An Offer From a Gentleman
Avon, July, 2001.
Paperback, 384 pages.
ISBN: 0380815583
Subgenre: Historical
Although it is never openly spoken of, Sophie Becket is the
the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood. In his will,
the Earl specified that his second wife would receive a large
sum of money if she would allow Sophie to live with her
after his death. Sophie's stepmother, the dowager countess,
despises Sophie and relegates her to the servants' quarters.
Sophie's two stepsisters also treat her horribly. The night
of the Bridgerton masquerade ball, the servants of the house help
transform Sophie into a perfectly turned-out
beauty so that she can go to the ball. At the ball, Sophie meets
the handsome and charming Benedict Bridgerton, and the two
are smitten. But Sophie must rush home to don her servant's garb,
and when her stepmother finds out she went to the ball, she
is thrown out on the street. Benedict searches for the beautiful
mystery woman he fell for at the ball, but to no avail.
Several years pass, and the two meet
again when Benedict saves Sophie from the unwanted attentions
of a drunk nobleman. Benedict finds Sophie a place as a
maid in his mother's London home. But Benedict doesn't
recognize Sophie as his missing mystery woman from the
night of the ball, although he does find
her attractive. But he certainly can't marry a servant girl, now
can he?
Julia Quinn has taken the Cinderella story, given it a Regency era background and added a few of her own special twists to create a delightful tale. Sophie has kept her identity as the illegitimate daughter of an earl a dark secret, and so a marriage seems impossible given the class difference. But with a little help from a real fairy godmother -- Benedict's mother -- true love actually has a chance. Julia Quinn has a light touch with witty repartee, yet there is real heart which underlies the humor in this passionate and endearing story.
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This review was published in the September, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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