Dearest gentle readers, Neflix’s Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 just dropped, and if you’re anything like us, you devoured it like it was the last few biscuits at a particularly delectable high tea. With a long month free of our favorite darling debutantes, dashing rakes, and scheming mamas in front of us, we must find ways to fill the void. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of books like Bridgerton to tide you over! So pour a cup of your finest tea, put on your dressing gown, and prepare to spend the month reading your way through our lengthy list of books like Bridgerton.
If you’re enamored with historical romance, here are more books like Bridgerton…
Spindle Cove series by Tessa Dare
If you’re longing for a book featuring the sort of “unconventional” young ladies Eloise and Kate would adore, and the charming men who capture their hearts, look no further than the Spindle Cove series, starting with A Night to Surrender.
This series gives readers a cast of women in Regency Era England deemed “troublesome” by their families, and the men who invade their peaceful haven. Ideals clash and passions rise in this series of interconnected historical romances, and it feels like this world could exist in tandem with that of the Bridgertons and Featheringtons.
Ana María and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa
The first book in historical romance author Liana De la Rosa’s new The Luna Sisters series, Ana María and the Fox is a story of forbidden love between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician from the Victorian era.
Ana María as an eldest sister and heiress gives us major Daphne vibes. This series will switch focus to sisters Isabel and Gabby in the same way the Bridgerton series highlights a new family member each season/book. The second book, Isabel and the Rogue, which releases in June, reminds us immediately of a certain favorite wallflower!
Literally Anything by Jane Austen
Would we even be talking about books like Bridgerton if we didn’t mention Jane Austen? The matriarch of Regency Romance, Austen wrote of love and life in Regency England, and of women striving to press up against societal norms while under immense pressure to stay within them. From Pride and Prejudice to Persuasion, Austen’s books laid the groundwork for Bridgerton, and for every other book listed here.
Dearest gentle readers, we have Whistledown-worthy gossip to share! Are you as obsessed with LitJoy’s Pride and Prejudice Special Edition as we are? A little birdy told us that a restock will be happening soon. Be sure to join our mailing list at the bottom of this post to be the first to hear more…
If you love Bridgerton because they’re interconnected standalone romances…
The Wedding Date series by Jasmine Guillory
What in modern times could come closer to a Bridgerton-style ball than a wedding? Add in the fake girlfriend trope and long distance love you find in The Wedding Date, and we are so in. Guillory’s series of interconnected standalones bring together unlikely pairings, often tossing them into intense (and sometimes hilarious) situations.
Guillory writes about strong, empowered, independent women that we love to root for! Plus, just like in Bridgerton, amidst all the steamy fun and misunderstandings, we get to watch love bloom. This six-book series will be more than enough while we wait for the ton to return…
Part of Your World series by Abby Jimenez
Do you love all the banter, romance, and intrigue of Bridgerton! Then you’ll love the Part of Your World series by Abby Jimenez.
We may have come forward in time, but Jimenez shows that societal pressures and classism still exist and deeply impact her main characters’ budding romances. Jimenez doesn’t shy away from heavier topics in this series, showing that romance and passion can grow amidst struggles, and that love truly does conquer all. Book 3 of this series, Just for the Summer, released in April!
Big Shots series by Tessa Bailey
Tessa Bailey is a romance genre darling, and we feel the Bridgertons themselves would support starting her Big Shots series of scorching sports rom coms, what with their competitive streak in their yearly game of pall-mall.
Fangirl Down, the first book in the series, is steamy, hilarious, and makes golf seem downright hot! The Au Pair Affair features the story of a side character from book one, and switches us over to the realm of professional hockey. Yum. Book 2 releases in July and the LitJoy Edition will be available to preorder on June 3!.
Love the look of LitJoy’s special edition of Fangirl Down? Snag it while it’s still available in our shop!
If you love Bridgerton but wish it had magic…
Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall
Have you ever thought of how amazing it would be if you took historical romance books like Bridgerton and added magic?
Alexis Hall did, and the result is pure delight! We’ll just put this here from the blurb: “It is the year 1814 and life for a young lady of good breeding has many difficulties. There are balls to attend, fashions to follow, marriages to consider and, of course, the tiny complication of existing in a world swarming with fairy spirits, interfering deities, and actual straight-up sorcerers.”
Clearly this magical sapphic romance is the perfect choice to distract us this month. Book 2 releases in August!
Regency Faerie Tales series by Olivia Atwater
Half a Soul, the first book in Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series, has been touted as Bridgerton meets Howl’s Moving Castle—and we are so in! Book one follows Theodora Ettings, a debutante under a faerie curse.
Navigating the marriage mart is hard enough for any young woman, let alone one with a meddlesome mother and only half a soul. With magical nods to favorite fairy tales and all the charm of books like Bridgerton, historical romance and fantasy lovers alike will want to add this series to their TBR!
Dangerous Damsels series by India Holton
If you’re in the mood for a whimsical series of historical fantasy romcoms featuring unconventional women and charming rogues, look no further than India Holton’s Dangerous Damsels series!
Having been introduced to historical romance through Julia Quinn’s novels, Holton puts her own decidedly chaotic and delightfully hilarious twist on the genre. From flying houses to falling for pirates, this series is said to balance magic, wit, and steam in a way that works beautifully. It all starts with The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels, and we think Lady Whistledown herself would approve!
If you wish Bridgerton was available in YA…
My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
This Young Adult story takes us on a ride to the past to unite a young Mary Shelley, future author of Frankenstein, with Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, for an (almost) historical rollick of magic and whimsy.
When fate connects the two masterminds, they learn that they're fae—magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. Of course, chaos ensues. The historical aspect mixed with the touches of magic and humor blend into something we think a young Eloise or Penelope would delight in reading!
Check out the stunning hot pink stained edges on the LitJoy Edition of My Imaginary Mary, and grab it before it’s gone!
The Selection series by Kiera Cass
Love the royal romance aspects of Bridgerton? The Selection series would be the perfect YA read to tide you over!
A commoner entering a competition to marry the prince and become Queen? Say less! The Selection series carries all the royal drama of Bridgerton with a dash of that YA Romance love triangle angst, and the result is utterly bingeable. The original series is a trilogy, and a duology follows—we recommend grabbing the set, because these books go down like candy!
Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar
While Julia Quinn was penning her Bridgerton series in the world of historical romance, Cecily von Ziegesar was taking the upper YA world by storm with her own gossip monger-based book, Gossip Girl. If you think Lady Whistledown goes for the throat, just wait and see the types of technological takedowns Gossip Girl instigates over the teens of the Upper East Side.
This thirteen-book series may take place far from the Regency balls of London, but the similarities are there in the sparkling parties and mean-girl banter. Plus, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen absolutely would’ve battled to be named the season’s diamond! XOXO, Gossip Girl
We couldn’t discuss books like Bridgerton without mentioning the series itself, could we?!
Julia Quinn’s stunning series is the basis for our beloved show, and we highly recommend reading them if you haven’t! Plus you can dive deeper into the world of Bridgerton through Quinn’s writing, as she has written more series in the world, including the Rokesby series and the Smythe-Smith Quartet. Quinn and Shonda Rhimes also co-authored a novel version of our beloved Netflix series Queen Charlotte.
We hope we’ve helped in your search for books like Bridgerton! With this many romantic, charming, funny, and even magical books to read, time will fly between now and the release of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 on June 13! Comment what you'll be reading below...
Yours Truly,
Okay, we’re not Lady Whistledown…but we can dream!
