She’s neglected by her father as she grows up, but treated well enough by the staff of the estate she dwells in an ambiguous space, where she is not a daughter of the house, but neither is she a servant. We first meet Sophie as a child, learning that she is the “natural child” (aka, legal bastard) of the Earl of Penwood, who comes to live on her father’s estate when her mother dies and grandmother can no longer care for her. Our heroine, Sophie Bennett, is more active than OG Cinderella and she makes choices and takes actions that further her own story, rather than waiting for things to happen to her. The third book in the Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman, is Quinn’s version of Cinderella that follows more in line with Ever After than the 1950 Disney classic. In general, I like seeing authors take a well-known story and spin it into something new, like a movie remake, but less terrible. Most of our favorite romance novels could even fall into the category of fairy tales, as no one ever has diarrhea, orgasms are usually accompanied by fireworks of some description, and conflicts arise and resolve in ~300 pages.

Injecting fairytale elements into romance novels is not new. What happened last time: Anthony (Bridgerton Sibling 1) and Kate (the older sister of the season’s Incomparable) overcame Anthony being an aloof asshole because he was afraid of dying at 38 (and also an arranged marriage via bee sting) to have a HEA.

He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her.An Offer from a Gentleman: Cinderella and Class PoliticsĬontent note: Brief mention of sexual assault, description of physical child abuse.

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. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. BENEDICT’S STORY 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. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the story of Benedict Bridgerton, in the third of her beloved Regency-set novels featuring the charming, powerful Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shondaland for Netflix.

An offer from a gentleman sophie