Rating: 4/5
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.
I received a free copy of An Unlikely Proposition through Austenprose PR for a book tour. Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Historical romances are always a joy to read! This one was no different. I especially enjoy the historical romances set around the seasons, reading about extravagant parties and societal events. Always so entertaining. I truly love the setting of all the different societal events we get to see as well! This one had some I hadn’t seen before and led to some interesting story arcs.
I’ll admit this one was a bit hard to get into. The start captured my attention instantly, I loved following Eleanor. She was so sure of herself and knew what she wanted and wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. But as we started to meet the rest of our characters, I struggled to keep straight who was who and who was connected to whom. The constant switching back and forth between the given names and proper names just got a little confusing. I even had to circle back to some pages to refresh my memory. As I continued on it became easier to keep them all straight.
Despite the amount of characters we see, this kept my attention easily. I flowed through this swiftly, I wanted to see how things would play out. The romance was so tender, definitely being more of a slow burn, we don’t see much interaction with either of our main characters and their romances until about halfway through. However, I see that mostly due to the fact both of our mains were against the idea of falling in love again. So letting themselves discover that connection and deciding to pursue it was truly interesting!
I highly recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of historical romances set around a fashionable society and more of slow-burn romances!