From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, in the fourth of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring her charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.
COLIN AND PENELOPE’S STORY
Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like … her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn’t know him at all.
Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat— or his promise of a happy ending?
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Loved this book!
I’d been looking forward to this book in the series since watching the Netflix series. I wanted to know that Penelope and Colin got their happily ever after she I truly loved the way they were set up in this book. It felt easy and natural that the characters we met early in the series had grown into adults and felt as though they were really getting to know one another for the first time. Colin wins bonus points with me for being the only Bridgerton male so far to realize he’s in love with his lady BEFORE marrying her and having no problem saying the word. Well done Colin!
I was very excited to read more about the Bridgertons after watching the Netflix show, and this book was just delightful. Colin and Penelope’s relationship is really sweet and supportive!
My first book by this author !
Absolutely adored the characters to the point that even the secondary supporting cast were a treat to meet in this book.
Looking forward to reading more from this author and more of the Bridgerton clan and their escapades!!
if you’re in the mood for a witty, charming, sweet historical romance then this is the book for you. Part of the Bridgerton family series, this one follows Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton as they go from friends to more-than-friends, surrounded by their boisterous and unconventional families. Will the infamous society gossip Lady Whistledown finally be unmasked?
This is my favorite romance book–If I can create witty, gripping banter between my characters as Ms. Quinn did with these two, I will be content. Truly an engaging story, wonderful characters, and page-turning action.
Well, Quirkies, you asked and I actually do know the answer.
ROMANCING MR. BRIDGERTON is not only still one of my go-to rereads, it’s the first romance I read and it set the bar high for all romances to come.
I love the ugly-duckling gets the guy BECAUSE SHE’S AWESOME theme. And the mystery of who writes that gossip column is solved (of course, I hadn’t read the others so I was like OOOHH MYSTERY! when I dove in.)
But seriously. Penelope is every woman, every bookish girl, every secretly brave heroine — she’s secretly been in love with her BFF’s brother for 10 years (he’s obvs a little slow on the uptake) – But when Colin finally “sees” her – there’s not stopping him from protecting her from the ugliness of the popular bully who has Penelope in her sights.
Def must read. You’ll laugh, snort, and tear up.
Colin, Colin, Colin.. what ever are we going to do with you? Single man about town, gadding around without a care in the world. Send you travelling of course. You leave a man-child and come back a man. Penelope Featherington has been in love with Colin Bridgerton since she was 16. At 28 things are not looking hopeful for a walk down the aisle, with anyone. Penelope has a secret, a huge secret. It could ruin not only her but her entire family. Colin has a secret of his own. Suddenly Penelope is everywhere Colin looks, and he does look. The girl he vowed never to marry has turned into an interesting young woman and captured his attention. Things are complicated by secrets and long standing friendships that make one feel like a member of the family. All will be unveiled in the end. A happily ever after is assured, it is a romance novel after all. Although Romancing Mr. Bridgerton works well as a stand alone book the huge secret will be a perfect reason fans of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton family will put this story on the to be read list.
One of my favorite genre – the one you never saw it front to you!
Another late night reading another Bridgerton novel. I love the characters and the author’s writing style with lots of witty banter and intricate descriptions. We have already met both Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington in the previous stories, but now Penelope comes out of the shadows.
Penelope had fallen in love with Colin since she was 16, but never thought that her feelings would be returned. She became BBF with his sister, Eloise, when they both “failed” at the Marriage Mart, deciding to enjoy their spinsterhood together. Colin is restless, not having a purpose, as his older brothers do, so travels to foreign lands for adventure and writing about his travels in a journal, something he finds that he enjoys. During one of his stays in London, he suddenly notices Penelope as a desirable woman. The identity of Lady Whistledown is also revealed. Next up is Eloise’s story. I have not watched the NETFLIX version, since I almost always disappointed by books tuned into movies or tv shows.
Loved so much!!!!! I am so happy to get to Penelope and Colin’s story, and it was so much fun to read!! Penelope is the literal sweetest and I just love her. It was awesome to see her come into her own and give back some of the snark she received over the years! I loved how everything played out with the Colin, and the ending left me super excited for Eloise’s story next!
Perhaps the installment most anticipated when you begin the series (especially if you also watched the show!) Penelope and Colin have the most hinting clues and buildup to their romance, and it’s almost a relief to finally read it unfolding. I loved this, but found myself frustrated that there was so much bullheaded refusal to admit feelings in the series as a whole. It’s a fun trope to build angst, but I wanted to yell at the characters for all being stuck in the same patterns. Still super enjoyable, but at this point I was wanting more diversity in the emotional plot lines — which, happily, Julia Quinn had already begun with 3, to some degree, and really gets more creative in 4 and 5! My favorite part is the way Colin really becomes Penelope’s partner in her secret identity, and likewise how she encourages his own writing career.
My favorite! 🙂
Colin is my favorite Bridgerton and I’ve been looking forward to reading his book ever since I’ve read the first one. 🙂
Penelope is set on becoming a spinster. She is 28 and has no marriage offers. On the bright side, she is not alone, she has her best Eloise for company, the bad side, her mother is looking forward to having forever st her side. She has trouble talking to people and a massive crush on Colin, her best friend’s brother, but she settled on just loving him from distance.
Colin has just returned from one of his travels. Penelope was never anything more than just a friend, but things change, especially when he discovered her biggest secret. 🙂
It was very different from what I expected but very very romantic, I love the fact that she brings crazy from the most chill brother. 🙂 And I adore how he stood up for her in front of her family…<3
Such a romantic story! 🙂
Highly recommend the entire series!
I liked Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. I really liked Penelope. Collin annoyed me a bit. At times he was a bit whiny. This book definitely makes me curious and eager to start Eloise’s story.
I really loved Collin in the previous books: he was the one who helped Anthony see through his thoughts, he help Benedict when he needed to blow up some steam; however, when it came the time to be the MC, I’ve got mixed feelings.
First, obviously we didn’t know his full temper, we only met him as the care free brother; here we’d see a new side of him. Although I’ve love the couple, because I’ve really enjoyed seen him and Penelope under this new light, I’ve couldn’t quite fell completely for it.
On the other hand, I’ve loved Penelope, she’s strong minded, no matter how hard it was for her being the wallflower of the ball, she’d came through. The fact that she doesn’t let society get her down, even worse, her family, it’s something I’ve really applauded in her character.
Moreover we’d get to see the Bridgeton family again, with their dynamics and funny moments, making the reader never want to let go of the book.
Although I know I’ve criticized Colin, he’s still one of my favourite characters and, furthermore, I’ve love his relationship with his family and Penelope. It just wasn’t what I expect it.
All in all, it is a good book to pass the time and I fully intend to keep reading the next books in the series
So, I want to start off by saying that I didn’t exactly dislike this novel. I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it either. I went into this one excited because I knew that in book 4 you discover the identity of Lady Whistledown (who, in my humble opinion, steals the show in every novel). The problem with this is that it was decidedly… lackluster.
I loved Colin’s carefree character in all of the other novels (and the TV show that brought him to life). I also loved Penelope and the character development that is so obviously shown during the preceding novels. The problem was not with the characters, but rather, with the chemistry.
I really didn’t feel any chemistry between Colin and Penelope. I felt Penelope’s emotions towards Colin, but nothing from Colin to Penelope. It was a little disappointing to say the least. However, there were definitely bright moments in this novel.
I loved the chase to find Lady Whistledown’s identity. Lady Danbury was amazing in causing this fiasco to start. Cressida also made this novel a little more interesting. Both of these characters added the spark that was needed in this book and I looked forward to their appearances (even though Cressida is a terrible human being).
In the end, finding out who Lady Whistledown was didn’t come as a huge surprise. If you haven’t watched the TV show yet and are still reading each of the books to find her identity, don’t watch the TV show!! I didn’t realize that they announced her idtentiy at the end of season one, sooo I was thoroughly disappointed to not be able to read about it in the books. This could also be one of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy it as much as the others. However, this book was a welcome distraction nonetheless because entering into the world of masquerades, balls, steamy romance, and irresistible charm is something I can never pass up.
Favorite quote: “‘I love you with everything I am, everything I’ve been, and everything I hope to be.’”
Another book, another Bridgerton sibling packed off into the sunset to live a life of marital bliss after a series of completely avoidable misunderstandings. This time it is Colin’s turn to find love and he finds it with Penelope Featherington, the awkward and unpopular spinster who has been in love with him since childhood. However, Penelope has a lot more going on beneath the surface than her friends and family might expect. This addition to the Bridgerton series was broadly very fun though once again I did find myself getting frustrated by the way that everyone in these books is incapable of actually saying what they mean and how they are feeling in a non-cryptic way. But if you liked the other books in this series and you’re able to turn off that nit-picking, cynical part of your brain, you should enjoy this book too.
I wasn’t surprised this time round, I knew I was going to love Colin, the entire London ton did, so why not the rest of the world. He was as swoon worthy as his brothers but he had charisma in abundance, he could turn any dull room into a happier one with just his wicked smile. He was mostly happy and cheerful unless something baffled him, and Penelope Featherington did just that. Not because she was near spinsterhood or that she was forever standing on the sidelines watching everyone else, he was baffled because he wasn’t sure how he missed that she had grown into a beautiful woman with wit and grace. But more importantly, he had grown too and was now ready to take a bride.
I think the thing that is surprising me more, is that I am loving a historical romance! I didn’t think I would because of the old style language and quite frankly they can be pompous and sexist. For the most part, the Bridgerton’s are model citizens in this era’s society but there are a few things that wouldn’t pass in a modern time novel. Whether it’s because I am obsessive compulsive wanting more from this series / family or that I am just accepting its era, I’ll let the faux pas slide. It’s more about the love story that happens and a HEA for me. And if anyone deserves it, it’s Penelope. She has been in love with Colin for such a long time and she deserves to finally be with him. Not that she wasn’t busy in the mean time with her career, just nobody knew about it, only read her talents.
The second epilogue was a good segue into the fifth book, Eloise’s exciting tale with her Sir Philip. Can’t wait to read her letters and find out more about this couple. I am halfway through this series already, and I was trying to make them last over a period of time, but as stated above… obsessive compulsive behaviors make me just want to live in this world and know them all.
This Bridgerton book was probably my favorite so far! I swear, they just keep getting better and better. I have to admit, I didn’t think we’d get the answer to this particular question until the end of the series, if ever. But I think the answer will surprise and please all the fans this series has gained.
One thing I truly love in a romance, is when one character does not see the other’s true beauty and worth right away. In this, Colin’s story, we get to see how he went about his life not realizing what was right there the whole time. There’s also something to be said for characters having to mature and grow in order to really see each other and find their way to each other.
What I really love most about this series, is that even though it’s historical in nature, the writing makes it so the reader still feels those butterflies you feel when experiencing new relationships and romantic moments. I love that! I also love that the narrator (as I’m listening to the audio books) is British and also very adept at changing her voice for the different characters. It’s very entertaining to listen to.
I guess I’m down to four more siblings, and I can’t wait!
Loved both Penelope and Collin.