"Because of Miss Bridgerton" by Julia Quinn is a prequel, one generation before the popular Bridgerton book series and Netflix TV series, which is called the Rokesby Series.

The book started with the introduction of Billie Bridgerton. She has the wild, capable but a soft-hearted personality that booklovers know of the Bridgerton women.

The book is the telling of the history and love story between Billie Bridgerton and George Rokesby. The families have been neighbors for centuries. Growing up, Billie has always been friends with the younger Rokesby siblings while George, the eldest in the family, has always been the serious, the heir to the Rokesby title, the responsible one. They never get along.

Years later, one Rokesby has gotten married and two are away to serve the war, except for George. As George came back to the family estate, an encounter with Billie has them spending time together and both of them realizing that the other is not as bad as one thought. 

Sometimes you fall in love with exactly the person you think you should which is fine because everyone expects Billie Bridgerton to marry one of the Rokesby brothers. 

Thoughts:

I have read all of the Bridgerton books years ago. I did not love all of the stories so I did not expect much of this book. It's a sleeper book and sad to say, not exciting. The adventurous Rokesby and the wild and bold Bridgeton is how we know the characters we love from "The Duke and I" become. Because there were Bridgertons before the eight alphabetically named siblings.