I can’t recommend them but they have a definite “bit more cheese” quality that I cannot explain

I read them before, but I didn't even figure it out while watching Bridgerton until the sex episode, where she talks to the maid.

Do the books have more...plot than the show? I generally prefer romances where the characters have shit going on in their lives other than the main romantic arc (where the conflict is more "we can't be together because our lives are so complicated" and less "we can't be together because we have for some reason chosen never to talk to each other about what we want"), and Bridgerton-the-show was very much all about the pairing up with not much else going on.

I thought the Lady Whistledown bits were the best parts of the book. I read through all of those, but skipped the main parts of the book after I'd given up.

Hah I feel like one of the reasons I have a hard time with modern romances (as opposed to historic) is I have so much less patience in modern ones with “omg just fucking tell him your issue” or “use your fucking cell phone!”, but if there are more significant issues, it’s hard to have a way to fix them reasonably! Like, either it’s something dumb (“I can’t tell you my deep secret about how I hate mushrooms”) or it’s something bigger (“I hate small town life and want to go join Doctors Without Borders and not live in this small town, but you are the mayor and love it here”) that isn’t easily solved (“oh never mind! I love this town too!” negates all your character development, or shows it wasn’t all that important anyway? Whereas historical romances I have more tolerance for not talking to each other or being forced to marry because of manners or whatever.

All of the Bridgerton books are pretty frothy, if I remember right. I think when they were initially published, Quinn's light, modern voice was a real change, but that's hardly the case anymore.

I suggest Tessa Dare's books if you want fun historical with a bit more plot, and a decidedly feminist sensibility (especially the Spindle Cove books).

Tessa Dare has been on my list of authors to try for a while, but I am not allowing myself to buy any more books for at least another month, and I don't think any of her work is available in KU.

“use your fucking cell phone!”,

Seriously, WHY DO ROMANCE PROTAGONISTS NEVER CHARGE THEIR FUCKING PHONES.

Library, Jessica!! They’ve probably got all the Tessa Dare books!

My library's Overdrive account has a bunch of Dare's books, most with waiting lists. Any recommendations for which ones to get in line for?

The only romance authors I read that are writing in a modern setting are Jasmine Guillory and Lucy Parker. Parker usually uses the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it's fun.