Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton family are among the most iconic creations in historical romance in recent years. Throughout eight books (and then a set of subsequently published Second Epilogues), readers followed the exploits of Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne et al as they found the loves of their lives and their happy ever afters.

Now, in Because of Miss Bridgerton, the author returns to her much-loved family to kick off a prequel series set in the late Georgian period, The Rokesbys, who are a neighbouring family with whom the Bridgertons have always been very close. The eponymous Miss Bridgerton – Billie – is the older sister of Edmund, father of the Regency era siblings; here, he’s just fifteen and still away at school.

Billie, however, is twenty-three, unmarried and a bit of a hoyden. She wears breeches when riding around the family’s lands in Kent, hates being cooped up indoors, has no feminine accomplishments to speak of, and does far more around her father’s estate than anybody – including Lord Bridgerton – realises. She thinks that one day, she’ll probably marry Edward or Andrew Rokesby; after all, they grew up together, she likes them both and wouldn’t really mind marrying either of them. There are five Rokesby siblings in all; a daughter, Mary, who was Billie’s best friend until she married and moved away, and four brothers – George, Viscount Kennard, Edward, Andrew and Nicholas, who is of an age with Billie’s younger brother. While she has always got on like a house on fire with Edward and Andrew, Billie and George have never really liked each other. George is a few years older and, she thinks, unbearably stuffy; and the pair of them can hardly be civil to one another when they meet. So when Billie attempts to rescue a kitten and then gets stranded on a roof with a sprained ankle, the last person in the world she wants as her Knight in Shining Armour is George Rokesby.

But so it is – until an accident contrives to render him stuck on the roof as well. Fortunately, Andrew – who is home on leave from the Navy due to a broken arm – isn’t far behind him and eventually the pair manages to get down, although not without a great deal of pain on Billie’s part. Forced into inactivity while her ankle heals, Billie is pleased to have Andrew around to cheer her up and the pair very quickly fall into their normal pattern of constant bickering and teasing. They’re the life and soul of many a gathering, their quick-witted, quick-fire exchanges like games of verbal tennis, and in many a romantic novel, this would very quickly indicate that here is the central couple; the couple that banters together stays together, as it were. But not so here. Because fond of Andrew as she is, Billie is astonished to discover that it’s George she looks for every day, and even more surprised at the level of disappointment she experiences on the days Andrew arrives to visit her without his brother.

For his part, George is at just as much of a loss to work out when he began to see Billie as an attractive young woman rather than an extremely irritating younger sister. He can’t understand the sudden infatuation he has developed for her, and only hopes it will pass before his brother guesses and starts ribbing him mercilessly. But George has also begun to realise that the Billie who banters constantly with Andrew, reads agricultural manuals and gallops around the estate in breeches is not the real Billie; and that underneath the wit and the backbone is a young woman who keeps her insecurities well hidden. For so long, she’s been the strong, dependable, tough one who just gets on with it, so much so that even her nearest and dearest take her for granted. To Andrew, she’s one of the lads who doesn’t mind when he teases her about her lack of femininity; to her mother, she’s an exasperating tomboy – and she has spent so long doing what others expect of her that they have all forgotten that she’s a young woman like any other, with feelings that can be hurt no matter how good she is at hiding that fact. All of them except George.

And if George is the only one to truly see Billie, then she is the only one to realise exactly how frustrated and useless he feels because he’s stuck at home while Edward and Andrew are off serving their country (Edward is in the army); and it’s the way in which both Billie and George reach a greater understanding about themselves through their greater understanding of each other that is the true heart of the book.

Ultimately, however, I can’t say that this is my favourite Julia Quinn novel, or that it’s among her best. There are some too modern turns of phrase and even though the date is given as 1779, it doesn’t have a particularly strong sense of historical setting; apart from the odd reference to a tricorne hat, or some distant historical events, it could just as easily be set in the Regency era or any other point in the 19^th century. There is also an odd sub-plot introduced around the half-way mark which sees George becoming involved in a potentially dangerous situation, but it is not fully developed and feels as though it has been shoe-horned in just to provide some angst.

Fortunately, having the right narrator on board can go a long way towards smoothing over any inconsistencies in the storytelling, even if they can’t make them completely disappear. Rosalyn Landor is one such narrator, someone whose understanding of the story and characters comes through so strongly in her performances as to make it easier to believe in those parts of the book which might otherwise induce a surfeit of eye-rolling. She has already narrated a number of novels by Ms Quinn, although not, sadly, any of the previous Bridgerton stories, five of which remain unrecorded. Ms Landor delivers another highly polished performance here, making full use of her wide range of pitch, timbre and accent to successfully delineate the various characters. Billie sounds exactly as she should; youthful, bubbly and determined – while George’s softer, more considered manner of speech makes him sound quietly attractive. Andrew is performed using a slightly higher pitch and brighter tone, which perfectly brings to life the brash, fun-loving young naval officer; and as is ever the case with this narrator, she is every bit as good in the secondary cast and character roles –  older characters like mothers, fathers and servants – as she is at portraying the principals. As well as the technical skill Ms Landor brings to all her narrations, she also injects exactly the right degree of emotional emphasis into her reading of the story without ever going over the top and her pacing is perfect.

Because of Miss Bridgerton is a gently moving, funny, sweetly romantic love story and is definitely the sort of audiobook to reach for when you want a feel-good listen without too much angst. Add to that a top-notch performance from one of the best narrators around, and I can’t imagine that fans of the author will be anything other than delighted.

Editor’s Note: Don’t miss the interview with narrator Rosalyn Landor.

Caz

Narration: A+

Book Content: B

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: None

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Harper Audio

Because of Miss Bridgerton was provided to AudioGals by Harper Audio for a review.