An Offer from a Gentleman

Trigger warnings: attempted rape, forced servitude

Sophie Beckett's Cinderella story starts with a Bridgerton boy.

Sophie Beckett is the bastard child of an earl. She was left on the earl's doorstep as a baby, and the official story in society is that she is an orphan who is the earl's ward. Sophie enjoys a solitary childhood as the earl is away in London most of the time. She is raised by the household servants and her governess.

Then Sophie's story is ripped from the pages of Cinderella -- her father marries the evil stepmother, who has two daughters. Sophie's hope of making friends with other children her age are soon dashed by the pompous stepmother, who doesn't want her children associating with a bastard.

Also like Cinderella, Sophie's father dies and leaves her with the dowager countess, who can't be rid of Sophie if she wants a full inheritance. Sophie becomes a 24/7 ladies' maid who is responsible for many aspects of the stepmother's and stepsisters' lives including mending and altering their clothes, bringing them beverages, cleaning their rooms, and styling their hair.

When the step-family goes to a masquerade ball at the Bridgertons' home, the servants of the house decide to help Sophie have fun for one evening and send her to the ball. Naturally, she must be home by midnight.

At the ball, the eligible Benedict Bridgerton is immediately drawn to her beauty and is charmed by her honesty and naïveté. Sophie is attracted to Benedict as well, but she must leave before being unmasked.

Here is where Cinderella ends and a more original story begins. Benedict and Sophie think about each other often, but do not cross paths again until several years later. Upon their reunion, their relationship is equal parts longing and annoyance. The secrets they keep from each other put a strain on their relationship from the beginning, which makes the reader wonder why they won't trust each other and save themselves a lot of misery.

Benedict Bridgerton is no prize -- he originally is so blinded by his lust for Sophie that he only considers her as a potential mistress and not a prospect for love marriage. His actions throughout the novel are infuriating, and one can see why Sophie resists a relationship with him despite her feelings.

Recommended for fans of historical romance, especially those who love Regency romance.

Julia Quinn studied art history at Harvard. She wrote her first books while waiting to get into medical school, then gave up school to write. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Series: Bridgertons, #3

Publisher: Avon (print); Recorded Books (audio)

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Running Time: 12 hours, 22 minutes

Length: 480 pages

Release Date: 2001