Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn Published by HarperCollins on November 24, 2015
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 480
Format: eBook
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A New York Times Bestseller
The inspiration for season three of BRIDGERTON, a series created by Shondaland for Netflix, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn: the story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington in the fourth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family.
COLIN AND PENELOPE’S STORY
Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn’t know him at all.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat— or his promise of a happy ending?
I read the Bridgerton series many, many moons ago. So with the upcoming Netflix series Bridgerton Season 3 release, I thought it was time to revisit it.
I love a wallflower and a softer male MC, and this book definitely has it, aside from the occasional outbursts of temper we get from Colin. I didn’t remember his almost petulant, jealous rants and honestly didn’t find it endearing. It does help bring him off the pedestal Penelope has put him on, but I could have used a bit more mea culpa or more exploration of how her feelings transitioned from crush to real love.
There is a little angst with a villain scenario that I was honestly too tired for, so I skimmed some of those bits.
I also remember the intimate scenes being steamier and honestly found them to be kind of meh. However, there are intimate scenes on the page so it’s not for kisses only readers. No real violence or much in the way of mature subject matter, although Colin does get a little handsy in his “fights” with Penelope. Not quite enough for a CW, but still a little iffy nonetheless.
In my muddy memories, I don’t think this was a favorite at the time of an original read, and it certainly isn’t now. Quinn does an exceptional job at world-building, so there is comfort in reading this series, but the romance didn’t bring feels, or laughter, or heat, or really understanding. I could’ve done with an additional 50 pages or so to understand how these two reconcile their past feelings: hers of hero worship and his of indifference.
The good news is, it was forgettable enough of a read that it will not spoil Shonda’s version when it’s released in a month. And for me, it’s also turned me off revisiting any more books in this series, so my TBR pile is looking improved.
The lesson here is re-read at your own risk. I understand from previews of Bridgerton Season 3, the plot is going to be different; looks like it may be a Help Another Find a Lover – Lessons in Love trope, which I am excited about!
