Queen Charlotte: Before Bridgerton Came an Epic Love Story

by Julia Quinn, Shonda Rhimes

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

The wait is over. Or ... ALMOST over! This May a new Bridgerton novel will make us giddy with excitement. Queen Charlotte, Violet Bridgerton and the future Lady Danbury come to us in the origin story of a lifetime! Perfectly timed to read along with the new Netflix series.

Go beyond the original Shondaland series on Netflix, Queen Charlotte, with this lushly romantic Bridgerton prequel novel written by New York Times bestselling authors Julia Quinn and Shonda Rhimes as the marriage of Queen Charlotte and King George of England leads to an unexpected love story and a union that transforms society.

In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen met for the very first time. They were married within hours.

Born a German Princess, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent… not precisely the attributes the British Court had been seeking in a spouse for the young King George III. But her fire and independence were exactly what she, and her King, needed.

Because George has secrets… secrets with the potential to shake the very foundations of the monarchy.

Thrust into her new role, Charlotte must navigate the intricate politics of the court—with the newly-titled Lady Danbury at her side—all the while guarding her heart, because she is falling in love with the King…even as he pushes her away. Now, Charlotte must learn to rule, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society, fulfilling her destiny as Queen. But she also has to fight for the love growing between her and George as people first, royals second. As she says to him: “Fight with me! Fight for me!”

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063307148
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Bridgerton Book Series
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	15,519
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn began writing one month after graduating from college and, aside from a brief stint in medical school, she has been tapping away at her keyboard ever since. Her novels have been translated into 43 languages and are beloved the world over. A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest. 

Look for BRIDGERTON, based on her popular series of novels about the Bridgerton family, on Netflix.

Editorial Reviews

Natalie Simpson navigates the private lives and public facades of Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and King George III of Great Britain in this "Bridgerton" series courtship account. Simpson uses theatrical skill to portray Charlotte as a young girl and a poised monarch and to portray George as a complex character with scientific interests. The triumph of this audiobook is Simpson's authority. Whether she's following the royal couple or the subplot of Lady Agatha Danbury's London origin story, she's as much in command as her characters strive to be. German and French words are expertly embedded in the dialogue. The charming juxtaposition of stiff court manners and quiet moments of joy and despair makes this a must-listen experience. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

July 2023 - AudioFile

Natalie Simpson navigates the private lives and public facades of Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and King George III of Great Britain in this "Bridgerton" series courtship account. Simpson uses theatrical skill to portray Charlotte as a young girl and a poised monarch and to portray George as a complex character with scientific interests. The triumph of this audiobook is Simpson's authority. Whether she's following the royal couple or the subplot of Lady Agatha Danbury's London origin story, she's as much in command as her characters strive to be. German and French words are expertly embedded in the dialogue. The charming juxtaposition of stiff court manners and quiet moments of joy and despair makes this a must-listen experience. C.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - JULY 2023

2023-05-08
A novelization of a written-for-television story in the Bridgerton universe.

Opening with a coy reminder that the novel is “fiction inspired by fact,” the story is about the first year of marriage between Charlotte Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a German princess of Moorish ancestry, and George III, king of Great Britain and Ireland. There are four narrators: George, Charlotte, the queen’s servant Bartholomew Brimsley, and the newly minted Lady Agatha Danbury. On the day of the royal wedding, a group of wealthy Black families are also awarded titles, a move designed to quell possible dissension from White aristocrats about Charlotte’s race. George, with the help of the entire royal household, has been hiding his mental illness from Charlotte. Determined to find a cure, George subjects himself to a quack doctor who tortures him physically and mentally. Lady Danbury is trying to secure the futures of the new aristocratic families by any means necessary, including trading information about the royal marriage to George’s mother in exchange for favors. Brimsley’s lover, Reynolds, is the king’s primary manservant, and the two try to protect their royal charges from the machinations and back-stabbing of the royal court. The book’s pacing is choppy, presumably following the script of the TV show, quickly cutting between scenes without much tying them together. Melodramatic and soapy, the story suggests that racism can be cured during a ball and mental illness can be cured with love, nice but ultimately empty sentiments that might play better on TV than they do in the pages of a book. Lady Danbury’s origin story is the most enjoyable subplot; she befriends the queen and helps the new class of Black aristocrats keep their titles, all while managing the challenges of being a young widow.

Might appeal to die-hard fans of the show but offers little to the general reading audience.

Kirkus Reviews