With all the hype that the Netflix series has gotten, I knew I had to read the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn. After reading them, I can definitely see why someone decided they needed to re-create it on screen.
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (2000)
Book 1 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Daphne Bridgerton is in her second Season of the Marriage Mart and looking for a suitable husband. She’s been friend-zoned by all the reasonable candidates and only gets proposed to by old guys or the idiotic Nigel Berbrooke. Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is back in London after his father’s death. The Ambitious Mamas have identified Simon as an oh-so-very-eligible catch for their daughters and he wants to avoid them. Simon and Daphne decide to fake-court so that Simon will appear unavailable and Daphne will appear more desirable. But of course they’re actually attracted to each other. Problem is that Simon has no desire to marry or have children (because of his own experiences with his father). They get caught in a compromising position and need to marry anyway. Expect angst with poor communication between our two leads, the absolute worst motherly “talk” about how babies are made, and a trigger warning about non-consensual relations between our couple. Starts as a fake-relationship trope, but it doesn’t last that long.
This novel is the basis for the first season of the Netflix series Bridgerton. The book focuses on the plot between the main couple of the story, with very little insight to the other characters. In the Netflix series, they punched up the drama by adding subplots for many of the other characters, and also added characters not seen in this novel. I agree with this artistic choice because it increases the pacing of the story and adds different characters for the audience to identify with. The series also kept a lot of the best moments of the book and the fun, humorous bits. Worth reading and worth watching.
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (2000)
Book 2 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Viscount Anthony Bridgerton has decided that it’s time to find a wife. He’s not looking for a love match; he’s looking for someone who can conduct herself and serve as the next Viscountess Bridgerton. He has identified Edwina Sheffield as this Season’s diamond and aims to court her. The problem? Edwina’s older sister Kate is well-known as Edwina’s gatekeeper and she’s fully aware of Anthony’s not-so-gentlemanly reputation. Anthony and Kate have a contentious relationship as he attempts to court Edwina. Though there is that idea that passionate arguments may lead to other types of passionate encounters… Probably considered an enemies-to-lovers story. Ultimately, Edwina isn’t as smitten as we think, Nigel Berbrooke continues to be an idiot, somehow a bee sting can cause a compromising situation, and everyone important has a tragic backstory.
An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn (2001)
Book 3 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Want to talk about a tragic backstory? Let’s talk about Sophie Beckett. Sophie is the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood whom she lives with as his ward. The Earl marries, his wife and her two daughters move in, he dies, and Sophie becomes an unpaid maid. One night, she sneaks off to a masquerade ball, where she dances with Benedict Bridgerton. She runs away at midnight, leaving him with her glove. Benedict tries to track down the owner of the glove and inquires at Penwood House; when Lady Penwood realizes that Sophie attended the ball, she throws Sophie out. Cut to a few years later, Benedict has been pining over the mysterious Silver Lady he met at the masquerade. He’s at a house party with a bunch of drunken louts and plans to tell his host he’s leaving, when he comes across a group of them assaulting a young woman. He rescues her and they leave. The woman? It’s Sophie. She recognizes him, but he doesn’t recognize her at all. The rest of the story follows their growing (continued?) attraction for each other, issues with their social class differences, her dodgy back story (apparently she speaks too eloquently to be a servant), and meeting up with the other Bridgertons.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (2002)
Book 4 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Colin Bridgerton is back in England after many years of extensive travel. He has no idea what he is meant to do with his life; Anthony is the head of the family, Benedict is an artist, and Colin is… adrift. Penelope Featherington is coming to terms with the unlikelihood that she will ever marry; she’s 28-years-old and has never had any marriage proposals. At least now, she can sit down and eat eclairs with all the other spinsters and chaperones. As Colin and Penelope constantly cross paths (she is best friends with his sister Eloise, after all), he starts to notice her in a way he hadn’t before. This one is the story where the girl pines for the boy for years, the boy doesn’t see her in a romantic way, the boy finally figures out he’s attracted to the girl, and they both get to be happy. Of the Bridgerton books I’ve read up to this point, this one is my favorite. There are so many scenes in this book that made me smile or laugh. As a fellow wallflower, I adore Penelope Featherington. I also love the way Colin takes on Penelope’s mother. Oh, and this is the book when we finally unmask Lady Whistledown, London’s most notorious gossip columnist.
To Sir Phillip, with Love by Julia Quinn (2003)
Book 5 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Eloise Bridgerton has been a proud spinster. Who needs to marry anyway? She’s got her family, her hobbies, her freedom, and her best friend Penelope to share in spinsterhood. Except… well… we’ve read about Penelope in the previous book. And all of a sudden, Eloise is alone. She has been exchanging letters with Phillip Crane for the past year (after the death of his wife, Eloise’s cousin, Marina), and his last one was a request to meet to see if they would be suitable for marriage. It sounded crazy when she read it… but maybe she should take him up on it. Eloise impulsively runs off to Phillip’s house to meet him and neither are what the other expects. He thought she’d be a desperate spinster (she’s not), and she had no idea that he had two kids (they’re terribly unruly and he’s mostly looking for their new mother). But still, they muddle through to see if they’d suit. And the Bridgerton brothers show up at some point for much needed hilarity and heartfelt talks. Expect the usual breaking down of emotional barriers and getting through to an unsociable and taciturn man, taming unruly children through attention and affection, and all that happily ever after stuff.
When He was Wicked by Julia Quinn (2004)
Book 6 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. We’ve heard bits and pieces about Francesca Bridgerton in previous books, but now we finally get to focus on her story. She marries John Stirling (Earl of Kilmartin), but he tragically dies in his sleep, leaving her a widow at age 22. John’s cousin, Michael, is set to inherit the Earldom. However, he has been secretly in love with Francesca and cannot bear to take John’s place in all his duties. He flees the country. Meanwhile, Francesca has been the steward of the Kilmartin estate and mourns her husband; eventually, when she finds herself longing for a baby, Francesca decides to remarry. She still loves her husband, so she isn’t looking for someone to love. Michael returns from his travels and finds that his feelings for Francesca have not abated. And while Francesca used to see Michael as nothing more than a good friend, she starts to realize that he’s an attractive man. But is she dishonoring her husband by lusting after Michael? At this point, we start to see the timelines overlap among Colin’s, Eloise’s, and Francesca’s stories. I love to read about my favorite characters with different points of view that add to previous books. Colin’s interactions with Michael in this book are hilarious (and we get to read about him telling Michael about Penelope in this one, from Michael’s point of view).
It’s In His Kiss by Julia Quinn (2005)
Book 7 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Hyacinth Bridgerton is the youngest of the bunch; she’s outspoken and brash, and slightly tired of this whole finding a husband business. Gareth St. Clair has been dealing with his disappointing brute of a father by avoiding responsibility at all costs. His only endearing quality is how he dotes on his maternal grandmother, Lady Danbury. Since Hyacinth and Lady Danbury have struck up an odd friendship, Hyacinth and Gareth cross paths quite frequently. When Gareth receives his paternal grandmother’s diary, he needs help translating it since it is written in Italian. Lucky for him, Hyacinth reads Italian. Our two heroes work together to discover Grandma St. Clair’s secrets, grow closer together, and uncover some secrets from Gareth’s past.
On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (2006)
Book 8 of Bridgerton Series
Regency-era romance. Gregory Bridgerton has always believed in love. With seven siblings in disgustingly happy marriages, he’s seen the evidence of it. When he first sees Hermione Watson at his brother’s house party, he falls instantly in love with her. But so does every other man that sets sights on her. Lucy Abernathy is Hermione’s best friend and sees that Gregory stands out from the rest, so she decides to help him woo her friend. When it ultimately doesn’t work out with Hermione, Gregory and Lucy come to realize their feelings for each other. Unfortunately, Lucy is engaged to somebody else, and Lucy is pragmatic and practical about her duties and responsibilities. What will Gregory do to win over Lucy? And will Lucy follow her duty or her heart?
I’ve made some brush lettered printable bookmarks to go along with the couples from this book series. Get the download here.
