Clara’s Verdict
I came to the Bridgerton audiobooks properly only after my niece insisted, and I’ll freely admit I’d been condescending about them for longer than was warranted. The Viscount Who Loved Me is the second book in Julia Quinn’s series and, by most accounts – including my own – it’s where the series hits its stride. Anthony Bridgerton is a more complex romantic lead than the Duke of Hastings, and Kate Sheffield is exactly the kind of heroine I’d been hoping for from the first book.
What Quinn does particularly well is the romantic tension that comes not from misunderstanding but from two people who understand each other perfectly and find that understanding profoundly inconvenient. Anthony knows Kate is his equal; Kate knows Anthony is the last man she should want for her sister or herself. The extended bee incident – readers will know the one – is as well-executed in audio as it is on the page, and Rosalyn Landor’s narration handles the comedy without overselling it.
If the Netflix series is your entry point, the book rewards you further. Quinn’s interior monologue is richer and funnier than anything the scripts could accommodate, and the Anthony-Kate dynamic gains considerable depth from the time spent inside their respective heads.
About the Audiobook
The Viscount Who Loved Me is book two of the Bridgertons series and follows Anthony Bridgerton, the eldest of the eight siblings and London’s most confirmed rake, as he embarks on a determinedly practical search for a wife. The year is 1814, and Anthony – who watched his beloved father die young – has made a private vow never to fall in love, lest he suffer the same fate. He will find a pretty, sensible, manageable wife, produce an heir, and remain emotionally armoured. This plan, predictably, does not survive contact with Kate Sheffield.
Kate arrives in London as the companion and chaperone to her younger sister Edwina, who is widely considered the season’s most eligible debutante. Edwina is everything Anthony has specified: beautiful, accomplished, and entirely biddable. Kate is none of these things, and she is absolutely determined that her sister will not marry a man who views matrimony as a business arrangement. The collision between Kate’s protectiveness and Anthony’s growing, unwelcome fascination drives the entire novel.
Quinn also gives considerable space to the extended Bridgerton family – the seven siblings who orbit Anthony like a small, opinionated solar system – and to the arch running commentary of Lady Whistledown, Regency London’s anonymous society gossip columnist. The family dynamics are warm without being saccharine, and the period detail is handled lightly enough not to become a burden on the story.
The Narration
Rosalyn Landor has narrated the Bridgerton series throughout and has become, for many listeners, inseparable from the books. Her performance here is polished and assured – she manages multiple voices cleanly, has good instincts for the comedy, and brings genuine warmth to the family scenes. The romantic tension is handled with a light touch that suits the tone of the novel: Quinn is writing romantic comedy at heart, and Landor’s delivery honours that without tipping into farce.
At just over 12 hours, the audiobook is the right length – enough time to become properly invested in both characters without outstaying its welcome. Landor’s pacing is confident throughout, and she’s particularly good with the verbal sparring between Kate and Anthony, which forms the backbone of the first half of the book.
What Readers Say
UK listeners have been effusive. “I didn’t think it could get any better than book 1 but I was so wrong,” wrote one reviewer in January 2021, going on to describe it as her absolute favourite of the entire eight-book series. Several reviewers noted that the book diverges from the Netflix adaptation in ways that reward rather than frustrate – the source material has more texture, particularly around Anthony’s underlying fear of an early death and Kate’s fierce, sometimes exasperating loyalty to Edwina.
The rating of 4.5 from 57 reviewers is consistent with the series’ standing as comfort reading of genuine quality. Multiple readers describe “addiction” – starting book one and finding themselves through the entire series within a fortnight. That, in my experience, is the truest measure of a well-executed romance series.
Who Should Listen?
This is ideal for listeners who enjoy Regency romance with real wit – if you love Georgette Heyer, you’ll find Quinn a natural companion. It works equally well for those who came to the books via the Netflix series and want more of the interiority the screen can’t provide. The romance is warm but not explicit, which makes it accessible across a wide range of readers.
You can enter the series here without having read book one – Quinn ensures you’re fully orientated within the first chapter – though dedicated listeners will want to go back to the beginning. The full series is available on Audible UK, Kobo, Scribd, and Storytel. Start The Viscount Who Loved Me on Audible UK and see whether book three follows immediately, as it almost certainly will.
