Juliana Ross

Hannah is the widowed poor relation and unpaid companion to of the Marchioness of Dorset. When she secretly witnesses an interlude between one of the house maids and the family's wastrel younger son,Leo, she learns that sex isn't only just about duty. What Hannah will learn is that Leo knew she saw him and decided to put on a show for her. After entering into a secret clandestine relationship with Leo, Hannah not only learns about passion but craves it. Can an affair morph into love and commitment? Hannah and Leo's secret is revealed and Hannah is turned out. When Leo finally finds her, she learns that the wastrel is in fact an industrious and hard-working man. Miss Ross weaves a sensuous and interesting tale in the short space of this story. Even though there are a few lapses into narration it doesn't detract from the story. A very enjoyable read.… (más)

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Improper Proposals is a reluctant love story tangled with a crude love affair.

Reading that sentence makes me shake my head, but surprisingly, it worked. The crude language with terms I choose not to repeat sounded modern in contrast to the rest, but that’s only because most historical romances focus more on the society and social conventions, making everyone a little too formal compared to how it most likely had been. Heck, Shakespeare can be quite foul mouthed and that’s not the type of thing to skip whole centuries.

What it comes down to is this is quite an odd book. If I had to classify it, I would call Improper Proposals an experimental text that blends a historical sweet romance tone with erotic sexual encounters between the merry widow and her publisher. While I had some issue with the combination of erotic and first person as it was hard to imagine a woman repeating such things without a blush, I soon grew used to it while the framework of writing a guide for newlyweds worked well. There’s no question both were driven by the wish to better prepare new wives stepping into the unknown.

This is not a simple erotica though I see now the label states that. Tom has his own past to overcome and a tradition of seeing himself as the beloved uncle while Caroline truly misses her dead husband and has no intention of attempting again. I call her the merry widow, but she’s so much more than that. Between the bouts of sex, they go out to dinner, visit his brother’s family, work on the book, have gentle talks, and behave in the manner of proper members of a historical novel, feeding my wish for a historical to read as well as offering something I didn’t expect.

I found Tom and Caroline appealing, Grendel the dog is adorable, and I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Unlike the odd mix of tones, the ending is highly traditional and succeeded in bringing the book to a solid conclusion. The historical notes at the end were also interesting as they put the whole into context within the period.

I selected this title from a NetGalley newsletter primarily because I was in the mood for a historical romance. I did not read the description carefully enough because I read it through my reader expectations, but in some ways I’m happy I didn’t because I might not have selected it then. Improper Proposals is not a traditional historical romance…and yet it is.

P.S. I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.… (más)