I Read 7 Bridgerton books. Here's How I'd Rank Them.

I read every Bridgerton book but the last one. Here’s how I’d rank the stories from Daphne to Hyacinth’s in order from worst to best. Spoilers Ahead!

Apr 23, 2025

Quick Disclaimer: All the books had some problematic elements in them, but some of the stories were worse than others. Here is my ranking for the 7 Bridgerton books that I read, from worst to best

7. An Offer From A Gentleman

This was my least favourite book because I hated the character of Benedict in this book. In this book, Benedict was so controlling and manipulative and never really seemed to have any respect for Sophie at all. Sophie said that she didn’t want to become Benedict’s mistress, but Benedict didn’t seem to understand that. Also, Benedict basically blackmailed her into becoming a housemaid for his mother’s household because he was attracted to her but couldn’t marry her because she was his housemaid with illegitimate noble parentage and he was a viscount’s brother. Benedict was such an unlikeable protagonist, and I felt zero sympathy for him; his actions were just awful, and I hated him the entire time. I didn’t think he truly loved Sophie—I think he was just attracted to her but didn’t love her enough to respect her and her choices.

The redeemable parts of the book were Sophie —Benedict’s love interest—I loved Sophie; she was such an interesting character because she was the illegitimate daughter of an earl who had become a housemaid for her stepmother when her father died. I loved this twist in the classic Cinderella story, and I loved how Sophie was a more realistic Cinderella because Sophie was resentful of how she was treated by her stepmother, but she didn’t let that seep into how she treated everyone else. I loved how Sophie was such a strong-willed, loving character who wanted to make the most out of life wherever she could. I also loved the scene where Lady Bridgerton—Benedict’s mother—confronted Araminta, who was Sophie’s stepmother, and the showdown that happened between those ladies. I also enjoyed the friendship between Sophie and the younger unmarried Bridgeton girls, but my hatred for Benedict’s character and the fact that he was unredeemable in my opinion made this book the worst of the lot.

I hope that Season 4 of Netflix’s Bridgerton fixes this because the Benedict in the show doesn’t seem like the type of person to have zero respect for his love interest.

6. When he was Wicked

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I didn’t really like When He Was Wicked because the story was a little too dry and boring for me. Maybe it’s because Francesca was distant from her siblings or because much of the story took place in Scotland instead of London, but I just didn’t really find the story all that exciting or engaging, and at times I struggled to get through the story.

That being said, I felt that Michael was a much more respectful love interest than Benedict, which is why I put this book as number 6, because Michael was a decent love interest, not the most exciting but not disrespectful either.

I also liked learning about the medical terminology and how malaria and other illnesses would have been treated/seen in the 1800s ; I found that to be pretty interesting, and I liked that aspect of the book.

I loved Francesca’s relationship with John; it was super sweet, but I would have liked more scenes with John to create even more of an impact when he dies. That being said, I loved the relationship between Francesca, John, and Michael; they were like the three musketeers, and I loved this relationship. It was probably my favourite part of the book .

5. The Duke and I

This was the first Bridgerton book I read, and this is the only one that I read after I’d watched the Netflix season. This was a pretty good book because I loved the banter between the Bridgerton siblings. I loved seeing their dynamics and how all the Bridgerton siblings engaged with each other in the household. My favourite was Hyacinth, who tried to flirt with Simon, who was like more than 10 years older than her, and I loved it because she added a layer of humour and childlike innocence to the story. I loved the dynamic between Lady Bridgerton and Anthony Bridgerton and how it showed just how much Anthony respected his mother, even though technically Bridgerton House belonged to Anthony after his father’s death. I loved the friendship/rivalry/mistrustfulness between Anthony and Simon. I felt that their relationship was well developed and explained, and I liked how they had a mutual respect for each other.

Another thing I loved about the book was how Simon had a stutter. Usually historical fiction heroes don’t have physical or disability-related flaws, and I loved how the book showed how a stutter would be seen in the 1800s and the ways Simon tried to cover up his stutter or at least make it less noticeable. I loved how even as an adult he still had a stutter to show that sometimes you don’t outgrow your challenges, you just find ways to cope with them.

This would have been one of my favourite books but both characters had major flaws. Simon lied to Daphne about having children, implying that he was unable to have children when in fact he didn’t want children because he’d made a vow to himself to let his father’s line die with him because his father was abusive. Simon’s lie made Daphne devastated, but Daphne took things way too far. When Simon was drunk, Daphne got on top of him and tried to have sex with him, even after he’d said no. Those two aspects of the story really messed up the story for me , especially since no one really confronted Daphne about her actions toward Simon and just made it seem like it was Simon’s fault the whole time when the problem was with both of them. The story ignored the fact that Daphne had ignored Simon’s refusal of consent and basically focused the rest of the story on Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne and her brothers confronting Simon about it. I’m not saying Simon freaking out and abandoning Daphne was good, but there was literally no mention of Daphne’s flaws or Daphne’s mistakes; instead, it all centered on Simon’s mistakes even though both of them were at fault.

4. It’s in His Kiss

I loved the relationship between Hyacinth and Lady Danbury—Gareth’s grandmother—because it was such a sweet grandmother-granddaughter-type bond before Hyacinth even married Lady Danbury’s grandson. I loved how we got more of a background and insight into Lady Danbury’s life and her past and her children through the story of Gareth. I loved how Hyacinth and Lady Danbury kept playfully teasing each other, had similar tastes in books, and had similar personalities. Their relationship was one of the highlights of the book.

I loved how this book sort of branched out and talked about other noble families in London, such as the musically deaf Smythe Smith sisters. This book was an interesting and engaging book to read, and I loved the banter between Hyacinth and Garet—I think they complemented each other well and balanced each other’s flaws out.

Gareth’s backstory was also quite interesting in that even though he’s technically a St. Clair , he’s illegitimate because his biological father is his legal uncle. This was an interesting twist to the tale and something I hadn’t expected. I loved how Gareth sort of reminded me of Anthony in The Duke and I—serious, a bit brooding, but without the sisters to care for.

The reason it’s not ranked higher is because this book was a little boring at times to read, and I don’t remember the storylines as clearly as I remember some of the others.

3. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

I loved the twist reveal that Penelope was Lady Whistledown because it showed how despite the restrictions placed on women during regency England, Penelope was trying to find a way to make a living for herself while at the same time playing the role of a Debutante. I loved how both Colin and Pebelope ended up being writers which just showed how they understood each other in a way that others didn’t. I loved this story because it showed how people are much moe than they seem and how everyone has secrets even if their life seems perfect from the outside.

Another thing I liked was the relationship between Penelope and Lady Danbury- I wish they had kept that in the show- I loved how Penelope was almost like a proitege for Lady Danbury and how Lady Danbury was fond of Penelope because she recognised Penelope’s intelligence. I love how Lady Danbury was supportive of Penelope despite the age and status differences between them and when Penelope’s identity was revealed to the ton, Lady Danbury was the first to clap and I love the bond between them , it was wholesome.

That being said, there were some moments when Colin used physical force against Pebelope which is why it ranks lower on this list. Colin is a decent character in general but these moments and his jealousy toward Penelope made him a bit bitter in the middle third of the book but I think he ultimately redeemed himself.

I liked the inclusion of Cressida as a villain who found out Penelope’s secret and tried to blackmail her because it forced Colin to take a stand about whether he would stand with his wife or if he would let her fall on her own. In the final act of the book, Colin made the decision to reveal Penelope’s alter ego without telling her which is something I didn’t like and I preferred the show’s version where Penelope reveals herself because the show gave her agency over her secret while the book didn’t but at the same time I think the book was more accurate to what would have happened in Regency England.

2. To Sir Philip with Love

I loved this book because it was different from the others , instead of the love interest being a bachelor , Sir Philip was a widower with two twins. I loved the relationship between Eloise and the twins and the antics the twins got up to from removing the tacks on the stairs to other antics, Eloise’s relationship with the twins was something beautiful and engaging. I loved the presence iof the young twins because it made the book more fun to read. I loved how this book showed how stepmothers aren’t always evil and how they can sometimes become the best friends of the children without replacing ther child’s actual mother. I loved how they showed how the children first hated Eloise and then slowly grew to like her over time.

Sir Philip himself was a decent enough hero but there were some moments when he was rude toward Eloise and that is why this book is not quite number 1 in my ranking. What I liked was how Sir Philip was just so human. He’d lost his depressed wife in a time period where mental illness wasn’t treated and so had unresoplved trauma from that. His method of avoiding confrontation and quarrels was frustrating to read in the book but so true to the way people behave in real life which made the character of Philip more relatable. Philip was someone who was incredibly human in his flaws and the way he tried to awkwardly flirt with Eloise. He’s not confident or suave but then- not every hero has to be- because not every person is.

I loved the scene when Eloise’s brothers just turned up at Sir Philip’s house, it was a hilarious scene that should be included in Netflix’ adaption of Eloise’s story. I love how comedic it is and how even Eloise’s little brother was involved in the story.

This story was unique because Eloise herself was 28 which is older than the other ladies in the story and Sir Philip was a widower with children but this story seemed to work. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and there were many frustrating and boring moments, but it was a good story.

1. The Viscount Who Loved Me.

This was my favourite story. I loved the dynamics between the Bridgerton siblings and their in-laws. I loved the competitive spirit of the Pall Mall game and how this book focused a lot on the Bridgerton family , their past, and their history. I love how this book showed what happened to Anthony and Kate after they got married, which the Netflix series didn’t really show.

I loved how both Anthony and Kate had traumas that they had to overcome throughout the course of the novel. Anthony’s trauma was watching his father die at a young age, and he had an idea that he would die at a similar age, which is why he didn’t want to marry for love, whereas Kate was afraid of thunderstorms because her mother had died during the storm.

I loved how both Anthony and Kate had flaws that they had to overcome, but at the same time they had some level of respect for each other even when they were enemies.

My favourite part of the novel, which they completely butchered in the Netflix series, was the sister relationship between Edwina and Kate. Edwina in the novel couldn’t care less about marrying Anthony and was more interested in this scholar guy. Edwina was also supportive of Kate and Anthony’s relationship and was almost like the wingwoman for the entire relationship. I loved how the sisters loved each other and didn’t see each other as rivals; they just completely and utterly adored each other

Do you agree with my rankings? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts . Share your rankings of the Bridgerton books in the comments!

Reflections by KRashid

Discussion about this post