Our Hero

Name and rank: Lord Anthony Bridgerton – The titular Viscount

Age: 29

Backstory: Anthony was not quite 19 when his father died unexpectedly of anaphylactic shock as a result of an allergic reaction to a bee sting. This left young Anthony to take up Edmund’s responsibilities. He became the Viscount Bridgerton, and had a seat at Parliament. And became suddenly in charge of a rather extensive estate, with not just the family’s personal servants depending on him, but tenants and everything else that came with his title. But, perhaps the hardest for him to come to terms with was becoming the head of the family. A very large family, at that – his mother was pregnant with her eighth child.

Anthony idolized his father. And Edmund’s sudden death left him with some rather warped ideas. He never thought he could live up to his father, and certainly could never best him, in anything – not even years. So, by the time we meet him, he is rather convinced that he won’t live to see his 39th birthday. He knows that he needs to marry and provide an heir to the estate. But, after seeing what his father’s death did to his mother – combined with some slightly selfish ideas of what knowing that his time was to be cut short would do to him – he is determined not to have a love match. To that end, he sets his sights on 17 year old Edwina Sheffield. (Remember, this is Regency-era England. Her age, and their age difference, were not the problems back then that we would consider them now. That kind of age gap was fairly common.)

Our Heroine

Name and rank: Katharine “Kate” Sheffield (Sharma in the t.v. show). The daughter of a Baron’s second son.

Age: Turns 21 over the course of the story

Backstory: Kate is technically an orphan. Her mother died when she was three. She learns later on that she was there and saw it happen, and this is what has caused her debilitating fear of thunderstorms. Her father died when she was 16. But, she has her stepmother, Mary. Mary is far from the stereotypical “wicked stepmother”. She and Kate love each other very much, and they basically consider themselves mother and daughter. Their only concession to not being blood related is that Kate calls Mary by her given name. Mary married Kate’s father very soon after her mother’s death, because he didn’t know what to do with this little girl by himself and needed to give her a mother. They had a second daughter together – Edwina.

Edwina and Kate could not have been more different. Edwina is petite, delicate, soft-spoken (at least in company), and basically everything that most men of that period were looking for in a wife. Kate was tall, with features that could better be described as striking than delicate and “feminine”, and extremely opinionated. Due to their differences and the values of the time, Kate spent most of her life being overlooked in favor of her sister. Kate adores Edwina and has made it her mission in life to protect her, but she can’t help comparing herself unfavorably to her sister. She doesn’t really expect to marry.

The Set-up and Premise

Anthony and Kate meet at a ball, set up by Anthony’s matchmaking troll of a brother, Colin. Edwina has decreed that she cannot marry anyone her sister does not approve of. So, when Anthony decides he wants to marry Edwina, Colin informs him that he needs to meet her sister in order to gain that approval. It’s pretty much hate at first sight (honestly, before first sight – Kate had already formed an unfavorable opinion of him thanks to Lady Whistledown’s columns about him). Anthony makes an unfortunate blunder by telling Kate that she is “as lovely as your sister” – which was the one compliment Kate could never believe. And so begins a classic enemies to lovers romance. Kate and Anthony’s relationship is one of banter and barbs, interspersed with sweet moments. At no point do either of them seem to realize that for all Anthony claims to be courting Edwina, he’s really courting Kate. (Honestly, the first person to realize this seems to be Edwina, who becomes the biggest shipper on deck for these two idiots.)

My Ratings and Review

The Love Story

Okay, when rating and reviewing a romance novel, the biggest, most important thing is the love story, with the two main characters a close second. And this one is top notch. Kate and Anthony bring out the absolute best in each other. They grow together in a way that is absolutely beautiful to behold. They both have traumas in their pasts that make them genuinely think that love is not something that will ever happen for them. And, in Anthony’s case, isn’t even wanted. And then they meet someone who sees them for who they really are, and loves them. Not in spite of their faults, but because of them. Calling someone your soulmate, or the other half that makes you whole sounds like such a cliche. And yet, for these two that is exactly the feeling you get. That they were made for each other. Not just in the sense that this is a romance novel, and obviously the author created them to be together. But, that even in their universe, they were just… made for each other. There’s a line in a fanfic I read about them about all of Anthony’s holes and cracks were really just hand holds for Kate. And that is exactly the sense that you get of them. That they fill in each others’ holes and cracks and… make each other whole, to embrace the cliche. And the fact that the readers recognize this much sooner than they do makes it that much more delicious. I was really rooting for these two, even when I sometimes wanted to strangle them.

The Hero

Anthony is such a tortured soul. I found myself just wanting to hug him. But, he could also be such a bloody idiot, that I also wanted to strangle him. He could be cruel, there is no denying that. And arrogant. He was, after all, a product of his times. But, the thing is, he always felt remorse for his worst offenses, and apologized for them. I adored Anthony. He was a clueless idiot, who needlessly caused Kate pain. But, at the same time, he didn’t really know that he was hurting her. He grew throughout the story. Eventually becoming everything we knew he could be. He faced his trauma, and dealt with it and was a better man because of it.

The Heroine

Kate could be an idiot, too. She has a tendency towards forming snap judgements about people. Sometimes before even meeting them. She hated Anthony and dismissed him as a potential suitor for Edwina based on a gossip column, for instance. But, she really does love her sister, and just wants what’s best for her. To the point that when she realizes that she’s falling for Anthony, her reaction is to tell him that she’s withdrawing her objections to his courtship of Edwina. After all, she’s come to see that he’s a good man, who would make a good husband for some lucky woman. And since she has no reason to ever think she could possibly be that woman, why shouldn’t it be Edwina? And honestly, that pretty much sums her up. Selfless to the point of being a full-on martyr. Kate’s growth mostly consists of learning not to make such snap judgements, but more importantly to see her own worth. The first time Anthony calls her beautiful, she freaks out, thinking that he’s thinking of someone else while making love to her. Eventually, with Anthony’s help, she comes to see her own worth and believe that he, at least, truly does find her beautiful and perfect. Kate is funny, and believable. I really liked her.

The Secondary Characters

This book is very much focused on Kate and Anthony. There are no real subplots or side plots. That being said, some of the side characters were quite memorable.

Starting with Colin “you simply must meet her sister” Bridgerton, the matchmaking troll. Colin cracks me up. He is just that perfect annoying little brother that has you wondering if maybe fratricide should be legal. In addition to arranging Kate and Anthony’s initial meeting, he is involved in the Pall Mall game that is just comedy gold from start to finish. But, he just has this boyish charm that makes you love him – even while his older brother is standing there thinking that if fratricide isn’t legal it damn well should be.

Edwina seems like sunshine and rainbows. But, you definitely get a sense that this girl has a backbone of steel, and you probably don’t want to cross her. And she is completely devoted to Kate. She’s sweet, and she’s fun. And I honestly hope that her finding her own fairy tale romance is one of the subplots for season 2 of the show. Because I need more of her.

Newton Sheffield. Probably actually the third most important character in the book. Newton is Kate’s very overweight corgi. Newton steals absolutely every scene he is in and is a total delight.

Mary Sheffield is Kate’s stepmother. Though, neither of them ever really make that distinction, except sometimes while making introductions. She loves Kate like her own, and is just as determined to see her married well and happily as Edwina. And, honestly, that was refreshing to see. So many stories that give the heroine a stepmother go for the stereotype. Seeing the genuine love between all three Sheffield women was just so beautiful.

While most of the secondary characters weren’t really all that fleshed out, they did have their own personalities and mannerisms, and came to life on the page. And Kate’s and Anthony’s relationships with their families are almost as important as their relationship with each other. And, any time there is more than one Bridgerton in a scene, be prepared to laugh at their antics.

The Story And Writing

Okay, with how much I gushed about the love story, and Kate, Anthony, and the other characters, is it any surprise that I absolutely love this book? This book is the reason that I’m currently on a Historical Romance kick – and trying my hand at writing one, may the Gods save us all. But, this is where I have some nitpicks. Kate’s real trauma of spending her entire life feeling second-best, plain, and just… not marriage material is not given the attention it deserved. More time is spent dealing with her phobia. Which, does serve a purpose. One of the best, most iconic scenes in the book – the moment that Kate and Anthony truly bond and get close – is a direct result of that phobia. But, I think that there should have been more about her inferiority complex and self-esteem issues. They were dealt with a bit too easily.

The other thing that came too easily was Kate’s forgiveness. Anthony leaves her. And it takes only one heartfelt speech – give while she was either in excruciating pain or high on laudanum – for everything to be made right. While that speech was beautiful. I think it should have taken more than that to fix the mistakes he had made. The resolution was a bit rushed, in my opinion.

Final analysis

A truly epic love story. A hero worth swooning over. A relatable heroine. Interesting side characters. A few nitpicks about certain issues not being given the full focus they deserved. But, all in all, an amazing book. I read it twice in 2021, and will probably read it again right before season 2 of the show comes out. Highly recommended.

4.5 out of 5 stars. Docked half a star for the rushed resolution and not enough time spent letting Kate deal with her real trauma.