AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN by Julia Quinn

When Sophie receives an offer from a gentleman she is shocked and disillusioned, not what she expected from Prince Charming!

Sophia Maria Beckett is the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, deposited on his doorstep at the age of 3. Forced to take her in and give her a home, she is cared for and educated, but never once does the Earl acknowledge her as his child. When Sophie is 7 the Earl remarries, a lady with 2 daughters close to Sophie in age, and she is excited at the prospect of having sisters, but her new stepmother hates her on sight, treats her like a servant, and very reluctantly agrees to have Sophie in the schoolroom with her own precious daughters. Her 2 stepsisters are not much better, taking their mother's example, and Sophie's longing for a family is not to be.

When the Earl dies unexpectedly, Sophie is reduced to nothing more than an overworked, and unpaid, drudge.

So the years pass, it is 1815, and Mrs Bridgerton is having a masquerade ball that Sophie's stepmother and -sisters are preparing to attend. After they leave, the housekeeper, who is very fond of Sophie, tells her to get ready for the ball as well. They dress her up and send her on her way, and as it is a masked ball, no one will know who she is. There she meets her very own Prince Charming, Benedict Bridgerton, a highly eligible bachelor who is dead set against shackling himself to some empty-headed debutante. When he meets Sophie, it is love at first sight, but as the clock strikes midnight she runs off, without even telling him her name.

Two years later they meet again, Sophie's circumstances have worsened, her wicked stepmother has thrown her out of the house virtually penniless and she has been forced to seek whatever employment she can find. When she and Benedict suddenly come face to face, she waits breathlessly for him to recognise her, but... he doesn't, and instead makes her an offer she has to refuse.

This author was advertised as the new Georgette Heyer, and curious to see if anyone could match up to that description, I took 2 books by Ms Quinn to test. It was an absolutely delightful read, very funny and tender. This is a Cinderella story with all the right elements, the wicked stepmother, the stepsisters except they arn't ugly, the beautiful but penniless young girl and the handsome prince, with its own unique version of the fairytale which I found so sweet and charming I couldn't put it down, and will definitely look for more books by this author.

Happy reading!