The Duke and I

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Synopsis

Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?
—Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1813

By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister, the lovely—and almost-on-the-shelf—Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of them know the truth—it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable. 

But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham. Maybe it’s his devilish smile, certainly it’s the way his eyes seem to burn every time he looks at her… but somehow Daphne is falling for the dashing duke… for real! And now she must do the impossible and convince the handsome rogue that their clever little scheme deserves a slight alteration, and that nothing makes quite as much sense as falling in love…

Synopses source: The StoryGraph

Review

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Regency Romance
HB&W Rating: 2 stars
View on StoryGraph, Goodreads
Buy on Barnes & Noble | Amazon

This is my pick for my 2025 Book Challenge for September: Adapted to the Screen. For more recommended reads, see my blog post here.

While I have seen the first few seasons of the Bridgerton Netflix series, I never read the books, so I chose this book as my pick for the challenge this month. After all, the Netflix series was so fun, I assumed it would be an easy choice.

I did really enjoy most of this. It’s an uncomplicated story focused more on witty banter than anything, though Simon’s past does provide some depth to the story. I enjoyed the relationship between Daphne and her older brothers and her mother. I missed seeing more of Eloise and Penelope. For characters that eventually get their own stories, I thought there would be more characterization. But there was one scene that just ruined an otherwise delightful experience for me and I’m surprised not only by its presence in the story but by the way it was framed.

I’m going to spoiler tag the next bit because it does give away bits of the story, but I also feel this story needs a couple trigger warnings – and not in a good way. TW: dubious consent and forced procreation.

Spoiler! Click here to view!

Daphne has come from a large and loving family. It is only natural that she’d want a large family of her own. She feels betrayed and I don’t blame her there, though she did sign on to the marriage under the assumption that there would be no children. She was mislead about the how of it, but the end result was the same. It’s all a bit murky here on who may have the moral high ground up until the scene in question.

Regardless of how betrayed she felt, those feelings don’t justify the way Daphne took advantage of Simon’s inebriated state to force him into possibly impregnating her. This scene was dubious consent at best and rape at worst. Was his body willing? Yes. Would he have wanted to risk pregnancy? No. Did he express alarm at the moment in question? Yes. Did she concede to his choice? No. She forced the issue. While this scene alone was enough to turn me off of this book, the way it was framed after the fact made it worse. Simon wasn’t upset about her taking away his choice. He was more upset that she’d reduced him to stammering. Really?? THAT’s what you’re upset about? Moreover, the continuing story seemed to justify Daphne’s actions.

I understand that this was written two decades ago about a time period two centuries prior but still. Ew. This scene ruined the whole book for me.

Until next time,

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