Rating: 
Summary: undoubtedly the most
Review: best book I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. Sometimes I read it at the dinner table. I was most enthralled that it had the components of a romance with the thrilling story of a fairy-tale gone wild. I absolutely love sophie and benedict's encounter three years later when he heroically resues her from the villian. Oh, this book is so wonderful that I still read it on occasions.
Rating:
Summary: Honest and sensible romance...
Review: Sensible, you say? How boring! But let me tell you, after fifteen years of reading romance novels where the plot is propelled by silly people doing stupid things, I appreciate a story where conflict and resolution is believable and real. This is my second Julia Quinn novel, and she's already on my list of romance novelists (along with Susan Siezmore and Jo Beverely) who write believable, complex characters whose motivations and actions are comprehensible and intriguing.In this take on the old Cinderella story, Sophie Beckett is the "ward" of the Earl of Penwood. It's an open secret that she is his illegitimate daughter, but she lives in his home with modest luxury and not-quite benign neglect from her "guardian". Her life takes a turn for the worse when an evil stepmother and her two daughters (whose characters all owe a great debt to the movie Ever After) join the household, and Sophie's decline is complete when her father dies, and she becomes a servant in her stepmother's house. Enter, of course, Prince Charming; in this case, Benedict Brigerton. He sees Sophie across a crowded room, and the two are immediately attracted. Alas! She wears a mask, and flees at midnight, leaving only a glove behind her (no, Benedict does not cross the country searching for maidens whose hand fit the glove). Two years later, Benedict rescues a housemaid from being attacked by a group of drunken boors at a country house party. It is indeed Sophie, who has been on her own since her stepmother found out that she attended the masquerade and threw her out of the house. What follows is the tug-of-war between emotion, society and propriety. Benedict, who is more drawn to Sophie than anyone since his mysterious lady, and who honestly wants to protect and cherish her, asks her to be his mistress; while Sophie, who has been in love with him since the night of the masquerade, is torn between wanting to be with him, and a soul-deep abhorrence of bearing an illegitimate child like herself. The emotion between the two of them brought tears to my eyes. The only quibble with the book is that, after being sweetly honest and true, crashes into an ending which is both unbelievable and lackluster. But the experience is well-worth it. And one wonders who Lady Whistledown is, whose bon mots on Society head each chapter (I have my suspicions, and I'll definitely be buying the next book to find out if I'm right!)
Rating: 
Summary: A cinderella story..............
Review: only in this one, one of the stepsister is not mean. It was a great spin off on cinderella and I truly enjoyed it. The only reason I won't give this 5 stars is because it was a very predictable story. I'm looking foward to reading more about all the Brigerton siblings and about poor Posy and Penelope. I love wallflowers.
Rating:
Summary: Good adaptation of the Cinderella tale.
Review: Sophie Beckett is the illegitimate daughter of an earl. While he hasn't acknowledged her, he has treated her well. Then he marries a woman with two daughters. She and her daughters treat Sophie shamefully, and after the earl's sudden death, Sophie is the most menial of servants. Then there is a masquerade ball... which Sophie attends with the help of the other servants. It is at the house of the legendary Bridgertons. and there, she meets Benedict Bridgerton. They exchange a kiss, but she has to leave at midnight. She flees the ball, leaving one glove behind.... Here the story begins to diverge from the old fairy tale. He does not find Sophie with the glove, but instead inadvertently tips her "stepmother" off that she attended the ball. She is turned out of her home and finds work in the country. Her path crosses with Benedict's years later when he rescues her from an attack by her employers' son. After she nurses him through an illness, Benedict takes her to town, getting her a job with his mother and his delightful siblings. What he really wants is Sophie as his mistress--which she cannot do. She is in love, and she wants to spare any child of hers the pain of illegitimacy. With the influence of a fairy godmother of sorts--Benedict's mother--can a Mister and a maid marry?
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: Everytime I got close to the end of a chapter, I told myself that I would dogear the page and finish it tomorrow. Whatever! I finished this one in ONE NIGHT! I couldn't put it down! I wasn't sure I wanted to rehash the old Cinderella tale, but who am I kidding? I'm a sucker for a happy ending and this one did not dissappoint me! I highly recommend it and I cannot WAIT to read Colin's story!
Rating:
Summary: Not all I'd hoped for...
Review: The latest Bridgerton novel begins very promisingly, with an interesting heroine in a somewhat delicate position, the [illegitimate] daughter of an earl being raised almost as a legitimate child. Sophie is the sort of girl you can root for, under no illusions about her situation but not a doormat or a downtrodden figure of pity. From the beginning, it's easy to like Sophie, which is good because the whole book is about her, and mostly from her point of view. Benedict Bridgerton, who is barely mentioned in passing in the first two books, remained a mystery at the end. Since there is no significant development of his character in the previous installments, one expects the author to throw herself into this unknown brother with relish. Unlike Anthony (who fears dying young) and Simon (who struggles to overcome a stutter), Benedict never really becomes a three-dimensional character with- not to put too fine a point on it- any interesting qualities. The best the reader gets is that he's "Bridgerton #2 instead of Benedict" and that he sketches, which, oddly enough, his very close-knit family never knows. He was pretty much interchangeable with any generic romance hero. But it doesn't really matter, because he's clearly there only to facilitate Sophie's rise from servant to lady, and all the anguish, soul searching, and leaps of faith this involves. After Quinn's previous two books I had really high hopes for this book. Three stars is too harsh, though, because it is a good book, well written and with a great heroine. The ending strains belief, patching things up too nicely and neatly, given that Sophie is in prison for stealing and Benedict is, after all, merely a gentleman of town. It's more like her earlier books (How to Marry a Marquis, Minx), which are more madcap farce, than the previous Bridgerton books. And, that all said, I will definitely read Colin's story, although not with the hope of some other reviewers, that he lose his heart to Penelope Featherington.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed by the new Quinn
Review: Julia Quinn is my favorite romance author these days, and after having laughed out loud at her first two novels in this series, _The Duke and I_ and _The Viscount Who Loved Me_, I was anxiously awaiting her latest work. However, after reading _An Offer From a Gentleman_, I was disappointed. My main complaint is that the hero, Benedict Bridgerton, is a very flat character; he is more a sterotypical romantic lead than a unique person. This is particularly unexpected coming from Quinn, since one of the things I admire most about her other books is her ability to write engaging characters with emotional depth. Sophie, Benedict's objet d'amour, is more of an individual, but without an equally interesting counterpart to interact with, she too falls flat. And Quinn's Cinderella plot simply goes over the same story that everyone knows without adding many new insights or unique touches. Even Quinn's engaging sense of humor seems lacking in this novel, perhaps because so much of it relies on her characterization--who could forget the Bridgerton croquet match in _Viscount_? Readers of the Bridgerton series may want to read this book to see what's happening with the other characters they've enjoyed in the first two books. Violet Bridgerton in particular reveals some unexpected aspects to her character. But if you're a first-time Quinn reader, don't start with this book; read either _The Duke and I_ or _The Viscount Who Loved Me_, both of which present Quinn at her witty, sensitive, five-star best.
Rating:
Summary: Another Win for Quinn
Review: I have been waiting for this book and I was not dissapointed. An Offer from a Gentleman has an excellent cast of characters that are brimming with life and wit. Quinn is unique in her blending of emotion and humor in that she never wallows in melodrama, which makes a much more enjoyable reading expirence. In this book, Sophie and Benedict are rather complex and Quinn gives explination as to their personal feelings. Giving them not only a past, but demention. And giving the reader an understanding of why this is happening. So if you have ever been so exasperated with a character you have thought get over it already, this a book for you. Not only is it good reading, it's good writing.
Rating:
Summary: It's an all nighter!!!
Review: Whenever reading a Julia Quinn novel, it's always an all nighter for me! Forget the family, chores? What the heck is that? You want dinner? Here's the take out menu - call for delivery! The only thing that would get my eyes unglued from the pages, would be an emergency, and then the book would come along with me. An Offer From A Gentleman has characters that are witty and humble with just the right amount of spunk and fire to their personalities. Having a Cinderella in the context of being able to keep her wits about herself and remain mostly practical except when they both come into contact with each other. Benedict and Sophia both seeking the loves they felt was intangible was a clencher yet their souls told them otherwise. Thank Goodness for that! This novel was fun, adventurous and absolutely heart-rendering, I was cheering when her step-mother got her just rewards! I guess my family is used to my laughter, tears and cheers when reading a Julia Quinn novel, and dare the person that tries to interrupt when I'm engrossed. Julia, I look forward to your next novel with abated breath as always! You warm the hearts of many of your fans!
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST QUINN!!!!!
Review: I absolutely loved The Duke and I and The Viscount who loved me.But this is the best yet. I cannot wait for Colin's story because I know it will be just as good if not better!!!
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