The Proposal (Survivor's Club)
When Gwendoline Grayson, Lady Muir, pays a visit to an old acquaintance on the Cornwell coast, she never imagined a sprained ankle would open the door to romance. Let alone with Hugo, Lord Trentham, who was born a commoner, made a lord for his heroic leading of a “forlorn hope” in the Peninsular War, and became wealthy due to his late father’s business acumen. Though appearing to live ideal lives on the surface, each is hiding horrible emotional wounds for which they blame themselves. Hugo needs a wife so he can fulfill his father’s wish and find a suitable match for his sister. His plan is to find a woman of his own class and live a simple life, but when his sister expresses interest in hobnobbing with the ton, Hugo proposes a mock engagement to Gwen. Balogh’s richly dimensional characters are so very real as she makes the reader feel part of life and a great variety of relationships during the Regency era. --Diana Tixier Herald