Wednesday, February 28, 2024

An Unlikely Proposition by Rosalyn Eves


BOOK DESCRIPTION

A standalone companion to An Improbable Season, this Regency romance ⁠— perfect for fans of Bridgerton — is about following your heart, pursuing your dreams, and falling head over heels in love.

Eleanor did not come to London to be proper and boring. After the death of her husband and a year of mourning, the seventeen year old wants nothing more than her independence and to have a little fun. She’s hardly looking to remarry, despite pressures from her late husband’s nephew, who is keen on obtaining her inheritance. Eleanor quickly devises a plan that includes a fake engagement. What’s not a part of the plan? Falling for a dashing, quiet man outside of her social circle – a man who is not her betrothed. Can she survive the Season with her heart and her fortune intact?

Thalia is determined to begin afresh after a disastrous first Season in London. No romantic distractions, but only her work as a poet and newfound companion to Eleanor. Determined to get her poems published, she struggles to be taken seriously as a female writer. As the spring progresses, Thalia does not expect to take interest in a man from her past (a man who is engaged to her employer, no less!), but some feelings demand to be felt even if the timing isn’t quite right.

Rosalyn Eves's An Unlikely Proposition is a transportive Regency drama that captures the sparkle of London, thrill of friendship, and swoon of new love.

MY REVIEW

Eleanor, a 17-year-old widow, fresh out of mourning, has the world at her feet. Her husband left her a fortune, but seemingly made it so she could never remarry, something that she is consistently reminded of by his nephew. What is a girl to do except swear off marriage and set up a fake engagement. Add to that an equally inexperienced companion who had a failed elopement and you have a duo trying to navigate the ton who are less than strictly proper. Thalia wants to be a writer of poetry and comes to London in order to meet the writers of the day. 

This was a well written romp in Regency England, if not strictly proper. Some of the language felt a bit more modern, but the story was well written and I didn't mind. I am used to Regency novels being strict in their propriety so it is fun to have one that just hits a bit differently from time to time. 

I liked these characters and the growth that each experienced, both in their personal journeys and in their romantic ones as well. They each found something in each other and their chosen gentlemen that was unexpected and something that felt undeserved., This story could definitely attract a younger audience, though it was a good story all around. I love when authors include a bit of mystery to be solved or a problem to be fixed. 

I think Eleanor's growth was the most poignant as she had to decide what meant most to her. I love a good Happily ever after, but I also love it when the lead comes into her own and comes out stronger. This story had both.

I received an early copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest review. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosalyn Eves grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, the telling and reading of stories are still some of her favorite things to do. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives. She dislikes housework on principle.

She has a PhD in English from Penn State and teaches English at Southern Utah University. 


No comments:

Post a Comment

View Previous Reviews and Blog

Welcome to the new location for Reading With Emily

 Due to difficulties maintaining the previous site, after all, this blog is a hobby and not a source of income, I was no longer able to uplo...