An Offer from a Gentleman is a historical romance novel written by Julia Quinn and is the third in her Bridgerton Series. The book was published by Avon in 2001.
The main theme throughout the book is that of fate and destiny bringing two people back together. The beginning of the book starts off with a fairy-tale-like scene, with Sophie and Benedict meeting at a masked ball with her running away like Cinderella at midnight. This is even followed by an evil stepmother and stepsisters, who are out to ruin Sophie’s life. Despite being torn apart for years, the two are destined to meet again, with Benedict saving Sophie from a potential rape situation. Even though he does not recognize her, he feels a spark from the outset and takes a chance on her, despite still being infatuated with his “dream woman.” In the end, Benedict and the Bridgerton’s are able to make the fairy-tale come true for Sophie and the two get married and live happily ever after.
The idea behind this romance is that trials and tribulations are a part of achieving true love. Nothing in life comes easily, and such is the case for Sophie’s eventual happy ever after. Moreover, the story also goes to show that happiness is possible for even the most unfortunate and unexpected of people. The message is that superficial factors, such as social status and wealth, are no barrier to true love.
