Lord Stanhope's Proposal

by Jessica Benson

At twentyfour, wild, freespirited Calista Ashton would rather race horses than flirt with gentlemen, but when two men show up to court her, the inexperience dame's head is spinning from all the attention. Original.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Clean Romance

254 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Be]

Hmmmm, maybe this isn't for me right now. Such long-winded descriptions right off the bat, I lost interest before it even began. Shelved for now! Heard it was supposed to be funny, maybe some other time I will pick it up again/. Can't give it a rating Dnf

[Fangirl Musings · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pages Survived: 104

Crappy book. Really crappy book, actually.

I gave this book more than a fair shot, but I found it be a painful read, even at just 104 pages. The writing was very distracting, with the author seemingly to go over board in trying to utilize the correct vernacular of Victorian England. I am not at all adverse to attention to detail, and am by no means a fan of Wallpaper historical romances. However, one extreme is just as bad as another, which was the case with this book. I found the constant expressions and phrasing to be distracting, which made reading this book feel bumpy and, in some cases, confusing.

The characters were painfully one dimensional, probably the result of Benson trying to carry too many characters inside her story. At twelve chapters in, I couldn't find a single scene that didn't feel rushed or choppy. This also made it very difficult to believe the plot. I so wanted to love this book, for it did have a lot of potential, but because of the aforementioned reasons and because the story relied far too heavily on dialogue, I couldn't give a second longer for this book.

In truth, I had planned on finishing it, and merely marking it as a 2, maybe even three star novel. However, such wasn't the case because the reading and story started to feel abrasive and boring which made the plot as a whole feel like it was going no where fast. Definitely a big waste of my time, I'm sad to say.

Note: It's pretty demonstrative of how bad this book is that I have spent just two or more hours reading the story, literally just closed the book and can't even remember the name of either the hero or heroine. My memory is bad, but that's very telling, especially since I can quickly remember that my previous read's characters were Jordan and Emily. Very, very telling indeed!

[Kathy * Bookworm Nation · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a bit of a slow start; you could probably skip the first 3-4 chapters and not miss much. Once Stanhope arrived in the country the story started to pick up. Even though I don’t normally care for rakes, Stanhope won me over. I’m not sure why, but him falling for Calista was actually believable. I thought Calista was a likable character and her interactions with Stanhope were a lot of fun. There are some fun misunderstandings along the way, but somehow everything gets straightened out so that Calista and Stanhope could have their HEA. Overall, even though it had a slow start I soon got into the story. I liked the characters and plot, but it may be a bit forgettable down the road.

Content: Clean, one kissing scene gets a tad steamy, PG. A bit of swearing.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Stanhope's Proposal - PG/PG13
Violence: attempted assault
Language: a couple of swears
Sex: roaming hands, no big details

I was traveling and kicked it old school with a paperback. I'd read some recommended romance lists and found this gem by Jessica Benson. Loved it! I'm looking for more of her stuff. Someone needs to get this on Kindle asap!

[Cherise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huh a bit speechless after reading this one. Most of the characters here are so irreverent and silly I felt I was reading a midsummer's night's dream more, yet set in a Jane Austenish setting, with tons of country squire and dances and neighbours and gossips abound. V odd and I guess I wasn't expecting this so wasn't really appreciating this one.

We have a typical bookish spinster h that has a decidedly feminist bend, again totally nothing wrong with this if it isn't done so over the top she seems to prefer living in a religious abbey instead with no vices indulged and all that. A bit much to me but otherwise pretty nice h, with her own mind, and goal to help the needy. Must say she also handles the multiple ow v well in that she keeps her politeness and all, in the same shoes, I would have run for the hills and honestly would take a lot more from our H than a few mere words to come around. Can totally get why she was hesitant and didn't trust our H much given his actions.

Our H is the perfect species of human being, which ended up being v annoying to me, a totally imperfect nobody. He is ever polite and always have nice things to say to everyone and doesn't do confrontations or nasty scenes, except with our h I guess, when he really lets down his guard and can be who he really is comfortably instead of a ken doll. The thing about this whole book is that his basic niceless makes the situation more and more horrid, yet despite seeing this, he doesn't really seem to be able to do much to change the tide, making it v hard to sympathise with his situation, when I would have preferred him to do something at least along the way before the grand finale, as by that time I honestly think he deserves not getting the girl as he seems to price good manners above winning the girl over.

The whole story does have some scenes where we see how their relationship develop, yet most of the bulk is filled with other people that are shallow and silly, or ignorant and self centred. It really is amazing nearly the whole village is filled with such nonsensical people and due to their v incomprehensible logic, creates much havoc and misunderstanding between the couple. I feel I am reading the more old school regency classics with how some many characters are about doing tons of other stuffs while the couple could have not seen or talked to each other meaningfully for days. It gets a bit tedious halfway through with the really overly dramatic stupidity of the gang doing and saying the same things more or less over again, and it also doesn't help much in developing our characters except to create chaos. Ending up feeling a joke or being in a circus with all the goings on here, and H still acting the perfectly all proper and easy going fellow, when he sees this can only go no other way but down down down as we readers do. It becomes v frustrating to see the nonaction and the grand finale is a bit too late for me especially when initially he still was planning to be nice and proper *eye roll* honestly this must be my being spoiled by hemans in other books and this H's lie flat and step on me please attitude makes him weak and not really seem to love our h much.

All in all, quite horrid though and despite all that I kept pushing to finish like someone knowing disaster is about to unfold and yet cannot do anything else but morbidly watch it happen anyways, much like our H here, though I must say, I am more lenient with my failings as I didn't have the love of my live to win over.

[LadyAileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quest'autrice ha cominciato da pochi anni a fare la scrittrice e questo è il primo romanzo tradotto in italiano.
Potrei considerare quest'opera una commedia degli equivoci e mi ha ricordato lo stile dei romanzi di Georgette Heyer: pieno di situazioni assolutamente assurde ma allo stesso tempo molto divertenti. E in quest'ambiente non potevano mancare personaggi altrettanto assurdi.
Il romanzo è ambientato nella campagna inglese e più precisamente in un piccolo paese dove tutti conoscono tutti e dove non accade mai niente d'interessante.
Un giorno per colpa di un'assurda scommessa Tristan (un libertino stufo della vita di città), il cugino (un uomo ossessionato dalla moda) e i suoi amici si ritrovano a portare scompiglio nella vita tranquilla degli abitanti.
Le uniche persone che sembrano essere "normali" sono i due protagonisti che sono perfettamente a loro agio in compagnia di questi bizzarri personaggi secondari.
All'inizio sono stata immediatamente impressionata ma arrivata a metà c'è stato un calo di gradimento per poi riprendersi nel finale.
In tutta franchezza è un libro interessante soprattutto se pensiamo allo stile ironico usato dall'autrice nel descrivere la mentalità delle persone che vivono in campagna e della loro presunzione di sentirsi superiori. Non c'è cattiveria, perchè in realtà vogliono solo migliorare la loro posizione sociale cosa assai difficile in un piccolo paese.
Una lettura piacevole.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book a few months ago and thought it looked like something I would want to read. I went on to look for the ebook and couldn't find anything. So I left it and promptly forgot about it until I discovered it again. Again I searched for the ebook and this time - after lots of digging - I found an ebook version of it (albeit slightly illegitimate). They say the most difficult ones usually have the most to give, and although this phrase refers to horses it certainly proved to be true in this case. I was absolutely delighted by this book. It had me laughing out loud numerous times and giggling like a schoolgirl the rest of the time. I am a sucker for witty banter and this book provided bucketloads of it. And extremely well written. One of those book you can't put down. On a more serious note, I've found that my favourite books are usually these that I relate to a lot. In this case I saw a lot of myself in Miss Ashton. A self-sufficient bluestocking with a love for reading and horse-riding. Not to mention the strong will and free-spirit she conceals behind her practical veneer. Anyway, I loved this book so much that I ordered a copy of it. As it's not available in South Africa, I had to buy one from the US.

[The Book Coyote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Egh. I am singularly unimpressed with this book. The characters are flat, the reader feels very little emotional connection to them, and the story's dead dull. I found myself confusing almost all the characters and couldn't tell what was going on half the time. The love story feels forced, and there's about as much heat between Tristan and Callista as you'd find on a January day in Alaska. I wanted to like this book, I really did. The prologue was witty and fun, and it got my hopes up. Too bad they were so brutally let down.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, rare gem of a book. It does consist of a trope that has since been done to death, flavored with a tinge of the absurd, but there is just enough charm in the writing and characterization that, if you're a fan of the Traditional Regency genre, this won't bother you overmuch.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the dry, witty repartee. I appreciate intelligent dialogue and this imparted a lot of joy in that category. The reveal scene at the end was a little much, and the couple should have made plans to return to the hunting cottage, not the local inn, but that's just me. ;) Fun read.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cotton candy regency -- it's fun but there is no nutritional value.

[D.K.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the characters a lot. Calista is an independent and level headed young woman who often sports witty jokes. The fact that she reads books on women's equality is frowned upon by many in her little town. Yet, the villagers hold her in great respect because she does a lot of charity work. Her character is very likeable because she is a feisty do-gooder who is stuck living with her terrible brother and his wife. I wasn't expecting to like Stanhope very much because of his reputation as a rake, but he is nontheless a gentleman to whoever he meets and once he meets Calista, he becomes completely reformed. He carries himself very suavely and has a pleasing demeanor throughout the book.

When the Earl of Stanhope visits Deepdene, the usual quiet luscious country side transforms itself for its most esteemed guest with plenty of parties, balls, beautiful gowns, not to mention plenty of match-making schemes. Sofie Lytthworth, a pretty dull-headed girl and Amanda Prescott, a posh dark haired beauty have a competition between them of who will become Stanhope's countess, yet it's amusing how no one realizes that he is completely smitten with Calista the entire time they are fighting for his affection. Calista initially rejects Stanhope on multiple occasions because she thinks he is using her. However when Stanhope presents her with his signature ring asking to marry her, she becomes emotional and says the ring should be for his future son. Stanhope replies that his son will be her son as well. The story is romantic, but I wouldn't consider it as fluffy. The ending seemed a bit rushed when Stanhope confesses that he wants to marry Calista in front of everyone. Other than that, the story ended well with Calista rightfully becoming Stanhope's fiance and the future countess.

[D.K.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the characters a lot. Calista is an independent and level headed young woman who often sports witty jokes. The fact that she reads books on women's equality is frowned upon by many in her little town. Yet, the villagers hold her in great respect because she does a lot of charity work. Her character is very likeable because she is a feisty do-gooder who is stuck living with her terrible brother and his wife. I wasn't expecting to like Stanhope very much because of his reputation as a rake, but he is nontheless a gentleman to whoever he meets and once he meets Calista, he becomes completely reformed. He carries himself very suavely and has a pleasing demeanor throughout the book.

When the Earl of Stanhope visits Deepdene, the usual quiet luscious country side transforms itself for its most esteemed guest with plenty of parties, balls, beautiful gowns, not to mention plenty of match-making schemes. Sofie Lytthworth, a pretty dull-headed girl and Amanda Prescott, a posh dark haired beauty have a competition between them of who will become Stanhope's countess, yet it's amusing how no one realizes that he is completely smitten with Calista the entire time they are fighting for his affection. Calista initially rejects Stanhope on multiple occasions because she thinks he is using her. However when Stanhope presents her with his signature ring asking to marry her, she becomes emotional and says the ring should be for his future son. Stanhope replies that his son will be her son as well. The story is romantic, but I wouldn't consider it as fluffy. The ending seemed a bit rushed when Stanhope confesses that he wants to marry Calista in front of everyone. Other than that, the story ended well with Calista rightfully becoming Stanhope's fiance and the future countess.

[Spazfungus · Rating 2 out of 5]

cute and rather funny. lots of misunderstandings and the hero, while trying to unknot the mess his cousin created, just kept getting buried deeper and deeper


Stanhope hears his cousin Ossie had made a wager to woo and win a country mouse Calista Ashton. Furious, he goes to Deepdene to rescue her name, under the excuse of going to buy a horse from the young Elmo Lyttworth (Stanhope felt guilty that Elmo was tricked into purchasing the nag because someone else said Stanhope wanted it) Lady Lyttworth somehow reads his excuse as coming to court her daughter Sofie. Trying to "help" Stanhope, Ossie announces that Stanhope is already engaged to his mistress Amanda, so of course he can't court Sofie. Lady Lyttworth sends for Amanda, Amanda and Sofie duke it out, while Stanhope falls in love with Calista, who's brother, trying to get her off his hands announces her betrothal (without her consent) to the awful Squire Greystock. Eventually all misunderstandings are cleared, HEA

[Miriamgreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

read and gave four stars? reread and dropped a bit. still and fun read that has grenades tossed that perfectly exposed the aristocracy as jerks and our heroine as a little too much Hannah Moorish until some one came into her life for the HEA. The grenades dropped in the path of true love of course cover in quick satire the mores and class differences and who should stay where and why. Refreshing hero, outrageous mother and TSTL daughter, 3 more dandies, a purposeful compromise between h/h under her roof which she enjoyed engineering. The finally was quite explosive with the entire orchestra of characters gathered with a flurry of kettle drums. All was well.
This was finished two days after Trump ordered his army to storm our capitol. all monies raised by trump on the lie of fraud in the election should go to repairs the vandals blithely accomplished as they rampaged though the capital. The were trump patriots who have been brainwashed by propaganda not in secret. The Russians and Chinese must be loving this. Even trump held an insurrection party, check you tube

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. Poor, poor Calista. Could things not just run smoothly for the poor girl? So many twists and turns in this little novel. I thought this book had some very funny dialog and the little breaks so that we could switch between characters thoughts was perfect. Lord Stanhope for a rake truly is very gentlemanly. 3 men are vying for Calista's attentions at least. Will the beautiful Sofie end up with a very eligible man? I started getting the people a bit confused since there were so many Ladys and Lords but it does fall into place. No graphic sex. A bit of kissing, handholding & touching but nothing graphic.

[Lady Salford · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out so well. I felt elated. I thought, maybe I found another Elizabeth Mansfield. I was sadly mistaken. The characters are enjoyable. I particularly liked the Foppish Trio: Ossie, Nev, and Squibby. The basic plot might have been better with a few improvements.

All the ingredients for a delightful read were there. Sadly, like all other regency romances written these days, it degenerated into the usual racy scenes. WHY. The dialogue was passably clever. There was some slight witty remarks. Why do these authors feel compelled to insert such nonsense into the plot.

[Annii · Rating 1 out of 5]

Egh. I am singularly unimpressed with this book. The characters are flat, the reader feels very little emotional connection to them, and the story's dead dull. I found myself confusing almost all the characters and couldn't tell what was going on half the time. The love story feels forced, and there's about as much heat between Tristan and Callista as you'd find on a January day in Alaska. I wanted to like this book, I really did. The prologue was witty and fun, and it got my hopes up. Too bad they were so brutally let down.

[Gena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read after quite a few years and won't re-read again. The author tries too hard to make it a comedy / farce and it just ends up with too many tangled threads. Our hero is pretty consistent throughout, likeable, good character progression and makes it a 3*. Our heroine is the downside, supposed to be witty and a bluestocking she's all over the place, one minute puritanical, the next acting very selfish. If you're looking for something very light to read on a beach somewhere then this is it :)

[Taramisu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise: Quite simply, a rake is bet that he cannot convince a bluestocking spinster to marry him.

The chemistry: While I barely remember the book at all (I suppose that does not speak well of the book in question), I do remember that it contained no actual sex scenes, yet was quite stirring.

Miscellaneous notes: The author was very witty and provided some truly humorous moments. I got a bit irritated with all the misunderstandings and the length to which they went.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read for the regency period, although it perhaps had too much info on the aspect of keeping mistresses, but it was funny in how it showed how that can certainly cause problems! Beware, may have to skip some pages for content, but not very much of it. The book got my mind thinking about being a heroine myself. Kinda fun.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book I learned about from my Book A Day calendar. It was enjoyable. A bit confusing at the beginning, as the author introduces many characters very quickly. But I stuck with it--the situation was complicated, a farce really, and the dialogue among the characters was snappy. Calista was a feisty heroine who seemed to have no marriage prospects and ends up with 3 proposals.

[Preet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a re-read, even though I'd be hard pressed to tell you when I read it for the first time. The book is still really funny, and more of a comedy of errors than a historical romance novel. I'm hoping to get my hands on more of Ms.Benson's books, which I've also read before and visit them 10-11 years down the road.

[Barb Chansky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-discovered this book while rummaging in my numerous boxes, trying to find something to read on Friday night; man, if I enjoyed it before, I loved it now! It's just soooo light, funny and enjoyable, like an operetta.

[Phylisha Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent regency romance in my opinion. This was very well written with a lot of humor regarding, many of the characters. The two leads were strong developed characters, compared to the others who were over the top (but in a good way). That's why I read it a second time and added a review.

[Ashley-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much all of the characters are over the top ridiculous and the love is a bit too sudden so at first I didn't think I'd finish this one. I was actually surprised it wasn't 30 years old given how silly it was. But it was fun in the end and all in all I enjoyed it.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Complete and utter fluff. I enjoy it, occasionally, b/c it's fun drivel. It's not very good though. I don't know why I like it, exactly, but it's fun.

[ChloeLeeNH · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3 1/2 stars.... I wanted to like this more than I did... some of it was cute... but I felt like at times there were too many characters and too many confusioned situations...

[Seema · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and well written