Review: An Offer From a Gentleman

An Offer From a Gentleman

Julia Quinn

Series or Stand Alone: Bridgerton series, book three

Release Date: July 2001

Publisher: Avon

Pages: 362

Author Site: http://www.juliaquinn.com/

My Rating: 5/5

Source: Paperbackswap.com

Synopsis:

[from juliaquinn.com]

Will she accept his offer before the clock strikes midnight?

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball—or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

Review:

I simply can't get enough of the Bridgertons! AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN has a "Cinderella" vibe and features the second-oldest Bridgerton son: Benedict. He was hardly featured in the previous two books and I was very anxious to see what kind of person he was and how his happily-ever-after would pan out. I must admit that I wasn't in the least bit disappointed and this installment of the Bridgerton series is definitely one of my faves.

Sophie Beckett is the heroine of AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN. The bastard daughter of the Earl of Penwood, Sophie has been accepted as his ward and has been tolerated to live in the Penwood home since she was first dropped off at the doorstep. But when the Earl marries Sophie's life slowly takes a turn for the worse. Lady Penwood despises Sophie and makes sure that her two daughters treat Sophie with the same disrespect and disgust that she feels for her. Shortly after the Earl dies, Sophie is forced into a servant role that she endures for years.

But Sophie's life changes forever when the servants of the home all help her attend a masquerade ball. And at that same ball is Benedict Bridgerton. The second son of the famous Bridgerton family, he has struggled to break the mold set upon him by the ton. He's tired of being known as only the "Second" and wishes for nothing more than to find himself among his beloved family members. Upon seeing a masked and alluring lady in silver, Benedict falls completely in love with her. But when the clock strikes midnight, the lady in silver flees and disappears out of Benedict's life.

He spends years after the ball searching for his lady in silver. She fills his dreams and thoughts daily and it's not until four years later when he happens upon a maid in an unfortunate situation that his heart seems to start beating again. After fleeing the Penwood estate four years ago, Sophie finds herself getting ready to leave another job after being constantly pursued by the son of the house. And it's on this very night that her Prince Charming comes back into her life once again...

I enjoyed the somewhat darker-toned writing in this book. It still had great dialogue and lots of laughs but was also filled with heart-breaking emotion that made me keep flipping the pages. Benedict was definitely a gentleman in the story with a sweet and lovable side to him. But he also had a pushy and insistant side that bothered me a little. He was relentless in his insisting that Sophie become his mistress. I get that he didn't know the entire story of her past but "no" does mean "no" and I think if he loved her as much as he said he did he would rather marry her and tell the ton to shove it! But of course things have a way of working out...

Sophie was so strong-willed. She was courageous and still had such a brightness to her. I very much enjoyed having her as the heroine of the story. I also wanted to comment on Violet Bridgerton (the famous mother of the Bridgerton clan)...In one word she's basically AWESOME! I pretty much love her =) A kind-hearted mother and human being in general, she's also fierce and loyal! And the story wouldn't be a Brigerton story without mentioning Lady Whistledown... She didn't seem as much into Benedict and Sophie's business as she usually is but she certainly brings that extra something to each of Julia Quinn's books.

Book four is patiently waiting to be read on my shelf and I'm super excited about it. It features the next brother-in-line Colin and Penelope Featherington: definitely a story that I can't wait to dive into! I hope you'll give this series a try if you haven't already. The books so far have been laugh out loud funny, filled with swoon worthy scenes, and is still written with a depth of emotion that I've come to really look forward to.