Just because they need each other, doesn’t mean they have to like each other.
Lady Eden’s Uncommon Proposal: A Clean Regency Romance by Lily Matthews is the enjoyably witty story of the blossoming romance between the unconventional Lady Eden and the Honourable Harlan Strandhurst, who it turns out, is not so honourable. You can purchase it on Amazon,* and it is also included with Kindle Unlimited memberships.
Lady Eden’s father allowed her to develop her own ideas and be outspoken and educated. These are not desirable qualities for an eligible young lady of her social standing. When her father dies, he leaves her evil uncle in charge of her inheritance. Lady Eden must submit to his plans to marry her off to a man equally as evil as him or find a husband herself.
But what if she doesn’t want a husband?
Harlan Strandhurst has a reputation as a drunk and a rake. When he imagines himself in love with the wrong girl, he finds himself disgraced and disinherited. In order to go on living his lavish lifestyle, he must consent to marrying a woman who desires theirs to be a marriage in title only.
As the two of them get to know each other, they must learn to let go of their preconceived notions about each other and themselves to find their happy ever after.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
The banter between hero and heroine along with the supporting characters gave it laugh out loud moments that made it a fun read.
I think my favorite part of the book was the supporting characters. The author developed them enough that I cared what happened with each of the relationships described, not just that of the hero and heroine. I especially loved the portrayal of the relationship between the Blake siblings.
There were some plots that could have been taken further. (ie. What ever happened with the evil uncle who was going to get Lady Lily declared incompetent so he could force her to marry his choice?) However, I appreciated that the plot moved along quickly and didn’t drag out or stall. For an indie or small publisher book, the editing was well done. I didn’t feel bombarded with constant mistakes that took me out of the story.
As far as the being a “clean” regency romance, the book depicts drunkenness and mild violence against women. I didn’t feel that they were so dramatic that I would have put it down. It contains no swearing and only a few kisses.
While there is one Scripture quote, I would not call this a Christian romance. I do not consider this a fault since the author’s description of the book does not label it as such.
Overall, I would recommend this as a quick, satisfying romance that is not especially deep, but is entertaining and lively.
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