Bridgerton: The Duke and I

Julia Quinn

Apr 2015 · Bridgertons Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

A #1 New York Times Bestseller 

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Daphne Bridgerton, in the first of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.

In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince—while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable…but not too amiable.

Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games that captivate gentlemen.

Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to shun both marriage and society—just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend’s sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar.

The plan works like a charm—at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London’s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule...

This novel includes the 2nd epilogue, a peek at the story after the story.

Ratings and reviews

This book was a struggle. I was disappointed but not surprised to find that it doesn't feature any non-white characters. One considerable improvement the Netflix show made. Worth noting, but not the reason for my low score. The gossip column doesn't actually add anything in the book. It's completely underused and has no impact on the characters or the plot. My main issue is the men are reduced to anger and violence at every turn, literally threatening to kill or throttle everyone, including their sisters or wives. In turn, the women are treated like children with men constantly referring to them as silly. And then there's the sexual assault, which Daphne never acknowledges she did. In terms of the writing, we switch POV several times within scenes, which removes all pace, subtext and clarity. In addition, there is no description of place, so there's no setting or atmosphere. Wouldn't recommend, but glad the TV show saw potential in the setting.

Having binge watched the show multiple times over the past weeks decided to read the books. Big mistake. The show is great, the books read so far are great but they are different enough from each other that you have to decide which to follow. Good excuse to devour the books before next season of show as a heads up of basic story, then wait to see how it is portrayed.

I really enjoyed the overall love story. Daphne annoyed the hell out of me at times the whole pressuring him to have kids I know back in those times it was all about getting married and reproducing and that's all women had. Simon was annoying at times as well but they do make a good love story I finished it fairly quickly and had to read and see the differences between the book and show.

About the author

#1 New York Times bestselling author JULIA QUINN began writing one month after graduating from college and, aside from a brief stint in medical school, she has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. Her novels have been translated into 43 languages and are beloved the world over. A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. Look for BRIDGERTON, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family, on Netflix.