The Duke and I

Like everyone else on the planet, last month I binge-watched the Bridgerton series on NetFlix which was an addictive, wonderfully diverse and sassy show. Now that I'd been bitten by the Bridgerton bug, I wanted to see how well the show compared to the original book that was first published over 20 years ago. 

I'll preface this review by saying that typically, Regency romance novels aren't my thang. I don't like swooning women in flouncy dresses waiting for their menfolk to save the day, so if it wasn't for the Netflix show, I probably wouldn't have read this book. But I'm so glad I did. Don't judge a book by its cover, and all that.

This first book features the oldest daughter, Daphne Bridgerton and the oh-so-handsome Duke of Hastings. I was happy to see that the first season of the TV show accurately followed the book in plot, tone, humour and the close bond between the Bridgerton clan. I particularly love how Quinn gives her female characters some sass and take no guff attitude and gives her male lead an emotional past.

This book is filled with romance, great banter and sassy love scenes. These love scenes pale in comparison to the vivid scenes in the TV show (oo la LA!!) but they may still cause pearl clutching and vapours for some readers. Overall, this was an enjoyable, escapist read, and I look forward to picking away at the following books that focus on each of the other seven Bridgerton children. 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Julia Quinn

Genre: Romance

Series: #1 in the Bridgerton series

Type and Source: eBook from public library

Pages: 433

Publisher: Avon

First Published: January 5, 2000

Opening Lines: The Bridgertons are by far the most 

prolific family in the upper echelons of society. Such industriousness 

on the part of the viscountess and the late viscount is 

commendable, although one can find only banality in their 

choice of names for their children. Anthony, Benedict, 

Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.