Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton, the third son in the Bridgerton family, is unmarried at 33.

In the fourth book in the Bridgertons series, Penelope Featherington is a spinster at 28. She has been in love with the third Bridgerton son, Colin, for years and has never told anyone -- including her best friend Eloise Bridgerton.

The book begins with the end of book 3, where Penelope overhears Colin telling his brothers that he would never marry her. The novel skips ahead several years to Eloise and Penelope in their late twenties as spinsters in the Regency era. Penelope and Eloise enjoy the freedoms afforded to them now that their mothers are resigned to the fact that neither girl will be married.

Colin Bridgerton is amiable towards Penelope but has never shown a romantic interest in her. When Penelope happens upon Colin's journals, she encourages him and urges him to publish his writing. Colin discovers Penelope's greatest secret and it leads them to a marriage proposal.

Because their relationship is a slow burn, Colin and Penelope's story lacks the heat and urgency of the former Bridgertons novels in the first half of the book. The plot seems formulaic, plodding away to force Colin and Penelope together. Once Colin and Penelope are engaged, the romance portion of the novel is more standard. The book's main shocker is the reveal of Penelope's secret, which you already know if you've watched season 1 of Bridgerton on Netflix.

Recommended for fans of the series.

Julia Quinn studied art history at Harvard. She wrote her first books while waiting to get into medical school, then gave up school to write. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Series: Bridgertons, #4

Publisher: Avon (print); Recorded Books (audio)

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Running Time: 13 hours, 17 minutes

Length: 496 pages

Release Date: 2002