Title: An Unlikely PropositionAuthor: Rosalyn Eves
Series: Unexpected Seasons #2
Pages: 298
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical
Synopsis:
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.
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This is a fun and sweet standalone novel in the Unexpected Season series. The story alternates between Eleanor and Thalia’s stories as they spend a season in London and learn to follow their hearts.
A seventeen-year-old widow, Eleanor comes to London with a newfound independence and a desire to have some fun. Eleanor knows she can’t remarry or else she loses her inheritance to a greedy nephew, but she enters a fake relationship to get her nephew off her back. She’s a dynamic protagonist, and I enjoyed her growth over the course of the story. While trying to fulfill her husband’s dying wish, she learns so much about herself, her life, and what she wants for her future.
Thalia is a companion to Eleanor, but she has hopes of becoming a poet. I was happy to see Thalia again after loving her character in the first book in the series. While in London, Thalia tries to ingratiate herself into the literary community, and it is an eye-opener. I love how the author integrates literature, poetic philosophies, recognizable artists of the time, and literary analysis into the narrative. These conversations are very revealing, especially in relation to many men’s perspectives on women at the time. They also show just how fierce and intelligent Thalia is. She’s definitely a woman ahead of her time, and her friendship with Eleanor, though it goes through a few bumps, is lovely.
I enjoyed both women’s stories, and the romances were great, too. Both find love in the unlikeliest of places, and with social and economic obstacles, as well as their own doubts and fears, their road to happiness is filled with bumps. It’s interesting to see how they face these and other struggles.
As much as I adore historical romance, I haven’t read many that are geared toward young adults. I think I need to change that because I’m really enjoying this series. It’s charming and fun, and the banter and dialogue are fantastic. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!
I’d far rather be known for my wondrous vision than prove to the world that my skills cannot reach it.
True friends value one another for who they are, not simply what they do.
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 is still one 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 is the author of the BLOOD ROSE REBELLION trilogy, BEYOND THE MAPPED STARS, and AN IMPROBABLE SEASON
Nice review, Julie. Love those stories about independent women.
Thanks, Carla! I do too.