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27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's an all nighter!!!, July 17, 2001
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!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laugh and Sigh...Unforgetable!, July 10, 2001
FINALLY! ...Like many of you, I too have been anxiously waiting for this book. I have loved both THE DUKE AND I (1st book of the series) & THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVE ME (2nd book). The Bridgerton's are all adorable LOT. I enjoyed each and every one of them... So naturally, I expected to love this book just as much. However, I am surprise that it has exceeded my own expectation. I read it late last night after I got home from work, 11:30pm and finished it just an hour ago, 7:30am. Try as I might, I just couldn't put it down. Embarrassingly, I still have that Tingle-Goosebumps feeling, not to mention a silly smile is still imprinted on my face! To think I haven't even slept yet...and I have duty at 3pm again today. HA! I will be daydreaming of Benedict and Sophie then. I will definitely read this book again tonight! I tell you this book is dreamy! Romance story telling at its best! It's been a long time since a book thoroughly affected me this way. Truly a heart quenching, heart warming read. The Editorial Reviews pretty much sums up the book synopsis so I'll just throw in my opinion of the book without summarizing it: At first, I thought this book is going to be another RETELLING of a CINDERELLA story, which I don't mind at all. I thought I'd pretty much know what will happened next and how this book will end but I was wrong. Ms. Quinn is truly such a gifted writer. She knows how to use the fairy tale Cinderella story we all know and love.... then she molded it with her own ideas, filling it with humor and hearty twists for a spunk of uniqueness. There is no "Dark-Past", "Bad-Boy", "Rakish-Rogue" image here for Benedict Bridgerton, which was a refreshing change of character from the books I've been reading lately. He is actually normal and very Gentlemanly-Decent and Proper. Sophia is no over-uppity, spunky-witty noblewoman. She struggled all her life. Struggled to find happiness. She does have principles and values yet she is also human, weak to a fault esp. when her heart is concern. She wanted to be loved and to be accepted all her life... She longed to BELONG... That was her weakness, of which she felt when she's with Benedict and his family. Oh, how she makes me teary. The confrontation, confession, revelations were all heart quenching. The ending was a great relief! I normally would prefer lots of updates and apprearances of the heros/heroines of the previous books in the series. In this book however, there is very few appearances of Anthony and Dafne... and even none of Simon and Kate yet I still give this book a 5 stars rating. You see, despite that small niggle, I still felt satisfied and complete with this book. There was updates of their children and that seems to be enough. Probably because Benedict and Sophie's love story caught me deeply, overwhelmed me that it made me forget about the others. Or probably it's just Ms. Quinn's style of writing that just leave her readers fully content in the end. The Lady Whistledown Gossip Column is as always the added intrigue not only in this book but all throughout the entire series. I tell you, the more I read, the more I know for sure who this person is. I can't wait to read the next book on this Bridgerton series. I am assuming it's Colin's and Penelope? Hmmm.... I honestly don't want this series to end! I fear it is close to its end. Ugh~ Well, I suggest you all start ordering Julia Quinn's BRIDGERTON SERIES. It is definitely a PLEASURE and a DREAMY read.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Book three was definitely a "3" for me., July 5, 2006
I began reading the Bridgerton series before I knew that it was a series. After beginning with book four I decided to go in order and thereafter have been reading in sequence. Books one, two, and four are fabulous. Three, not so. In all the other books Benedict is a non-character. I agree with another reviewer, all we know about him is that he is the tallest. This is a character that Ms. Quinn definitely short changed on her way to giving him his own story. Poor guy, all he ever seems to do is just hang around his brothers while they (Anthony and Colin, Gregory is still too young) are Bridgertons with a capital "B". Benedict has no substance. What does he do all day or even all night? If you are looking for clues in the other books, you will be sorely disappointed.
I almost gave up on this book. I would read a chapter and then go fold the clothes from the dryer. Read a chapter and walk to the mailbox. Read a chapter and (horror of horrors!) go watch mindless drivel on television. It did not capture me. I had to read over 250 pages !!! before I actually cared about EITHER character. Sophie was cinderella. Even so, I didn't particularly care. I forced myself to finish it because I have an unwritten rule with myself that I cannot begin a new book until I've given the current one a fair chance. It was a duty, and not one I relished until I finally became engaged in the lives of these two people. All the other members of the family were still as interesting as in previous novels. I got a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Quinn thought of Benedict as "number two" also. Her writing is wonderful. She tells her stories with wit and a charm which make me want to keep reading. But, for me, Benedict and Sophie never became my friends. He treated her, even before he began to care for her, in a manner which would never have happened in that time period. They were both incredibly familiar with one another, even in the presence of others (beginning with Mr and Mrs Crabtree) and not just while they were alone. A servant would NEVER have been so forward as to throw a candle stump at someone so high above her in rank. Yes, Ms. Quinn wanted us to see her as a spirited heroine but many, many of Sophies actions were ridiculous for a servant.
It finished well, not great, just well. Frankly, I was glad to get it over with because I have a mountain of books left to read. I'm thinking seriously about changing that unwritten rule. I've run across some real clinkers from some Regency romance authors lately but not, I'm glad to say, Julia Quinn. I think this was just a hiccup.
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