A Helpful Guide to Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton Books

Who’s the focus? Benedict Bridgerton.

Is there an accompanying Bridgerton season? Not yet.

What can readers expect? Quinn draws a page (or two) from Cinderella in An Offer from a Gentleman, in which Benedict takes center stage. Each year, Lady Bridgerton—Benedict’s mother—hosts her famous masquerade ball, and it’s during one such sparkling celebration that Benedict first encounters Sophie Beckett. Problem is, he doesn’t know it’s Sophie Beckett.

Sophie grew up the daughter of an earl, but after her father’s death, she was left under the care of her stepmother and two stepsisters, for whom she works as a maid. On the night of the ball, she sneaks into the party and winds up dancing with Benedict, only to slip out at midnight. Benedict, mesmerized by the masked maiden, is determined to track her down and learn her identity. He swears he won’t stop searching until he finds her.

But then he meets a house servant and finds himself immediately drawn to her. Unbeknownst to Benedict, the masked dancer and this young maid are one and the same. Sophie is terrified to reveal the truth; meanwhile, Benedict must decide if he should continue his hunt for the mystery woman, or succumb to his true feelings and fall in love with Sophie.