If you're like me, you try and pick your way through different sorts of books during the various seasons. And summertime is the best time for light reading. Of course, light reading is different for everybody, but let me recommend a great romance series to all the romance readers out there. A long time ago, I used to read romance novel after romance novel after romance novel. Some I liked, some I didn't -- but only one author I return to again and again. Julia Quinn has written a long list of Regency-era romance novels, and usually she releases a new one each summer. Perfect timing for my romance novel itch.
Daphne, the fourth of the Bridgerton clan, stars as heroine in the first novel. And very quickly in Quinn's series do we meet all the Bridgertons -- all 8 of them, all named alphabetically by order of birth: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. Each one Quinn has given his or her own personality and own story. No two are the same, which I think is such a feat today in the romance novel world.
One thing I like about Quinn's books is that each one is distinct in tone and character and yet they all practically bleed of the author. Julia Quinn's wit is unmatched. Her descriptions bring the book alive. And her characters -- especially the mysterious Lady Whistledown out of this series and the grouchy Lady Danbury are real.
The best thing about Quinn's books is the storytelling. A near second is her characters, all of whom I wish I could be best friends with and sit down with for tea and biscuits. Her Regency romances completely enrapture me. I find that I want to live there. I want to experience it. And with characters as lovable (and lust-able!) as the Bridgertons, who wouldn't want that?
I'm not going to highly praise every book in Quinn's Bridgerton series, but I am going to talk about my favorite. The only reason I didn't start out with this one is because reading it first would spoil the rest of the books for you. With that said, the fourth book in the series is my all-time favorite romance novel. I can't count the number of times I've read it.
Heroine Penelope Featherington is, I think, the most like any girl (even modern girls). She's not breathtaking, she's not a genius, she's slightly clumsy, and she wishes she could speak her mind more often. Also, she's resigned herself to a life of spinsterhood because she's nearing 30 and still unmarried. Enter Colin Bridgerton, third Bridgerton, who has known Penelope his entire life. But suddenly, today when he sees her, it's different for him. And they both have secrets they're afraid to share.
I truly believe you're missing out if you're a romance novel fan if you haven't read one of Julia Quinn's book. I will return to them again and again and even knowing how it all turns out in the end doesn't bore me. The characters are my friends. And Julia Quinn is a friend -- it is her telling these stories and bringing them alive. Start with The Duke and I and make your way through the series. You won't want to put them down and once you're finished, you'll want to start all over again.
So, who's your favorite Bridgerton?
