I reviewed the first four books of the Bridgerton series already, but of course the fun does not stop there! A large family of main characters means more books for us to enjoy. While my opinion of the first half of this series was strongly influenced by the Netflix show, most of the main characters in these books are quite young in the show and are not yet stars of the story. I was able to get to know them through the books first and foremost, and I found myself preferring several of the later books over the early ones - perhaps because the show had not yet influenced my opinion of these characters. So without further ado, here are my mini-reviews of the last four Bridgerton books!
To Sir Philip, With Love
After explaining to you that the show had not influenced my opinions of these books, we start off with the exception. This is Eloise's story, and as she is one of the main characters of the show, I found myself quite confused by the direction they took her storyline once I finally read her book. They set it up
almost correctly in the show (of course, in the book we don't see this background work, but in the show the characters have been introduced to us early). But important family affiliations were switched around from page to screen, and I spent a lot of this book focusing on how in the world they were going to eventually translate this to TV when they seemed to have stopped themselves before they could start. Regardless, I enjoy Eloise's character, and while Sir Philip left a lot to be desired, the presence of the two children make up for it. The story is good, though not particularly exciting, but I did enjoy it overall.
When He Was Wicked
Ooh this book hooked me almost as well as season 2 of the show. Such a shame it is so late in the series, because in my opinion this is one of the better books. I love the male hero, Michael, and would even say he's top two for the series! Francesca's
character, while compelling, didn't stand out quite so much unfortunately. But these two have such a great story and amazing chemistry. I love that it's not quite so cut-and-dry as some of the other romances in this series. There is a brief period where the main characters don't see each other, and I think the emotions within that are what An Offer From a Gentleman (book 3) was going for but didn't quite hit. Consider this book the redemption, because I loved every element of this story!
It's In His Kiss
This was an exciting tale because not only is there romance, but there's a mystery to be solved. We finally get to focus on Hyacinth, the youngest Bridgerton who - while still headstrong - has mellowed with age by the time we reach her book in the series. Nonetheless, her character is still a fun one to read, and she has met her match in Gareth. This, of course, ultimately leads to a happy ending for all (and a happier one in the epilogue, and happier still in the 2nd epilogue!). Much of the story is unremarkable as far as this series goes; after binge-reading all eight books, I did have to look up a summary of this one to remember the events in order to write my review. As is the case for Julia Quinn's books however, I find I don't mind the lack of compelling story so much as long as the characters are interesting, and Hyacinth wouldn't stand for being less than interesting.
On the Way to the Wedding
When the girl you thought you wanted isn't the right one for you... how long will it take you to realize your mistake, and what happens if you're too late? Gregory finally gets his book, technically the last in the series with this well-beloved family. I found myself quite enamored with Lucy and her views of Gregory Bridgerton. Much of the story involves these two being completely blind to what is right under their noses, and it leads plenty of fun (for us readers, at least). For the characters, there is a whole lot of drama. Everything that hasn't already happened in the other seven books of the series happens in this one, and I'll leave it at that for you to discover on your own. Final thoughts: this was a fun one, and a good conclusion to the series!
What a good series! Sure, some books are better than others, but in long series they can't all be winners. Looking back, I think I liked the last four books better than the first four, although it's really hard to say for sure. I reviewed the other four books earlier, so be sure to check out that post before grabbing your copies!
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