The appeal of the regency period as depicted in books like Bridgerton is astronomical. This is shown with the high acclaim the series has achieved on screens with its Shondaland adaptation and the sales on bookstore shelves.
There is an allure with the contrast between the rigid rules of high society, and the carnal desire that fuels these regency romances. It is underlined with iconic lines such as “I burn for you” and “You vex me.”
Historical romances have a steady tempo of plot points that means readers know what to expect, and delight in those expectations. This list of 13 romance books like Bridgerton will have dukes and rakes aplenty along with fiery and bookish female leads alike.
About the Bridgerton Books
If you’re looking for books like Bridgerton, then hopefully you’ve already sought out the original books by Julia Quinn. However if you haven’t, then you should read more about all the Julia Quinn books.
The first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, was published in 2000. So, it may be that you have been a fan of these regency romances since then. But the Shondaland adaptation on Netflix saw a huge surge in book sales for the series. This introduced thousands of new fans to the books.
The first season premiered in December 2020, and the resulting sales boom saw a print book shortage, pushing readers to buy the e-book versions. Quinn’s e-book sales grew more than 8,000 percent comparing January 2020 to January 2021.
There are eight novels in the Bridgerton series and each one follows a new member of the Bridgerton family. Quinn uses beloved tropes such as fake dating, relationships of convenience, and enemies-to-lovers with her characters. Throughout each book there are dramatic moments which put the happiness of each couple at risk, but as is the case in the romance genre, the happily-ever-after is assured.
Bridgerton’s mainstream popularity has seen more people than ever turning to the historical romance genre. Thankfully there are a large number of prolific authors in the genre for readers to turn to next.
Books Like Bridgerton
Many romance series feature books which interconnect through shared themes or secondary characters. In the Bridgerton books, each book follows a new family member’s love story, while the previous and future protagonists take supporting roles. This is the case for many of the below book recommendations.
Some of the below books like Bridgerton follow a particular family or group of friends. All of the recommendations below, however, are the first books in their respective series. While it is not always necessary to read romance series in order, it is the recommended order in most cases if you wish to read the whole series.
In reading the books in order of publication, you will experience the proper introduction of characters and overarching plot points. The below books feature relationships of convenience, conflicting family betrothals, and a whole host of other favorite tropes.
13. Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy
Starting off this list of books like Bridgerton is the first book in the Clandestine Affairs series by Diana Quincy: Her Night with the Duke. Like the second season of the Bridgerton show and Anthony’s book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, this historical romance book involves a complicated family situation.
Lady Delilah Chambers was shocked when she found herself needing to fight off a group of miscreants, but thankfully a handsome stranger was there to lend her a hand. Sparks immediately fly between the two, so they indulge in one reckless night together.
Then the very next day they meet again. Except Delilah is even more shocked to discover her handsome knight in shining armor is the Duke of Huntington, the man her stepdaughter is set to marry. The duke, Elliot Townsend, is still on a high from their unforgettable night together when his preconceived notion of what dowagers look like goes up in smoke after their proper introduction.
Leela and Hunt decide to keep their night in the past and behave like adults, but some passions refuse to dampen.
12. A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase
A Duke in Shining Amor is the first book in the Difficult Dukes series by Loretta Chase. This series is perfect if you love rapscallion figures who live by their own moral code, but are trying to do the right thing when it comes to one woman. Think Michael Stirling before he saw Francesca Bridgerton.
Hugh Ancaster is the seventh Duke of Ripley and he is trying to do the right thing for the first time. Lady Olympia Hightower is betrothed to his best friend, but she has run off, so Ripley is merely trying to bring her back to her bridegroom and his friend.
Meanwhile, the bookish Olympia doesn’t understand the how or why of her recent betrothal. Her family might be ecstatic, but society is just as confused as her, so Olympia finds herself making a getaway. Or at least trying, because Ripley is right behind her every move.
11. Slightly Married by Mary Balogh
Fans of the Bridgertons will adore the Bedwyn family. Slightly Married is the first book in the Bedwyn Saga and just like the Bridgerton books, if you want to experience everything about this family in the proper order you should read this book first before reading the rest of the series by Mary Balogh in order.
There are six Bedwyn siblings, and the first book follows the second son, Aidan. Despite his natural aversion to marriage, Aidan has a passionate and loyal heart. Which is why the colonel lord finds himself at Ringwood Manor to grant a dying soldier’s last wish.
Aidan promised that he would take care of the soldier’s sister, but the woman he encounters isn’t so easily swayed. She is fierce, headstrong, and determined to refuse his protection until a family member threatens to turn her out onto the street. Reluctantly Eve accepts Aidan’s gallant proposal, but after a single touch, both of them feel sparks far beyond their proposed business arrangement.
10. Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen
The tenth title on our list of books like Bridgerton is about yet another duke similar to the Duke of Hastings. Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen is the first book in the Season for Sandal series.
Captain Maximus Harcourt is the tenth Duke of Alderidge and quite unconventional. Aboard his ship he can handle anything Mother Nature or pirates throws at him, but when he returns to London he walks in on something altogether more difficult for him to tackle on his own.
His sister is missing and tied to her bed is a quite naked, and quite dead, earl.
So Max turns to Ivory Moore to help him with this scandal. She is known throughout the city for handling the most difficult of scandals through her job at Chegarre & Associates. Max has never met a women with her nerve, or her eyes, or her allure. To him, she is somehow flawless.
9. Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas
Lisa Kleypas is a prolific romance author with multiple historical series that are perfect for fans of the Bridgerton books. Cold-Hearted Rake is the first book in The Ravenels series, which follows the eccentric Ravenel family.
Devon Ravenel is a charming scoundrel who has just been bestowed an earldom, which unfortunately brings with it more responsibility and surprises. Some of which include the amount of debt that comes with the estate, and the women who are still living in the late earl’s house. They are the former earl’s three sisters and Lady Kathleen Trenear, a beautiful young widow.
There is an immediate attraction between Kathleen and Devon. She doesn’t want to trust him, or surrender her heart, but both of their walls are crumbling down.
8. A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres
This is the only standalone title on our list of books like Bridgerton, although there is a companion novella. A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres also takes place in a very different locale and time period, but there are aspects of the book that will be a delight for fans of Bridgerton and Lady Whistledown.
It takes place in Arroyo Blanco in 1911. Emilia Cruz agrees to attend a party with her sister, where she meets the popular author Ruben Torres. Emilia never anticipated he would be there, or that he would critique the sinful serial she secretly writes under a moniker. No one except her sister knows Emilia is the author for fear of the potential scandal.
Meanwhile, Torres has secretly begun editing the gossip paper that publishes Emilia’s writings. He has writer’s block in the face of his second book, and the editing passes the time. But as the popular serial sells more and more papers, Torres will do anything to find out who is the mysterious author.
7. My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid
Our next recommendation for books like Bridgerton is the first in the Sinful Wallflowers series. My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid combines two tropes from the popular Bridgerton series: A relationship of convenience, but also a woman hiding behind missives with a new identity.
To save her family from financial ruin, Miss Katherine Danvers transforms into Kitty Danvers and alleges a betrothal to the reclusive Duke of Thornton, Alexander Masters. It was only supposed to be a ruse to ensure good marriages for her sisters, but then he finds out.
Ten years ago, Alexander left town after a tragic accident put him in a wheelchair. Society and the woman he loved spurned him, leaving him jaded. But then he learns about a woman and his apparent engagement, which brings him back to town and in a clashing battle of wits and wills.
His heart has been in exile for years, but now he burns for Miss Danvers.
6. While the Duke Was Sleeping by Sophie Jordan
This is the first book in The Rogue Files series, which are companion books to Sophie Jordan’s The Debutante Files. Just like The Viscount Who Loved Me, While the Duke Was Sleeping deals with the messy entanglement of love and siblings, but with a twist.
Poppy Fairchurch has always had eyes for the Duke of Autenberry. As a working class woman, earning her living in a shop, she knows it is a fruitless crush, but that doesn’t stop her from dreaming. Then, the man of her dreams is nearly run down by a carriage, saved by Poppy herself.
When the duke falls into a coma, Poppy gets mistaken for his fiancée by everyone except one man: Struan Mackenzie, his illegitimate half-brother.
Struan knows outsiders of the ton. Despite becoming one of the richest men in Britain, he is an outsider himself, which is how he knows Poppy is lying. There is no way his haughty half-brother would marry someone from the working class. No matter how charming or tempting she is…
5. The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan
Our next recommendation for books like Bridgerton is the first in a series of which only one has been published, at least so far. The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan isn’t just a steamy romance from a well-respected author in the genre, but it also brings more representation, just like the Bridgerton show, into a genre that can often be single-faceted.
The first book in the Wedgeford Trials series features the tropes of childhood sweethearts to lovers and second chances.
Chloe Fong has absolutely no time for nonsense. She has a plan for her life and lists to get her there. It was three years ago that she told Jeremy Wentworth to grow up, and then he disappeared.
But now he’s back. Her childhood sweetheart is the Duke of Lansing and he has returned to win Chloe’s heart, except being serious has never been compatible with his personality. So, he wants to convince Chloe that while he is mischievous, his love for her runs true.
Then he needs to admit he’s been keeping a few secrets from her. Like his title, his real name, and that he owns the entire village.
4. The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard
The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard is the first book in the Regency Rogues series, which was formerly the Everleigh Sisters series. If you enjoyed the fairy tale retelling themes of Benedict’s book, An Offer From a Gentleman, then you will love this Beauty and the Beast retelling.
This endearing Regency romance will delight fans of Bridgerton with its relationship of convenience growing to something neither person could have anticipated.
The duke in this book is Lord Nathaniel Harte, Duke of Beswick. His scarred face has left him with a bitter view of the world and society, so he spends his time snarling and smashing plates.
Then Lady Astrid Everleigh enters his life with a scandalous proposal. Astrid will do anything to protect her sister, including proposing a marriage of convenience to the Beast of Beswick.
The fiery proximity between Astrid and Nate will melt down his walls and ignite a passion neither of them could have expected.
3. The Trouble with Dukes by Grace Burrowes
The next recommendation on our list of books like Bridgerton follows another family. The Trouble with Dukes by Grace Burrowes is the first book in the Windham Brides series, which is a spin-off from the Windham series. Each book in the Windham Brides series follows a different Windham sister.
Megan Windham is the sister in question in The Trouble with Dukes. Most see the Duke of Murdoch as a brute and a murderer, but Megan sees something more in Hamish.
Hamish MacHugh, a soldier, is facing a new battlefield: A season in London. But he wants his sisters to be happy, so he’ll even let Megan, their friend, teach him how to waltz. Hamish also sees something more in Megan: A battle she is fighting.
He soon finds himself captivated by her, willing to become a warrior once more, and even potentially lose his heart.
2. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
The first book in the Love By Numbers series by Sarah MacLean features an arrangement of convenience that turns into something much more. This book is reminiscent of The Duke and I, while also being full of enticing banter.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake introduces Lady Calpurnia Hartwell, a woman who has always abided by the rules of polite society. Those rules have left her unmarried and feeling as if she is missing out on life. So, Callie makes a list of everything a proper lady shouldn’t do, and prepares to tick every one off.
But she’ll need an accomplice to sneak into clubs and a willing partner to dance with her. Gabriel St. John knows a lot about breaking rules. The Marquess of Ralson has a dangerous reputation, which makes him the perfect candidate.
So long as neither of them breaks the most important rule: Do not fall in love.
1. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
Tessa Dare is another prolific author who has multiple books that will satisfy fans of Bridgerton. The Duchess Deal is the first book in her Girl Meets Duke series, which features a marriage of convenience. There are similarities to Eloise’s story, To Sir Phillip, With Love, in this book.
The Duke of Ashbury returned from war a changed man. His inclination is to brood and glower through his days, but he needs an heir quickly.
When Emma Gladstone shows up in his library in a wedding gown, his decision is made. She will be his wife. It doesn’t matter that she is the daughter of a vicar and a seamstress. He proposes a marriage of convenience to produce an heir with strict rules not to ask about his battle scars.
Emma initially refuses him, but upon arriving back to her small quarters decides to counter-offer his proposal. If he wants a wife in his bed at night, they must dine together each evening. She isn’t a pushover, and once she learns more about the duke, neither can stop her heart from falling in love.
Final thoughts on books like Bridgerton
Fans of either the original Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn or the equally popular Shondaland adaptation, will adore these regency romance books like Bridgerton. Whether you fell for the era of Bridgerton, with its balls, banquets, and carefully guarded etiquette or the endearing tropes, there will be a book on this list, or several, for you to pick up next.
- The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare (2017)
- Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (2010)
- The Trouble with Dukes by Grace Burrowes (2016)
- The Beast of Beswick by Amalie Howard (2019)
- The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan (2020)
- While the Duke Was Sleeping by Sophie Jordan (2016)
- My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid (2019)
- A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres (2015)
- Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas (2015)
- Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen (2016)
- Slightly Married by Mary Balogh (2003)
- A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase (2017)
- Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy (2020)