This was such a refreshing change in plot theme for the Bridgerton series, and while Cinderella retellings are not my go-to, I quiet enjoyed how it was done in An Offer From a Gentleman. Sophie and Benedict's relationship was equally as heartwarming as it was heartbreaking, and I couldn't help but feel so sorry for Sophie as she battled with her desires to attempt to capture her dreams while understanding that her station in life would not allow her to do so. While Benedict didn't always make the best decisions (or offers) regarding Sophie, his nature to protect and provide for her were wonderful and their natural banter and connection were refreshing and entertaining. I believe Sophie's experiences in life, so vastly different of that of the Bridgerton family, creates a good contrast from the ballroom and lavish setting that they (and we) are accustomed to.

As much as I enjoyed Benedict and Sophie's characters, the real star here is Violet and I find myself loving her more and more with each book in the series due to her wit, the natural banter with and complete devotion to the happiness of her children.

Marrying someone from below ones station in the Regency Era was quite the scandal and could put a stain on a family name in an instant, but Violet's willingness to accept a servant into the family, all for the sake of her son's happiness - that's a true mother's love.

Also - I still love Colin and I can't wait to see how he fixes his word-blunder in the next of the Bridgerton series, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

A couple of notes on the use of Australia criminal transportation in the story from a historical context as I have seen numerous reviews that mention it in a negative light: Between the years of 1788 and 1868, when the practice was ended, more than 162,000 convicts from Britain and Ireland were transported to Australia as punishment for crimes committed in their homelands. Criminal transportation was not something that an individual would have wished for themselves as the living conditions were difficulty and what could lie ahead of them in an unknown land, many times alone, was rightfully terrifying, especially for women. The threat of transportation was very real and it is understandable why this is not an option that any woman would choose for themselves. The Bridgerton series is a historical romance, meaning that readers should take the historical portions of the story with the context of the time period into consideration when taking in the story.