Bridgerton Has Officially Been Renewed For Season 2

Adapted from Julia Quinn's romance novel series of the same name, Shondaland's Bridgerton was a big hit on Netflix this past holiday season. So unsurprisingly, Netflix greenlit a second season of the Shonda Rhimes show. While the details on Season 2 remain scarce, the continues on the page in The Viscount Who Loved Me, but without a spotlight on the Duke and Duchess of Hastings. Instead, the focus in the second novel turns to Daphne's eldest brother, Anthony, whose marriage plot is foiled by his fiancée's disagreeable sister. Spoilers for The Viscount Who Loved Me follow.

Anthony became the Viscount Bridgerton when he was 18 years old, after his father died unexpectedly from a bee sting at the age of 38. The young nobleman has spent the last decade trying to honor his father's legacy by not outshining it, and he has managed to convince himself that he won't live any longer than his father. Now, as Anthony approaches 30, he's determined to marry and produce an heir before his time is up.

Enter Edwina Sheffield. She's newly out and already stealing the hearts of London's most eligible bachelors. His younger brothers agree that she should be the object of his affections, but there's one major problem: Edwina's older stepsister, Kate, who is coming out alongside her. Kate hates the viscount for his rakish reputation alone, and Miss Sheffield has sworn not to marry anyone her sister does not like. That means Anthony won't hear any wedding bells unless he can show his future sister-in-law that he's the right man for Edwina.

As you might expect, things do not go according to plan. Although Anthony and Kate can't stand each other at first, the two begin to develop feelings for one another, much to their chagrin. Neither wants to betray Edwina by acting on their growing affections, but their shared attraction is undeniable. So Anthony and Kate resolve their problems like the mature adults they are — by bickering and picking fights with one another.

Ultimately, the decision to throw off Edwina for her stepsister becomes an easy choice to make. A bee stings Kate on her chest, and Anthony, remembering the death of his father, tries to save her life... by sucking out the bee venom. Realizing that he has compromised Kate's reputation, the young viscount does the right thing by marrying her.

That only opens a new can of worms, however. You see, while Kate is pretty, Edwina is downright beautiful. If their family's finances had been in better order, the two stepsisters would have been able to debut separately. Instead, Kate has been forced to stand alongside her younger, more attractive sister every step of the way. She has convinced herself that no man could prefer her to Edwina. Now she's been proven right, because her own husband wanted to marry her sister instead! Believing that Anthony only married her out of duty weighs hard on Kate, but you'll have to read The Viscount Who Loved Me to find out what happens to the viscount and his new wife.