When He Was Wicked

Michael Stirling has been in love with Francesca Bridgerton since the moment he met her, at the party celebrating her engagement to his cousin. He has spent years watching her marriage and her widowhood from the position of devoted friend and confidant, unable to speak. Julia Quinn's sixth Bridgerton novel departs from the series' usual comedic register to tell a darker story about grief, guilt, and the love that was always there waiting.

Rosalyn Landor has narrated the Bridgerton series across every entry, and the tonal shift this novel requires plays to her strengths. Her Michael carries the weight of years of repressed feeling with a restraint that makes the novel's emotional release more powerful when it arrives. At just under twelve hours, this entry stands somewhat apart from its siblings in the series, and Landor's sensitivity to its different register makes it one of the more memorable listens.