With its fancy clothes, sprawling estates, and gasp-worthy drama all set to a backdrop of gossip and scandal, the Bridgerton series is an absolute delight for regency fans. Many people have gobbled up the books and the Netflix series alike! But what if you need something to tide you over while you wait for new installments? Here are just a few binge-worthy books like Bridgerton.
1. Mr. Malcolm’s List
In this delightful romp, a well-to-do gentleman is searching for a wife who fulfills a long list of qualifications. However, he winds up meeting his match — a woman who does not care about what he’s written on a scrap of paper.
You can consider Selina as her successor if you admire Daphne’s spunk in Bridgerton. Malcolm is also a dashing romantic hero that will make you sigh just like Simon. You’ll have fun in the world of Mr. Malcolm’s List!
2. A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby
Can’t get enough of dreamy dukes? While it’s hard to beat the sexiness of Simon Basset, you’ll fall in love with the hero of A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby.
He becomes the guardian of the widowed heroine’s young son. Together, they navigate the perils of forced proximity until it grows into something more. This book is a bit more raw and emotional than the Bridgerton series, but it has the same formula.
3. Bringing Down the Duke
The best books like Bridgerton don’t neglect the social dynamics of their love stories. Class and gender barriers are part of why regency romances are so addictive in the first place!
Thankfully, Bringing Down the Duke embraces its genre conventions. The book stars a heroine who wants an education at Oxford University and a hero who doesn’t believe that women should be admitted to the class of 1879. As you might imagine, sparks fly when the two meet, and their growing attraction winds up changing them both.
4. Devil’s Bride
Devil’s Bride is a page-turner that combines love, mystery, and murder. The governess, the heroine, is caught in bed with an infamous playboy, but she’s determined not to accept his marriage proposal just because society expects it.
Instead, she devotes her energy to solving a crime within his equally-infamous family, and little does she know that she’s going to find romance along with a killer. Devil’s Bride is funny and sexy by turns, so it’ll be a great way to pass the time after all of the steam of Bridgerton.
5. The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke
If you love the push-and-pull dynamic of Simon and Daphne, you’re going to swoon over George and Emma’s funny, quippy, and turbulent relationship. Both characters come to the relationship with a list of demands. It’s only after they get to know each other that they start to see the vulnerability beneath their facades. If you want books similar to the Bridgerton series that you can cheer on the main couple, The Duchess Deal will be your bread and butter.
6. The Rejected Suitor
If you’re tired of dukes, how about trying an earl? The Rejected Suitor follows the dreamy romance of Lady Emily Clearbrook and Jared, Earl of Stonebridge.
She is tired of marriage prospects imposed on her by her brothers; he’s running from his past, including a past with Miss Clearbrook herself. You see, they used to be in love, but he abruptly rejected her and abandoned her for another woman. Why did he break her heart? What will happen when they meet again? You’ll have to read this charming, Regency-era romance to find out!
7. To Have and to Hoax: A Novel
Five years ago, they wed after a whirlwind romance. Today, they can’t stand each other, and they’re playing increasingly elaborate games where they fake injuries and scandals as petty forms of revenge.
To Have and To Hoax is just as ridiculous as it sounds, but that’s the fun of it! It’s a guilty pleasure novel that’ll leave you laughing out loud with every new twist and turn. This is one of those books like Bridgerton series in terms of heart, humor, flirtation, and pages of bickering. It’s also set in regency-era England, so if you’re longing to return to the world of Bridgerton, it can satisfy the craving.
8. The Magpie Lord: A Charm of Magpies Book 1
The Magpie Lord is a rare novel: a gay regency romance. It’s just as compelling as its counterparts. It also follows the usual romance tropes, including a handsome earl returning from exile and falling in love with the last person he’d expect.
In this case, his love interest just so happens to be a male magician enlisted to help him solve his family’s murder. The Magpie Lord can be a breath of fresh air in a sometimes-stagnant genre. It can also be used to celebrate LGBT voices in a way that lives up to Bridgerton’s diversity.
9. The Night Circus Paperback
Dark and enchanting, The Night Circus is a bit like a magical version of Romeo and Juliet. The main characters are both part of rival spell-casting families. Although they were raised to be enemies, they fall in love instead.
This leads to a domino effect on this destiny, and the result is a high-stakes game of power and control that’s filled with duels, curses, kisses, and more. If you live for the dramatic cliffhangers of Bridgerton just as much as the love scenes, you’ll probably like The Night Circus.
10. Red, White & Royal Blue: A Novel
Red, White & Royal Blue is fueled by themes of self-discovery even as it explores all of the usual tropes of romance novels. The main characters are the Prince of Wales and the “First Son” of the United States. After years of altercations between the two, their families stage a fake friendship for good PR. What happens next? Fake feelings turn into real ones, of course. It’s a relationship straight out of Bridgerton, but it has a more modern setting, and it also provides some much-needed representation for gay men in the romance genre. Give it a shot!
11. The Paris Wife: A Novel
The Paris Wife could be considered a piece of historical fiction since it tells the story of Hadley, Ernest Hemmingway’s first wife. However, you don’t need to know anything about the real-life author to enjoy this glitzy romantic adventure set during the Jazz Age of 1920s Paris. Though it’s set in a different period, it’s one of those books similar to Bridgerton in terms of elaborate and fanciful settings that will transport you to a whole new world. You’ll be able to dive into loves, losses, intrigues, and heartbreaks with a splendor that unfolds on every stage.
Conclusion
These are just a few books like Bridgerton that can satisfy your appetite for what’s to come. Who knows? You might even find a new favorite series while you wait for the continuing dramas, perils, and love triangles as penned by Lady Whistledown!
Prices last updated on 2022-09-10
