Romancing Mr Bridgerton & To Sir Philip with Love, by Julia Quinn

Previous extended epilogues have already disclosed that Penelope Featherington is Lady Whistledown and that she marries Colin Bridgerton. So the only tension left to reveal is how she is exposed and how the couple comes together. The answer to both is not in a very interesting manner. The best aspect of the story is that there are plenty of other Bridgertons involved, in particular some trailers to the next novel, which covers Eloise’s romance. In passing it is dropped in that the third sister, Francesca is already married and widowed, but it’s not clear why the story of her marriage to a Scottish earl has been omitted from the family saga. Presumably we’ll get the tale of her second marriage after Eloise’s story, as they go strictly in birth order. The fifth book of the Bridgerton series overlaps slightly with the previous novel, rather than leaping forward several years. It also takes place over only a few weeks, meaning the journey to love for Eloise Bridgerton is (literally) unbelievably rapid. Apparently that’s ample time to overcome doubts and buried trauma, deal with damaged children and develop a committed relationship. The best part id the extra epilogue, which for once does not give spoilers but gives glimpse into the future through a secondary character. It may be time to give up on the Bridgerton books and just hope the Netflix sequels are better.