The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After is a collection of epilogues answering questions that readers must have been plaguing Julia Quinn with.

If you haven't already read ALL of the Bridgerton books then don't bother getting this, go back and start at the beginning because otherwise you will be hopelessly lost. If you have read all the Bridgerton books then this is a sweet and mostly satisfying compilation of shorts that will remind you why you fell in love with the characters in the first place and give you some closure on some things that you always wondered about.

The first being whether or not Simon, Daphne's husband, ever read the letters that his father left for him. Ms. Quinn's first epilogue deals with what circumstances might make Simon WANT to read those letters - and my only complaint about this story is that now I'm dying to find out what's wrong with Georgie (if anything is at all) and I was hoping that the answer to THAT would come about in one of the later epilogues and it never did. Does that mean we're going to get a second generation of Bridgerton books? I hope so because I'm dying to know about him, as well as how Daphne and Simon deal with having an unexpected bundle of joy thrown into their later years.

The second epilogue didn't answer questions so much as it gave us a glimpse into Anthony and Kate's marriage and their unrelenting competitiveness when it comes to Pall Mall. Short, sweet and extremely humorous.

The third epilogue deals with Posy, Sophie's step-sister (the nice one). This was a little too short and sweet. I admittedly had always hoped that Posy would get her own book. It's satisfying to see how things turned out for her (since before this she only got a mere mention in one of the other sibling's books), but I would have liked to see a bit more of the courtship. Still, for a short it was very well done.

The next epilogue contains Eloise's discovery of who Lady Whistledown was... on her wedding day! It was lovely to see her and Sir Phillip again, although in some ways this was rather anticlimatic for me since I had actually never cared what her reaction was, but I can see why a lot of people did.

Amanda Crane, Eloise's stepdaughter, is the focus of the fifth epilogue. This is the only story written in first person and while that took some adjustment for my brain I thought that Ms. Quinn did an admirable job of the shift in perspective. Just like Posy, I thoroughly wished I could read an entire book about Amanda's courtship... especially since I have a feeling the Boughman sisters would have made for hilarious adversaries. As it was, it was an enjoyable little read, especially seeing Eloise acting like Violet when it comes to matchmaking for her stepdaughter.

The sixth epilogue deals with Francesca's desire to have a child, and the difficulties of not conceiving while being part of the Bridgerton brood. There's a lot of sweetness in this novelette, not the least because it has so much to do with the vagaries of motherhood and what makes a family. I think a lot of women who have difficulty conceiving will really be able to relate to this short and the thoughts that go through Francesca's head.

Epilogue 7 brings back Hyacinth and Gareth, two of my favorite characters. And just as always predicted, Hyacinth has turned into her mother... and she has been "blessed" with a daughter exactly like herself. The search for the diamonds continues, although perhaps if Hyacinth had ever mentioned it to her daughter things would have been a little different...

The 8th Epilogue had my heart stopping a little bit. I won't give anything away except to tell you that it's about Lucy and Gregory and the birth of their last two children (twins!). Admittedly, theirs wasn't my favorite book but I enjoyed the glimpse into their future and especially into their happily ever after since it was so hard come by in their book.

The last epilogue is Violet's story... and this is another one that I wish had been longer. It's not entirely satisfying because it's short glimpses, like peeking into a window for various segments of her life. I would have loved to read a LOT more about her courtship with Edmund. However, I thought that it was a fitting end to a wonderful compilation and the perfect way to wrap up this little book.

If you don't like short stories, I don't recommend this for you because things happen very quickly and they are definitely not as thorough as they could have been (which I found somewhat frustrating for a few of them because I'm always wanting to know MORE). If you want a peek into the futures of the Bridgertons, this is a mostly satisfying grouping that will allow you to visit with each and every one of your favorite characters. As shorts I thought they were very well done.

But if Ms. Quinn wants to write extended versions of Posy or Amanda or Violet's stories, I'll be the first in line to buy (as well as what happened with Georgie!).

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Rating	4.5 (10995 ratings)
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Category	Anthologies