Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Danielle Jackson Dresser | In Which I Re-Read All of Bridgerton
Author Guest / May 19, 2021

Dear Reader, Christmas Day of 2020 gave us all something to glom onto and obsess over: the Netflix adaptation of Julia Quinn’s beloved Bridgerton series, quite aptly titled BRIDGERTON. Diversely cast, boldly fashionable, unabashedly sexy, and just plain fun, BRIDGERTON is the romance series adaptation we’ve been waiting for… With Shonda Rhimes’ production company at the helm, would you expect anything else? This isn’t an article dissecting the show (it’s not perfect, but I was able to overlook some of its missteps—particularly those around race and what the diverse casting really meant and didn’t follow through on—and still enjoy it), or the merits of having Dame Julie Andrews as the witty and sharp voice of Lady Whistledown. Instead, this is an article about why, after I binged the series over a couple of days in January, I decided to embark on a re-read of the entire Bridgerton book series. I read the Bridgerton books back in 2008, when I had just started working in publishing and was fully ensconced in the romance genre. I believe I picked up ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING, which, as it happens, is the last book in the series. Within a few chapters, I…

Miranda Owen | Fake Relationship Recommendations like BRIDGERTON
Author Guest / December 31, 2020

by Fresh Fiction Senior Reviewer Miranda Owen Although THE DUKE AND I is all anybody can talk about right now, and the first in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, it is not my favorite of the series or book by Julia Quinn. Instead, THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND, part of the Rokesby series, is my favorite “fake relationship” story by Julia Quinn. Years ago, when I was just a teenager, I remember being thoroughly annoyed by Cathy in Emily Bronte’s classic novel WUTHERING HEIGHTS. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t wait for Heathcliff to return instead of marrying someone else. At the time, my older and much wiser aunt laid out some of the realities women at that time faced. It may not have been as romantic that Cathy didn’t wait forever, but it was ultimately and more pragmatic. However, in THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND, Cecilia Harcourt makes some questionable choices but for good reasons. She’s alone in the world except for her brother Thomas. When Thomas is injured in battle, she bravely travels to be by his side. Instead of her brother, she finds Edward Rokesby, a wounded officer and a gentleman in much need of some TLC….