Book Review: Because of Miss Bridgerton
Exclusive interview with author Julia Quinn and a review of her latest romance novel, a Bridgerton spin-off series
Rating: 4 Stars
“I originally set out to write a trilogy,” says Because of Miss Bridgerton author Julia Quinn.
“Somehow it turned into eight books. Because of Miss Bridgerton is actually the first in a new series. It takes place a generation before the Bridgerton series, so it’s set in Georgian times rather than the Regency.”
Because of Miss Bridgerton is the story of the Rokesbys, who live within three miles from the Bridgerton family. The families are very close. Quinn’s books are character driven. This is a story is about family told with humor and witty repartee. Billie is an independent modern woman who helps her father with the estate. Not typical of that time especially when there is a son. A great fast read.
Everyone, Billie Bridgerton included, expects her to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. The two families are very close. As children she ran wild with Edward Andrew and sister Mary. She knows them so well. The older brother George, Billie can’t stand. A future earl, he’s always been annoying and arrogant. Compelled to work together, they begin to see each other in a new light.
“Because this was a new time period for me, I spent a fair amount of time researching fashion,” says Quinn. “I don’t tend to do a great deal of description in my books, but when I do, I want to get it right. I also did a lot of research on the American Revolutionary War, which is ironic, considering that the book takes place entirely in England. But, the hero’s brother is a soldier in New York and Connecticut, and as he will be the hero of my next book. I needed to make sure I had his details correct.”
What advice does Quinn have for anyone who wants to start writing historical romance novels? “Read! You have to understand the genre before you can write it. Which brings me to the second piece of advice… write. Unfortunately, the only way to finish writing a novel is to actually finish it. Believe me, if there was another way, I would have figured it out by now.”
Quinn is one of 16 members of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Authors are inducted if they win three RITA Awards in the same category. For Quinn, that was Historical Romance, for On the Way to the Wedding, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, and What Happens in London. Because of Miss Bridgerton has yet to be optioned for film or television.
Lyssa Keusch at HarperCollins is Quinn’s editor. “There’s a reason I’ve been with the same publishing house and the same editor for the entirety of my career,” says Quinn. “We work very well together. I send a rough outline of what I want to do before starting the actual manuscript, as much a character exploration as it is a plot-line.”
Steve Axelrod of The Axelrod Agency is Quinn’s agent. “I was already published when we started working together,” says Quinn. “I spoke with a number of my colleagues and got their recommendations before meeting with agents in person.”
Quinn’s Bridgerton series is being republished with new covers and a second epilogue that goes with each book: The Duke and I,The Viscount Who Loved Me, An Offer From A Gentleman, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, To Sir Phillip With Love, When He Was Wicked, It’s In His Kiss, On the Way To the Wedding, The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After. The last book has eight second epilogues and a bonus story about matriarch Violet Bridgerton.
Quinn is currently writing the second book in the Rokesby series. “I don’t have a title for it,” says Quinn. “But, it will feature Edward Rokesby, the brother who went missing in America.”
Quinn’s public appearances are listed on her website. “I’m especially excited to be the inaugural instructor in Romance Writing at the Yale Summer Writers’ Conference in June,” says Quinn.
Quinn lives in Washington state. She was born in New York City.
www.juliaquinn.com • www.facebook.com/authorjuliaquinn
Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages, Publisher: Avon (March 29, 2016), Language: English, ISBN-13: 978-0062388148
