#rokesby series

[the-other-art-blog]

Julia Quinn wrote the Rokesby series 10 years after Bridgerton and it shows.

I have only read half of it (GeorgexBillie and EdwardxCecilia), but already these men are simply superior. There's no toxicity, the men are honorable. They have strong personalities, but they would have never blackmailed, hurt physically, pressured a woman to consummate the marriage, or seduced a woman to take advantage of their honor and marry her. And I think we all know of the BIG issues with consent and SA in The Duke and I, and Sir Philip with Love.

I'm glad Julia moved on from those awful plot points and wrote actual gentlemen from beginning to end.

For all those who claim that what the Bridgerton men did was historically accurate and part of the genre, this proves it isn't. A jerk is a jerk, no matter the century.

[aleigh75-blog]

One thing I'd have loved to see in Bridgerton is one of the girls, when nervous about their presentation day, being told "At least you probably won't set someone on fire like Aunt Billie"... I feel like it would have worked best for Eloise. Or maybe when Gregory is older, someone says at least he's a boy so they don't have to worry about him setting someone on fire in front of the Queen...

It's too bad she wrote the Rokesby books so long after the Bridgerton series, and that the show isn't using more (any?) references from them...

[condescendingbench]

Rokesby Series Fancast:

George Rokesby - Harris Dickinson

Edward Rokesby - Will Poulter

Andrew Rokesby - Patrick Gibson

Nicholas Rokesby - George MacKay

Billie Bridgerton - Rose Williams

Cecilia Harcourt - Jessie Mei Li

Poppy Bridgerton - Georgie Henley

Georgiana Bridgerton - Mia Bruce

[bridgertonbabe]

Ranking the Rokesby Series

So after recently reading all 4 Rokesby books, here’s my ranking of them;

1. The Girl With The Make-Believe Husband

Cecilia and Edward’s love story has to be my favourite from the sheer drama of it all. This book has everything; the hero suffering from amnesia, the heroine pretending to be his wife, a brother MIA, falling in love over correspondence, a strawberry-induced allergic reaction, and the ever beloved “there’s only one bed” trope. I also think Cecilia and Edward’s book is my favourite of the Rokesby series because while reading it I felt as though it was a bit Benophie-coded, due in part to the heroine having to go by an alternate identity of sorts and the hero not being any the wiser right up until the last few chapters (though to be fair Edward is suffering from memory loss - Benedict is just an idiot lmao). 

2. The Other Miss Bridgerton

Andrew and Poppy are next and while I initially thought Billie was as chaotic a Bridgerton as her nieces and nephews, it turns out drama and scandal is simply a Bridgerton family trait, as proven by Poppy when she manages to get kidnapped by privateers. Andrew makes for the perfect charmingly cheeky hero and he definitely reminded me a lot of Colin especially with his inability to stay in one place for too long yet coming to a point where he desired more from life. I enjoyed the witty back and forth between the pair but also how closely they bonded through their deeper conversations and how their attraction became more and more palpable as the story progressed. I genuinely didn’t expect the drama that would ensue upon their arrival in Portugal but it made for a pleasant surprise and appropriately raised the stakes for them to realise just how much they meant to each other. 

3. Because Of Miss Bridgerton

Now while I did thoroughly love George and Billie’s love story they’ve ended up ranking third only because there was so much drama in the above books in stark contrast. Again, I can’t help but compare the Rokesby series with the Bridgerton series and in doing so it’s so abundantly clear that this story is Kanthony-coded; from the enemies-to-lovers trope between two respective eldest siblings, the alleged supposition among the other characters that Billie is destined to end up with one of George’s brothers (even though it’s quite obvious that the supporting players are all lowkey side-eyeing the pair throughout), and even a game of Pall Mall featuring the mallet of death. While it could be viewed as an italicized version of Kanthony; TVWLM is one of Julia Quinn’s best stories for a reason so fuck it, why shouldn’t it be echoed? 

4. First Comes Scandal

And just because Georgie and Nicholas’s story is ranked fourth doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it; again, purely based off of drama, this book simply wasn’t as wildly dramatic as it’s three predecessors. I loved the Muppet baby cameos of young ABC but if anything I loved it too much because I wanted more of them, plus I was a little disappointed that we never saw Edmund’s reaction to his best friend becoming engaged to his younger sister; did he get mad, was he shooketh, or did he find it a bit funny? For me the journey to Scotland dragged on a little more than I would have liked though I did enjoy reading how Georgie and Nicholas slowly fell for each other and transitioned from being friends to lovers (plus it was a nice touch having their first time being both of their first times; it gave their love scene a fresh dynamic from the rest of Regency couples’ first times).  

[i-ship-it-xoxo]

I've been consuming too much queer media, too much British media, and too much queer British media recently

Someone pls help me I'm autistic and starting to say some really interesting phrases as a person that lives in Texas

[oneseeminglyincurableromance]

[sea-owl]

If you were to Isekai as any character in Bridgerton, who would it be and why?

(alternative: you wake up as a character in Bridgerton, who would you prefer and why?)

Oh, that's an interesting one. Penelope would be fun, with her secret business as Lady Whistledown. Kate would be fun too, but I might get in trouble because I might actually swing at Anthony.

Honestly, my choices would actually be from the Rokesby series. Two of Edmund's sisters, actually, Poppy Bridgerton or Georgiana Bridgerton. No real reason their stories just seemed like it be a fun time. Though I do admit if I was either of them I be in London scheming with Violet on getting my nibbling and my own children engaged.

[inlovewithquotes]

“I think he’s hungry,” Georgie said.

“He’s always hungry. Honestly, I don’t know what to do with him. He ate half of my mean pasty yesterday.”

Georgie sent a horrified look at her little nephew. “Does he even have teeth?”

“No,” Violet replied. “He just gummed the whole thing down.”

“You little monster,” Georgie said affectionately. Colin gurgled, clearly judging this to be a compliment.

-First Come Scandal

[notxjustxstories]

got an idea for a scene i'll never write for two characters in All In, so I'm just gonna transpose that scene into Bridgerton.

Felicity Featherington is nervous about her next dance. Her card says G. Bridgerton. She doesn't know when Gregory managed to sneak by and write his name in; it doesn't even look like his handwriting! But when it's time to line up, she's stunned to see Georgina Bridgerton standing across from her instead.

[silverhallow]

Speaking of the Rokesby, I find it hilarious how George was hesitant about pursuing Billie cause he thought she liked Edward while Cecilia fled the continent cause she thought Edward loved Billie and did not want to be an obstacle between them. Edward-Billie bestie duo unknowingly causing massive inner turmoils for their future spouses will never not be hilarious 😂

Oh absolutely, it's just funny that George was getting jealous of both of his brothers really, Edward more so and he was bloody missing in America

and Poor Cecilia, just like "he doesn't love me, it's all a lie... he loves Billie" even when he's trying to pour his heart out to her... she's like "but billie!"

i can just imagine within about 5 minutes of meeting Billie Cecilia just relaxes and goes "oh right, I get it now... defo siblings vibes..."

her and George just watching from the side totally amused as their competing against one another and on the few occasions Andrew is home before Poppy happens watching them collectively tease Andrew just like "what were we worried about"

[quotergirl19]

OMG YES!!!! I need a Rokesby spin-off!

I hope we get more Bridgerton story spin-offs for other love stories outside the Bridgerton children’s marriages. Because I’d love to see:

Violet & Edmund: A Bridgerton Story

Alice & Will: A Bridgerton Story

Lady Mary & Mr. Sharma: A Bridgerton Story

[arrthurpendragon]

[condescendingbench]

The Smythe-Smith Quartet Fancast:

Marcus Holyroyd - John Boyega

Honoria Smythe-Smith - Amita Suman

Daniel Smythe-Smith - Dev Patel

Anne Wynter - Beebadobee

Hugh Prentice - Thomas Brodie Sangster

Sarah Pleinsworth - Geraldine Viswanathan

Richard Kenworthy - Sean Teale

Iris Smythe-Smith - Ambika Mod

[your3fundamentaltruths]

AU where Edmund lives and an eye-opening conversation with Colin reveals to Nicholas that his best friend is a less-than-perfect parent.

-

I don't want to spoil an excellent father, so this will make A LOT more sense if you read that first if you haven't already.

[sheilajsn]

Serie The Rokesbys de Julia Quinn

Como parte de The Romance Readathon organizado por Maggie de Maggie’s Books and Stuff, el mes pasado leí la serie completa The Rokesbys de Julia Quinn. Esta serie consta de cuatro libros y es una precuela de la serie Bridgerton, en la que conocemos a la generación anterior. La serie no se base específicamente en la familia Bridgerton, sino en la familia Rokesby, quienes vivían en Crake House, a…

[oneseeminglyincurableromance]