Review: Improper Relations by Juliana Ross
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2014
The first book in Juliana Ross' Improper series, and also her debut.This story is told entirely in the first person, a point of view I very much enjoy but one that you don’t often see in historical romance. It’s like a breath of fresh air. The drawback—but I don’t think it is one in this case— is that you only get the heroine’s thoughts.Hannah is a sheltered poor relation, a widow living with her late husband’s extended family, who are cousins, including Leo, the second son of a marquess. Leo has a bad reputation as a gambler, drinker, and womanizer and they have let Hannah stay on with them after her husband dies. She becomes a companion to Leo’s mother and spends her lonely days mending and reading to his mother, a monotonous but stable life.“The hours that passed were interminable. Correspondence, mending, luncheon, a walk through the gardens, more correspondence, more mending.” (p95)But Leo is not quite all that he seems. He does have a secret life that he keeps hidden from his family, but it isn’t at all what they (or Hannah) believe.When Leo catches her spying on his encounter with the maid, they have a very unorthodox and interesting conversation about what she has seen and he encourages her to ask questions. At first, she is shocked and nervous but her curiosity gets the better of her. Her ignorance about her own body and sex are appalling, but likely common for some women of her time. Soon Leo is initiating her into the world of pleasure to their mutual benefit.But, of course, she loses her heart. And so does he.There is a lovely little Jane Austen moment when Hannah travels to Steventon, in hopes of building a new life.I admit that even I anticipated Leo to be a complete scoundrel but this novella completely and delightfully debunks that notion.I really like how the author depicts Hannah’s life (especially when she leaves Dorset) as hopeful rather than hopeless. I got the feeling that, even if there is no Leo, Hannah will be all right.A quietly understated yet affecting story. Give Juliana Ross a try if you enjoy Sabrina Darby, Catherine Gayle, and Kate McKinley, some of my favorite writers for beautifully written historical erotic romance.