Review: Improper Proposals by Juliana Ross
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 3, 2014
The third and final book in Juliana Ross' wonderful Improper series. I absolutely love this series, every single novella, and cannot say enough good things about it. This author’s voice is so clear and beautiful, I want to read more.One of the best reasons to read historical romance, besides the beautiful writing and happy endings, is the sheer history it brings to life on the page. Like Victoria Vane, Ross adds descriptive and fascinating notes at the end of her stories, discussing inspiration for the stories and books referenced in research that are as interesting to read as the stories themselves, especially to avid history lovers like me.In this story, Caroline is the young widow of an educated and liberal country vicar whose husband paid as much attention to his wife’s sexual pleasure as his own. Through her late husband, she meets Tom Cathcart-Ross (brother to Alice from Improper Arrangements), the youngest son of an earl and a publisher to whom she presents her housekeeping management manuscript.Tom recognizes Caroline’s writing talent but thinks that her topic has enough coverage, but he proposes a shocking alternative: a woman’s guide to sexual pleasure in marriage. After much soul searching, she agrees to write it and they meet monthly in London to discuss the progress of her book.Eventually, their attraction leads Tom to propose yet another unorthodox arrangement—an improper proposal—a no-strings affair for mutual pleasure. But the affair eventually blossoms into something more, and Caroline must decide if she’s willing to risk the pain of loving someone again.Victorian-era details are nicely authentic, including reference toThe Young Ladies’ Journal as well as the attention and care Caroline takes in primping before her first intimate dinner with Tom.The language and style of this author is lovely to read. She has a very clear and elegant voice that I can’t help but continue reading, mesmerized by what will happen next. The emotions she evokes while writing (once again, as in the other novellas in the series, in the first person point of view) are powerful and captivating: Caroline’s palpable lonely daily life at her home in the country, the care of ordering new lingerie in preparation for a new lover, the flutterings of desire and excitement at Tom’s nearness while editing her manuscript, the interminable waits for their monthly rendezvous, and the rush of relief upon meeting once again."But then, rather than place himself at a properly remote distance, Mr. Cathcart-Ross sat mere inches away, so close that the tip of his boot vanished under the pooling hem of my skirt." (p22)If you enjoy sensual, erotic, and beautifully written stories, you will love Juliana Ross. More, please.