I’m a sucker for a mystery. (I think we’ve established that multiple times now) A genre I have never had strong interests in before is romance. Don’t get me wrong, I love a romance plot line, but usually not as the main plot line. I always thought they’d be boring, cheesy, or my second-hand embarrassment wouldn’t survive.

And then I read the Bridgerton series. Yes, that’s right, the series. Or at least the first five books.

The first book is called The Duke and I and was written in 2000. The author, Julia Quinn, produced 7 more books in the following years. Each book is about one of the eight Bridgerton children finding love during in the early 1800s. The books were made into a television series that I’m sure many of you are familiar with, or at least familiar with its concept and time period.

I read the first book on a whim not really expecting to get as hooked as I did. This was how I discovered I love a good period piece. This book covered my interests from the dresses, to grand balls, and family/sibling dynamics. One of my favorite reoccurring themes in the books is the sibling dynamics. Quinn does a good job laying out sibling banters and who’s taking sides with who. These parts were fun to read because they didn’t feel forced. You’ve got the classic over-protective older brothers and the obnoxious little sisters. Maybe it’s because I don’t read these tropes a lot, but I enjoyed that aspect of the series. The mother also plays a pivotal role in many of these stories. She brings not only brings in the motherly talk/advice, but also layers of humor to break up the stories more.

Alright, now on to the romance. It is cheesy and it is predictable and it is raunchy at points. If I guessed how one of the books would end I would pretty much know I’d be right in the end. Yes, the middle bits varied from book to book. Each love story was different for every sibling. It is the prominent plot-line in them all. My personal favorite was Collin and Penelope’s story in book 4 because of their semi-budding friendship that developed in the previous 2 books. I also enjoyed Anthony and Kate’s love story in book 2. I haven’t watched the tv series, but I do know they drastically changed how these two relationships developed. If you’ve watched the series but haven’t read the books, I’d highly recommend!

And now onto the dresses and the fancy balls. I loved the balls because I love to build these scenes up in my mind. Picturing these big fancy events filled with music, food, art, the fancy suits and dress, and of course the intricate updos of the ladies hair. Part of it is about having a creative imagination and the other part is on the author. Do they allow their reader to become immersed in the story? Have the built enough of a world for the reader to gain a sense of what it would be like to be there? Have they described a scene enough but not too much? I felt like I could picture each ball as much or as little as I wanted. There were some details that got lost along the way for me, but overall I enjoyed how much and how little was given.

These books were a little too addicting (I read 5 in one week). If I’m honest, I’m not quite sure why, but I genuinely enjoyed reading them! Was it because it was a period book? Possibly. Was it the romance aspect? 50/50 chance of it. Who’s to say… but overall there were nice and quick reads.