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Friends Trilogy #1
A Seductive Offer
A proposal of marriage she could not refuse...
Lord Braven has saved Rachel Ashton's life twice, it seems-when he snatched her from the icy Yorkshire river...and when he offered to marry her. Now the desperate miss will be rid forever of the repulsive husband-to-be her horrid stepfather has "sold" her to. But though both agree their marriage is in name only, Rachel finds she cannot dismiss her burning need to taste the sweet kiss of her dashing benefactor.
A passion they could not resist
Having a real wife is unthinkable, since Braven must never love again. And as long as this sham marriage is not consummated, his heart will remain safe -- and his secret can go untold. But the exquisite beauty tempts the haunted lord unmercifully with her deep lavender eyes and sensuous full lips. How can he resist this most perilous desire, when his heart swears it would be more dangerous still to deny himself the ecstasy of true love?
Lord Braven has saved Rachel Ashton's life twice, it seems-when he snatched her from the icy Yorkshire river...and when he offered to marry her. Now the desperate miss will be rid forever of the repulsive husband-to-be her horrid stepfather has "sold" her to. But though both agree their marriage is in name only, Rachel finds she cannot dismiss her burning need to taste the sweet kiss of her dashing benefactor.
A passion they could not resist
Having a real wife is unthinkable, since Braven must never love again. And as long as this sham marriage is not consummated, his heart will remain safe -- and his secret can go untold. But the exquisite beauty tempts the haunted lord unmercifully with her deep lavender eyes and sensuous full lips. How can he resist this most perilous desire, when his heart swears it would be more dangerous still to deny himself the ecstasy of true love?
375 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 2, 2016
Sosete. Se me ha ido desinflando a medida que lo iba leyendo. El libro no empieza mal, aunque sí de una manera inverosímil y algo confusa. No entiendo si la intención de Rachel era suicidarse o fue un accidente :/
Como digo, la historia en sí no estuvo mal. Brave es un hombre taciturno y solitario enclaustrado en sí mismo y en sus demonios tras la muerte de su amada, que no pudo evitar. Y Rachel es una joven que vive atemorizada por su padrastro, y cuyo único fin es salvar a su madre de las garras de su marido. El planteamiento no ha estado nada mal, pero creo que lo que falla es que es un libro que da muchas vueltas a lo mismo, hasta el punto de que se hace cansino. Personalmente, creo que le sobraban 100 páginas.
Lo que más cabe destacar, el personaje de Brave. Creo que es el único de éste tipo que he leído de novela romántica. Era un hombre joven y apuesto, dada su posición de conde lo tenía todo en la vida. Pero la muerte de la mujer que amaba lo sumió en un continuo estado de melancolía y depresión. Hasta el punto de que el médico de la familia tiene que visitarle cada cierto tiempo para examinarle, como si fuera un pionero de la psiquiatría. Lo cierto es que esto ha estado muy interesante. La lástima es que creo que se ha aprovechado poco su situación y podía haberse extendido más en éste sentido.
No descarto leer en un futuro los libros de los amigos de Brave. Kathryn Smith me parece muy buena escritora, y he leído algún que otro libro suyo que no está nada mal, pero "Una proposición seductora" se ha quedado en un libro sosete, que se ha extendido más de la cuenta en cosas que no le hacían falta, y sí se ha echado en falta más interés sobre la salud mental de Brave.
Como digo, la historia en sí no estuvo mal. Brave es un hombre taciturno y solitario enclaustrado en sí mismo y en sus demonios tras la muerte de su amada, que no pudo evitar. Y Rachel es una joven que vive atemorizada por su padrastro, y cuyo único fin es salvar a su madre de las garras de su marido. El planteamiento no ha estado nada mal, pero creo que lo que falla es que es un libro que da muchas vueltas a lo mismo, hasta el punto de que se hace cansino. Personalmente, creo que le sobraban 100 páginas.
Lo que más cabe destacar, el personaje de Brave. Creo que es el único de éste tipo que he leído de novela romántica. Era un hombre joven y apuesto, dada su posición de conde lo tenía todo en la vida. Pero la muerte de la mujer que amaba lo sumió en un continuo estado de melancolía y depresión. Hasta el punto de que el médico de la familia tiene que visitarle cada cierto tiempo para examinarle, como si fuera un pionero de la psiquiatría. Lo cierto es que esto ha estado muy interesante. La lástima es que creo que se ha aprovechado poco su situación y podía haberse extendido más en éste sentido.
No descarto leer en un futuro los libros de los amigos de Brave. Kathryn Smith me parece muy buena escritora, y he leído algún que otro libro suyo que no está nada mal, pero "Una proposición seductora" se ha quedado en un libro sosete, que se ha extendido más de la cuenta en cosas que no le hacían falta, y sí se ha echado en falta más interés sobre la salud mental de Brave.
December 2, 2010
Lord Braven (Brave)saves Rachel Ashton's life when he finds her struggling for her life in the river on his property. He had 2 years prior, been in love with Miranda, his friends sister, and she had committed suicide by drowning herself. He thinks if he saves Rachel, he will redeem himself for not being able to save Miranda. Brave is a very noble man who lives with much angst and guilt. Rachel is a brave woman who lives with her abused mom and abusive stepfather. She tells Brave that her stepfather is trying to force her into a marriage of his choosing. The man he is making her marry is a 50 year old disgusting pervert. Brave of course does all he can to save her, as he is instantly attracted to her and this is the first time in 2 years that he feels good about anything.
I like this book as it wasn't filled with all the fluff and nonsense you usually find in historical romances. The book also touches on mental illness as Brave was so depressed for the 2 years prior, that his family and friends had convinced him to be treated by a Dr that "treats the mind"
I like this book as it wasn't filled with all the fluff and nonsense you usually find in historical romances. The book also touches on mental illness as Brave was so depressed for the 2 years prior, that his family and friends had convinced him to be treated by a Dr that "treats the mind"
April 3, 2022
Re-read, 3 stars
Well, it was a re-read, and first time, years ago it was 5 stars, but now, im a bit disapointed, only 3 stars
Safe
Main characters didnt communicate good enough.
Domestic abuse
Well, it was a re-read, and first time, years ago it was 5 stars, but now, im a bit disapointed, only 3 stars
Safe
Main characters didnt communicate good enough.
Domestic abuse
January 15, 2018
leído en Junio 2013
Me gustó bastante, me pareció muy interesante y entretenido!!
Me gustó bastante, me pareció muy interesante y entretenido!!
July 25, 2024
Me ha parecido un libro muy rápido de leer y entretenido, nunca había leído nada de época pero me ha gustado. No te va a cambiar la vida pero vas a estar entretenido un rato.
April 7, 2025
CWs for this book:
2.5 stars
This is a Marriage of Convivence story set in Yorkshire, England in 1816. Heroine Rachel Ashton is desperate to find a way to free her mother and herself from the clutches of her abusive stepfather. Hero Balthazar Wycherley, Lord Braven - or "Brave" - is eager to come to the aid of a damsel in distress. He thinks that helping Rachel will ease his conscience about a previous lover's death by suicide, which he feels responsible for. Brave proposes to Rachel, with the promise that his money and the weight of his title will be able to secure a divorce for her mother. However, both Brave and Rachel are surprised by the genuine feelings they develop for each other in their supposedly sham marriage.
...
This is the second book I've read by this author, the first being a YA regency novel - Anna and the Duke. I think that Kathryn Smith has a writing style that is light and often humorous, for example this story had quite a few funny moments despite its more serious plotline. That said, this author's writing still strikes me as Wallpaper Historical, so while her portrayal of Regency England is pleasant, it never comes off as particularly realistic or engrossing for me as a reader. My chief complaint with this story is that it was just forgettable and kind of boring.
The best part of this story was the heroine, Rachel. I genuinely liked her and her determination to help her mother. I also really liked Rachel's friend Belinda, and thought that the scenes they had together were a highlight in the book. If this series continued with Belinda as the lead in the next story, rather than Brave's friends, I might actually have wanted to continue with this series.
This was one of those Marriage of Convivence stories where both leads have very obvious strong feelings from the start and minimal roadblocks keeping them apart - but, for the sake of conflict, they both decide their feelings are not reciprocated and so they can't possibly reveal to their spouse that they are falling in love. This type of MOC conflict annoys me. I liked Brave and Rachel as a couple well enough, but I liked Brave as a hero less and less as the story went on. There was one particularly repugnant scene of him towards the end of the book where he is on a drinking binge as a result of a Third Act Conflict tantrum, and the author for some reason went into detail about the offensive state of his breath and body odor. That bizarre inclusion was the final nail in the coffin for me, I just can't lust over a hero that reeks.
I will give this author another chance, because I already have more books from her in my collection, but I wasn't blown away by this one and am not interested in continuing this series.
2.5 stars
This is a Marriage of Convivence story set in Yorkshire, England in 1816. Heroine Rachel Ashton is desperate to find a way to free her mother and herself from the clutches of her abusive stepfather. Hero Balthazar Wycherley, Lord Braven - or "Brave" - is eager to come to the aid of a damsel in distress. He thinks that helping Rachel will ease his conscience about a previous lover's death by suicide, which he feels responsible for. Brave proposes to Rachel, with the promise that his money and the weight of his title will be able to secure a divorce for her mother. However, both Brave and Rachel are surprised by the genuine feelings they develop for each other in their supposedly sham marriage.
...
This is the second book I've read by this author, the first being a YA regency novel - Anna and the Duke. I think that Kathryn Smith has a writing style that is light and often humorous, for example this story had quite a few funny moments despite its more serious plotline. That said, this author's writing still strikes me as Wallpaper Historical, so while her portrayal of Regency England is pleasant, it never comes off as particularly realistic or engrossing for me as a reader. My chief complaint with this story is that it was just forgettable and kind of boring.
The best part of this story was the heroine, Rachel. I genuinely liked her and her determination to help her mother. I also really liked Rachel's friend Belinda, and thought that the scenes they had together were a highlight in the book. If this series continued with Belinda as the lead in the next story, rather than Brave's friends, I might actually have wanted to continue with this series.
This was one of those Marriage of Convivence stories where both leads have very obvious strong feelings from the start and minimal roadblocks keeping them apart - but, for the sake of conflict, they both decide their feelings are not reciprocated and so they can't possibly reveal to their spouse that they are falling in love. This type of MOC conflict annoys me. I liked Brave and Rachel as a couple well enough, but I liked Brave as a hero less and less as the story went on. There was one particularly repugnant scene of him towards the end of the book where he is on a drinking binge as a result of a Third Act Conflict tantrum, and the author for some reason went into detail about the offensive state of his breath and body odor. That bizarre inclusion was the final nail in the coffin for me, I just can't lust over a hero that reeks.
I will give this author another chance, because I already have more books from her in my collection, but I wasn't blown away by this one and am not interested in continuing this series.
November 16, 2020
I’ve made no secret of the fact I’ve been struggling to read lately, so I was pleasantly surprised when I gobbled this down in a couple of days because it completely engaged me! A marriage of convenience trope is like catnip for me so this definitely hit the spot.
Our hero rescues our heroine from drowning in a stream one night and sets forth a domino effect of potential scandal neither can avoid. Our heroine is desperate to not only escape her arranged marriage but also desperate to get her mother away from her physically abusive stepfather. Our hero steps in to literally be her hero with an offer of marriage and an offer of help to her mother.
Now first of all both main characters are flawed and this is explored a lot- it also makes them feel real. Our heroine will do whatever it takes to help her mother and our hero is struggling to cope with a loss and thinks that “saving” our heroine will also help him atone, but at the same time he is exactly aware of what he is doing. Their love story builds gradually and so does the steam 🔥🔥. Now one other thing- this book deals a lot with domestic violence and I feel that definitely could upset some people so I felt the need to do a trigger warning (although I personally felt it was written and handled well).
Our hero rescues our heroine from drowning in a stream one night and sets forth a domino effect of potential scandal neither can avoid. Our heroine is desperate to not only escape her arranged marriage but also desperate to get her mother away from her physically abusive stepfather. Our hero steps in to literally be her hero with an offer of marriage and an offer of help to her mother.
Now first of all both main characters are flawed and this is explored a lot- it also makes them feel real. Our heroine will do whatever it takes to help her mother and our hero is struggling to cope with a loss and thinks that “saving” our heroine will also help him atone, but at the same time he is exactly aware of what he is doing. Their love story builds gradually and so does the steam 🔥🔥. Now one other thing- this book deals a lot with domestic violence and I feel that definitely could upset some people so I felt the need to do a trigger warning (although I personally felt it was written and handled well).
February 10, 2024
Re-read after many, many years.
It was an ok story. I generally love the MOC trope, but somehow this fell a little flat.
I don’t consider 2002 the dark ages, but in the year 2024, it’s obvious this book was written in a different time. The main issues being the attitudes about both domestic violence and suicide portrayed in the story. There was a little too much victim blaming, IMO. The heroine’s rant about the character who took their own life was particularly egregious.
With that being said, I enjoyed myself well enough while reading the book. I just probably don’t ever need to read it again.
It was an ok story. I generally love the MOC trope, but somehow this fell a little flat.
I don’t consider 2002 the dark ages, but in the year 2024, it’s obvious this book was written in a different time. The main issues being the attitudes about both domestic violence and suicide portrayed in the story. There was a little too much victim blaming, IMO. The heroine’s rant about the character who took their own life was particularly egregious.
With that being said, I enjoyed myself well enough while reading the book. I just probably don’t ever need to read it again.
February 8, 2023
Rachel es una joven en apuros. Su padrastro golpea constantemente a su madre y cada vez se hace más insoportable. Lo único que quiere es recibir su herencia y poder alejar a su madre de ese infeliz. Un día, se cae al río y es rescatada por Braven, su vecino. Él está atormentado por su pasado. Pero cuando ella le busca con la cara golpeada, no lo duda y le propone un matrimonio de conveniencia.
February 1, 2024
🙋🏻♀️ Una historia diferente, con temas duro. Los personajes estrechan su relación lentamente, que así tiene que ser para sanarse uno al otro 💗
July 3, 2024
nice little read.
deserves a {4.5 rating}
deserves a {4.5 rating}
February 29, 2012
A Seductive Offer is the first part in the Friends trilogy, it takes place in Yorkshire in the Regency period, but that is the only thing about this story that is really Regency, the time period. Kathryn Smith, as always, writes fluent plotlines and her writing is easy to read but I have to be honest, as much as I love her Ryland Brothers series and her paranormal series Brotherhood of Blood, this story could not hold my attention and it was quite a struggle to finish the book.
The main plotline is about domestic violence, Rachel’s stepfather is the violent type and her mother often has to suffer for it. Rachel is desperate to find a way out for her mother and herself, her mother claims she married again for Rachel’s sake so they could have a good life. But they would have been better off if her mother had taken a job as a seamstress then living with a wife beating bastard. Though I know that women in that time period had not much influence, the mother is so passive and resigned to her faith, it made me want to scream. Somehow Rachel irritated the hell out of me, yes she is courageous and bold and she tries to fix things, but she could have done something to help herself and her mother so much more previously.
The other plotline is Braven’s guilt. The death of his best friend’s sister haunts him, he feels guilty, feels that he could have prevented it. So he drinks himself thoroughly plastered day in, day out so he won’t feel anything. He does this throughout the story and I kept waiting for him to man up, yes he does take charge of things again and he stands up to the evil and wicked stepfather but for the story it is too little and too late. He marries Rachel so he can help her and her mother and because it is time for him to get married. But with Rachel’s mother always in the picture there is hardly any romance going on, the old saying two is a party but three is a crowd certainly applies here.
Julian and Gabriel are Braven’s best friends and they both have their own story in part two and three of this trilogy. They have come to visit Braven and soon I caught myself that I was much more interested in reading their stories than in finishing this one. Although Rachel tries in her own way to make something of her life, Braven‘s character is just to washed out to enjoy. Perhaps it is just me but I did not like the whole domestic violence plotline, it wasn’t fleshed out well enough for my taste and the end of the story was almost an anticlimax.
So does that mean this is a bad story? No. It just did not charm me, it just went on and on without grabbing me. I like my heroes to be strong or that they undergo a certain change that makes them grow strong, I missed that in this story. But I am certainly not discouraged to read the other two stories in this trilogy for I know Kathryn Smith writes great stories, only A Seductive Offer could not enchant me.
The main plotline is about domestic violence, Rachel’s stepfather is the violent type and her mother often has to suffer for it. Rachel is desperate to find a way out for her mother and herself, her mother claims she married again for Rachel’s sake so they could have a good life. But they would have been better off if her mother had taken a job as a seamstress then living with a wife beating bastard. Though I know that women in that time period had not much influence, the mother is so passive and resigned to her faith, it made me want to scream. Somehow Rachel irritated the hell out of me, yes she is courageous and bold and she tries to fix things, but she could have done something to help herself and her mother so much more previously.
The other plotline is Braven’s guilt. The death of his best friend’s sister haunts him, he feels guilty, feels that he could have prevented it. So he drinks himself thoroughly plastered day in, day out so he won’t feel anything. He does this throughout the story and I kept waiting for him to man up, yes he does take charge of things again and he stands up to the evil and wicked stepfather but for the story it is too little and too late. He marries Rachel so he can help her and her mother and because it is time for him to get married. But with Rachel’s mother always in the picture there is hardly any romance going on, the old saying two is a party but three is a crowd certainly applies here.
Julian and Gabriel are Braven’s best friends and they both have their own story in part two and three of this trilogy. They have come to visit Braven and soon I caught myself that I was much more interested in reading their stories than in finishing this one. Although Rachel tries in her own way to make something of her life, Braven‘s character is just to washed out to enjoy. Perhaps it is just me but I did not like the whole domestic violence plotline, it wasn’t fleshed out well enough for my taste and the end of the story was almost an anticlimax.
So does that mean this is a bad story? No. It just did not charm me, it just went on and on without grabbing me. I like my heroes to be strong or that they undergo a certain change that makes them grow strong, I missed that in this story. But I am certainly not discouraged to read the other two stories in this trilogy for I know Kathryn Smith writes great stories, only A Seductive Offer could not enchant me.
February 17, 2016
Llevo mucho leyéndola y siempre es un placer, aunque me dura un suspiro el libro ,pero es genial!!
Balthazar Wycherly conde de Braven esta destrozado por la muerte de una amiga que no pudo ayudar , se refugia por años en su mansión ,recibiendo tratamiento por un Doctor a su lo que cree ,enfermedad, yo diría melancolía o depresión. Es muy inseguro , pero cuando salva de ahogarse a su vecina Rachel Ashton se da cuenta que ella puede ser la solución a sus problemas ,sus deseos internos,su amor necesitado de perdón y también a esa nueva sensación que le recorre la piel nada mas verla. Cuando Rachel aparece en su casa con signos de haber sido golpeada ÉL no duda en ofrecerle una proposición seductora para ambos ,sin imaginar que muy pronto, saldrá a la luz todos esas ardientes necesidades que se provocan mutuamente. Lord Braven pondrá todo a su alcance para que ella no se arrepienta de su proposición mientras ella descubre que una caricia puede llevarla al cielo en los brazos de Brave.
Romance total de una maravillosa autora que con Lord Brave fue valorado como mejor prota en 2002 por Avon Romance y en esta trilogía que puede leerse por separado en género histórico. Recomendado para leer 100% y perderse entre Condes y Duques deliciosos.
Balthazar Wycherly conde de Braven esta destrozado por la muerte de una amiga que no pudo ayudar , se refugia por años en su mansión ,recibiendo tratamiento por un Doctor a su lo que cree ,enfermedad, yo diría melancolía o depresión. Es muy inseguro , pero cuando salva de ahogarse a su vecina Rachel Ashton se da cuenta que ella puede ser la solución a sus problemas ,sus deseos internos,su amor necesitado de perdón y también a esa nueva sensación que le recorre la piel nada mas verla. Cuando Rachel aparece en su casa con signos de haber sido golpeada ÉL no duda en ofrecerle una proposición seductora para ambos ,sin imaginar que muy pronto, saldrá a la luz todos esas ardientes necesidades que se provocan mutuamente. Lord Braven pondrá todo a su alcance para que ella no se arrepienta de su proposición mientras ella descubre que una caricia puede llevarla al cielo en los brazos de Brave.
Romance total de una maravillosa autora que con Lord Brave fue valorado como mejor prota en 2002 por Avon Romance y en esta trilogía que puede leerse por separado en género histórico. Recomendado para leer 100% y perderse entre Condes y Duques deliciosos.
July 8, 2012
The main characters in this book are completely self-absorbed. It's pretty tiresome to read how they think everything revolves around them. They also have fights with each other where I'm clueless as to why one of them got so upset. And I didn't understand why they kept saying it was a "marriage in name only", what does that mean? Back then marriages were arranged and/or political/financial alliances. Marriage tied together two families in hopes of producing a heir. Love rarely had anything to do with it. So I don't get the "in name only" part, they were planning on it be a real marriage with kids etc. The love part was the missing piece, but that hardly meant it wasn't a real marriage. Back then the assumption would have been that a couple would grow to love each other after marriage. I didn't understand desperation both had to find love in the marriage mere days after the ceremony. They had plenty of time to talk about feelings in the future. Eh.
June 28, 2012
Me parece un libro bastante débil en trama, no me terminaron de agradar los personajes principales, y realmente como que las acciones de estos no son del todo lógicas.
No se al final me entretuvo pero creo que me olvidare de el pronto
No se al final me entretuvo pero creo que me olvidare de el pronto
April 2, 2016
My first Kathryn Smith book, it was wonderful. I love her style of writing. I was able to connect with the characters. I thought there was a little too much guilt in this book, but other than that good read.
July 19, 2015
I first read this book in paper back when a friend loaned it to me. I enjoyed it so much that I reread it immediately and purchased the sequel. that is the highest honor I can bestow on a book.
July 26, 2015
gosh. once I got through the first five Chapters I simply could not put the book down. I took it with me EVERYWHERE! I thoroughly enjoyed it :)
May 20, 2016
Una buena lectura sin duda. Quitando el hecho de que en esta época la mujer no tiene ni voz no voto, ha sido un librl muy bonito para quizas repetir su lectura en un futuro
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