Sunday's Oldies but Goodies...

Greetings!

This week's Oldie but Goodie is....

A Scandalous Proposal
by Julia Justiss
Originaly Released in 2000
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Emily Spenser is a widow. She lost her officer husband in a war and came back to England to raise her son. Problem is, her father-in-law has always felt she wasn't good enough for his boy, and has been searching for Emily for several years in the hopes of taking her son away from her and raising him as his next heir.
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Emily, trying to stay below her father-in-law's radar, has chosen to take on the persona of 'Madame Emilie' - simple shopkeeper. And while money is tight, she is able to keep her son in school and keep her business afloat.
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One afternoon, however, everything changes. A chance encounter with Evan Mansfield, the Earl of Cheverley, turns her entire world upside down. He witnesses a man trying to blackmail her into paying 'protection money' and instantly intervenes. Evan is immediately taken with Emily, and she with him. Soon, they have an 'arrangement' that provides Emily with companionship she has forgotten she wanted, and Evan with a relationship that suits his busy schedule.
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Of course, things are not always what they seem. Emily has her secrets, and more than one reason she wants to stay hidden from the prying eyes of 'the ton'. Evan, however, is falling for his new paramour hard and fast.
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But when a deathbed promise to a friend jeopardises his relationship to Emily, and her link to the 'upper crust' is discovered, both will have to make some hard choices. Unfortunately, their new found love may not be enough to see them through.
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If you are a frequent reader of Regency Historicals, then you become very familiar with the strict society rules for the different class levels and genders. In a lot of these stories, the lordly male always wins his woman, overcoming class boundaries and societal snubs, all in the name of true love.
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And we all know that is very far-fetched.
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Luckily, this story manages to find a way around the same old formulaic Regency boy-meets-girl-overcomes-everything-lives-happily-ever-after storyline. Yes, our couple manages to overcome a lot, but not in the way you would suspect, and not without some major sacrifices along the way. The heat level is somewhat sensual, but moves the story along rather than being there just for the sake of being there. Ms. Justiss has a wonderful talent to make her characters come alive, and you care about what happens to them. This was the first novel by her I had ever read, and because of it I own just about her entire back list. If you haven't heard of this author or read this story, I highly recommend you give this one a read. You will enjoy it!
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You can learn more about this author and view a complete book list on her website at http://www.juliajustiss.com/

Happy Reading!


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