“The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn

Romance fans, if you’ve watched the show, this is where it all began.

Daphne Bridgerton is a sensible, much-loved young woman with a big family and very little luck in love. Every suitor sees her as a friend, and she’s tired of it. Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, is handsome, charming, and determined never to marry. So the two strike a bargain: they’ll pretend to court. Daphne gets attention from other suitors, and Simon gets peace from the matchmakers.

But pretending is trickier than it looks, and the sparks aren’t pretend at all.

It’s witty, warm, and swoony, with sparkling banter and a lot of heart. Jill Barnett calls Julia Quinn “our contemporary Jane Austen,” and fans agree. It’s the first in the Bridgerton series, with the Netflix tie-in sticker on the cover.

This mass-market paperback is in good condition, and you can find it at Dead Tree Dreams. Happy reading!