Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
This week’s TTT is actually ‘Books for People Who Liked Author X’, but I haven’t yet read Julia Quinn’s work, and I was struggling to think of an author as a starting point, but as I thought over some of the books I’ve read the past few years, I realised there’s quite a few that work nicely to bridge the gap between the Netflix show’s seasons. I’m also keeping this week’s to eight, as I’m still relatively new into Romance myself so don’t have a huge list to choose from right now.
March 28th: Eight Books If You Liked Bridgerton
Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Rom-Com
Starting the list with a non-Regency (and not even Historical…) Romance, with the contemporary romantic comedy Take a Hint, Dani Brown. There’s enough steamy stuff in here to keep Bridgerton fans happy, but I think the strongest comparison is in the will they won’t they frustration, as well as the fake dating trope used so well in season one.
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
YA – Historical
This skews younger than the Bridgerton TV series, but if you love the family dynamics and the different ways the Bridgerton children look at and tackle the world, this one will be right up your street. There’s four POVs, and a wonderful cast of characters around them. It’s been compared to Bridgerton quite a bit, and reading it makes it very easy to see why.
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
Historical – Regency
Ah, Regency Romance. If it’s the setting you love about Bridgerton, the balls and costumes and overall Regency aesthetic, you’ll love this. Hall perfectly captures the whole ‘Regency’ appeal in Regency Romances, while putting two characters at the front who we don’t normally see in Regency Romances – a trans woman and a disabled war veteran. The relationship between Viola and Justin, and the way they help each other heal from their hurts, is truly beautiful.
Manners and Monsters by Tilly Wallace
Historical Fantasy
The balls, the social status, the pressure of two opposites being forced into close proximity together, but with a twist – Manners and Monsters takes some of the elements of Regency Romances and throws in zombies and magic, in a way that blends in so well with this world. A really fun book if you liked Bridgerton but want something with a bit more Fantasy and Horror.
False Colours by Georgette Heyer
Historical
Going back to an absolute classic of the Regency Romance genre, after reading two of her books I’m absolutely ready at the drop of a hat to scream about them both. False Colours is especially delightful, leaning on the premise of one twin taking over for another while he’s temporary missing. It works so well, and actually, surprisingly, holds up decades after publiciation.
Historical Fantasy
Again, if you want all the trappings of Regency but with a bit more Fantasy, you’ll likely enjoy Half a Soul. Atwater does a wonderful job with the setting, and via the fae even pokes a bit of fun at the social constructs in the Regency era, using Dora to highlight some of the more inequal elements of this time period, too.
Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer
Historical
Yes, I included Heyer twice, because this and False Colours really do deserve it. Regency Buck is funny, and sweet, and you can really see where a lot of present Regency Romance tropes came from with this book. Like False Colours, it manages to hold up, too, and there’s also an element of mystery to the plot of Regency Buck. Judith is an excellent heroine, and if you liked Bridgerton because of the women in it, you’ll absolutely love her too.
That Could Be Enough by Alyssa Cole
Historical
Historical Romance, and although this isn’t Regency era it’s shortly before it, so it fits in quite nice if you like that particular era. It’s early days in US history, and about two women who cross each other’s paths and, well, find love, of course. This is a far cry from the ton, and romances here come with more challenges than those faced in Bridgerton, but it’s honestly a beautiful, delightful read.
What do you think – are you going to pick any of these up, or are there other books you’d recommended for fans of Bridgerton?
Unwrapping Words 
That Could Be Enough looks like a good read!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-for-people-who-liked-shel-silverstein/
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It’s lovely – definitely a book I feel very fond towards
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