Friday 21 December 2007

"An Offer from a Gentleman" by Julia Quinn

An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn 2001

Description from back of book:
"As the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, Sophie Beckett has never been accepted in polite society. And since her father's untimely death, her stepmother has made her life doubly hard, forcing her to work as an unpaid servant. Sophie's days are pure drudgery, until one night her fellow servants conspire to help her attend the Bridgerton masquerade ball. There she meets her very own Prince Charming, handsome Benedict Bridgerton and falls head over heels in love. Benedict is equally smitten, but when the clock strikes midnight Sophie is forced to flee the ballroom, leaving only her glove in his hand..."

This is a cute retelling of "Cinderella" - Julia Quinn style. Sophie is the sweet, abused Cinderella character, complete with the wicked stepmother and evil stepsisters. She's dressed up by loyal servants to have one evening at a ball - from which she must return by midnight - and at that ball falls in love with Prince Charming - Benedict Bridgerton. It's cute to see this story played out in Regency England, and with our beloved Bridgertons. Unlike in Cinderella, though, things don't go "happily ever after" quite so easy. For one thing, Benedict doesn't even recognize her when they first meet again - much to Sophie's dismay. I enjoyed this book a great deal!

RATING:

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING:

No comments:

RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Friday 21 December 2007

"An Offer from a Gentleman" by Julia Quinn

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