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An Unacceptable Offer
DOING THE UNTHINKABLE
Miss Jane Matthews could not believe this was happening.
Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax, the handsomest lord in the realm and the catch of the London marriage mart, was actually proposing to her and not to her exquisitely beautiful cousin Honor Jamieson.
Jane could believe her own response even less.
Despite the viscount's looks, his wealth, his charm, his absolute perfection, and despite the fact that Jane madly loved him, she heard herself saying "No."
Now would she be able to withstand his determined pursuit?
Miss Jane Matthews could not believe this was happening.
Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax, the handsomest lord in the realm and the catch of the London marriage mart, was actually proposing to her and not to her exquisitely beautiful cousin Honor Jamieson.
Jane could believe her own response even less.
Despite the viscount's looks, his wealth, his charm, his absolute perfection, and despite the fact that Jane madly loved him, she heard herself saying "No."
Now would she be able to withstand his determined pursuit?
223 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 1988
346 people are currently reading
1050 people want to read
About the author
Mary Balogh
199 books6,329 followersMary Jenkins was born in 1944 in Swansea, Wales, UK. After graduating from university, moved to Saskatchewan, Canada, to teach high school English, on a two-year teaching contract in 1967. She married her Canadian husband, Robert Balogh, and had three children, Jacqueline, Christopher and Sian. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, music and knitting. She also enjoys watching tennis and curling.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Balogh started writing in the evenings as a hobby. Her first book, a Regency love story, was published in 1985 as A Masked Deception under her married name. In 1988, she retired from teaching after 20 years to pursue her dream to write full-time. She has written more than seventy novels and almost thirty novellas since then, including the New York Times bestselling 'Slightly' sextet and 'Simply' quartet. She has won numerous awards, including Bestselling Historical of the Year from the Borders Group, and her novel Simply Magic was a finalist in the Quill Awards. She has won seven Waldenbooks Awards and two B. Dalton Awards for her bestselling novels, as well as a Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
July 20, 2019
A classic Mary Balogh….sweet, simple and slow but with certain depth and complexity. The angst is low level but ever pervasive.
The H, a handsome and much sought after (newly widowed with two daughters) viscount is made to eat some humble pie when his condescending proposal to the plain and sensible h gets turned down quite ignominiously.
He did feel like a fool. He had always believed that he was attractive to most women. To be refused by a less-than-beautiful one was a blow to his esteem.
..But Miss Matthews! She must already be well past the usual age of marriage.
And he gets refused by a woman who has secretly and hopelessly loved him for past 5 years while he has been quite unaware of even her existence. I loved the part where her hurt, anger over the proposal and her reason for refusal are explained.
And she had tried to convey to him her anger in being thought of by labels. She was needed as a wife, a mother, a housekeeper. She was not needed as Jane…..Primarily and always she was Jane, a unique and very real person. She could never marry anyone who would not recognize that.
Bravo! She’s aware of her foolhardiness in refusing not only the most eligible man in London but also the man she loves. But something in her rebels at being dishonoured in this manner.
The H goes through anger and humiliation to finally realising his folly in botching up his courtship and letting a woman he likes and respects (even love?) slip away.
In the background, perpetually annoying, is her beautiful and bubbly young cousin who’s set her cap on the H and tries everything - lies and coquetry - to bring him to scratch. The H is quite attracted to her and flirts nonstop with her but soon realises that she would not do as wife and mother (and so it has to be the h).
The story progression had merit but I could not stomach him constantly finding the cousin’s outlandish behaviour amusing and diverting when he did not even crack a smile at an anecdote the h relates on their first dance together. He comes across as quite a sourpuss there. Also his constant comparison (especially physical) between the two doesn’t make for a happy reading.
Then there’s the H’s bff - an amazingly nice and great guy who offers for the h and gets accepted. So it’s doubly humiliating for the H. And it’s amazing that the ‘plain Jane’ should get three proposals in all!
Of course, the om and the ow (the h’s cousin) make up the other angles of this complicated muddle. I wanted to continue disliking the H for his apparent shallowness (and ship the h-om) but couldn’t as his love and devotion to his (well etched and adorable) daughters melted my heart. To top it, his very anomalous but believable views on not preferring sons over daughters make him special. Unlike other regency lords, he doesn’t care if he ever sires a son or not. It’s not even that he believes a son will come sooner or later. He just doesn’t care!
Now to the cousin/ow. I personally detested her - for growing on me and being so fun and likeable! She’s completely h material and had no business butting into another h’s story. The ending would not have been as sweet without the ow-om doing their bit; also as dumping of innocent parties takes away from h/H hea. But still I would have liked the focus to be more on h/H rather the other two in the second half.
Random but the h gets her first kiss from the om while the ow gets hers from the H. Good for general bonhomie?
One thing that nettles is why the h never came back for another season after her first disastrous one. Even the sentimental reasons of an unrequited love (for the married H) could not have held out over practicality for five years. At first, I thought maybe she’s a poor orphan/relative now dependent on the cousin’s family and after her parents death was unable to come back. But then we learn that at least her father’s alive and a comfortably placed gentleman.
The H, a handsome and much sought after (newly widowed with two daughters) viscount is made to eat some humble pie when his condescending proposal to the plain and sensible h gets turned down quite ignominiously.
He did feel like a fool. He had always believed that he was attractive to most women. To be refused by a less-than-beautiful one was a blow to his esteem.
..But Miss Matthews! She must already be well past the usual age of marriage.
And he gets refused by a woman who has secretly and hopelessly loved him for past 5 years while he has been quite unaware of even her existence. I loved the part where her hurt, anger over the proposal and her reason for refusal are explained.
And she had tried to convey to him her anger in being thought of by labels. She was needed as a wife, a mother, a housekeeper. She was not needed as Jane…..Primarily and always she was Jane, a unique and very real person. She could never marry anyone who would not recognize that.
Bravo! She’s aware of her foolhardiness in refusing not only the most eligible man in London but also the man she loves. But something in her rebels at being dishonoured in this manner.
The H goes through anger and humiliation to finally realising his folly in botching up his courtship and letting a woman he likes and respects (even love?) slip away.
In the background, perpetually annoying, is her beautiful and bubbly young cousin who’s set her cap on the H and tries everything - lies and coquetry - to bring him to scratch. The H is quite attracted to her and flirts nonstop with her but soon realises that she would not do as wife and mother (and so it has to be the h).
The story progression had merit but I could not stomach him constantly finding the cousin’s outlandish behaviour amusing and diverting when he did not even crack a smile at an anecdote the h relates on their first dance together. He comes across as quite a sourpuss there. Also his constant comparison (especially physical) between the two doesn’t make for a happy reading.
Then there’s the H’s bff - an amazingly nice and great guy who offers for the h and gets accepted. So it’s doubly humiliating for the H. And it’s amazing that the ‘plain Jane’ should get three proposals in all!
Of course, the om and the ow (the h’s cousin) make up the other angles of this complicated muddle. I wanted to continue disliking the H for his apparent shallowness (and ship the h-om) but couldn’t as his love and devotion to his (well etched and adorable) daughters melted my heart. To top it, his very anomalous but believable views on not preferring sons over daughters make him special. Unlike other regency lords, he doesn’t care if he ever sires a son or not. It’s not even that he believes a son will come sooner or later. He just doesn’t care!
Now to the cousin/ow. I personally detested her - for growing on me and being so fun and likeable! She’s completely h material and had no business butting into another h’s story. The ending would not have been as sweet without the ow-om doing their bit; also as dumping of innocent parties takes away from h/H hea. But still I would have liked the focus to be more on h/H rather the other two in the second half.
Random but the h gets her first kiss from the om while the ow gets hers from the H. Good for general bonhomie?
One thing that nettles is why the h never came back for another season after her first disastrous one. Even the sentimental reasons of an unrequited love (for the married H) could not have held out over practicality for five years. At first, I thought maybe she’s a poor orphan/relative now dependent on the cousin’s family and after her parents death was unable to come back. But then we learn that at least her father’s alive and a comfortably placed gentleman.
January 14, 2025
This is a historical romance where an impossibly handsome, dashing widower tries to enter into a marriage of convenience with a debbie-downer, mousey, Plain-Jane spinster (at the ripe age of 23!) because he needs a mother for his two little girls and someone to warm his bed at night, really anyone will do as long as they are mature and sensible! In the meanwhile, he doesn't mind lusting after Plain-Jane's luscious, pouty-lipped, Incomparable debutante cousin. The guy was GROSS!
To his utter astonishment, Plain-Jane refuses his callous, cold, and calculating proposal and gives him some Plain-Talking-To to go along with it. He has never been rejected in his life before because he has looks, money, a title, etc. So he is shocked. It was satisfying to see him come down a peg or two and even more satisfying to see him be even more crushed when Plain-Jane goes on, a few weeks later, to accept the equally unromantic but at least polite and affectionate proposal of his best friend, who is less handsome, less rich, and just less of a catch than him overall. He realizes that the heroine was right, he had refused to see her as a person, merely as a footstool for his convenience and the convenience of his family. Now that he has actually taken the time to see her as a person he is actually in love with the heroine but by now, it is too late because she is betrothed to his best friend. Another complication is that the pouty-lipped cousin is still hovering and looks determined to trap him into marriage. Now the four of them are going to spend two weeks in the country at his manor.
I quite enjoyed the novel up to this point and I was wondering how they were going to resolve all these awkward entanglements. What the author chose to do is to completely reinvent the character of the pouty-lipped cousin and make her the catalyst who resolved all the Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings, saved the day and got the protagonists together. This is where the story lost me. It was not a believable transformation for me. The author went to great length to convey that the pouty-lipped cousin was playing up the role of an airheaded flirt who was obsessed with snaring the most handsome matrimonial prize of the London season and that beneath it, she was actually a sensible, intelligent girl well-versed in arts and literature. None of that would explain why she was such a passive-aggressive, absolute snot to her spinster cousin, demeaning her and undermining her at every freaking single turn of the story. Always calling her a spinster, old and uninteresting, dull, and jokingly pressing her to accept a bet between the two of them as to who could snare the handsome hero, when it was obvious that she considered her no competition at all.
Even after the heroine was betrothed to the OM, the cousin was still playing her wicked games of flirting heavily with the OM and "jokingly" threatening to steal him away from her cousin, to convince him to elope with her, etc. Which, in the end, she did accomplish. Sensing that Plain-Jane and the hero had some sexual tension between them, and piqued that he preferred Plain-Jane to her own physical delights, I really believed that she set out to destroy the betrothal of her cousin and the OM to revenge herself upon her. That would have been a lot more in character for her and a more believable story. But the author ends up by making the OW/OM couple the central couple of the second half of the book, while the hero and heroine are made to look like big ninnies who can't fix the muddle they have made of their romance.
I just don't like it too much when the focus goes from the main hero and heroine to a pair of shady OM/OW, and I also don't buy it when authors try to make too big of a twist especially an 180 personality transplant in one of their characters and expect us to swallow that big lump meekly.
Too bad because this was overall a very compelling story and characters in the first half.
To his utter astonishment, Plain-Jane refuses his callous, cold, and calculating proposal and gives him some Plain-Talking-To to go along with it. He has never been rejected in his life before because he has looks, money, a title, etc. So he is shocked. It was satisfying to see him come down a peg or two and even more satisfying to see him be even more crushed when Plain-Jane goes on, a few weeks later, to accept the equally unromantic but at least polite and affectionate proposal of his best friend, who is less handsome, less rich, and just less of a catch than him overall. He realizes that the heroine was right, he had refused to see her as a person, merely as a footstool for his convenience and the convenience of his family. Now that he has actually taken the time to see her as a person he is actually in love with the heroine but by now, it is too late because she is betrothed to his best friend. Another complication is that the pouty-lipped cousin is still hovering and looks determined to trap him into marriage. Now the four of them are going to spend two weeks in the country at his manor.
I quite enjoyed the novel up to this point and I was wondering how they were going to resolve all these awkward entanglements. What the author chose to do is to completely reinvent the character of the pouty-lipped cousin and make her the catalyst who resolved all the Great, Big, Terrible Misunderstandings, saved the day and got the protagonists together. This is where the story lost me. It was not a believable transformation for me. The author went to great length to convey that the pouty-lipped cousin was playing up the role of an airheaded flirt who was obsessed with snaring the most handsome matrimonial prize of the London season and that beneath it, she was actually a sensible, intelligent girl well-versed in arts and literature. None of that would explain why she was such a passive-aggressive, absolute snot to her spinster cousin, demeaning her and undermining her at every freaking single turn of the story. Always calling her a spinster, old and uninteresting, dull, and jokingly pressing her to accept a bet between the two of them as to who could snare the handsome hero, when it was obvious that she considered her no competition at all.
Even after the heroine was betrothed to the OM, the cousin was still playing her wicked games of flirting heavily with the OM and "jokingly" threatening to steal him away from her cousin, to convince him to elope with her, etc. Which, in the end, she did accomplish. Sensing that Plain-Jane and the hero had some sexual tension between them, and piqued that he preferred Plain-Jane to her own physical delights, I really believed that she set out to destroy the betrothal of her cousin and the OM to revenge herself upon her. That would have been a lot more in character for her and a more believable story. But the author ends up by making the OW/OM couple the central couple of the second half of the book, while the hero and heroine are made to look like big ninnies who can't fix the muddle they have made of their romance.
I just don't like it too much when the focus goes from the main hero and heroine to a pair of shady OM/OW, and I also don't buy it when authors try to make too big of a twist especially an 180 personality transplant in one of their characters and expect us to swallow that big lump meekly.
Too bad because this was overall a very compelling story and characters in the first half.
April 13, 2017
This is a romance from the Mary Balogh that I know and love. It is one of her earlier stories from 1988.
~~~~~
Miss Jane Matthews was 23 years old and bordered on spinsterhood. At first sight, people thought 'she was not beautiful'. She knew this herself; she was plain, as in a Plain Jane. But she was upbeat and helpful and kind.
Gorgeously handsome Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax, was in need of a wife. And he had two little daughters that needed a mother. He settled on Jane.
"Will you marry me?" he asked, and listened in some amazement to the echo of his own words.
Her head shot up and she gazed wide-eyed at him. She said nothing.
He had meant the words, he realized suddenly. He had decided without even quite knowing it himself. "Did you hear what I said?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "I asked if you will marry me."
Her eyes were fixed on his. Dark grey eyes. "Why?"
There was tension. Confusion. A jot of anger. Regret. Deep feelings inadequately expressed. Friends. Children. Mistakes galore. It was an angst-fest with emotional locomotion. And a tad too wordy IMHO but I still enjoyed their story.
And, finally!, a HEA.
~~~~~
Miss Jane Matthews was 23 years old and bordered on spinsterhood. At first sight, people thought 'she was not beautiful'. She knew this herself; she was plain, as in a Plain Jane. But she was upbeat and helpful and kind.
Gorgeously handsome Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax, was in need of a wife. And he had two little daughters that needed a mother. He settled on Jane.
"Will you marry me?" he asked, and listened in some amazement to the echo of his own words.
Her head shot up and she gazed wide-eyed at him. She said nothing.
He had meant the words, he realized suddenly. He had decided without even quite knowing it himself. "Did you hear what I said?" he asked after a few moments of silence. "I asked if you will marry me."
Her eyes were fixed on his. Dark grey eyes. "Why?"
There was tension. Confusion. A jot of anger. Regret. Deep feelings inadequately expressed. Friends. Children. Mistakes galore. It was an angst-fest with emotional locomotion. And a tad too wordy IMHO but I still enjoyed their story.
And, finally!, a HEA.
August 3, 2018
WOW. I mean WOWWWWW ! I seriously regret leaving this on my TBR shelf for so long.
Was not expecting the twist, and the second half of the book is utterly delightful and splendid ! Blurb was rather misleading, okay, I am not gonna ignore the MB books with mediocre rating anymore.
Was not expecting the twist, and the second half of the book is utterly delightful and splendid ! Blurb was rather misleading, okay, I am not gonna ignore the MB books with mediocre rating anymore.
September 3, 2023
Good lord this was boring.
RTC.
RTC.
August 28, 2020
Mary Balogh is one of my very favorite authors and I rarely find anything to complain about when it comes to her books. This was one of her older books, very clean and sweet and it might be one of the best marriage proposal rejection books I have ever read. It is right up there with Lizzie and Darcy. I know, I know…but hear me out. Jane does not reject Fairfax because she wants some foolish love match, she rejects him because she as an epiphany about herself. A divine epiphany that all women should be blessed to have, and that was this:
“I am a person. I am Jane Matthews, my lord. There is only one of me. I am unique. To you I may appear to be no different from hundreds of other drab, aging females. But I am a person, not a commodity, not a footstool. Perhaps you do need a woman to look after your home and children and provide you with an heir. Perhaps I would contribute to your comfort. But what about me? What am I to gain from such an arrangement? I am not a servant for hire. I am an independent person, and my happiness matters- at least to me.”
I am a realist and it has always bugged me in romance novels when the heroine rejects a great proposal because she is written too forward thinking. If you were poor, had limited options and needed to put food in your belly and someone comes along with a ring and offers all of this to you…. you would take it. That is not this book. Jane does not need a husband. She would like one, her family and friends would like her to have one, but it is not a necessity. When she rejects Fairfax’s proposal and gives him that amazing speech…. Man, I was so freaking proud of her. I have 2 little girls and I absolutely plan on having them read this book. Reading about Jane transform from some lovelorn girl to a strong and courageous woman gave me goosebumps. I just loved her. Such an amazing example of valuing yourself and never selling yourself short.
Now, the only reason I am taking off a star is because of the secondary character, Honor. I have read a many of books and I can honestly say I have never disliked a non-villain/villain more in my life. I detested her with every fiber in my body. I literally could not bring myself to read anything in the book that centered around her. She was a horrid sea-cow and I HATE that Mary Balogh let her get away with it all and get a HEA. If you read this book, you are going to see what I mean. UGH- if I could slap a fictional character, it would be her. YUCK.
Like I previously said, this is a clean book. No sex scenes- which is uncharacteristic for Mrs. Balogh- and honestly, kind of a shame because she writes some of the BEST and most sensual love scenes. BUT it works for this book, I am not going to complain. I highly suggest this book if you are down for a Lizzie and Darcy kind of love.
“I am a person. I am Jane Matthews, my lord. There is only one of me. I am unique. To you I may appear to be no different from hundreds of other drab, aging females. But I am a person, not a commodity, not a footstool. Perhaps you do need a woman to look after your home and children and provide you with an heir. Perhaps I would contribute to your comfort. But what about me? What am I to gain from such an arrangement? I am not a servant for hire. I am an independent person, and my happiness matters- at least to me.”
I am a realist and it has always bugged me in romance novels when the heroine rejects a great proposal because she is written too forward thinking. If you were poor, had limited options and needed to put food in your belly and someone comes along with a ring and offers all of this to you…. you would take it. That is not this book. Jane does not need a husband. She would like one, her family and friends would like her to have one, but it is not a necessity. When she rejects Fairfax’s proposal and gives him that amazing speech…. Man, I was so freaking proud of her. I have 2 little girls and I absolutely plan on having them read this book. Reading about Jane transform from some lovelorn girl to a strong and courageous woman gave me goosebumps. I just loved her. Such an amazing example of valuing yourself and never selling yourself short.
Now, the only reason I am taking off a star is because of the secondary character, Honor. I have read a many of books and I can honestly say I have never disliked a non-villain/villain more in my life. I detested her with every fiber in my body. I literally could not bring myself to read anything in the book that centered around her. She was a horrid sea-cow and I HATE that Mary Balogh let her get away with it all and get a HEA. If you read this book, you are going to see what I mean. UGH- if I could slap a fictional character, it would be her. YUCK.
Like I previously said, this is a clean book. No sex scenes- which is uncharacteristic for Mrs. Balogh- and honestly, kind of a shame because she writes some of the BEST and most sensual love scenes. BUT it works for this book, I am not going to complain. I highly suggest this book if you are down for a Lizzie and Darcy kind of love.
June 13, 2023
The first half of this book was quite good. The characters were well established and their thoughts and feelings felt authentic leading up to Michael’s proposal. He deserved the answer he got. But if Jane suddenly realized her own self-worth as she said she did, why didn’t she look this man she had loved for five years right in the eye and tell him what he would have to do to change her mind? Why would this woman, feeling her own power, immediately commit to a comfortable relationship with someone she only liked, who didn’t even care that she loved someone else, and who would provide her an unsettled, childless existence which would soon make her unhappy? How is that feeling your own worth? How is that being fair to a man you “like” enough to say you kinda sorta “love?”And then the entire second half of this book chased that dog’s tail around and around in what felt like endless vague conversations and ruminations and false assumptions, and Michael and Jane both deserved blame for involving those adorable traumatized children in their personal mess. Why would either of them let the children get so emotionally invested in Jane when she was engaged to someone else? This was just a big, ugly, unjustifiable mess on everyone’s part and I hated it, and even Honor deserved better than the lukewarm, cautious HEA she ended up with as this fizzled to a close. Sheesh.
March 27, 2022
Regency: offered 2 romance couples. Kisses & a handsy
kiss scene etc (but no horizonal or vertical mambo).
I alternated reading 3 books, then I added this as the 4th.
This story started off strong but I was less interested as
the story progressed. A disappointment. Ms Balogh has
written better books.
This featured-
1) Jane (h) a plain, tall, willowy, bookish sort.
2) Honor, her beautiful curvy cous & a faux ninnyhammer.
3) Michael, v handsome, widower (H), a viscount w/ dtrs.
4) his bestie Joseph, interesting, but average in looks dept.
5) several suitors for both ladies.
Honor attracted most men & she pit them against each other
for her attention. She made a few snide remarks to & about
Jane. Ironic that less lovely, older cous, Jane, had 3 marriage
proposals in this story!
Michael seriously considered Jane, good w/ kids, for a MOC.
So he proposed, but was unsuccessful. He felt compelled to
kiss Honor (why?), who he latter thought a chatterbox who
preferred city-living. Joseph seemed more exciting. One lady
found herself topless. This jarring scene would have better
fit another story.
kiss scene etc (but no horizonal or vertical mambo).
I alternated reading 3 books, then I added this as the 4th.
This story started off strong but I was less interested as
the story progressed. A disappointment. Ms Balogh has
written better books.
This featured-
1) Jane (h) a plain, tall, willowy, bookish sort.
2) Honor, her beautiful curvy cous & a faux ninnyhammer.
3) Michael, v handsome, widower (H), a viscount w/ dtrs.
4) his bestie Joseph, interesting, but average in looks dept.
5) several suitors for both ladies.
Honor attracted most men & she pit them against each other
for her attention. She made a few snide remarks to & about
Jane. Ironic that less lovely, older cous, Jane, had 3 marriage
proposals in this story!
Michael seriously considered Jane, good w/ kids, for a MOC.
So he proposed, but was unsuccessful. He felt compelled to
kiss Honor (why?), who he latter thought a chatterbox who
preferred city-living. Joseph seemed more exciting. One lady
found herself topless. This jarring scene would have better
fit another story.
July 19, 2019
Quite entertaining for a wannabe Jane Austen novel, (although with many passages depicting intimacies that would have no doubt been offensive to Ms. Austen's sensibilities). This comedy of errors centres around a very Jane Bennet type of character (I would have much preferred Elizabeth) who is all of 23 and therefore wiser (as appropriate to her age lol). The H, I didn't like much in the beginning - being the typical arrogant, alpha male that he is. He improves though on further acquaintance.
H is the 'most handsome man in England' and a viscount and h is presumably a gentleman's daughter. An offer of marriage is made by the H to the h and he is refused (much in the style of P&P's Darcy and Elizabeth's first unfortunate proposal scene). And then it is left to the H to redeem himself and prove himself worthy of the h; who isn't very worthy herself if you ask me. She, who demands nothing less than love to agree to marry the H- who she actually truly loves; happily turns around and accepts his friend on the basis of 'friendship' and 'respect' alone. And 'happily ever after' is realised only after many misunderstandings, bouts of crying and sometimes funny dialogue (not from the h and the H).
This is probably one of those rare romance novels where I find the plot line interesting and engaging, but the love story strangely lacking. While I enjoyed reading it, I can't say I like the way the author presented the romance between her protagonists. At times, I even thought the other female (the h's cousin Honor) would have been better suited to the role of a heroine rather than our mousy h Ms. Matthews. It's almost as though I was reading Pride and Prejudice, where the focus was on Jane and Bingley's romance; rather than on Elizabeth and Darcy's. Not good.
Verdict: Ok read, doesn't deserve more than three stars imo.
H is the 'most handsome man in England' and a viscount and h is presumably a gentleman's daughter. An offer of marriage is made by the H to the h and he is refused (much in the style of P&P's Darcy and Elizabeth's first unfortunate proposal scene). And then it is left to the H to redeem himself and prove himself worthy of the h; who isn't very worthy herself if you ask me. She, who demands nothing less than love to agree to marry the H- who she actually truly loves; happily turns around and accepts his friend on the basis of 'friendship' and 'respect' alone. And 'happily ever after' is realised only after many misunderstandings, bouts of crying and sometimes funny dialogue (not from the h and the H).
This is probably one of those rare romance novels where I find the plot line interesting and engaging, but the love story strangely lacking. While I enjoyed reading it, I can't say I like the way the author presented the romance between her protagonists. At times, I even thought the other female (the h's cousin Honor) would have been better suited to the role of a heroine rather than our mousy h Ms. Matthews. It's almost as though I was reading Pride and Prejudice, where the focus was on Jane and Bingley's romance; rather than on Elizabeth and Darcy's. Not good.
Verdict: Ok read, doesn't deserve more than three stars imo.
June 28, 2016
Spoiler alert.
Angsty but not gut wrenching. Guy full of himself almost loses to best friend marriageable plain chick who grows on everybody. Her cousin is hot for hero but turns matchmaker. So sweet you'll gain ten pounds just reading this.
Angsty but not gut wrenching. Guy full of himself almost loses to best friend marriageable plain chick who grows on everybody. Her cousin is hot for hero but turns matchmaker. So sweet you'll gain ten pounds just reading this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2016
I absolutely loved it. The story was complex and tension filled without being maudlin or OTT. The heroine and hero were complex and the secondary characters added to the flow and movement.
A delightful surprise. Definitely, a hidden gem.
A delightful surprise. Definitely, a hidden gem.
May 15, 2023
this book is so stupid! i had fun & read it in one sitting, but it is so stupid! plot-wise it’s hilarious, the characters are mostly interesting, the romance itself… i would say it’s giving the heroine stockholm syndrome, if such a thing existed. and oh, the casual misogyny of it all…
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
also, the main dude feels like dr jekyll, one moment deeply in love with the girl & shouting at her the next. great fun, yeah! he also seems to rather dislike women in general. definitely makes you uncomfortable on many occasions. he does have his moments, though, i suppose (love for his daughters)
February 20, 2020
I have liked some of these early Balogh rereleases but, compared to her more recent work they are ~ropey. This one was not one of my better experiences.
This was fine, I guess. I read it all the way through. I enjoyed some of it. There are promising glimpses of ideas and themes. I love an author who grapples (a bit inelegantly, but nonetheless) with the fundamental reality of upper class womanhood in the 19th century, which is that to be a bluestocking is to pose a very challenge to that womanhood.
The ‘secondary romance’ commits the sin of being infinitely more interesting than the main one. I wished that Honor and Sedge were the main characters and that more pages were dedicated to Sedge realizing that Honour was not, in fact, an empty headed female but playing one for show [see above under not wanting to challenge womanhood]. Nearly all of the enjoyment I garnered from this book was as a result of them.
Fairfax, our actual hero, is handsome and he knows it. A good father. He’s also a bit of an idiot. Had an absolutely disastrous first marriage with an empty-headed town loving heiress and then immediately starts pursuing Honour who, on the surface, is cut from exactly the same cloth.
Jane, our heroine, is interesting for some of the first half. She makes sensible choices. She knows who she is. She had the good sense to decline Fairfax’s offer when he justifies his proposal by reference to a list of reasons which could apply to many other woman.
The plot lacks any real steam. And in the second half it really, really suffers. Jane is engaged to Sedge and then, awkwardly has to go to Fairfax’s estate where both of them spend their time moping. Each now in love with the other, although their reasons for such strong feelings are never well set up, but unable to say anything given Jane’s engagement. Fairfax gets pissy and behaves inappropriately. Jane, who had such a promising character at the start is just in the doldrums, even though there is now every indication that Fairfax does like her and that they’d make a good marriage.
The whole last third of the book just bled into one big blob of unrequited pining by both H/h and I was sort of racing through it just to get to the end. Thank god for Honour taking matters into her own hands or these two would have lived permanent lives of misery and the book might never have ended.
As for rating. Um. 2.5 stars? Maybe? Or 2? Or 3? I mean, I wouldn’t recommend this, I suppose. So, 2. Harsh. But fair.
This was fine, I guess. I read it all the way through. I enjoyed some of it. There are promising glimpses of ideas and themes. I love an author who grapples (a bit inelegantly, but nonetheless) with the fundamental reality of upper class womanhood in the 19th century, which is that to be a bluestocking is to pose a very challenge to that womanhood.
The ‘secondary romance’ commits the sin of being infinitely more interesting than the main one. I wished that Honor and Sedge were the main characters and that more pages were dedicated to Sedge realizing that Honour was not, in fact, an empty headed female but playing one for show [see above under not wanting to challenge womanhood]. Nearly all of the enjoyment I garnered from this book was as a result of them.
Fairfax, our actual hero, is handsome and he knows it. A good father. He’s also a bit of an idiot. Had an absolutely disastrous first marriage with an empty-headed town loving heiress and then immediately starts pursuing Honour who, on the surface, is cut from exactly the same cloth.
Jane, our heroine, is interesting for some of the first half. She makes sensible choices. She knows who she is. She had the good sense to decline Fairfax’s offer when he justifies his proposal by reference to a list of reasons which could apply to many other woman.
The plot lacks any real steam. And in the second half it really, really suffers. Jane is engaged to Sedge and then, awkwardly has to go to Fairfax’s estate where both of them spend their time moping. Each now in love with the other, although their reasons for such strong feelings are never well set up, but unable to say anything given Jane’s engagement. Fairfax gets pissy and behaves inappropriately. Jane, who had such a promising character at the start is just in the doldrums, even though there is now every indication that Fairfax does like her and that they’d make a good marriage.
The whole last third of the book just bled into one big blob of unrequited pining by both H/h and I was sort of racing through it just to get to the end. Thank god for Honour taking matters into her own hands or these two would have lived permanent lives of misery and the book might never have ended.
As for rating. Um. 2.5 stars? Maybe? Or 2? Or 3? I mean, I wouldn’t recommend this, I suppose. So, 2. Harsh. But fair.
July 25, 2018
I'm currently on Mary Balogh run since I'm a huge fan of her writing, I think she perfectly blends the historical accuracy and romance/sex thus making it interesting, realistic and romantic. I do not love all her books plot-wise but I haven't been disappointed by her writing yet.
However, since she's been around for awhile she's also got quite a few bodice rippers in her bibliography from the 80s and 90s and bodice rippers are not really my cup of tea (read: I hate them) but I won't stop until I check out all her books.
That being said, I really had high hopes for An Unacceptable Offer. A shy, ordinary looking and smart heroine and a conceited Viscount in a slow burn romance? Yes, that is my cup of tea, definitely.
And everything was going perfectly well until the author introduced the typical bodice ripper element called: the hero will now act like a total asshole and ravish the heroine's cousin:
After that scene I got all meh. But do not worry, the hero acted like an asshole after that too. Too bad, because this could have been a great read.
However, since she's been around for awhile she's also got quite a few bodice rippers in her bibliography from the 80s and 90s and bodice rippers are not really my cup of tea (read: I hate them) but I won't stop until I check out all her books.
That being said, I really had high hopes for An Unacceptable Offer. A shy, ordinary looking and smart heroine and a conceited Viscount in a slow burn romance? Yes, that is my cup of tea, definitely.
And everything was going perfectly well until the author introduced the typical bodice ripper element called: the hero will now act like a total asshole and ravish the heroine's cousin:
After that scene I got all meh. But do not worry, the hero acted like an asshole after that too. Too bad, because this could have been a great read.
August 5, 2025
Reminded me a little of Layton’s “Carousel of Hearts,” but funnier.
"’Someone will need to take Miss Jamieson out of the way while you have your talk with Jane,’ Sedgeworth said.
‘You would do that for me?" Fairfax said. ‘Entertain the beautiful ninnyhammer? You are a true friend, Sedge.’”
"’Someone will need to take Miss Jamieson out of the way while you have your talk with Jane,’ Sedgeworth said.
‘You would do that for me?" Fairfax said. ‘Entertain the beautiful ninnyhammer? You are a true friend, Sedge.’”
July 16, 2019
Though none of them have been featured on my blog so far, I’ve been in the process of reading as much of Mary Balogh’s backlist as I can. Yes, it bothers me that I can’t read ALL of them, because some of her early novels have yet to be converted to ebooks. The good news, though, is that Hoopla has all of the ebooks of her older novels, so I get to read them for free (or for fifty bucks because I have to pay for access to another library system to get Hoopla but STILL). They’ve been surprisingly good for romance novels from the 1980s. However, I wasn’t going into An Unacceptable Offer with high hopes, because the one I read before it was the only Balogh novel I truly did not enjoy at all, but An Unacceptable Offer turned out to be my absolute favorite of her backlist thus far.
The older Balogh novels have been a tad bit more melodramatic than the Westcott series (what she’s working on presently and where I fell in love with her writing). Otherwise, they’re very similar stylistically: a more old-fashioned writing style, not sex-focused, and with unique heroines and love interests. They’re definitely romance novels that won’t work for a lot of romance readers, but the style and the characterization is generally pretty perfect for me.
An Unacceptable Offer didn’t really sound like my kind of set up. The heroine’s crush from her debut season comes back to London after the death of his wife to find a new mother for his two daughters. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not into kids, and the unromanticism of that didn’t hold much appeal. It also sounds like something that could be really sad. However, that’s not what this book was like at all! An Unacceptable Offer reads almost like a Shakespearean comedy, and it’s an absolute tropefest in the best way, where things pretty much always play out in a low drama way despite being completely absurd. It’s so excellently my thing, and the romances (there are two) are absolutely precious.
Going in, I didn’t expect to like Viscount Fairfax, because single father isn’t an aesthetic that calls to me. However, I swiftly came to love him, because he’s bantery and also totally a feminist before that was a thing. One of the reasons he ended up being unhappy with his original pick for a wife was that she was obsessed with producing a male heir and hated their two girls, and he loves the shit out of his little girls. Like, he says multiple times that he would be 100% content to have only girls, and he has no problem seeing his title pass on to one of his many male cousins. I’ve literally never read this in a romance novel, and it just made me so damn happy. Oh! And when he does occasionally act like a privileged male (because let’s be real even the best guys do) and Jane calls him on it, he totally takes in the lesson and apologizes. Now this is the content I am here for.
Even better, Jane and Fairfax form a real bond through conversation. It’s one of those romances where he’s initially not really attracted to her but he falls in love with her mind and attitude first which makes everything about her lovely to him. They form a true attachment over their shared opinions on life and child-rearing, which means that they will actually be a great match in life, rather than just being two hot people who found each other. Even the scenes with the kids are cute, because they’re both just so happy with the kids.
The side ship is also fantastic, and I love that in that case the lady has no interest in children, and that’s one of the things that bonds the couple. Again, that’s something I’ve never really seen in a romance novel, and it made me want to cheer. Jane and Fairfax will live their life of rural bliss raising as many kids as they can manage (as long as they’re born two years apart because he really doesn’t want another wife to die in childbirth), and Honor and Sedgworth will travel the world having adventures, talking art, and not having any kids. It made me smile so hard to see everyone end up so well-matched.
This is one of those books I finished reading with a massive grin on my face. It’s easily the best of the early Balogh novels I’ve read so far (at least if you have similar romance taste to mine). I will absolutely revisit this one.
The older Balogh novels have been a tad bit more melodramatic than the Westcott series (what she’s working on presently and where I fell in love with her writing). Otherwise, they’re very similar stylistically: a more old-fashioned writing style, not sex-focused, and with unique heroines and love interests. They’re definitely romance novels that won’t work for a lot of romance readers, but the style and the characterization is generally pretty perfect for me.
An Unacceptable Offer didn’t really sound like my kind of set up. The heroine’s crush from her debut season comes back to London after the death of his wife to find a new mother for his two daughters. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m not into kids, and the unromanticism of that didn’t hold much appeal. It also sounds like something that could be really sad. However, that’s not what this book was like at all! An Unacceptable Offer reads almost like a Shakespearean comedy, and it’s an absolute tropefest in the best way, where things pretty much always play out in a low drama way despite being completely absurd. It’s so excellently my thing, and the romances (there are two) are absolutely precious.
Going in, I didn’t expect to like Viscount Fairfax, because single father isn’t an aesthetic that calls to me. However, I swiftly came to love him, because he’s bantery and also totally a feminist before that was a thing. One of the reasons he ended up being unhappy with his original pick for a wife was that she was obsessed with producing a male heir and hated their two girls, and he loves the shit out of his little girls. Like, he says multiple times that he would be 100% content to have only girls, and he has no problem seeing his title pass on to one of his many male cousins. I’ve literally never read this in a romance novel, and it just made me so damn happy. Oh! And when he does occasionally act like a privileged male (because let’s be real even the best guys do) and Jane calls him on it, he totally takes in the lesson and apologizes. Now this is the content I am here for.
Even better, Jane and Fairfax form a real bond through conversation. It’s one of those romances where he’s initially not really attracted to her but he falls in love with her mind and attitude first which makes everything about her lovely to him. They form a true attachment over their shared opinions on life and child-rearing, which means that they will actually be a great match in life, rather than just being two hot people who found each other. Even the scenes with the kids are cute, because they’re both just so happy with the kids.
The side ship is also fantastic, and I love that in that case the lady has no interest in children, and that’s one of the things that bonds the couple. Again, that’s something I’ve never really seen in a romance novel, and it made me want to cheer. Jane and Fairfax will live their life of rural bliss raising as many kids as they can manage (as long as they’re born two years apart because he really doesn’t want another wife to die in childbirth), and Honor and Sedgworth will travel the world having adventures, talking art, and not having any kids. It made me smile so hard to see everyone end up so well-matched.
This is one of those books I finished reading with a massive grin on my face. It’s easily the best of the early Balogh novels I’ve read so far (at least if you have similar romance taste to mine). I will absolutely revisit this one.
July 25, 2019
2.5
I think I was just not in the right mood to read MB. I mean, I love her -usually- but after reading several clean regency romances in a row, I realize I was not in the mood for "bodice ripper" romances, for dashing rich heroes, not-young, not-pretty and not-rich heroines and naked breasts freed from their dresses, with a little help from the hero ^_^
I guess I would have liked it more if the author and all characters weren't repeating over and over how Jane was old and plain (she was 23.. TWENTY-THREE! if she was AT LEAST 25, I would have accepted the whole "she doesn't need chaperone anymore because she is a spinster old-maid", but 23?? I think I have never read a book where a 23-year-old girl was considered already "on the shelf" and "old").
I would have liked it more if Michael wasn't so "Miss Matthews is sensible and seems like she is going to be a good wife, but I want to make love to Miss Jamieson..."
I would have liked it more if Michael didn't kiss Honor like he was going to ravish her right there on the gardens (Honor, the young chit who is insufferable at first, but she is sweet by the end).
I would have liked it more if Jane did not accept Sedge's proposal (why bother to accept it if she was going to regret it 2 minutes later? Why couldn't Sedge be the MC since he was nice and respectful and "not-dashing" like his friend Michael?)
I would have liked it more if Jane didn't make Michael's children like her **snaps of fingers** like that. How convenient that both girls loved her in 3, 2, 1 without any effort (and conveniently dislike the possible future bride of their father). How convenient that the most serious one and traumatized girl loved Jane in 3, 2, 1 seconds.
But all would have being forgiven if there was more chemistry between Michael and Jane. I guess I was comparing their relationship to any of the romances of my favorite author where you could just tell why both of them fall in love and how much they loved each other.
Overall, not a bad book. I was going to rate this 3 stars originally, but 24hs later I see that it was a pretty forgettable book :(
I think I was just not in the right mood to read MB. I mean, I love her -usually- but after reading several clean regency romances in a row, I realize I was not in the mood for "bodice ripper" romances, for dashing rich heroes, not-young, not-pretty and not-rich heroines and naked breasts freed from their dresses, with a little help from the hero ^_^
I guess I would have liked it more if the author and all characters weren't repeating over and over how Jane was old and plain (she was 23.. TWENTY-THREE! if she was AT LEAST 25, I would have accepted the whole "she doesn't need chaperone anymore because she is a spinster old-maid", but 23?? I think I have never read a book where a 23-year-old girl was considered already "on the shelf" and "old").
I would have liked it more if Michael wasn't so "Miss Matthews is sensible and seems like she is going to be a good wife, but I want to make love to Miss Jamieson..."
I would have liked it more if Michael didn't kiss Honor like he was going to ravish her right there on the gardens (Honor, the young chit who is insufferable at first, but she is sweet by the end).
I would have liked it more if Jane did not accept Sedge's proposal (why bother to accept it if she was going to regret it 2 minutes later? Why couldn't Sedge be the MC since he was nice and respectful and "not-dashing" like his friend Michael?)
I would have liked it more if Jane didn't make Michael's children like her **snaps of fingers** like that. How convenient that both girls loved her in 3, 2, 1 without any effort (and conveniently dislike the possible future bride of their father). How convenient that the most serious one and traumatized girl loved Jane in 3, 2, 1 seconds.
But all would have being forgiven if there was more chemistry between Michael and Jane. I guess I was comparing their relationship to any of the romances of my favorite author where you could just tell why both of them fall in love and how much they loved each other.
Overall, not a bad book. I was going to rate this 3 stars originally, but 24hs later I see that it was a pretty forgettable book :(
June 18, 2024
Shortly into the book, I developed a strong dislike for one of the characters, vain and shallow Honor. I almost skipped to the end, which I NEVER do, because I felt so sorry for Jane and her unrequited love for Michael. But I just couldn't put the book down when I got further into it and began to feel hopeful for plain Jane. A wonderful story, wonderful characters and the typical happily ever after ending.
August 17, 2019
I like Mary Balogh books, usually. Not in this case. The h irritated me no end and the element of 'cheating' just added to it, because the om was such a nice guy.
December 23, 2019
4.25 stars
I always love sensible couple and both the h/H here were one of the best. And I always love somber men hahaha.
Never expect the drama. I thought the story would flow predictably like most others. Really sad when Jane accept Mr Sedgeworth's proposal. And so happy when everybody got their own happy ending.
Even if I'm sensible, I'm also hopelessly romantic who needs the happy ending for everyone haha
I always love sensible couple and both the h/H here were one of the best. And I always love somber men hahaha.
Never expect the drama. I thought the story would flow predictably like most others. Really sad when Jane accept Mr Sedgeworth's proposal. And so happy when everybody got their own happy ending.
Even if I'm sensible, I'm also hopelessly romantic who needs the happy ending for everyone haha
June 1, 2020
In this story a hero learn to become more humble. Beside this, he is a great, caring father who is also able to appreciate a woman, who really cares of children. Even though this story is based on these quite stereotyped views of fatherhood and motherhood, they worked for me and warmed me to both characters. Probably because the scene was set in the beginning of 19th century (or somewhere near this).
October 6, 2024
These early Baloghs are a bit of a mixed bag, but even at their worst, they show flashes of the author’s brilliance, and at their best, they’re superb. After a so-so last Balogh (The First Snowdrop), this one was definitely in the superb category, although as with all older books, the reviews are fairly mixed.
Here’s the premise: Jane Matthews is still unmarried at the age of twenty-three, but she’s having another season with her younger friend, Honor Jamieson. Jane is the quiet, rather plain, sensible one, while Honor is the beautiful bubblehead, revelling in her power over men, and flirting outrageously with any male who catches her eye. And the first man to do so is Michael, Viscount Fairfax, wildly handsome and now a widower with two small daughters, and in the market for a second wife. Honor determines she’ll have him, and his friend, Joseph Sedgeworth, a much plainer man, will do for Jane.
But then a strange thing happens, for Michael decides that Jane would do very well for his second, more practical, marriage and makes her a wildly unromantic proposal, which she rejects with extreme prejudice, giving him a piece of her mind for treating her like a commodity, not a person of worth in her own right. And the twist here is that she’s been in love with him ever since she first saw him five years earlier. And as if that weren’t enough, Jane finds herself falling into a comfortable friendship with the friend, Joseph, and when he proposes, she accepts him. Silly girl.
The Michael/Jane situation reminds me a bit of Georgette Heyer’s Sprig Muslin, where the heroine turns down the hero’s pragmatic offer because she’s been in love with him for years. Which never made the least bit of sense to me. If you love the guy, then for heaven’s sake marry him and wait for him to appreciate your true worth (as he inevitably will, if he’s a halfway decent sort of bloke). But Jane wants her true worth to be appreciated right now, thank you very much, and when Joseph does so, she settles for him instead of the man she loves. Who then promptly realises what he’s lost, and falls in love with her. Of course he does.
So the rest of the book is the familiar, not to say well-worn, engaged-to-the-wrong-person plot. The author’s method of extricating her characters from this tangle is ingenious, requiring the bubblehead to be sensible for once, although as it gets her what she wants, too, and she’s a very determined lady, it can also be viewed as a selfish move.
This book wasn’t subtle at all. When the scene shifts to the hero’s country home where the cute kids are waiting, inevitably they take to Jane at once and she to them, whereas the bubblehead hates kids with a passion and avoids them like the plague. Since the hero is besotted with them, any possibility of a match between them is out of the window. Meanwhile, hero and heroine are playing happy families, and bubblehead is amusing herself with the friend (who is engaged to the heroine, mark you, but bubblehead wouldn’t let a trivial detail like that stand in her way).
Since this is Mary Balogh, there has to be the obligatory sex scene, although it’s more of a quick fumble and a hasty adjusting of dress. It’s also completely unnecessary and (in my view) out of character for the people involved, but the author seems to feel the need for something graphic. It’s a pity, because otherwise this would please the traditionalists nicely. There are some minor anachronisms (dance cards and a modern style of waltz, but these are almost ubiquitous, sadly). Otherwise, this is an excellent examination of how marriage worked in Regency times, and how you choose a partner for life in the mad social whirl of the season, and the sort of mistakes that arise because of that. I very much enjoyed it. Five stars.
Here’s the premise: Jane Matthews is still unmarried at the age of twenty-three, but she’s having another season with her younger friend, Honor Jamieson. Jane is the quiet, rather plain, sensible one, while Honor is the beautiful bubblehead, revelling in her power over men, and flirting outrageously with any male who catches her eye. And the first man to do so is Michael, Viscount Fairfax, wildly handsome and now a widower with two small daughters, and in the market for a second wife. Honor determines she’ll have him, and his friend, Joseph Sedgeworth, a much plainer man, will do for Jane.
But then a strange thing happens, for Michael decides that Jane would do very well for his second, more practical, marriage and makes her a wildly unromantic proposal, which she rejects with extreme prejudice, giving him a piece of her mind for treating her like a commodity, not a person of worth in her own right. And the twist here is that she’s been in love with him ever since she first saw him five years earlier. And as if that weren’t enough, Jane finds herself falling into a comfortable friendship with the friend, Joseph, and when he proposes, she accepts him. Silly girl.
The Michael/Jane situation reminds me a bit of Georgette Heyer’s Sprig Muslin, where the heroine turns down the hero’s pragmatic offer because she’s been in love with him for years. Which never made the least bit of sense to me. If you love the guy, then for heaven’s sake marry him and wait for him to appreciate your true worth (as he inevitably will, if he’s a halfway decent sort of bloke). But Jane wants her true worth to be appreciated right now, thank you very much, and when Joseph does so, she settles for him instead of the man she loves. Who then promptly realises what he’s lost, and falls in love with her. Of course he does.
So the rest of the book is the familiar, not to say well-worn, engaged-to-the-wrong-person plot. The author’s method of extricating her characters from this tangle is ingenious, requiring the bubblehead to be sensible for once, although as it gets her what she wants, too, and she’s a very determined lady, it can also be viewed as a selfish move.
This book wasn’t subtle at all. When the scene shifts to the hero’s country home where the cute kids are waiting, inevitably they take to Jane at once and she to them, whereas the bubblehead hates kids with a passion and avoids them like the plague. Since the hero is besotted with them, any possibility of a match between them is out of the window. Meanwhile, hero and heroine are playing happy families, and bubblehead is amusing herself with the friend (who is engaged to the heroine, mark you, but bubblehead wouldn’t let a trivial detail like that stand in her way).
Since this is Mary Balogh, there has to be the obligatory sex scene, although it’s more of a quick fumble and a hasty adjusting of dress. It’s also completely unnecessary and (in my view) out of character for the people involved, but the author seems to feel the need for something graphic. It’s a pity, because otherwise this would please the traditionalists nicely. There are some minor anachronisms (dance cards and a modern style of waltz, but these are almost ubiquitous, sadly). Otherwise, this is an excellent examination of how marriage worked in Regency times, and how you choose a partner for life in the mad social whirl of the season, and the sort of mistakes that arise because of that. I very much enjoyed it. Five stars.
April 3, 2019
A 1988 Balogh published as a Signet Regency romance, republished in ebook form in 2019.
Five years ago, during her first London season, Jane Matthews developed a strong infatuation with Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax. But Fairfax wooed and wed a far prettier woman, and Jane returned to Yorkshire determined to get over her crush. Five years later, both are back in London, Jane to accompany her younger cousin as she makes her social debut, Fairfax to get over his depression over losing his first wife in childbed and to perhaps look about him for a replacement to serve as mother to his two young daughters. Though he's amused by Jane's flighty, flirty cousin Honor, it is Jane to whom he finds himself making his proposals. But Jane, much to her surprise, rejects him; something in her knows that marrying a man she loves but who doesn't love her would be a big mistake.
Instead, Jane agrees to marry Fairfax's friend, Mr. Sedgeworth, a man with whom she feels comfortable and for whom she feels affection. But when Fairfax invites Sedgeworth back to his country estate, Jane must go, too, and so must Honor. Fairfax slowly begins to see Jane for herself, rather than for her motherly characteristics, and to fall for her. And Honor, despite her coquettish ways and her determination to hide any scrap of intelligence that might make men think her a bluestocking, is the one to realize what both Jane and Fairfax are feeling, and takes steps to rearrange the mismatched couples.
Most romances of this short length leave me wanting, but Balogh rarely does. Both her primary and secondary characters are thoughtfully drawn and engaging, with none of the typical casting of the other woman as villainess. And though I usually dislike romances with children, Balogh's depiction of the two young girls never veered into overly sentimental territory.
The only sour note: when Jane changes her mind near the end of the book about the value of Fairfax's early proposal: ("Had he recognized in her a woman who would love his children? Had he put their happiness even before his own?... Suddenly, being chosen for such a reason became infinitely more precious than being chosen for love" [Chapter 15]). Happily, during the climactic scene, Fairfax undermines this self-effacing message when he tells Jane that he isn't so sure he'd have "given up my choice in order to secure theirs" (Chapter 17).
Five years ago, during her first London season, Jane Matthews developed a strong infatuation with Michael Templeton, Viscount Fairfax. But Fairfax wooed and wed a far prettier woman, and Jane returned to Yorkshire determined to get over her crush. Five years later, both are back in London, Jane to accompany her younger cousin as she makes her social debut, Fairfax to get over his depression over losing his first wife in childbed and to perhaps look about him for a replacement to serve as mother to his two young daughters. Though he's amused by Jane's flighty, flirty cousin Honor, it is Jane to whom he finds himself making his proposals. But Jane, much to her surprise, rejects him; something in her knows that marrying a man she loves but who doesn't love her would be a big mistake.
Instead, Jane agrees to marry Fairfax's friend, Mr. Sedgeworth, a man with whom she feels comfortable and for whom she feels affection. But when Fairfax invites Sedgeworth back to his country estate, Jane must go, too, and so must Honor. Fairfax slowly begins to see Jane for herself, rather than for her motherly characteristics, and to fall for her. And Honor, despite her coquettish ways and her determination to hide any scrap of intelligence that might make men think her a bluestocking, is the one to realize what both Jane and Fairfax are feeling, and takes steps to rearrange the mismatched couples.
Most romances of this short length leave me wanting, but Balogh rarely does. Both her primary and secondary characters are thoughtfully drawn and engaging, with none of the typical casting of the other woman as villainess. And though I usually dislike romances with children, Balogh's depiction of the two young girls never veered into overly sentimental territory.
The only sour note: when Jane changes her mind near the end of the book about the value of Fairfax's early proposal: ("Had he recognized in her a woman who would love his children? Had he put their happiness even before his own?... Suddenly, being chosen for such a reason became infinitely more precious than being chosen for love" [Chapter 15]). Happily, during the climactic scene, Fairfax undermines this self-effacing message when he tells Jane that he isn't so sure he'd have "given up my choice in order to secure theirs" (Chapter 17).
November 15, 2014
This is the reason why I consider Mary Balogh as such an amazing writer. She has brought in the love between Michael and Jane so very well. The back cover was misleading and it hinted at a usual romance and chase, but it was never that.
Jane may have been unassuming, but as the book progressed she grew in character. She reminded me of Jane Eyre when she refused Michael asking to be chosen not for what she could bring to the relationship, but because of herself. She wants to be needed for herself. And I found this an interesting point. Michael is shocked and astounded that someone could have the nerve to refuse such a handsome, wealthy and titled man like himself. But what I love about him is that he takes it on board and introspects and looks to change his attitude.
A reviewer mentioned how the characters peeled away like onions, and I stand by that. There was a hidden depth in all of them, which was brought out so well. Both of them truly got to know the other, act like a family and be with the children. Even Honor and Sedge got a chance to find each other, and I actually loved how Honor was made to be someone who was grounded and intellectual and it sort of mocked on the farce which existed in society.
If you're looking for a love story dealing with second chances, with a ML and FL who learn to respect and grow to love each other, and with a set of second characters which fit, this is a book for you. Both Michael and Jane treated the other as equals and that is a huge reason why this couple is amazing
I loved this quote and realisation of love.
Takeaway: Choose love when you're wanted for yourself. Love is never a compromise, its a bond which makes you stronger.
Jane may have been unassuming, but as the book progressed she grew in character. She reminded me of Jane Eyre when she refused Michael asking to be chosen not for what she could bring to the relationship, but because of herself. She wants to be needed for herself. And I found this an interesting point. Michael is shocked and astounded that someone could have the nerve to refuse such a handsome, wealthy and titled man like himself. But what I love about him is that he takes it on board and introspects and looks to change his attitude.
A reviewer mentioned how the characters peeled away like onions, and I stand by that. There was a hidden depth in all of them, which was brought out so well. Both of them truly got to know the other, act like a family and be with the children. Even Honor and Sedge got a chance to find each other, and I actually loved how Honor was made to be someone who was grounded and intellectual and it sort of mocked on the farce which existed in society.
If you're looking for a love story dealing with second chances, with a ML and FL who learn to respect and grow to love each other, and with a set of second characters which fit, this is a book for you. Both Michael and Jane treated the other as equals and that is a huge reason why this couple is amazing
I loved this quote and realisation of love.
He had been willing to trust her with the upbringing of his children, whom he loved more than himself. What a mess she had made of her life and of his and the children's. She had thought she knew all the answers back in London. She had prided herself on saying no to him and asserting her own worth as a person. She knew nothing. She was only now learning something about the selflessness of love
Takeaway: Choose love when you're wanted for yourself. Love is never a compromise, its a bond which makes you stronger.
March 5, 2017
Another lovely regency from Balogh. She always manages to add a different feel to her stories and this one was no exception. After I had closed the book the two proposals made me think of P&P and N&S.
June 9, 2010
The summary is a bit misleading. Nothing is ever as simple as back covers lead you to believe, unfortunately, so expect a bit more twist. Overall, this was a cute, easy read.
January 27, 2023
I loved it!
So the book started with one of my least favourite tropes (it wasn't mentioned in the blurb that the H was a widower and worse it was a live marriage previously) but I am glad I still stuck with book because it ended up surprising me. The h was the kind of woman who grew through the book from considering herself always inferior to H she went on to reject his proposal and find her own self worth and pride, along the way found the OM (no spoilers so I'll just leave it at no cheating).Also loved how the Hs little girls were shown to develop a bond with the h.
Overall a good HR with a HEA , would loved to read an epilogue though.
So the book started with one of my least favourite tropes (it wasn't mentioned in the blurb that the H was a widower and worse it was a live marriage previously) but I am glad I still stuck with book because it ended up surprising me. The h was the kind of woman who grew through the book from considering herself always inferior to H she went on to reject his proposal and find her own self worth and pride, along the way found the OM (no spoilers so I'll just leave it at no cheating).Also loved how the Hs little girls were shown to develop a bond with the h.
Overall a good HR with a HEA , would loved to read an epilogue though.
May 11, 2023
An Unacceptable Offer: ★ ★ ★
Mary Balogh
This was good, but I didn't love the whole premise of them being engaged/going after other people? Odd. Not my favorite Mary Balogh, but I liked their friendship before all hell broke loose.
Mary Balogh
This was good, but I didn't love the whole premise of them being engaged/going after other people? Odd. Not my favorite Mary Balogh, but I liked their friendship before all hell broke loose.
January 13, 2019
What a surprise. Thought the story would be very typical, boy meets girl, boy makes proposal to girl, she accepts then has to deal with the consequences of for acceptance. But there was actually a curve ball in the story. Really enjoyed it that it was not so obvious.
August 18, 2021
Another lovely read from Balogh. I just love how complex her characters are and how she weaves the story so beautifully.
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