Romancing Mister Bridgerton

So far, this was definitely the weakest instalment in the otherwise amusing Bridgertons series.

The story isn’t really that interesting and the narrative dragged on rather uninspired so that I was actually bored at times which isn’t exactly my intention when reading a fluffy easy-to-read romance.

What annoyed me the most, though, and made me almost quit this book was Colin Bridgerton himself. So, you know, this series of books is set in the early 19th century and, fortunately, as a society we’ve made a lot of progress - Women’s suffrage, emancipation, feminism, and so on.

And I’m really happy about that.

Thus, I already have to temporarily suspend a lot of truly heartfelt convictions and disengage large parts of my brain in order show more to be able to enjoy this kind of book: I have to completely disregard more than 100 years of social, societal and emancipatory advances.

I do so and, consequently, tolerate a whole lot of outdated nonsense and I find that all the more difficult if a book isn’t truly worth it. I can do it because I love to giggle at amusing, witty bantering in a love story which, fortunately, happens a lot in the Bridgerton series. I can do it because I truly hope that any reader will know that the story is set in the bad old times and that times have greatly changed for the better.

And I do temporarily suspend my convictions because I crave happy endings - sorry, can’t help it.

How dare you, though, Colin Bridgerton, to be angry at your love interest because she's acting on her own, because she’s at least somewhat independent?! How dare you berate her for having a secret?!

How dare you, Julia Quinn, to belittle your cast and, in extension, yourself and your audience like that?! (Not to speak of actually harmfully influencing younger, impressionable readers.)

At the one major altercation between Colin and Penelope, I was about to rage-quit because I just couldn’t stand that level of drivel.

And it went on!

»The shock was gone, replaced by a simple, primitive need to claim her, to brand her, to mark her as his.«

Excuse me?! He wants to “brand her”, like cattle?! And how does Penelope react only a little later, thinking about herself?

»She had been born for this man«

Again, I was about to quit when things evened a little out at least and this possessive crap was slightly reigned in.

Ultimately, though, Colin Bridgerton turns out to be just the despicable guy I had him pegged for:

»She had no right to put herself in such a precarious position without consulting him first. He was her husband, or would be, and it was his God-given duty to protect her whether she desired it or not.«

I just hope this series doesn’t get any lower than this because I don’t think I can take much more of this kind of backwards madness.

Two out of five stars.


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This is my favorite of the Bridgerton books. I just love Colin and Penelope. Colin really grew on me in the first three books. I love that Colin is so human in this book: he's petty, he's jealous, and he has a temper.

I think Quinn knew what she was doing when she wrote Colin this way - Penelope kept saying that she had built him up and he would never live up to the dream she had created in her mind. I feel like the readers have done that as well (I know I did). There was no way that anything that JQ wrote would like up to the expectations some readers (me) demanded. I also love that Colin doesn't fight his feelings. He leans into them. Yes, he questions what they are, but he accepts and nourishes them.

And Penelope - man I love her. show more I'm going to pat myself on the back and say I figured out the big mystery in a prior book. But she just kicks butt. She doesn't change from the shy person who doesn't want the spotlight, but she does grow. She's one of my favs.

I also love that they communicate. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but they are a unit and work together to solve their problems. show less

I've been waiting on Colin and Penelope's romance to take center stage for a while now, so I was happy to pick up this installment in the Bridgerton series. And the story does get to a quick, witty start with a heroine who is just too relatable (Penelope's weight comes up several times and it was a delight to have the heroine of a romance novel enjoy so much good food). Penelope, of course, has loved Colin for years and he finally sees her as who she really is, prompted by his discovery of a secret she's been keeping. Overall, I loved this book and I was so happy to see a long-awaited relationship finally materialize.

“No words for the passion. No words for the need. No words for the sheer epiphany of the moment. And so, on an otherwise unremarkable Friday afternoon, in the heart of Mayfair, in a quiet drawing room on Mount Street, Colin Bridgerton kissed Penelope Featherington. And it was glorious.”

What you'll get:
Friends to lovers

Setting: England

I am obsessed with the relationship between Penelope and Lady Danbury. I spent the entire book hoping that they didn't ever have a falling out because the banter and genuine warmth between the two of them was wonderful.

Alright, I’ll allow season three. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to put the coolest chick on the show with his smug face but ok. He better keep his hands to himself because show more he shook her shoulders violently when he was mad at her in this more than I’m thrilled about. Let's also redo that proposal, Netflix. show less

I’ve been so looking forward to this Bridgerton book, and I was not disappointed! I always enjoy a romance when the leads get together before the very end, so the reader gets to see them happy together for a while. Highlights for me (besides swoony scenes with the lovebirds) were the unruly younger Bridgerton siblings, Colin’s outrage at the Featheringtons, Lady Danbury being Lady Danbury, and Cressida’s comeuppance.

This edition had a second epilogue written years after the original publication, and it was a winner too. Of the four Bridgerton books I’ve read in the series, I think this is my favorite.

Okay, the title leaves much to be desired, but I really loved this book. It was nice to see a male lead in a Regency romance book who was actually a nice guy, as it seems most I've come across fall under the rake category (AKA jerkface).

Sometimes Penelope fell into the 'woe is me, I'm a spinster' trope, but overall I thought she was witty, clever and a fun character to follow around.

Loved the humor and the Bridgerton family. I really want to read Hyacinth's story, as I think she'd be a hoot.

"I love you with everything I am, everything I've been, and everything I hope to be.”

I'm still slowly making my way through the series and I swear I'm trying. I have to say though that this one has been my favorite of the bunch so far. I really enjoy Penelope's character and I feel like she is the most relatable of all the one's that I've read about so far. I loved that in all the other books we got this mild wallflower version of her, which really shows how everyone perceived her, but in this one we really get to see that there is more to her. Penelope hides on the outskirts of society but she is such a strong and vibrant character when given the chance. I love Lady Danbury and the way she encourages Penelope to come out of her show more shell. I think this one might have been the most scandalous of the bunch considering it's a regency romance. The carriage scene was completely unexpected and I loved the book for it. Colin and Penelope have an interesting dynamic that I enjoyed and it's full of all kinds of tension. I loved the focus on revealing Lady Whistledown and how the reveal was handled it made things even more interesting. I just wish things moved a little faster in these books I think... sometimes it feels like forever before we get to the plot. show less