What to Read After The Bridgerton Series…

<— This Netflix series (adapted from the original book series) is ALL THE RAGE right now and has taken our romance book lovers by storm! So I posted the series reading order (including the prequels-spinoff & novellas) so that we could devour them to our hearts content. But… we needed even more. 😉 Hence this new list!

Jan: Wow. The Duke and I (Bridgerton) is currently #1 in amazon kindle Australia store. Book 2 is at number 4, and three of the other books are up there in the rankings too. It’s been a popular series of books ever since it came out, but the netflix series is obviously bringing it to a whole new group of readers. Yay for historical romance!

Heather: I loved the Netflix version! Will have to try the books!

Michelle: Love it! Now I’m reading Duke and I, and I’m loving it.. I highly recommend both

Teri: This Netflix series is sooooo good!

Anjanette: I’ve been waiting for you to co-sign this Maryse

Nichole: Thank you!!

Anastasia: Saw the series and have now started the book

Maryse: FUN FACT GUYS!! Did you know author Melody Grace is one of the writers on the Netflix series??? HOLY. MOLY. She talks about it right here (and how she got that gig). 😀

Yep! More indeed… ’cause wouldn’t you know it, I’ve been asked for a “What to Read After…” list by my wonderful friend, author JB Salsbury.

JB Salsbury: Which book reviewers are posting the “What to Read After Bridgeton” list?  Maryse’s Book Blog

…….. help me.

Maryse: Well… I do already have this list that might help. But I’m on it. 

Danielle: Ty! I’ve been trying to find some books!

Maryse: This list is going to be AWESOME!! I’m adding more to it right now. 

Let’s focus this list on specifically this “feel” We have some hardcore Historical Romance lovers in our book crew who have just the thing!

Maryse: Okay so I’ve been asked for a “What to Read After Bridgertons” and so since I’m not a huge Historical Romance buff, I thought I’d ask my fellow HR enthusiasts here… like… Jan? 😉

Anyone have series that they’d recommend in this same feel or “addictiveness”?

READER RECOMMENDATIONS:

Mony: I bow to Jan in all matters HR….My recommendations may not always have dukes…but they do have wonderful “alpha-rakes” (is that a word?)

I wonder if Jan would think that as a series, the Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas, might be a good choice? Some have dukes. I’ve only read Chasing Cassandra & it was very good (4-star)

A more modern and entertaining story with women’s equality thrown in is Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women, #1) by Evie Dunmore. (4-star) The series continues with A Rogue of One’s Own & Portrait of a Scotsman.

Some HR favourites are Love in the Afternoon (The Hathaways #5) and Devil in Winter (Wallflowers #3) by Lisa Kleypas. Both 5-star. Many of my reader friends have enjoyed both the Hathaways and the Wallflowers series.

If readers want to change it up with some fantastic Highlander HR books, Julie Garwood is my favourite highlander author. The Bride and The Wedding (Lairds’ Fiancées series) and The Secret and Ransom (Highlands’ Lairds series). Should also mention singles: Saving Grace; and The Prize. All 5-stars

Robyn: OMG!!! The Bride by Julie Garwood!! I loved this book soooo much I named my son after the H. One-click! …Julie Garwood is like the HR Godess!

Tessa: The Bride by Julie Garwood! *squee* My first romance! That will always have a special spot in my heart.

Although not a duke story, True Story (Deverells #1) by Jayne Fresina is very good, sexy & unique – and for Jan & me, it was a best read for 2020. 5-star (Maryse, my 2020 best reads still to come 😉) The Deverell series has several books and covers True’s many children (haven’t read these).

Happy HR reading!

Jan: …the Deverell series. Quirky, interesting and different from the usual “dukes” type of thing. The first one is True Story. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m a bit over dukes. LOL. I mean, come on, how many hot, hunky young dukes can there really be in historical romancelandia? There has to be a limit……..

Jan: Mony you have recommended some great choices there. Other HR authors that are perhaps in the same lighter vein as the Bridgertons:

Tessa Dare’s books are very popular e.g. Girl Meets Duke series. Also Eloisa James e.g. Wildes of Lindow Castle series.

Some of my personal favs have already been mentioned by Mony. I absolutely love Lisa Kleypas e.g. Wallflowers series, Hathaways series, Ravenels series.

Harper: My favorite HR series is The Hathaways by Lisa Kleypas, especially books 1 and 2. Very steamy and well written.

Mony: Thanks Harper – haven’t read those two yet…

Lynn: Definitely the Wallflowers series by Lisa Kleypas! Soooo good!

Stephanie: agreed!

Sue: I love this series!!!

I’m currently reading the Mackenzies and Macbrides series by Jennifer Ashley. Set in Victorian-era England and Scotland, about a family of Scots and their romances. Lovely.

Mony: Yes, I loved The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie (Mackenzies & McBrides #1) by Jennifer Ashley!

Olivia: Whitney My Love and 2nd book Until You by Judith McNaught is AMAZING as well. They are both Dukes who fall for simply heroines. Something Wonderful and Once and Always are amazing by her as well! Historical romance

Chelle: Don’t forget Kirstin Vayden’s series, too!

Lissa: Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green series

Jan: Pennyroyal Green series by Julie Anne Long (who has also written some nice CRs btw). Like any series, some of the books are better than others. But I just read two back-to-back and they were both crackers so I thought I’d share. It Happened One Midnight, and Between The Devil and Ian Eversea.

Both really lovely love stories, with interesting characters who aren’t the usual cliche.

I think you could read either of them as standalones if you don’t want to tackle the whole lot (11 books plus a novella – eep!)

Jackie: Gaelen Foley’s Knight Miscellany series reminds me A LOT of the Bridgerton’s. The first one is titled “The Duke”, and it follows the Knight family throughout the series, each sibling getting their own book.

Lissa: great series!

Skye: …there’s Lord of Ice by Gaelen Foley. An oldie but goodie 🙂

Jan: Lady of Desire by Gaelen Foley. …I love the H – Billy Blade is awesome – hunky, fierce and tattooed but also a deeply caring and compassionate person. *happy sigh*

Diana: if u like historical fiction… I’m a stan for anything Julie Garwood, Lisa Kleypas, Judith McNaught, etc. I’ve read them all multiple times, so I’m biased.

Nancy L: The first series that captured my attention was The Cynster family novels by Stephanie Laurens starting with Devil’s Bride. The Essex sister books starting with Much Ado About You by Eloisa James are a fun read. Madeline Hunter’s Rarest Blooms and Rothwell Series are also favorites

Jan: The Surrender of Miss Fairbourne by Madeline Hunter. I recently discovered this excellent HR author, and I’m trying different ones from her backlist to see if I can find another series as good as the Rothwell Brothers. …her Rothwell brothers series. Those guys are HOT! Really well-written books with convincing (and hot) characters.

Wren: The Bedwyn Series by Mary Balogh.

Jan: Hmm. Who are MY book husbands? …Wulfric Bedwyn from Slightly Dangerous, Lucas Kendrick from Heartless and Nathaniel Gascoigne from Irresistible. All Mary Balogh books. A theme happening there.

Rachel Higginson: That is an excellent list!!! So many of those are my favs!

Tessa: For a really good regency, I’d recommend (that Bev hasn’t) Mary Jo Putney, Mary Balough, Wind Dancer series by Iris Johansen, Stephanie Laurens, Lynsay Sands, or Laura Kinsale. lol

Though just plain good historical? The Mallory-Anderson series by Johanna Lindsey. All seperate characters/ stand alones, I read them out of order and it didn’t spoil a thing. My absolute favorite was A Gentle Rogue. *sighs* James was one of my teenaged self’s BBF.

Renee: ANY series by Joanna Shupe! Her Knickerbocker Club and Uptown Girls series are my FAVORITES!

Jan: Mogul by Joanna Shupe. Set in NYC in the Gilded Age. It’s good.

Ishara: I would highly recommend the Rescued from Ruin series by the amazing Elisa Braden

Tessa: YES!!!

Debbie: Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin

Renee: OH Sea Of Ruin is absolutely amazing by Pam Godwin Its about a female Pirate and I am not usually a pirate reading kind of girl but I devoured that book and loved it No weak heroine there and it might just contain some Menage.

Mony: Sea of Ruin by Pam Godwin.

This book really packed a punch. Like no other historical romance I’ve read – a stellar & epic read. It may well appeal to readers who do not read historical romance…it’s not traditional and has a modern vibe.

Bennett is an amazing heroine…feisty, a bit broken, cunning, loving. Godwin writes exceptionally well, and paints a rich picture of all the men in her life (is every pirate gorgeous?). She also makes you feel like you’re right on the pirate ship feeling the sway, the sea and scents.

The story in multi-layered and has you constantly on the edge of your seat. It’s steamy, angsty, risqué and colourful. This may be my book of the month. 5*****

Fiona: I would recommend Kerrigan Byrne who is another great author in this genre set in the Victorian era with tortured H and the ladies that capture their attention….they are interlinked so its good to see what the characters are up to as it moves through the storylines on each series of books. There is

• The Devil You Know series,
• Victorian Rebels series and
• A Goode Girl series.

This author, like Lisa Kleypas and Julie Garwood are always on my to buy list especially if they are on sale.

➔➔➔  Love this genre? Browse more Historical Romance features and reviews on my blog. 😀