Dearest Reader,

Do you burn for new books to read while you await the highly anticipated return of Bridgerton season two? Perhaps you have blown through the eight-book series by Julia Quinn on which the Netflix show is based. If not, that is always a worthwhile starting point. However, the books below will avoid any potential spoilers for the series’ continuation. In thinking about what made Bridgerton season one so breathtaking and binge-worthy, I broke down the book recommendations by the elements that will have you sitting for tea and tightening your corset in no time.

Gossip

Lady Whistledown is Bridgerton’s resident gossip girl. She is elusive yet omnipresent and captures the attention of nearly every character in the show. One might say she is even more potent than Queen Charlotte, with enough dirt at any moment to cause a character’s societal fall from grace. Yet, at the same time, this character puts her life on the line by exposing bad apples with journalistic integrity under the threat of execution from the monarchy. If this courageous writer kept you coming back for another piping hot cup of tea, then you might enjoy Kris Radish’s The Year of Necessary Lies. A scandal rocks the world of socialite Julia Briton when she discovers her husband has been taking part in deadly feather trading for profits in the fashion industry. In order to save her reputation, Briton will dig herself out of her husband’s mess and make her own name in the world. On Julia’s journey to self-discovery, she attempts to right her husband’s wrongs by advocating for animal rights. In her quest for advocacy Julia also discovers a desire to pursue new romances even if some are forbidden.

A Modern Twist

Bridgerton essentially breathed new life into a period drama that has been covered so many times one could say it was a bit stuffy. When you combine Julia Quinn’s spicy novels and Shonda Rhimes knack for producing must-see hits, Bridgerton was bound to be a sensation. The key was spinning elements for a modern audience into a series that still felt true to the period. The first season gave us Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift songs played by a string quartet, a feminist angle, an exploration of sexuality, plenty of casual sex, and a racially diverse cast. If you love a classic story with a twist for the modern era, then you will enjoy Leslie Vedder’s The Bone Spindle. If you take a classic Disney princess story and turn it on its head, then you get something close to Vedder’s story. Briar Rose is a sleeping prince under a curse and can only be saved by true love’s kiss from a woman. If this role reversal isn’t enough for you, the quest to awaken the prince is taken on by a treasure hunter named Fi and the inclusion of an LGBT character named Shane, who assists her friend by kicking ass.

Fake Lovers Trope

What is not to love about a royal scandal? Maybe the best part of Bridgerton was the will-they-won’t they relationship of Simon and Daphne. Either way, when the plan is to fake a loving romantic relationship, the outcome will inevitably result in bitterness or unexpected sparks. For Daphne and Simon, you might say that their initial resentment is what makes their eventual admittance of genuine feelings like a firework show for the audience. If a classic trope of fake romance and a good girl, bad boy scenario is your favorite trope, then you may also enjoy Tessa Dare’s My Fake Rake. Dare creates a female protagonist that will undoubtedly remind you of the gracious Daphne Bridgerton. Like the Duchess of Hastings, Lady Grace Wyatt is looking for a suitor with whom she can fake a relationship to appear in-demand and desirable to other higher-ranking potential mates. In comparison, Daphne attempts to woo Prince Friedrich by showing off Simon while Lady Grace molds her friend Sebastian into the perfect man hoping that his interest will start a feeding frenzy. Tropes are comforting because you can guess Lady Grace will find that in faking love with Sebastian, she will discover a bond in deceit has transformed into a lasting connection.

Steamy Romance

The hype surrounding this Netflix series would not have achieved must-see status without the shock factor of such explicit sexual content between Daphne and Simon. Enemies to lovers are bound to make for a steamy romance. This is especially true when tensions in their relationship have built up until the last few episodes of the series. If episode 6 or 7 left you flushed and possibly mortified if you watched with your mother, then Sarah MacLean’s Bombshell might be the book to tide you over. MacLean gives readers a feminist heroine in the form of Lady Sesily Talbot. Sesily embraces her sexuality and doesn’t shy away from going after the men she desires. However, in Sesily’s various escapades, she believes society largely ignores her reputation. Sesily does not consider that her brother’s best friend, similar to Simon and Anthony, is observing her from afar. Caleb Calhoun has known Sesily for years, but her new behavior has him questioning whether his curiosities toward her are worth sacrificing his friendship.

Feminism

If Daphne Bridgerton’s desire for domesticity made you feel out of touch with the series lead of season one, thankfully, her younger sister provided some much-needed dissonance. There are many strong female characters in Bridgerton, but all seem to share in the acceptance and partaking of their expected roles in society. Eloise is the only character who openly admits her distaste for domesticity and declares her feminist ideals repeatedly through the first season. If you enjoyed Eloise’s rebellious nature akin to Jo March, then Jody Hadlock’s The Lives of Diamond Bessie will have you ready to smash the patriarchy. When Annie Moore finds herself pregnant out of wedlock at sixteen, she is sent to a convent for fallen women. After the nuns begin to keep Annie’s child away from her, she escapes the convent hoping to make a life for herself and her child who she plans to rescue. As Annie finds out, there are few employment opportunities in the nineteenth century for women and turns to prostitution for a source of income. In this harrowing story of a young woman set during the women’s rights movement she will endure betrayal and find revenge to be her only answer.

Mystery

Now that Lady Whistledowns identity is known, the new season promises to avenge her. However, one must wonder if the show will have the same effect without the mystery of unveiling the all-knowing gossip columnist. If you binged Bridgerton in one night to find out who wrote the poignant words voiced over by the fabulous Julie Andrews, then Jane Elizabeth Hughes, The Long-Lost Jules will have you turning the pages as quickly as you could press play the next episode. Amy is private banker in London while Leo is a professor at Oxford. These individuals are paired over a wild idea from Leo that Amy is the descendent of King Henry VIII’s last queen, Katherine Parr. When they team up to uncover the mystery of Queen Katherine’s lost child, they realize danger is befalling them for a reason. In a wild adventure across Europe the two will inch closer to uncovering the mystery as they fight off enemy forces and discover that their feelings for each other may also need solving.

A Love Story Between Friends

Unrequited or reciprocated, at the core of Bridgerton is a love story. Simon and Daphne are obviously at the forefront of the storyline in season one, but arguably a better love story develops between best friends Penelope Featherington and Eloise Bridgerton. This pair finds connection through the mutual disconnection they feel in society. A display of female affection without the competition that accompanies the societal norm of pinning women against each other makes this friendship a love story for the ages. If you shipped Penelope and Eloise through thick and thin for the first season then Meredith First’s Gridley Girls will have you reminiscing with your girlfriends in no time. When best friends Meg Monahan and Anne Calzaretta flashback to high school on the eve of Anne’s wedding night, the two relive both the good and bad of their adolescence. While remembering their glory days, these “it” girls realize that between their group of friends there was plenty of coming-of-age drama that had never been addressed. In reminiscing this pair realizes that forgiveness is truly the only key to friendships that last a lifetime.