An Unlikely Proposition by Rosalyn Eves (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Title:  An Unlikely Proposition

Author:  Rosalyn Eves

Narrated by:  Hannah Curtis

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 30 minutes

Source: Purchased from Amazon.com.  Thank-you Farrar Straus Giroux and Austenprose for the Review copy of the physical book.

 

Lady’s maid, companion, or Lady?  If you lived during the Regency time period, which would you be?  I always imagined myself as a paid companion or governess if I lived during that time period. 

Eleanor is a young widow of only seventeen.  She has come to London to enjoy herself, make sure her late husband’s mathematical work is published, and ensure that she is not pestered by men looking for marriage. She hires a companion, Thalia, to accompany her around town.  Thalia herself had a failed first season and dreamed of becoming a published poet.  Will Eleanor and Thalia both find the happiness they crave?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Eleanor’s back story reminded me of A Little Princess.  What happens when your parent stops paying for your schooling, and you have no where to go?  In this case, the much older Mr. Lockhart rescued the sixteen-year-old Eleanor through marriage.

·       I enjoyed the characters.  They were fun and had relatable problems.  I felt for Thalia as she struggled to have her poems taken seriously and be published because she was a woman.  Eleanor’s search for a place of her own in the world was also relatable.  I wanted to be their friend.

·       This novel includes a fake engagement, and friends to lovers storyline.  I enjoyed both tropes and loved the double romance.

·       I didn’t know until I read on Goodreads that this is considered the second book in a series.  It’s a parallel novel in the Unexpected Seasons series.  I need to check out the first book, An Improbably Season as well.  An Unlikely Proposition worked as a standalone novel.

·       I have also seen this described as a young adult book, but I loved reading it as an adult!

·       This is a good clean read and only includes kissing.

·       The novel was told from two point of view, Eleanor’s and Thalia’s.

·       This was a great escapism read.

·       I started reading this as a physical book, but I had a lot of driving to do so I switched to the audiobook.  I enjoyed both the physical book and the audiobook.

Overall, An Unlikely Proposition is an enjoyable, witty Regency Romance.  If you are looking for an escapism read, I highly recommend this novel.