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An Improper Suitor
A lady in possession of an independent fortune has no need for a husband. Miss Julia Swifton, secure in that belief, has made no attempt to search for one, even after three seasons in London. That is until her grandmother, an advocate of women's rights, rises from her deathbed and threatened, of all things, to marry her to a notorious rake, Lord Thorwynn.Shocked into action, Julia launches into a search for an intelligent, scholarly husband who will suit her. On her way she has to rescue a fallen 'angel,' save a rake from being forced into marriage, defeat an unscrupulous gamesmaster who needs to seduce her for money, and avert a friend's disastrous runaway marriage.Fortunately, she does not have to do it alone. Even if her companion, Lord Thorwynn, is the last person she would ever want to marry...
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
16 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Monica Fairview
30 books226 followersMonica Fairview writes Jane Austen variations and sequels as well as Fantasy P&P variations. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she worked as a literature professor and then as an acupuncturist in Boston before moving to London.
Monica enjoys reading Jane Austen, historical , fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels , but avoids zombies like the plague. She loves to laugh, drink lots of tea, and visit Regency houses, and she is convinced that her two cats can understand everything she says.
If you'd like to be notified of her latest release, please press the FOLLOW button on Monica Fairview's Amazon page.
If you'd like to find out more about Monica, you can find her at
http://www.darcyregencynovels.com/
http://austenvariations.com
http://monicafairview.blogspot.com
Monica enjoys reading Jane Austen, historical , fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels , but avoids zombies like the plague. She loves to laugh, drink lots of tea, and visit Regency houses, and she is convinced that her two cats can understand everything she says.
If you'd like to be notified of her latest release, please press the FOLLOW button on Monica Fairview's Amazon page.
If you'd like to find out more about Monica, you can find her at
http://www.darcyregencynovels.com/
http://austenvariations.com
http://monicafairview.blogspot.com
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 11, 2017
Will she fall in love
I really enjoyed this book I could not put down
I think any one whip reading romantic book will find great
I really enjoyed this book I could not put down
I think any one whip reading romantic book will find great
March 30, 2020
Quick, fun read.
February 15, 2021
A romp and a fun one, even though it's a predictable plot. I won't give it away but if you're a fan of the regency romance genre, it's a diverting addition.
March 13, 2016
Our heroine for AN IMPROPER SUITOR is a decidedly independent young lady with a wealthy portion, comfortable living arrangements with her maternal grandmother and feels no need to complicate life with marriage or men. In fact, it was her Grandmother, an advocate of women's rights, who has instilled in her this very strong belief that marriage should be avoided. That, and the fact that Julia's father was the worst sort of rake that lead to her mother's depression and eventual death.
Imagine her surprise when her grandmother tells her that marriage is exactly what Julia has to do in order to retain a respectable position in society. Also, she admitted she wouldn't want Julia to miss out on having children of her own to raise, a joy her grandmother was never remorseful for even if she regretted her daughter's choice of husbands.
Julia's Grandmother, Lady Bullfinch, and many of her friends, are not the sort of conventional 'elderly' sorts from Regency novels. They openly lament the fact that the succeeding generations have become entirely too prudish and wonder when it became taboo for a lady to have a bit of experience before marriage. Throughout the novel, though we aren't privy to the more outrageous comments, only the reactions because of them, the past is talked about in ribald comments that leave everyone else in the room decidedly uncomfortable.
I love her for it. Too often it seems that grandmothers, and the older generation in general in Regency romances, are either very cranky and contentious or soft-spoken and meandering. Occasionally there will be a grandfather spoken of with a twinkle in his eye and devilish sense of humor, or a grandmother who casts a blind eye to youthful exploits and love, but rarely does it seem they encourage incorrigible behavior.
Julia is a little less likeable a character. I wouldn't say she's inconsistent or wishy-washy, but she takes many things on face value with only the barest of thought that things might be deeper. She continues this line of thinking until well through half of the book and only changes her mind when she's placed in a dire situation. Her condemnation is well-warranted, given what her mother went through with her father, but she admits privately that she has little idea how things really were and learned everything second hand.
One sore point was Julia's age. It's mentioned to be almost twenty-one several times in the first 50 pages or so, a particularly important part of her deal with her grandmother, in fact, is that she finds someone to marry before her twenty-first birthday. After we skip ahead two months, her age suddenly changes to almost twenty-three. After this her age isn't mentioned again, so I'm not certain if this was merely a typo or had been the original intent, then had been changed in the latter drafts and this one had been overlooked, being so far removed from the other mentions.
Another was that a lot seemed to happen in the book in less than a month, at least I had assumed it was less than a month. Her grandmother had given her three months to find a husband; this was back in March of 1818 and the first chapter picks up in May 1818. I don't recall the agreement changing, so I'm left to understand all the events from the first chapter to the last chapter happen within a month. In fact, two weeks have gone by as of halfway through the book and yet so much more happens!
As I understand it from the author's website, this was her first published Regency and it's a commendable one, at that. I certainly enjoyed reading the book and look forward to more of her stories in the future.
Imagine her surprise when her grandmother tells her that marriage is exactly what Julia has to do in order to retain a respectable position in society. Also, she admitted she wouldn't want Julia to miss out on having children of her own to raise, a joy her grandmother was never remorseful for even if she regretted her daughter's choice of husbands.
Julia's Grandmother, Lady Bullfinch, and many of her friends, are not the sort of conventional 'elderly' sorts from Regency novels. They openly lament the fact that the succeeding generations have become entirely too prudish and wonder when it became taboo for a lady to have a bit of experience before marriage. Throughout the novel, though we aren't privy to the more outrageous comments, only the reactions because of them, the past is talked about in ribald comments that leave everyone else in the room decidedly uncomfortable.
I love her for it. Too often it seems that grandmothers, and the older generation in general in Regency romances, are either very cranky and contentious or soft-spoken and meandering. Occasionally there will be a grandfather spoken of with a twinkle in his eye and devilish sense of humor, or a grandmother who casts a blind eye to youthful exploits and love, but rarely does it seem they encourage incorrigible behavior.
Julia is a little less likeable a character. I wouldn't say she's inconsistent or wishy-washy, but she takes many things on face value with only the barest of thought that things might be deeper. She continues this line of thinking until well through half of the book and only changes her mind when she's placed in a dire situation. Her condemnation is well-warranted, given what her mother went through with her father, but she admits privately that she has little idea how things really were and learned everything second hand.
One sore point was Julia's age. It's mentioned to be almost twenty-one several times in the first 50 pages or so, a particularly important part of her deal with her grandmother, in fact, is that she finds someone to marry before her twenty-first birthday. After we skip ahead two months, her age suddenly changes to almost twenty-three. After this her age isn't mentioned again, so I'm not certain if this was merely a typo or had been the original intent, then had been changed in the latter drafts and this one had been overlooked, being so far removed from the other mentions.
Another was that a lot seemed to happen in the book in less than a month, at least I had assumed it was less than a month. Her grandmother had given her three months to find a husband; this was back in March of 1818 and the first chapter picks up in May 1818. I don't recall the agreement changing, so I'm left to understand all the events from the first chapter to the last chapter happen within a month. In fact, two weeks have gone by as of halfway through the book and yet so much more happens!
As I understand it from the author's website, this was her first published Regency and it's a commendable one, at that. I certainly enjoyed reading the book and look forward to more of her stories in the future.
July 3, 2011
Review courtesy of Romance Junkies
Reviewer: pamelalynne
Miss Julia Swifton has grown up knowing she would never have to rely on a man to provide for her since she has her own fortune. She has been taught by her grandmother to avoid rakes at all costs and that living the life of a spinster isn't all that bad. She has had three seasons and has made no attempt to search for a husband, since she is set in her beliefs. But after her grandmother learns she will recover from a bad illness, she decides it is time for Julia to marry. Her terms are that Julia has three months to find a suitable husband of her choice and if she doesn't complete her search by that time, she will marry a widely known rake, Lionel, Lord Thorwynn.
Julia cannot believe her ears, but when her grandmother won't back down, she begins looking for a man she believes will suit her. After two months and no luck, Julia has a chance encounter with the man she will do anything in her power to avoid marrying. Julia is forced to aid Lionel and her soon to be friend, Amelia, from some rumors that will force them into marriage.
Lionel finds himself being thrown together with Julia at every turn and is surprised that he actually enjoys her company. An old nemesis enters the picture and tries to pull one over on Julia and it is all Lionel can do to hold back. Julia realizes the man's intentions, ends up running into Lionel, and confesses all. Everyone is relieved until the terrible man tries to sink his claws into Amelia. Now Lionel and Julia must come together and save Amelia from the mess she has got herself into.
Ms. Fairview is an extremely intelligent author. Her characters were strong, no-nonsense type people. Exactly the kind I like. Not a sign of airheadedness to a one of them. AN INPROPER SUITOR is a wonderful heart-warming tale of a man and woman struggling to make sense of their feelings for one another and finding themselves both deeply in love with each other. There were a couple of scenes I almost cried and some of the events were truly hilarious. This story brought the characters to life for me, it was so realistic, and I felt I could relate despite our different time periods. I am always on the hunt for new authors to try and I can add Ms. Fairview to the top of my list. I would recommend this book to all my friends and anyone who loves a good historical.
Reviewer: pamelalynne
Miss Julia Swifton has grown up knowing she would never have to rely on a man to provide for her since she has her own fortune. She has been taught by her grandmother to avoid rakes at all costs and that living the life of a spinster isn't all that bad. She has had three seasons and has made no attempt to search for a husband, since she is set in her beliefs. But after her grandmother learns she will recover from a bad illness, she decides it is time for Julia to marry. Her terms are that Julia has three months to find a suitable husband of her choice and if she doesn't complete her search by that time, she will marry a widely known rake, Lionel, Lord Thorwynn.
Julia cannot believe her ears, but when her grandmother won't back down, she begins looking for a man she believes will suit her. After two months and no luck, Julia has a chance encounter with the man she will do anything in her power to avoid marrying. Julia is forced to aid Lionel and her soon to be friend, Amelia, from some rumors that will force them into marriage.
Lionel finds himself being thrown together with Julia at every turn and is surprised that he actually enjoys her company. An old nemesis enters the picture and tries to pull one over on Julia and it is all Lionel can do to hold back. Julia realizes the man's intentions, ends up running into Lionel, and confesses all. Everyone is relieved until the terrible man tries to sink his claws into Amelia. Now Lionel and Julia must come together and save Amelia from the mess she has got herself into.
Ms. Fairview is an extremely intelligent author. Her characters were strong, no-nonsense type people. Exactly the kind I like. Not a sign of airheadedness to a one of them. AN INPROPER SUITOR is a wonderful heart-warming tale of a man and woman struggling to make sense of their feelings for one another and finding themselves both deeply in love with each other. There were a couple of scenes I almost cried and some of the events were truly hilarious. This story brought the characters to life for me, it was so realistic, and I felt I could relate despite our different time periods. I am always on the hunt for new authors to try and I can add Ms. Fairview to the top of my list. I would recommend this book to all my friends and anyone who loves a good historical.
November 13, 2014
I want to thank my friend Deb for recommending this one, I really enjoyed it. Also, I just wanted to mention that the only copy my library had was large print, and I couldn't decide if the book was flying by because of the story or because the print was so big?
Anyway, I thought it was better than what the synopsis portrayed. I expected the threat of engagement/marriage to play a bigger part in the story, but it was kind of left by the wayside early on. Which wasn’t really a bad thing; the story was fun and had a few twists and turns along the way. Julia was a fun character, smart and outgoing. She was also trying to figure out who she was and what she really wants out of life. Lionel (Lord Thorwynn) was also a lot of fun to read. He was charming, brooding and also trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. In reality, I don’t think a “rake” would be able to change his ways so easily, but in this setting it was very believable. The dialog and interaction between Julia and Lionel was a lot of fun, they had good chemistry together. I liked that the story switched between the two narratives so you could really see what they thought of each other. I image by “romance” standards this would be considered pretty mild, and overall I think it was pretty clean, but there were a couple racy innuendos. A fun regency romance that reminded me a bit of Georgette Heyer.
Anyway, I thought it was better than what the synopsis portrayed. I expected the threat of engagement/marriage to play a bigger part in the story, but it was kind of left by the wayside early on. Which wasn’t really a bad thing; the story was fun and had a few twists and turns along the way. Julia was a fun character, smart and outgoing. She was also trying to figure out who she was and what she really wants out of life. Lionel (Lord Thorwynn) was also a lot of fun to read. He was charming, brooding and also trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life. In reality, I don’t think a “rake” would be able to change his ways so easily, but in this setting it was very believable. The dialog and interaction between Julia and Lionel was a lot of fun, they had good chemistry together. I liked that the story switched between the two narratives so you could really see what they thought of each other. I image by “romance” standards this would be considered pretty mild, and overall I think it was pretty clean, but there were a couple racy innuendos. A fun regency romance that reminded me a bit of Georgette Heyer.
January 27, 2010
This was a fun fast read. There were a few pages were some names were confused (Is Amelia Neville's mother Lady Neville or Lady Medlow? Her father is referred to as Lord Medlow, and she Lady Mdlow most of the time. . . There are a few pages though, where she is Lady Neville. A quick look at a handy web site called "British Titles of Nobility" would tell you that a Baron's wife is referred to by her husband's title ("Lady A") While his daughter is called by her family name ("Miss B") Sloppy editing really, but maybe I'm being picky).
I really liked Julia Swifton, and Lord Thorwynn. Lady Bullfinch's threat to make them marry after 3 months was sort of forgotten after the first chapter. I wonder if that plot device was even necessary. Despite that the plot was interesting, and fun. The minor characters were also well rounded (not flat background props), and the romance developed in a realistic way. Overall a fun Regency romance. I recommend it to anyone in the mood for a light romance.
I really liked Julia Swifton, and Lord Thorwynn. Lady Bullfinch's threat to make them marry after 3 months was sort of forgotten after the first chapter. I wonder if that plot device was even necessary. Despite that the plot was interesting, and fun. The minor characters were also well rounded (not flat background props), and the romance developed in a realistic way. Overall a fun Regency romance. I recommend it to anyone in the mood for a light romance.
November 9, 2013
This book has all the hallmarks of a cliched Regency romance. I wanted to like this book because I like older heroines and bluestockings. I feel this book suffers from a lot of problems though. First, there are too many plots going on in one story. There is also too much lust and not enough actual romance (as in courtship or wooing). Thorwynn and Julia don't really know much about each other even when the story ends. I can see why Thorwynn loved Julia and why she would be attracted to him but his lack of openness really bothers me. There are also mistakes in the names and ages of characters that caused confusion and inconsistent plot points that didn't add up. I did like Julia's outspoken Grannie, who is from an earlier, saltier, generation. I also liked Amelia and her character development. She's the only character who isn't a stereotype and I found myself wanting to know more about her. This book falls in between kisses only and subtle sensuality but closer to subtle sensuality than a chaste romance. Out of five stars, I would give this book 3 1/4 stars.
September 11, 2010
This was a cute book and I love reading stories from this time period. I just don't know how I feel about plots where the heroine falls in love with the rake. I can't help but think, "Sure, he sleeps around with all these women, then he miraculously falls in love with a woman who's not like any of the others he sleeps with and they get married. But who's to say he's going to be true and faithful after 10 years of marriage."
I try not to think too hard about it and imagine that there really can be a change of heart and a happily ever after. That way I can enjoy the book better.
I try not to think too hard about it and imagine that there really can be a change of heart and a happily ever after. That way I can enjoy the book better.
February 5, 2015
I liked the plot line and the characters well enough, but it justt seemed a litttle stilted in style--I think it must be an earky work as I've read other books by this author, and they're wonderful. Also, I was reading a large print version from our library system which may have influenced the way I read the book.
I am looking forward to reading some of Ms. Fairview's Darcy books next and am already quite enjoying The Other Mr. Darcy.
I am looking forward to reading some of Ms. Fairview's Darcy books next and am already quite enjoying The Other Mr. Darcy.
November 12, 2011
This was a fast read which is not really an endorsement. It was nearly fan fic, also not an endorsement. Yet the plot twists were enjoyable, and it was nice to see a bluestocking feminist view that existed but didn't prevail during the Regency period. More guilty pleasure than literature, I'm afraid.
February 27, 2012
For some reason, I thought this book was going to be a clean read. While what I read definitely wasn't risque, it was a little too close to it. I ended up finally just skipping to the end to find out what happened. The story was kind of interesting, but the read wasn't worth it to me. I Disappointing.
June 17, 2013
This is the first novel by Monica Fairview that I read and I was pleasantly impressed! The love story was original to me, with twists and turns that I was not expecting. Both protagonists were engaging and captivating.
I did find that there were continuity/editing issues that could be easily remedied.
I did find that there were continuity/editing issues that could be easily remedied.
January 6, 2010
This book was a fun victorian romance. It was witty and the dialog was fun. It was pretty clean over-all. The funny part was the grandma who talked about how in her day how things were a little more "cheeky." Over-all I enjoyed it and it kept me turning pages.
July 10, 2011
I really enjoyed this novel. From my opinion it was clean and not clean but enjoyable. I did get confused at the order of events at the end of the book. It seemed like there was a missing step before the ending. I found the book thoroughly enjoyable.
September 7, 2008
A fun read. I finished it in one day. Loved the characters, especially Thorwynn.
January 31, 2009
Excellent example of its genre- light and frothy and a pleasure ot read.
February 16, 2010
Disappointing. It had lots of immorality in it.
May 21, 2011
I enjoyed reading "An Improper Suitor" very much and I loved the interaction between Julia Swifton and Lord Thorwynn. This was a great book!!!
September 28, 2010
I liked this one, fun and had a bit of adventure... enjoyable
February 14, 2012
Too much language within the first couple chapters, and "other junk".
May 11, 2018
A lady in possession of an independent fortune has no need for a husband. Miss Julia Swifton, secure in that belief, has made no attempt to search for one, even after three seasons in London. That is until her grandmother, an advocate of women's rights, rises from her deathbed and threatens, of all things, to marry her to a notorious rake, Lord Thorwynn. Shocked into action, Julia launches into a search for an intelligent, scholarly husband who will suit her. On her way she has to rescue a fallen "angel," save a rake from being forced into marriage, defeat an unscrupulous gamesmaster who needs to seduce her for money, and avert a friend's disastrous runaway marriage. Fortunately, she does not have to do it alone. Even if her companion, Lord Thorwynn, is the last person she would ever want to marry.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews