UTTERLY ROMANTIC. An Offer from a Gentleman is a fairy tale retelling, but what makes it better than a fairy tale is that this fairy tale may have or can come true.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Sophie Becket, who is our Cinderella. She’s a bastard child by the earl of Penwood. She is neither recognized nor thrown out, but is known as the earl’s ward. But everyone can see that she’s a bastard, her eyes, hair and everything about her tells it out aloud, but nobody points that fact out. But that’s until the earl brings home a wife, which I could describe as the most evil stepmother to ever exist in a fairy tale. Okay, I was exaggerating. The wicked stepmother, also comes with two evil stepsisters. Scratch that, the youngest wasn’t that evil. The Earl suddenly dies, and leaves a handsome dowry for Sophie and his stepdaughters, and leaves two thousand pounds for the stepwife, but it could increase to six thousand once she keeps Sophie in her care. But my, what a big mistake. The wicked stepmother of course keeps this from our beloved heroine, and Sophie is employed or rather turned into a slave since she doesn’t get paid for her services as everything.

One night, the Bridgertons were to host a masquerade ball, and all but Sophie is going. But with the help of the house staff, Sophie manages to become a princess and catches the attention of Benedict Bridgerton. They dance in the private terrace and in that short fleeting moment, they fall in love.

”…tomorrow you will be transformed.”
“Tonight, I am transformed,” she whispered. “Tomorrow I shall disappear.”
Benedict drew her close and dropped the softest, most fleeting of kisses onto her brow. “Then we must pack a lifetime into this very night.”

Unfortunately, after the night, Benedict looses the lady in the silver gown, and only meets Sophie two years later without any idea that Sophie is the woman he’s been looking for ever since.

This book may be a Cinderella retelling at first, but it’s something more. And I have to tell you, Julia Quinn can deliver! And I have to say it was delivered on a silver platter, since once I started, I couldn’t stop devouring the feast until all was gone. And though I was bloated, gosh, I could stop smiling. I super love this book! And of course, Benedict Bridgerton, who goes up my list of top leading men.

And God, how I wish someone would tell me this:

”Be mine,” he said, his voice thick and urgent. “Be mine right now. Be mine forever. I’ll give anything you want. All I want in return is you.