This is absolutely one of my favorite Cinderella spins. This is also my second favorite Julia Quinn novel (right after Romancing Mr. Bridgerton). I'm a big fan of fairytales and their remakes and this novel is definitely no exception to that. But despite the similarities to Cinderella, this story is so, so, so much more than that. The story depicts Ms. Sophie Beckett, the bastard child of an aristocrat who works as a servant in her biological father's household, despite that everyone knows who she truly is, including her stepmother Araminta (aka; She-Devil) and her two step-sisters. 
 So one day, the women of the household gets invited to a Bridgerton ball, a ball to which Sophie isn't invited to because let's face it, she isn't considered part of the family, never mind that she's the actual daughter of the Earl of Penwood. Regardless, with the help of a few of the loyal servants, she is transformed the night of the ball into a beautiful woman of the realm. From rags to riches, people. Anyway, the night is magical; she crosses paths with the second eldest Bridgerton son, Benedict, who is completely enchanted by her and before the night is over, is pretty sure that he's in love. Unfortunately, Sophie disappears into the night when the hour of midnight strikes true, leaving nothing but her memories behind. 
 Forward years later when Benedict comes to the rescue of a pretty servant who was being cornered by a few unruly characters. Bringing her back to his mother's home, Benedict is completely unaware that the woman whose life he's saving is the same woman who shared that one magical night with him several years back. And of course, why would he assume that the bedraggled woman is the very same? The girl from that night was elegant and obviously a woman of his world, whereas the servant at his side - while beautiful, was well, not. 
 This book is fantastically written. Benedict is the epitome of dashing hero and handsome rake and Sophie, the strong and willful heroine with a heart of gold. Sigh. Despite the darker tone of the book and the obvious abuse that Sophie suffered through, it was rewarding to see her find the kind of ending that she'd always wanted and completely, one-hundred percent deserves.