Review: The Proposal (The Survivors’ Club #1) by Mary Balogh

I love romance novels but to be honest, sometimes the covers are tacky and embarrassing to be toting around the lunch room, am I right? Well, thank the lord of Kindle because most of my romances I read now are on Kindle.

For Valentine’s Day, my mom sent me a hard copy of this book…..tacky cover and all. I couldn’t stop laughing when I opened it and then read the card. The card said ‘skip the sex parts’. Gotta love moms!

She hounded me for a few days to read this one so I finally relinquished and read it. I have never read anything by this author before, but my mom has read the entire series and loved it so I figured, why not, as I was between murder mysteries!

Summary

Gwendoline, Lady Muir, has seen her share of tragedy, especially since a freak accident took her husband much too soon. Content in a quiet life with friends and family, the young widow has no desire to marry again. But when Hugo, Lord Trentham, scoops her up in his arms after a fall, she feels a sensation that both shocks and emboldens her.

Hugo never intends to kiss Lady Muir, and frankly, he judges her to be a spoiled, frivolous–if beautiful–aristocrat. He is a gentleman in name only: a soldier whose bravery earned him a title; a merchant’s son who inherited his wealth. He is happiest when working the land, but duty and title now demand that he finds a wife. He doesn’t wish to court Lady Muir, nor have any role in the society games her kind thrives upon. Yet Hugo has never craved a woman more; Gwen’s guileless manner, infectious laugh, and lovely face have ruined him for any other woman. He wants her, but will she have him?
The hard, dour ex-military officer who so gently carried Gwen to safety is a man who needs a lesson in winning a woman’s heart. Despite her cautious nature, Gwen cannot ignore the attraction. As their two vastly different worlds come together, both will be challenged in unforeseen ways. But through courtship and seduction, Gwen soon finds that with each kiss, and with every caress, she cannot resist Hugo’s devotion, his desire, his love, and the promise of forever. (summary from Goodreads) 

Review

Despite my mom’s warning (skip the sex parts!), I found this one to be surprisingly tame when it came to the sex bits. And if one is judging a book by the cover, I was sure it was going to be a graphic bodice ripper…..but it wasn’t. In fact the sex scenes were pretty tame and basic—comparatively anyway.

This story actually focused on the back story of the characters and their love and attraction for one another, though there were quite a few references to ‘powerful thighs’ and a man being in need of a ‘lusty wife’ that made some of the dialogue a little comical for me, but beyond that it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

I found I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their past experiences separate from one another but I will say the constant on again off again debate between the two was a little tiresome after awhile. Even if this novel had some cliche and cheesy descriptions (powerful thighs and lusty woman were my two personal over used favorites) and dialogue, I found that I did find Hugo attractive in his own unique way. Lady Muir was a spoiled brat in my opinion, but I still liked her oddly enough.

I love romances because there is always the guarantee of a happily ever after and sometimes I just need a book that will deliver that. Romances always make me smile even if they are cheesy or chiche. I spent a couple of afternoons exploring the romance between Lady Muir and Hugo and found that I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next book in the series, which I just started last night!

Book Info and Rating

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