The Proposition

Starred review from November 29, 1999
When her father dies, Lady Edwina Bollash is ousted from her ancestral home in Regency London by her greedy cousin, the new Duke of Arles. To support herself, Edwina gives elocution and deportment classes to country folk and foreigners eager to enter polite society. She becomes so successful that twin lords Emile and Jeremy Lamont challenge her to turn Mick Tremore, an ill-mannered, uncouth Cornish rat catcher, into a gentleman and pass him off as a viscount at her cousin's annual society ball. Intrigued by the subject's accent and eager to exact some personal revenge, Edwina agrees to the wager. Little does she know that her life is about to be turned inside out: she discovers that Mick is a virile, handsome, incorrigible man. His wicked propositions boggle her virginal heart but stir her womanly passions. Through skillful writing, Ivory (Beast) captures the subtle sensual pleasures of her colorful characters, creating a sexy varitation on My Fair Lady.

November 15, 1999
In a creative reversal of the traditional Pygmalion plot, Ivory takes aristocratic linguistic tutor Edwina Bollash, pairs her with street-wise rat-catcher Mick Tremore, and gives them a seemingly impossible challenge--to turn the unpolished but oh-so-charming Mick into a gentleman in just six weeks and pass him off as a viscount at an upcoming ball. They succeed beautifully--but in the process fall totally, and inappropriately, in love. Well-done protagonists who become more endearing with each chapter; several memorable secondary characters, including a ferret named Freddie; and shimmering sexual tension and page-singeing love scenes recommend this beautifully written romance, which gently but effectively points out some of the inequities women faced during the late Victorian era. Although the social dilemma is too conveniently resolved, this fairy-tale ending does not detract from the book's overall appeal and should not disappoint Ivory's growing list of fans. Ivory's Sleeping Beauty was just named one of the ten favorite romances of the year by a popular vote of the members of the Romance Writers of America; she lives in Miami.

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.