Offer from a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)

by Julia Quinn

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 her his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

• ISBN10: 1417710578
• ISBN13: 9781417710577
• Publish Date: 1 July 2001
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 7 April 2021
• Imprint: Turtleback Books
• Edition: Turtleback School & Library ed.
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Language: English

Reviews

[pamela]

What is it with straight white women and our tacit forgiveness of abhorrent men? While I will admit that An Offer From a Gentleman had some fun moments, overall, it was still just a huge apologia of a man's really shitty behaviour.

The story starts firmly within the Cinderella trope, which thankfully it left behind about a quarter of the way through. But starting off with it meant that the protagonists Sophia and Benedict suffered from instalust, and then their relationship never really developed from there. Two attractive people wanting to bone is not a great basis for everlasting love, and I'm well and truly sick of the romance genre making it sound like it is!

Rape and abuse sub-plots are glossed over as inconveniences rather than something that should be explored, and Benedict's behaviour is absolutely inexcusable. He doesn't take no for an answer, gives warnings about when consent can be applied, and blackmails Sophie with threats of jail if she doesn't do exactly what she wants. He constantly mansplains her needs to her, and micromanages the direction of her future. And she lets him. Because he's hot. And her character exists only to be the victim to Benedicts "hero".

Alos, three books in, I'm starting to think that JQ might not have ever had anything other than missionary sex, because good lord, the first sex scene was dull, but I've now had the exact same one repeated in three books.

There are three steps to JQ sex:
1) grab breasts
2) a few seconds of fingering that constitutes all the foreplay
3) missionary position
Seriously people, we can do better than that. Hell, we DESERVE better than that.

Am I reading the next book? Yes. Because despite their more problematic elements, the Bridgerton series is proving to be a bit of mindless escapism. But still, I hope the romance genre starts getting the overhaul it deserves, because if this series is considered a great example of the genre, then it's no wonder the genre isn't taken seriously. Abuse is not romance.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor, I quickly slipped back into the Bridgerton's world as Quinn shared Benedict's romance. We meet Sophie Beckett as a young child and learn her backstory as the bastard child of the Earl who raises her as his ward after her mother a house maid dies. While there were no mice or pumpkin carriages we do get a masked ball and a tête-à-tête with Prince Charming aka Benedict Bridgerton.

We have the mean stepmother and her two daughters and all the drama poor Sophie can handle. The romance that develops is complicated by miscommunication and Sophie's unwillingness to tell Benedict who she is. Obviously, she doesn't have the same social standing as him, and when he asks her to be his mistress, things get complicated. They do have excellent chemistry, but this story was missing the giggles I have come to expect from Quinn's books.

We see growth from key characters and are treated to updates on previous couples. Quinn hints at the next story and I adored the inclusion of the 2nd Epilogue previously published as a novella which shares updates on Sophie and Benedict in addition to updates on the youngest stepsister.

I ended up listening to the audio narrated by the delightful Rosalyn Landor. While her male voices can be a bit on the stuffy side, she makes listening pleasurable.

I love the retelling and interaction at the Bridgerton household. We did get some excitement thanks to Sophie's wretched stepmother. I adored Momma Bridgerton in this scene. While not a personal favorite this was still enjoyable to listen to, and I look forward to listening to the next novel in the series.

Audio provided by the publisher.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Angie]

An Offer From a Gentleman was so cute! Well, it starts off quite sad because at the age of three, Sophie was delivered to her father after her mother's death. If that wasn't bad enough, her father basically ignores her because she's a bastard. Seven years later, he gets married and Sophie's new stepmother and stepsisters are awful. Sure Sophie is allowed to have lessons with the girls, but other than that they're cruel to her. Then her father dies, Sophie becomes their maid, and I'm sure you can tell where this story is going.

Obviously, An Offer From a Gentleman is a Cinderella retelling and it's a great one! The author does something totally new with the fairy tale while still having it be recognizable and magical. Sophie attends a masquerade at the Bridgerton's home, meets Benedict, runs away at the stroke of midnight, and leaves behind her...glove. The glove is monogrammed, so he follows the family crest back to Sophie's home, but only finds her stepsisters. Fast forward two years later, the two meet again but he doesn't recognize her. Sophie doesn't say anything, because she knows they simply cannot be together and it's better that he doesn't know about their one wonderful night together.

I really enjoyed Sophie and Benedict together. She's super sweet but doesn't let anyone walk over her (at least once she gets away from the stepmother). Benedict isn't a rake or a rogue, but he's also not a perfect Prince Charming. While he doesn't order her about, Sophie is quick to point out his privilege and their differences in class, when he tries to make her out to be more than she is. The only time I got a bit annoyed was when Benedict kept insisting that Sophie becomes his mistress. She very clearly didn't want that and he got quite pushy. Of course, he does come to see the error of his ways.

An Offer From a Gentleman was just a sweet read. It was a refreshing take on a classic, and I loved the changes that the author made. It was also fun to get to know the younger Bridgertons better, since they hadn't gotten much page time thus far. I came to quite like Eloise and can't wait for her book!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Amanda]

Julia Quinn is an author who makes me wish I read less—or slower—so I could fill my reading time only with her books. Alas, I’m forced to wait and pine and wait some more. An Offer From a Gentleman sat, trapped, in a library branch being renovated for far too much time (it felt like months) before my request was fulfilled.

And it was so worth the wait.

You know how some books just hit the spot? That’s what An Offer From a Gentleman did for me. The string of historical romances I’ve read lately haven’t been bad, but they haven’t been JQ-esque, either. And this one? Oh, I was so happy to be back with the Bridgertons again.

And I kinda dug the Cinderella-esque vibe going on. Sophie hasn’t had an easy life. Benedict is, well, a Bridgerton (so while maybe he hasn’t had an easy life, exactly, he certainly has the love and affection of his family). And I adore this family. I think JQ could just write a book solely of Bridgerton family interaction, and I’d be happy.

Must. Have. Next. Book. NOW.

[mitabird]

4.5 stars

[journalingirl]

A lovely Cinderella story.

[rakesandrogues]

I love the Cinderella qualities of this novel, but I'm really glad that it steered clear from it after the first fifty or so pages. I thought that if it had continued on the Cinderella path, it definitely would have gotten too boring and too predictable. I'm glad that Sophie did not give in too easily to Benedict. I do admire that quality of her. I would have hated it if she just gave into him halfway through the book. I enjoyed the book overall, but I thought it definitely got a little too fluffy at the end.