobby; truly not Harry's type. But the War Dept has asked Harry to keep an eye on a visiting Russian noble and that noble seems to have his eye on Olivia. Harry soon comes to consider Olivia HIS, and once Harry makes up his mind...well, you'll never look at a window quite the same way again.

It seems whenever I paused while reading this book, I had a silly grin on my face. Julia Quinn's stories are so very likeable not just because her characters are human with assets and foibles exactly like us, but also because she knows just how and where to add humor to her stories--from grins to giggles to outright laughter. And I must say the proposal scene in this book is one I've never encountered before!

Quinn's story rolls out with perfect pace and pitch and the light drama added by the Russians is spot on with little danger. I've known quite a few linguists in my time and I must say I never thought an author could make that character-type seem romantic, but Harry is just that. So for fun and a bit of steamy romance, pick up "What Happens in London"--you'll even learn a new word or two! ( )

In What Happens in London, society belle Olivia Bevelstoke decides to spy on her neighbor, Sir Harry Valentine, after listening to her gossipy friends claim that he killed his fiancee. She's pretty sure that he didn't kill anyone, but she watches him from his window anyway--just in case. Despite Olivia thinking herself well camouflaged, Harry is well aware of her peeping Tom activities. Far from cooking up devious schemes, he is merely translating Russian correspondence for the War Office. Their first meeting does not go well--at first, they dislike each other. But after a few more chance meetings, they become friends, with Harry gifting Olivia with a gothic novel that she subsequently forces him to listen to while she reads particularly badly written passages. It is only with the arrival of a Russian prince who sets his sights on Olivia that Harry realizes that he loves her.

The middle of the book, unfortunately, was far more amusing than either the beginning or the ending. The prologue containing Harry's childhood reminded me way too much of the beginning of Loretta Chase's Lord of Scoundrels (which I only managed to get halfway through and only picked up because a certain mathematics professor liked it). I usually do not read historical romances so I am curious--was this an homage to Chase or is beginning a book with the hero's childhood a well established convention in the genre that I was not previously aware of? Or, I suppose, a coincidence? At any rate, I wasn't very impressed. While it was a convenient device for the author to put in some character development, I'm not quite sure it was the best way to do it...(more)

So I finally read Julia Quinn's new book ... and I am happy to say that I think she's headed back in the right direction (though hasn't arrived at the destination yet). I *loved* almost all of her Bridgerton books and the books she has written since then have not even begun to compare in caliber - THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER got off to a great start and then PLUNGED downhill. I didn't read either of the Dukes of Wyndham books, mostly because the reviews were so horrible, but it actually wasn't for lack of trying: I started MR. CAVENDISH, I PRESUME (the second one) and just couldn't even bother to finish it, so I of course left THE LOST DUKE OF WYNDHAM (the first book) alone.

With her new book, WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON, I was happy to see Quinn return to her snappy dialogue and funny, light characters. I was reminded of why I have (usually) so admired her books: Harry and Olivia are very enjoyable and their exchanges are highly entertaining - and cause you to laugh out loud at times - and it's so refreshing to have a hero and heroine who don't just lust after each other, but whom you feel actually have an emotional and intellectual connection, and have really gotten to know each other by the end of the book.

Why the 3.5 stars then? ... It's actually hard to say. I was measuring it against recent books I've read that I've really loved and have given 4 or 5 stars, and I realized that What Happens in London, while completely enjoyable, was nothing groundbreaking and the whole thing felt a little brief once I'd finished. Everything kind of happened so quickly and although I did feel that Harry and Olivia got to know one another and didn't have the dreaded/hated lust-at-first-sight experience, it was all kind of fluffy and not fully satisfying - like a really tasty appetizer, but when I was expecting steak, delicious mashed potatoes, and a scrumptious desert instead. Make sense?

The random kidnapping about 2 pages before the end was completely unnecessary. It seemed to be thrown in last minute for good measure, as if to make sure there was enough action - which has never really a big component (or one at all) in Quinn's novels, but that hasn't seemed to bother us in the past, so why try to fix something that's not broken? I suppose there is a mystery subplot throughout the book, since that is what prompts Harry to watch the prince and Olivia, but it is so minimal one almost forgets that that is the catalyst of everything. Then, Harry and Olivia are at the Ambassador's party, they sneak off, declare their love for each other, confirm they're going to get married, have sex - and wham! Olivia is abducted. ... Uh, what? I also disliked the proposal scene at the end, it was weird and corny and just ... odd.

NOTE (connection to other Quinn books)
WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON is not part of a series, but it is connected to Quinn's THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS MIRANDA CHEEVER, whose hero is this book's heroine's brother. At the end of this book we're given a teaser and told that Mr. Sebastian Grey, possible heir to an Earldom and Harry's cousin (and a great character), will be the hero of Quinn's next book, due out summer 2010. ( )

Review at http://gigisromancereviews.blogspot.c...

Disappointing for a Julia Quinn book. This reminded me of her early pre-Bridgerton books which had interesting characters but lacked a lot of character development and had convoluted plots. I really liked Harry and he was given an interesting background but, except for the Russian element, the rest of it didn't come up much. Olivia was a pretty boring heroine and I think there was more development of her character in the Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheevers.

Overall a quick, mildly entertaining book but not a keeper. ( )

I really liked this book. I loved the information about Harry in the beginning and Olivia's lists. But I felt the characters do not have much depth. The moments between Olivia and Harry were the very best! The love seen was unnecessary. It is a cute quick read. ( )

Quite cute, much better than I thought it would be - not as good as her early Bridgerton books, but better than her recent ones.