Series: Bridgertons, #3
Traits & Tropes: fairytale retelling; damaged heroine; instalove; class difference
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; England
Publication Date: 10.13.09
Heat Level: 3/5
Rating: 3.5/5
Narration Rating: 5/5
As the much-ignored illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, Sophie Beckett lived a lonely but comfortable life, until her father’s sudden death left her a virtual slave to the stepmother who always despised her. Sophie took one night for herself, sneaking out to attend Lady Bridgerton’s much talked about masquerade ball. She never expected to meet the man of her dreams, none other than Benedict Bridgerton himself. Too bad she was forced to leave at midnight to beat her stepmother home, knowing she’d likely never see him again.
Ever since meeting his Lady in Silver two years ago, Benedict has been utterly preoccupied with finding her, comparing every woman he meets to her, all to no avail. When he rescues a beautiful and strangely familiar-looking housemaid, Sophie, from a harrowing situation, he’s perplexed to find himself attracted to her in a way he’s only felt once before. He wants more with the beautiful maid with whom he feels such a strong connection, but he’s afraid to give up his search for the mysterious Lady in Silver, even as he loses his heart to Sophie.
I loved the initial set up of this book so much and was sure it would be hands-down five stars. You may risk some mild spoilers from here. I love a good Cinderella retelling, but some issues cropped up for me later, namely Benedict’s persistence in begging and trying to lure Sophie into becoming his mistress. For a while there his refusal to take no for an answer, or to consider Sophie’s feelings or how such an arrangement would affect her, made him rather untenable for me. Of course, some of the fault for this can be laid at Sophie’s feet because of her failure to be honest with him, although her behavior is rather understandable. While I can understand Benedict’s reasoning as well, he took things a bit too far. For me it took too long for Araminta to receive her just desserts, and while satisfying, I was hoping for just a bit more. I just wish Benedict in the second part of the book had been more like the charming, likeable hero he was in part one. Instead, he came off as arrogant and rather petulant when he didn’t get his way with Sophie. I also think it took him an absurdly long time to recognize her and his reaction to that revelation was totally out of line. It sort of left me feeling like I didn’t know who Benedict was as a character and that was irritating. He also never actually proposed which left me feeling cheated. He didn’t treat Sophie all that well, despite her vulnerable position in the house. Of course, this improved, but it was certainly less than heroic behavior.
I enjoyed the narration and I’m glad I listened to this as an audiobook. The story ended satisfactorily, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it less if I’d read it instead. Oh well, now on to Colin’s story.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/1318975610
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2380264318
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