If You Loved "Bridgerton," Here Are 15 Historical Romance Books To Read Based On Your Favorite Character

To be honest, I couldn't have paired Lady Danbury with a more perfect book than the one I chose.

1. If you loved Anthony Bridgerton, then read A Wicked Bargain for the Duke by Megan Frampton.

Avon, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: When I first started thinking about a book that could perfectly match Lord Bridgerton himself, I instantly thought of Frampton's historical romance. Thaddeus and Anthony are very similar, and fans of Bridgerton will fall quickly in love with the Duke of Hasford as soon as they start reading A Wicked Bargain for the Duke.

Just like Anthony, Thaddeus, the new Duke of Hasford, is in need of a bride. He has a very strong sense of duty, so he wants to do everything correctly. This means finding a wife who isn't rebellious...or chaotic. A perfect choice would be Lady Jane Capel — if only her sister, Lavinia, didn't meddle so much. In the midst of trying to keep him away from her sister, Lavinia and Thaddeus end up in a compromising position where the only solution is to marry each other...

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

2. If you loved Kate Sharma, then read Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins.

Avon, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: Kate Sharma doesn't care about what other people think; she only cares about her sister. She came to London to find a love match for Edwina and that's it. Love? Definitely not for her. Kate is a headstrong woman who says what she thinks and the consequences be dammed!

In Wild Rain, you'll get to meet Spring Lee, a land-owning rancher, who also happens to be a very headstrong woman. One day, during a snowstorm, she saves Garrett, a reporter who has come to interview her brother. From that point forward, he basically falls madly in love with her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

3. If you love Edwina Sharma, then read Her Wicked Marquess by Stacy Reid.

Entangled: Amara, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: Edwina Sharma's the youngest Sharma sister and she has always had protection from her older sister, Kate, and her mother, Mary. They want her to marry someone from a good family (with money to spend) because the Sharmas are currently on their last dime. Though Kate wishes for Edwina to find someone to marry for love, Edwina knows there is a lot of pressure on her shoulders.

In Her Wicked Marquess, Maryann Fitzwilliam is a bookish woman, just like Edwina. She's a wallflower through and through, but her parents want to marry her off to someone old enough to be her father, and she's not about to take part in that. So, she decides to get herself involved in a scandal instead!

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

4. If you love Eloise Bridgerton, then read The Rebel and the Rake by Emily Sullivan.

Forever, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: Eloise Bridgerton is very different than her siblings. She is also one of the few characters who get a whole new story in the Netflix show compared to the book series. In Season 2, Eloise is uninterested in the marriage mart and prefers to spend her days in the company of her best friend, Penelope Featherington. She also loves reading and is a firm believer in women's rights. While in the books (previous To Sir Phillip, With Love), she barely makes an appearance, in the show, especially in Season 2, she is catapulted into the spotlight.

You'll find that in The Rebel and the Rake, our protagonist, Sylvie Sparrow, is a forward-thinking woman just like Eloise Bridgerton. She prefers to stay in the background so the ton doesn't find out about her past. To help her achieve that goal, she becomes a lady's companion. Meeting the dashing Rafe Davies complicates everything, but she realizes that she might not be the only one keeping secrets.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

5. If you love Penelope Featherington, then read A Summer for Scandal by Lydia San Andres.

Lynn San Andres, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: Warning! Spoilers ahead for Netflix's Bridgerton.

Who doesn't love secret identities? They create so much tension, making the story more intriguing! This is the case with both our protagonists in each of their books: Penelope Featherington and Emilia Cruz. If you're familiar with Penelope's story, you know that she's behind the persona of Lady Whistledown. Emilia's secret is quite similar in a way — she's the writer of a sinful serial starring a courtesan! If their secrets are found out, it surely could create a scandal.

In A Summer for Scandal, Emilia meets Ruben Torres, a man who is also harboring a secret identity. Both of them want to keep their secrets hidden, but every step they take toward love makes it impossible for them to stay quiet.

Get it the eBook from Amazon here.

6. If you love Benedict Bridgerton, then read The Bride Goes Rogue by Joana Shupe.

Avon, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Release date: May 24, 2022.

Why you should read it: I feel like Katherine Delafield and Benedict Bridgerton would have the best of times together. If you love one, you'll love the other. Especially if they invite you to risqué balls where scandal resides and passion unfolds!

The novel starts with Katherine and her impending engagement to Preston Clarke. Their engagement has been going on for ages and Katherine is tired of waiting, so she takes matters into her own hands. But when she finally meets Preston, he refuses to acknowledge the engagement and, in the process, breaks Katherine's heart. Realizing she won't get through him, she throws all notions of love aside and sets out to sample the wonders of New York City...except Preston now wants to marry her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

7. If you love Daphne Bridgerton, then read Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J. McAvoy.

Dell, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Release date: August 23, 2022.

Why you should read it: We meet Daphne in the first season of Bridgerton. Her story is the starting point of the Bridgerton dynasty. Daphne is the belle of the ball — the diamond of the season. She's beauty and grace. And she also falls madly in love with a duke, so I thought Aphrodite and the Duke was a brilliant recommendation for her character.

Though both protagonists do fall for a duke, their stories couldn't be more different. Aphrodite's story is a second chance romance where Evander Eagleman, the Duke of Everely, left her before they got married. Years later, they reunite. Now Evander is ready to show her that he made the greatest mistake of his life by leaving her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

8. If you love Simon Basset, The Duke of Hastings, then read The Duchess War by Courtney Milan.

Femtopress, Netflix

Why you should read it: A duke has to be paired up with another duke, right? It's a rule, okay! (*whispers* I might have made that rule myself). It's not an overreaction to say that we all fell in love with Simon in Season 1. Does everyone remember the spoon scene? Yeah, exactly. Simon is flirty and committed. But we could see that his childhood wasn't that great, whenever we were shown Simon alongside his father.

I find that Robert Blaisdale, the Duke of Clermont in The Duchess War, has a similar story. He was a child from a loveless marriage, and during his whole childhood, he was constantly neglected by his own parents. He has always craved love even if he didn't show it. In this book, you'll see him meet wallflower Miss Minerva Lane who will try to unravel every little secret he has under lock.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound.

9. If you love Colin Bridgerton, then read The Marquess Makes His Move by Diana Quincy.

Avon, Netflix

Why you should read it: Colin Bridgerton is the third Bridgerton sibling. He's an adventure seeker and constantly finds himself on trips to faraway places. I wanted to pair up Colin with The Marquess Makes His Move because the heroine in this novel is a mapmaker! And a very famous one, I must add. Colin ends up with the most famous gossip columnist in England, so I feel like this pairing matches perfectly.

This book follows London's most famous mapmaker, Rose Fleming, though no one knows she is the one behind the family business. The secret is tested by the arrival of a handsome new footman who just so happens to be the reclusive Marquess of Brandon! He has disguised himself as a footman to take revenge on the respected mapmaker who cheated him out of his land.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

10. If you love Queen Charlotte, then read The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham.

Nancy Yost Literary Agency, Inc, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: One thing we can agree on is that Queen Charlotte loves to gossip. Well, the queen should meet her match in Lady Constance. Both are rich, beautiful, meddlesome, and love a little bit of gossip. They actually would be very good friends.

When Lady Constance ruins the Earl of Apthorp in her gossip column, she tries to fix it. The only solution? She must now offer her hand in marriage! At first, the earl doesn't know the woman he's been secretly in love with is the one behind his ruin, but when she tells him the truth, his heart shatters. They now have a month to convince society they are in love and clear his name.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

11. If you love Violet Bridgerton, then read A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall.

Forever, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Release date: May 24, 2022.

Why you should read it: Violet Bridgerton is the matriarch of the family, but also a widow. The death of her husband affected her greatly; grief was very much present in her life. A Lady for a Duke talks about grief, mainly when it comes to Justin de Vere, who has been struggling with grief, addiction, and isolation. His whole life imploded after thinking his best friend died in battle.

Lady Viola Caroll's fortune and title are gone, but she feels that giving up her friendship with Justin de Vere was a much greater loss. After being presumed dead in battle, she takes the opportunity to live as herself. But then she gets news that Justin has been spiraling, so she decides to return and help him recover.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

12. If you love Marina Thompson, then read Rules for Engaging the Earl by Janna MacGregor.

St. Martin's Press, Netflix

Why you should read it: Although Marina Thompson's story isn't known until To Sir Phillip, With Love (Eloise's story), she is introduced in Season 1 of the Netflix show. Fans of the book series know Marina's fate. I'm not going to spoil it here! But I do want to say that it was a very interesting decision to add her character into the show so early on.

In Rules for Engaging the Earl, Constance Lysander needs a husband quickly. Pregnant with her late husband's child — a husband who left her with no money and two wives who she knew nothing about. She has to find a way to provide for her child, so she decides to send a missive to her childhood best friend, asking him to marry her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

13. If you love Portia Featherington, then read A Daring Pursuit by Kate Bateman.

St. Martin's Press, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Release date: May 24, 2022

Why you should read it: A red-headed beauty, Portia Featherington has built a dynasty of sorts. Slowly but surely, she has been marrying off her daughters and has been able to survive debts, scandal, and gossip. When she knows what she wants, she does everything in her power to achieve it.

You'll easily find aspects of Lady Featherington in Carys Davies, the protagonist in A Daring Pursuit. Aside from the obvious, (she is also a red-headed goddess) Carys has one goal: never marry. She's too afraid her secret will be revealed. In order to shoo away potential suitors, she dresses scandalously every chance she gets. But the one person who has never bought her act is Tristan Montgomery, one of her family's greatest rivals.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

14. If you love Lady Danbury, then read The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian.

HarperCollins, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Release date: June 7, 2022

Why you should read it: Like Violet Bridgerton, Lady Danbury is also a widow. She has also become one of the few people who has a good relationship with Queen Charlotte. If you hear Lady Danbury's name in the streets, you know you have to stop and listen.

Cat Sebastian is returns with The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, where we find that the Duchess of Clare has murdered her abusive husband. She now must flee to the countryside unless she wants to be caught. The only one who can help her do this is Rob Brooks — the man she just kidnapped who, coincidentally, has spent many months blackmailing her.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound. You can also try the audiobook version through Libro.fm.

15. If you love Will Mondrich, then read Let It Shine by Alyssa Cole.

Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, Liam Daniel/Netflix

Why you should read it: Will Mondrich is a good friend of the Duke of Hastings. We see a little bit of his story in Season 1, like his boxing matches, his relationship with his family, and his thoughts about his future. In Season 2, even though the duke isn't on screen anymore, Will's story grows. He is striving for success against all the odds, so I'm happy that we might see more of him next season as well.

Let It Shine follows Sofie and Ivan's romance during the Freedom Rides in the US. Once childhood friends, they reconnect years later, both as young activists now, and find their way back to each other. Ivan is a regional champion boxer, wrestling with his father's disappointment, while Sofie has lived her whole life as a proper young Black woman because of her own father's expectations.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local bookstore from Indiebound.