After watching Bridgerton season 3, there’s one perfect complementary book to read, but it doesn’t have a bit of romance – at least, not for another person. This season diverges somewhat from previous seasons. For starters, it’s the first Bridgerton season to be dropped in two parts, with the season split into episodes of four and four. Bridgerton season 3’s story also differs from previous seasons in that it follows not one, but two different romances. While Penelope and Colin’s blossoming romance is the main focus, Francesca and John Stirling also see their own romance unfold.

A few common Bridgerton elements didn’t change in season 3, however. Queen Charlotte is still intimately involved in the ton’s season, searching to name the new diamond of the ton. The ton is still as gossipy and catty as ever, trapped in cycles of aristocratic rules and the politics of upward social climbers. And, as always, there are a few potential suitors in the form of new characters in Bridgerton season 3 who come to town and act as red herrings until the real romance is consummated. One of those suitors, and another new side character, represent a theme that runs throughout Bridgerton season 3’s story.

Bridgerton Season 3 Covered Themes Of Scientific Discovery & Nature

Two New Characters Were A Naturalist And A Balloonist, Respectively

Bridgerton season 3, part 1 had a strong undercurrent of scientific discovery and exploration, invention, and an appreciation for the natural world. In particular, episode 3, “Forces of Nature,” really ran with this theme with the focus on Lord Debling, a naturalist and explorer and an early adopter of the vegan lifestyle. He creates quite a stir when he announces he’s setting out for the North Pole with his team to explore the frozen north. The episode’s central scene also revolved around a runaway hot air balloon, pioneered by nobleman and enthusiastic inventor Lord Hawkins (Deepak Verma).

Lord Hawkins’ passion for invention and Lord Debling’s passion for conservation are treated as something of a joke in Bridgerton – as always, anyone with any spark of individuality or an interest in something new and unvetted is met with derision by the ton. Still, those with the same imagination and sense of wonder or desire for progress are interested in their causes. As Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) admonishes the dubious onlookers to Hawkins’ demonstration, “This man’s ingenuity will drive forth practical progress. I came here to listen to someone who thinks differently, not to hear the familiar chorus of what cannot be done.”

Richard Holmes’ The Age Of Wonder Is The Perfect Companion Book

There’s No Romance, But It Shares Similar Themes With This Bridgerton Season

Considering this spirit of scientific inquiry in Bridgerton season 3, one book that came out in 2008 is the perfect companion read for after the show: Richard Holmes’ The Age of Wonder. The book is a non-fiction biographical one, telling the story of some of the notable explorers and scientists of the Romantic Era (of which Bridgerton’s Regency Era is a part) and their discoveries, weaving a historical narrative that is as interesting as any fiction book.

Those looking for romance in The Age of Wonder won’t find it – at least not between two humans. Instead, it’s a romance between humankind and the natural world, between humans and exploration and invention. Even without romantic love and spicy scenes, The Age of Wonder fits Bridgerton‘s thematic vibes this season. Even some of the characters might have been lifted from history, not fictionalized accounts of real people, but certainly inspired by them. The book marries science and discovery with the arts that Bridgerton favors, particularly poetry, a fitting marriage for the Romantic Era.

The Romantic & Regency Eras Were Times Of Scientific Breakthroughs & Exploration

The Romantic Era Of Bridgerton Pushed Boundaries And Eschewed Societal Norms

Similar to this season of Bridgerton, the Romantic and Regency Eras were times of great innovation. There was a reckoning happening in the arts, with Romanticism infusing literature, art, and especially poetry. The young Romantic poets of the era – Keats, Byron, and Shelley – in particular, rebelled against the era of Enlightenment and found their inspiration in the natural world and all its wonders. Their desire to escape into nature was a backlash to the rapidly increasing pace of industrialism. Yet it was also a rebellion against the strict social constraints of the aristocracy and stifling norms that are also explored in Bridgerton.

Simultaneously, there was a scientific revolution happening as breakthroughs from the Industrial Revolution allowed those with a curious mind to hone the method of scientific inquiry used today. It had begun in the mid- to late-1700s, just as Age of Wonder does, following nobleman and explorer Joseph Banks, who traveled to Tahiti on HMS Endeavour. Other explorers and naturalists mentioned in the book, such as John Herschel, the Arctic explorer William Parry, and Charles Darwin, may well be real-world analogs of Bridgerton‘s Lord Debling. Meanwhile, Lord Hawkins finds his real-world contemporary in the figure of James Sadler, the pioneering English balloonist.

What makes Bridgerton such a compelling show isn’t just the romance and the erotic scenes, but also the detail and care that goes into building the world around the characters. Each season, the story of Bridgerton is steeped in the historical context of the era, with real historical figures like Queen Charlotte playing significant roles. While the political and historical realities of the time are kept to the fringes in favor of frivolous flirting and matchmaking, they still help color each season of Bridgerton. This season, it’s an age of wonder for the characters, both in scientific exploration and also in love.