I am not a historical reader at all but all the hype over the TV show got me really excited over the idea of reading historical romances. I ended up finishing the first two books while I was on vacation and spoiler alert, I loved them! This honestly surprised me haha.
“Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow.
-Lady Whistledown”
― Julia Quinn, The Duke and I
About The Book
Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher: Avon Books
Published Date: January 5th, 2000
Page Count: 384 Pages
Genres: Historical Romance, Historical Fiction
GoodReads Rating: 3.8
Format: Physical
“And if you say that’s because you lot barged into her home like a herd of mentally deficient sheep, I’m disowning all three of you.”
― Julia Quinn, The Duke and I
Synopsis
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…
Synopsis From GoodReads
Book Rating
Season One TV Rating
Review
First thing I want to talk about is that this book has a trigger warning near the end of the book that I was not ready for. It was a rape scene that truly took me by surprise and left me feeling uneasy, I wish that I would have looked up any possible triggers before reading it as this book probably could have been 5 stars if I knew to expect that trigger. Take care of your self when reading books and look up triggers before you pick one up.
I really loved Daphne and Simon, I felt like the fake dating in the book played out really well and had me rooting for them from the start. Where as season one of the TV show I actually didn’t care for the couple at all, I didn’t really feel them falling in love in the show and I think that was based on some of the changes they made for the adaptation. I also think its super hard to really grow a connection with characters in only 8 Episodes. Lets start a petition to bring back longer TV Seasons!
Now this isn’t me saying I didn’t like the first season of the TV show but I really have to think of them as separate things as I liked the book and I liked the show but I don’t like them when I compare them against one another. I feel like the TV show really helped expand on the other characters in the book rather than only focusing on the lead couple which I truly enjoyed. The book just left the side characters with hardly any story and I guess that’s because each sibling gets their own book but I would have loved to hear more from Eloise and the Featheringtons in the first book.
I really enjoyed the overall character arch’s for these main characters. Daphne wants to be loved and have a big family while Simon doesn’t want any of that all out of spite for his father. At first neither could give one another what they wanted but overtime as their love grew you could see their walls come crumbling down and overall help one another in their struggles. This is why I loved the book, Julia really made you feel their love and desire for one another and showed that if you love someone your entire life can change.
Lastly, I love Lady Whistledown! I think having this Mysterious Author is such a fun bit of gossip to keep you on your toes. I love that the books keep her identity a secret. I was not expecting the show to tell us so early on who Lady Whistledown was and that kind of upset me if I am being honest with you but this opinion may change as I continue with the books.
I do recommend reading the books before watching the TV show as I would with any other adaptation but at the same time it may leave you feeling conflicted as both are good in their own ways.
“There were rules among friends, commandments, really, and the most important one was Thou Shalt Not Lust After Thy Friend’s Sister.”
― Julia Quinn, The Duke and I
QOTD: Who is your Favorite Bridgerton Character?
World of Bai 