''Bridgerton'' is a series of eight

Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency r ...

novels written by

Julia Quinn Julie Pottinger (née Cotler; born January 12, 1970), better known by her pen name, Julia Quinn, is an American author. Her novels have been translated into 41 languages and have appeared on The New York Times Bestseller List, ''The New York Times ...

. Released from 2000 to 2006, it follows the eight siblings of the

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

Bridgerton family as they navigate London high society in search of love, adventure and happiness. The novels have been adapted by

Shondaland Shondaland (stylized as ShondaLand from 2005 to 2016 and shondaland thereafter) is an American television production company founded by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. She founded it to be one of the production companies of her fir ...

into a television series titled ''

Bridgerton ''Bridgerton'' is an American alternative history regency romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series Bridgerton (novel series), of the same name by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted ...

'' which premiered in 2020 on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

Background

Set between 1813 and 1827, each novel features one of the eight children of the late

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

Bridgerton and his widow Violet: Anthony, who is the current Viscount Bridgerton, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. The Bridgerton family are part of

British nobility The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the gentry of the British Isles. Though the UK is today a constitutional monarchy with strong democratic elements, historically the British Isles were more predisposed towards aristocratic gove ...

and are a well respected, immensely loving, and tight-knit clan favored among

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

Publishing history

#''

The Duke and I ''The Duke and I'' is a 2000 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn, first published by Avon (publisher), Avon. It is the first novel of Quinn's series of Regency romances about the Bridgerton (novel series), Bridgerton siblings and te ...

'' (2000, Daphne's Story) # ''

The Viscount Who Loved Me ''The Viscount Who Loved Me'' is a 2000 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn, first published by Avon. It is the second novel of Quinn's Bridgerton series set in Regency England and tells the story of Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton, ...

'' (2000, Anthony's Story) # ''An Offer from a Gentleman'' (2001, Benedict's Story) # ''

Romancing Mister Bridgerton ''Romancing Mister Bridgerton'' is a 2002 historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn and published by Avon. It is the fourth novel of Quinn's series of Regency romances about the Bridgerton siblings and tells the story of Colin, the third ...

'' (2002, Colin's Story) # ''To Sir Phillip, With Love'' (2003, Eloise's Story) # ''When He Was Wicked'' (2004, Francesca's Story) # ''It's In His Kiss'' (2005, Hyacinth's Story) # '' On the Way to the Wedding'' (2006, Gregory's Story)

Characters

Bridgerton family tree

Appearances

Reception

Critical response

'' was criticized for the inclusion of

non-consensual Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual consent. Consent as understood in ...

sex between Simon and Daphne which amounted to

marital rape Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and doesn't always involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of dome ...

. Critics pointed out that it failed to acknowledge the difficulties of male victims of rape, especially since Simon was traumatized after the event. ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' ranked ''

'', a perennial fan favorite, as the best book of the ''Bridgerton'' series for its enemies-to-lovers

trope Trope or tropes may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept * Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device * Trope (music), any of a variety of different things in medi ...

"full of banter and chemistry" with character development for the central couple, "both as a pair and on their own." '' On the Way to the Wedding'' won the

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...

RITA Award in 2007. In 2002, ''To Sir Phillip, With Love'' was named one of the six best mass market original novels of the year by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''.

Sales

Well-received when they were first published, the novels received a surge on book sales when the Netflix series ''

'' premiered its first season in December 2020, and again, for its second season in March 2022. Several titles in the series have been on ''The New York Times'' bestseller list, including at several weeks #1 with ''

'' and ''

''.

Spin-offs

The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After

''The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After'' was published in 2013, and is sometimes numbered as the 9th book in the series. It consists of "2nd Epilogues" for each of the 8 novels in the main ''Bridgerton'' series, together with a short story about Violet Bridgerton herself.

Rokesby series

The Rokesby series, also called ''The Bridgerton Prequels'', focus on the Rokesby family and are set before the ''Bridgerton'' series, featuring younger versions of some of the same characters. # ''Because of Miss Bridgerton'' (2016) # ''The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband'' (2017) # ''The Other Miss Bridgerton'' (2018) # ''First Comes Scandal'' (2020)

Collaborations

''The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown'' and ''Lady Whistledown Strikes Back'' are two anthology novels by Julia Quinn and 3 other authors, featuring the character of Lady Whistledown who was introduced in the ''Bridgerton'' series. ''Queen Charlotte'' is a novel co-written by Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes, set in the ''Bridgerton'' universe.

Adaptations

The book series has been adapted by

, for

, into a television series titled ''

'' which premiered on the platform in 2020. It follows the format of the novels, with each season focusing on a different Bridgerton sibling, and their quest for marriage.

References

External links

Official Bridgerton Series Website

Official Bridgerton Series Character List

Official Bridgerton Family Tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgerton (novel series)

Novel series A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publ ...

Book series Book series introduced in 2000 Romance novel series Love stories