Bridgerton: The Duke & I by Julia Quinn [Book 1]

Disclaimer: This review might contain spoilers; proceed with caution.

I’m sure everyone has heard of the Netflix series called Bridgerton, and yes the Netflix series is based on this book series. On a good recommendation from a friend, I watched the Netflix series prior to picking up the book.

And when I heard a lot of people saying that the books are just as good, I thought I would give the books a try and see how the two compare.

Just a friendly reminder, this is a book review, and it will focus on the book, The Duke & I, over the Netflix series. If you’re interested on my thoughts on the series, and the comparison, check back, as I am working on that post.

Book Overview: Bridgerton – The Duke & I

Bridgerton: The Duke & I by Julia Quinn, takes place in nineteenth century London, during the courting season. Where all the noble and wealthy families parade around their eligible children, hoping to catch the eye of eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.

Courting season typically takes place in the Spring, and lasts through Summer. Every season that an eligible woman doesn’t get married, adds extra pressure, and a subliminal message that she might be a spinster.

This book primarily centers around the Bridgerton family, who hold the noble status of Viscount. Being of such noble status, there is extra pressure on the family’s eldest daughter, Daphne, who is of age, and must find a husband.

And if finding a husband wasn’t stressful enough, a new gossip flyer has just been introduced to London, called Whistledown. This new gossip flyer is written by a mysterious writer that goes by the pen name of Lady Whistledown.

Additionally, the Duke of Hastings has recently returned to London to finish some business matters. The Duke is a tall, mysterious man who comes from a wealthy family, and just so happens to be single.

Will Daphne be able to find a husband before the season is over? Will the Duke steal all of the lime light from Daphne? Or will the new gossip flyer form Lady Whistledown cause too much noise for anyone to notice?

Note: The Duke & I is the first book in an eight book series by Julia Quinn

Bridgerton Book Facts:

Quick Overview: We are taken back to the 19th century with Daphne, into the world of courting for a spouse. She meets Simon who has decided he will never marry or have children. Simon is taken back by Daphne, by her mind and her beauty. But is still determined to never marry. They make a friendship pack to help both of them out. But in a scandal the two wed, Daphne is pleased but Simon is not. Can they work though their differences and make it work?
Personal Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Page Count: 452
Genre: Historical Romance
Author: Julia Quinn

The Duke & I Summary

It’s the Spring of 1813, and the number one priority for Daphne Bridgerton is to find an eligible husband. It isn’t that she isn’t liked by eligible bachelors in London, it’s just that she doesn’t like a lot of them.

Unlike the other young noble women in search of a husband, Daphne doesn’t like to play the games. Maybe it is because she is number four of eight children, she often is known for coming off as blunt and honest rather than being kind and silent as the other noble women.

Daphne’s unique personality, and being a part of the Bridgerton family allowed her to form a friendship with one of the most eligible men in London, Simon Bassett.

Simon Bassett’s title is the Duke of Hastings, which means he is one of the most desired men to marry. However Simon doesn’t wish to marry due to his feud with his father.

Simon is a complex character and he carries a lot of emotional baggage. His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and his father essentially abandoned him as a young boy.

Initially, Simon’s father was thrilled to finally have a male heir to continue the family name. But his excitement soon turns into resentment, when they realize that Simon doesn’t speak. It wasn’t until the age of four, that Simon was able to speak, but he did so with a stutter.

This resulted with Simon being ostracised from his father, and his father treating him as if he wasn’t ever born, even going so far as to say that he doesn’t have a son.

Despite these obstacles Simon dealt with at a young age, it gave Simon the drive and determination to prove his father wrong. Quickly Simon proves himself a worthy, smart, and capable child, even though his father remained ignorant of his son’s intelligence.

This caused more of a rift between Simon and his father. Resulting in Simon taking a vow to never marry, and ensuring that the Bassett family line ends with Simon. And Simon was very set on seeing his vow through, but all that takes a turn when Simon meets Daphne Bridgerton.

Bridgerton Character Overview

Daphne Bridgerton – The main character in book one. The oldest daughter of Violet Bridgerton, and the fourth child of the eight Bridgerton children. Her personality is very bright, witty, and blunt, which has made it difficult for her to find a husband.

Simon Basset –  The Duke of Hastings, one of, if not the most desirable eligible men in London. A mysterious man, who doesn’t open up about his family or his personal life. So much so that he has made it clear that he isn’t looking for a wife, but through a twist of fate started a friendship with Daphne Bridgerton.

Violet Bridgerton – The mother of the Bridgerton family, the Viscountess. The picture perfect image of a ‘love marriage’ and an ideal mother. Always kind, modest, and doing everything within her motherly power to ensure her children are good matches, and get matched with eligible spouses.

Antony Bridgerton – The eldest child of Violet Bridgerton, and the current Viscount of the Bridgerton household.

Jess’ Thoughts

Julia Quinn has an excellent writing style that captivates the audience, it makes for  a pretty easy read. I like how the Bridgerton book series has been structured, with one book given to each of the eight Bridgerton children.

Fun Fact: Each Bridgerton child is named alphabetically from A to H. Antony, Benedict, Collin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Greggory, and Hyacinth.

One of the best intros that I absolutely love is Lady Whistledown. Each chapter begins with a bit of her Society Papers, a gossip column discussing comings and goings, attachments, break ups, and everything one could wish to know about one’s friends and neighbours.

It’s not revealed in this novel who Lady Whistledown is. I have my suspicions and I may have to read the other Bridgerton novels for that reason alone.

It’s a clever way of adding an additional point of observation and an outsider’s perspective on the narrative. I really liked the drama and gossip of the book, and it’s definitely a great escapism with its humor and activities from just about all the characters. 

The Duke & I is centered around the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne. Whose primary focus is looking for a husband, so she can start her life and have the family she has always wanted.

I do like this style of writing, but I did feel like Daphne is a little winy, only thinking about what she wants.

The storyline goes back and forth between Daphne and Simon, with a strong emphasis on Daphne’s perspective. Going into more of what Daphne wants in her life over what Simon wants in his. This makes Daphne seem a little whiny, and needy.

Giving the readers some more interaction with Simon and others, could have helped with his character development, in helping him decide what he wanted in life. Additionally, it would have added a bit more plot and depth to Simon.

Personally, I would like to have seen more from the gun stand off between Daphne’s brother, Antony and Simon. Highlighting why it was happening in the first place. Those pages seemed rushed, and that they gave up and agreed quickly to make it all go away.

Now, I’m not saying this to say that I didn’t enjoy the book, but there wasn’t much substance to it. And by halfway through the book, there was too much Daphne, and not enough of other characters to help balance the story out.

I think at the halfway point Quinn should have put more of what Simon was going through in his head and how he was feeling with everything that was happening and his internal struggle though it.

Daphne and Simon had good banter together during their courting phase, but once they got married it seemed like it was just Daphne all the time and Simon took a back seat to the story. It felt too much like she was complaining about why they were not having children.

If there were more interactions with both Simon and Daphne out in public after their marriage, it could have helped dialogue between them about what they want, having children, etc.

Bridgerton Book 1: Jess’ Rating

There isn’t a whole lot of a plot in this book, you could almost tell what was going to happen prior to it happening. Daphne was the main character, and she was willing to do anything to get married and have a family.

I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars, mainly because I felt that Daphne was overly whiny and only cared about having kids. She didn’t feel the need to get to know more about why Simon didn’t want to have children.

I felt like after she finally got married she went straight into a role she was molded into then working on how to make everything work between them better. I would have liked to read more of what happened to Simon when he left for the month and what he was thinking. 

Instead of just him running away because he was scared of what would happen if he had a baby or not wanting it.

With the book, having just Simon and Daphne for so long made me lose interest in the book because there were no other characters other than the house staff and they didn’t talk to them very much.  They had great chemistry in the beginning of the book but as it went on it went down and then back up towards the end of the book. I felt like it didn’t keep them strong for half of the book.

I do believe the book suffered a little from being out of touch, and was lacking just a little bit more of the chemistry. They had great chemistry in the beginning of the book but as it went on it fell short because they were ‘forced’ together.

After they got married they had a great start and then they both killed it with their wants and not talking to each other about how they truly felt. But I do understand that in this time era they were not taught to show or communicate emotions well.

But even some of the stories that are set in that time have more going on in them. I think it needs more from the other characters to help pull more interest in it.

Simon and Daphne for the most part do have a loving relationship, but there were moments where he was rude in a way that made it harder for him to become likeable, even with his overall reasons for the way he acts.

It wasn’t just one thing, it was his actions. I think without the love of his mother and father, it was hard for him to show anyone love without fear of them abandoning him.

Notable Quotes from Bridgerton Book 1

Here are some of my favorite quotes from The Duke and I. They are all quotes from Lady Whistledown, because I absolutely love her whit.

“To say that men can be bull headed would be insulting to the bull.”
-Lady Whistledown (The Duke & I)

“Men are sheep. Where one goes, the rest will soon follow”
-Lady Whistledown (The Duke & I)

“Many women have been ruined by a single kiss.”
-Lady Whistledown (The Duke & I)

Continue The Bridgerton Series:

Book 2: The Viscount Who Loved Me
Book 3: An Offer From A Gentleman
Book 4: Romancing Mister Bridgerton
Book 5:To Sir Phillip With Love
Book 6: When He Was Wicked
Book 7: It’s In His Kiss
Book 8: On The Way To The Wedding

Prequels:
Because of Miss Bridgerton
First comes Scandal
Queen Charlotte

Sequels:
The Bridgerton’s Happily Ever After

More From Author – Julia Quinn

Smyth-Smith Quartet:
Book 1: Just Like Heaven
Book 2: A Night Like This
Book 3: The Sum of All Kisses
Book 4: The Secrets of Sir Richard

Brighter Than The Sun
Dancing At Midnight
Everything And The Moon
Four Weddings And A Sixpence
How To Marry A Marquis

And many more…