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The Husband Hunters Club #2
A Most Sinful Proposal
A most wicked education...
Marissa Rotherhild has always behaved exactly as a proper lady should, and it has done absolutely nothing for her. So now she has made a most sinful proposal. She wants to live only for pleasure, and she wants Lord Valentine Kent to instruct her in the ways of love and lust. Caring not for scandal or the whispers of society, she craves his every wanton touch.
It is every rake’s fantasy.
Lord Valentine Kent has never before been so tempted. Though he is every bit the gentleman, from the moment Marissa arrives at his country estate he can think of nothing but her wild, dark curls and luscious curves. But submitting to passion must wait until he completes the search for an ancestral treasure.
It is a most honorable endeavor.
But Kent and Marissa will soon discover that even the best of intentions is no match for a desire as desperate as theirs...
Marissa Rotherhild has always behaved exactly as a proper lady should, and it has done absolutely nothing for her. So now she has made a most sinful proposal. She wants to live only for pleasure, and she wants Lord Valentine Kent to instruct her in the ways of love and lust. Caring not for scandal or the whispers of society, she craves his every wanton touch.
It is every rake’s fantasy.
Lord Valentine Kent has never before been so tempted. Though he is every bit the gentleman, from the moment Marissa arrives at his country estate he can think of nothing but her wild, dark curls and luscious curves. But submitting to passion must wait until he completes the search for an ancestral treasure.
It is a most honorable endeavor.
But Kent and Marissa will soon discover that even the best of intentions is no match for a desire as desperate as theirs...
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 13, 2010
19 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
About the author
Sara Bennett
141 books211 followersSara Bennett writes with passion. She has been published by Avon HarperCollins in the USA, and also publishes independently. She recently wrote a series of Regency novellas about Second Chances called Mockingbird Square. The four novellas are Unforgettable, Enraptured, Surrender and Reckless. They're available at all eBook stores.
Currently she is writing a second series of Mockingbird Square. The first three novellas, Fascination, Seduction and Temptation are available, and Obsession is under way.
Sara also writes paranormal romance as Sara Mackenzie, steamy historical romance as Evie North, and Australian Women's Fiction as Kaye Dobbie.
Currently she is writing a second series of Mockingbird Square. The first three novellas, Fascination, Seduction and Temptation are available, and Obsession is under way.
Sara also writes paranormal romance as Sara Mackenzie, steamy historical romance as Evie North, and Australian Women's Fiction as Kaye Dobbie.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 1, 2012
WARNING: SPOILERS AND GIFS AHEAD!
Oh, fiddlesticks. Where to begin? Where to begin? Like Maria in The Sound of Music, I suppose it's appropriate to start at the very beginning before breaking into the DO-RE-MIs of this review.
And I swear to the goddesses or Romancelandia that I knew I was doomed - DOOOOOMMMMMED - on page 2 when I read this delightful typo nugget:
So, there are two things incredibly wrong with that passage. First, let's focus on tender. I understand that French is a different language than English and all, but any regular HR reader knows that the lady speaking is probably shooting for "tendre" as an appropriate term. If she does, by some bizarre fact, mean "tender" for realz, I want to know what kind of tender. Chicken? Beef? A person who tends to others? I understand that typos happen. But really? On Page 2?
Secondly, take a look at what's being said about this Marissa character. The things that are being said? Total fucking lies. Marissa Rotherhild the character is not clever by any stretch of the imagination. Also, I can't think of a reason on Earth why Marissa would grow bored of anyone. Whenever she isn't being a judgmental shrew or irrationally changing her mind at a whim, she really has nothing to offer. Just blocks of boring inner monologues and years of built-up sexual repression - which isn't as interesting as it could be, believe me.
There I was, glaring at the second page of a book, and it seemed that A Most Sinful Proposal and I had a hell of a journey in store for us. And not a spectacular journey through the Alps or the rainforest or even Yellowstone, either. This book was like a journey through the files of an actuary's office. Bland, boring, tedious, ugh.
I promised reviews from my cats, and Little K is a kitty of few words.
THE STORY:
Back in finishing school, Marissa Rotherhild and a few like-minded ladies of annoying character created a pox on mankind called the Husband Hunting Club. Inspired by their totes original club title, the ladies seem to do little else than talk about the poor, unsuspecting men they plan to trap into marriage. So, Marissa has set her sights on George Kent, some foppish and frivolous dude she seems to desire solely because he isn't anything like her parents. Marissa's mom and dad are flower-loving botanists, you see, and that's apparently been very traumatic for poor wittle Marissa. At George's invitation to a "house party," Marissa and her horny grandmother show up at the estate of Lord Valentine Kent, George's older brother. But there are two problems: (1)There is no house party, and George is currently MIA, and (2)Valentine is a total hottie but ruins EVERYTHING by being obsessed with roses. Valentine's been a bit of a recluse since his cold, bitter wife died a few years prior, and he devotes all of his time to roses and searching for some multi-colored Crusader's Rose that was brought to England by the Knights Templar or something. This is very serious business to Valentine.
Marshmallow is so big that he makes a great bookstand when I run out of room in the house.
The search for the Crusader's Rose is so serious, in fact, that Valentine has a nemesis who resorts to dastardly deeds to find the rose first. At no point does this pursuit of the rose or the drama surrounding it become interesting. Just throwing that out there. Eventually, or rather pretty much immediately, Valentine and Marissa realize that they have a super-duper passion for each other. This mutual realization leads to Marissa pursuing Valentine to - I'm still not sure - explore her passionate nature and somehow increase her chances of hooking up with George? Lots of almost-sex happens, people walk around in gardens looking for a rose like it's the most romantic thing EVER, and Marissa and Valentine circle around the question of when lust becomes love and boring becomes interesting.
An Illustration of the Plot:
The Characters:
There's nothing particularly wrong about Valentine. He's apparently honorable when he isn't having oral sex with the strange lady who shows up at his house to make lovey-dovey eyes at his brother. Once Valentine commits to Marissa, he commits whole-heartedly. The angst about his dead wife mysteriously disappears in the second half of the book, and Valentine lives up to his romantic name. Alas, the man is so. incredibly. BORING. "Blah, blah, blah. ROSES. Blah, blah, blah. I have a boner for Marissa but don't want to RUIN her. Blah, blah, blah. I must find the rose because finding it will make me FAMOUS! Blah, blah, blah. Sex is only sex if you don't penetrate the virgin the whole way." Basically, I'm fairly confident that Valentine's wet dreams prior to (hell, and probably after) Marissa look like this:
"Hee! The rose petals make my feet smell ROSY!
Marissa, for her part, doesn't make a lick of sense. She walks around yapping all the time, and she says a lot of fucking words. But nothing she says or does is even logical.
Take for example what Sara Bennett wants us to believe about Marissa:
1. She's beautiful.
2. She's sensible and rational.
3. She's very intelligent, a bluestocking at heart.
4. She fucking HATES roses and flowers of any kind.
5. She's apparently some hopeless goddamn martyr because her flighty parents forgot about her tenth birthday party.
6. She's worthy of Valentine's love because she's simply amazing.
But let's decide if Marissa's ACTIONS line up with her DESCRIPTORS:
Upon arriving at Valentine's estate - "George is the man I want to marry. We're so similar and have all the same interests. We're a match made in heaven! I will pursue him like he's an unsuspecting buck in the wilderness and have my husband hunting way with him."
After meeting Valentine - "George's brother is totally sexy, but he likes flowers and stuff, so ... Um, no thanks. Ew."
When Valentine invites her to help him search for the Crusader's Rose - "I fucking HATE flowers, okay? But ... you say you want to look for them there? IDK, hot stuff. I insist on traipsing through abandoned gardens with you to find this totally uninteresting rose that I hate."
After Valentine gives her an orgasm for the first time - "I still totally want to marry George, but now I REALLY want to have hot, naked, unprotected sex with you. My grandma's a bohemian, and she said it's totally okay if I try out a couple of race horses before settling on a quarter horse. Fuck me, Valentine."
When Valentine refuses to fuck her because it wouldn't be right - "You are SO UNREASONABLE, you unreasonable cad! It is my virginity to GIVE. OKAY? Just because it's 1837, and I could very likely end up ruined and diseased by allowing your rod of love in my no-no place does NOT mean you can treat me like a child. And I still plan to marry George!"
After begging Valentine to have teh sex with her again: "I don't want to marry George. I want to marry Valentine, even though he loves everything I hate. CURSED ROSES!"
When the crazy villain goes crazy: "It's perfectly acceptable for a lady of my social class to pursue a madman with my secret lover. NOTHING can go wrong in this scenario. Oh, look! I even get to SHOOT the bad guy because my dumbass boy-toy didn't think far enough ahead to carry a gun to their BIG SHOWDOWN."
After Valentine finally has sex with her and they get engaged: "It's so nice when he's humping me, but now ... I don't know. He's just too much like my dorky parents, who are so selfish with their interest in flowers and stuff. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I HATE FLOWERS. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I HATE FLOWERS. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I FUCKING HATE FLOWERS. Now that I have everything I've always wanted, I don't WANT it anymore!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
The other characters aren't any better. Marissa's granny is the Worst Chaperon Ever. What kind of grandmother in the year 1837 encourages her grand-daughter to try out a couple guys' love wands before getting married? Does she want Marissa to catch the clap? George is a feckless little twerp a majority of the time. I have no idea what Marissa ever saw in the guy, especially after he invited her to a house party and didn't show up for days. The villain is full-on cray-cray, but his motivations are very random and strange. Most of the secondary characters felt like tools thrown into the plot instead of organic creations of the author's world. Hence, everyone just sort of stumbles around talking nonsensically for 300+ pages.
TEH SEX:
Oh, kill me now, THE SEX. In my reading updates, I created a game called Is it sex? because the characters seem unwilling to label actual sex as SEX.
That's totally sex! But no. Valentine pulls away, and they seem to decide that the sex they just had isn't actually sex. In fact, Marissa storms off in a huff after Valentine gets her off with his fingers instead of his peen. The same type of encounter may or may not have happened in the next quote. I still can't fucking tell.
Once again, the characters SAY that it isn't sex. However, considering that Marissa has the reasoning skills of a rabid raccoon, I don't know if I can trust her. The love scenes are frequent, but I wasn't particularly affected by any of them. Bennett keeps telling me that Valentine and Marissa are so overcome with passion for each other, but at no point did I believe in that passion.
THE WRITING:
The typos in this paperback are numerous. I don't know what the editors at these publishing houses are doing, but several of them clearly need to get some glasses. Or maybe they could take a class of How Not To Make Readers' Eyes Bleed 101. In addition to the grammatical errors, the plot is incredibly disjointed. Several things happen that make ZERO SENSE in the context of the story. To spread the pain and illustrate my point, I will close with some of my favorite quotes.
After Valentine's friend is shot by the fiendish bad guy:
Because Valentine is very much in the middle of a public square, WHY does he take off his shirt? Is his jacket really speshul or something? "Oh, my friend's bleeding out now. Let me just take an inordinately long time to strip off layers of my clothing so the heroine can check out my totes sexy chest."
In case you thought I was kidding about Granny's HORRIBLE ADVICE to Marissa:
Marissa apparently ranting in her blog:
BUT ANYWAY? BUT ANYWAY? Ugh.
I've been saving this one for DAYS. Read what happens when Marissa pricks her finger on a thorn:
Run fast, Marissa! Valentine Kent is actually EDWARD CULLEN!
"A Most Sinful Proposal" is a part of my Care-Package-Ageddon series of book reviews in gratitude to my GR friend Karla for sending me a GIANT BOX O'BOOKS. She said I "might" like some of them. o_O
Oh, fiddlesticks. Where to begin? Where to begin? Like Maria in The Sound of Music, I suppose it's appropriate to start at the very beginning before breaking into the DO-RE-MIs of this review.
And I swear to the goddesses or Romancelandia that I knew I was doomed - DOOOOOMMMMMED - on page 2 when I read this delightful typo nugget:
"I know George Kent is very handsome, and I am aware of several girls who have a tender for him, but Marissa, you are the cleverest person of my acquaintance and the Honorable George does not have the reputation of a learned man. Won't you grow bored with him?" (Page 2)
So, there are two things incredibly wrong with that passage. First, let's focus on tender. I understand that French is a different language than English and all, but any regular HR reader knows that the lady speaking is probably shooting for "tendre" as an appropriate term. If she does, by some bizarre fact, mean "tender" for realz, I want to know what kind of tender. Chicken? Beef? A person who tends to others? I understand that typos happen. But really? On Page 2?
Secondly, take a look at what's being said about this Marissa character. The things that are being said? Total fucking lies. Marissa Rotherhild the character is not clever by any stretch of the imagination. Also, I can't think of a reason on Earth why Marissa would grow bored of anyone. Whenever she isn't being a judgmental shrew or irrationally changing her mind at a whim, she really has nothing to offer. Just blocks of boring inner monologues and years of built-up sexual repression - which isn't as interesting as it could be, believe me.
There I was, glaring at the second page of a book, and it seemed that A Most Sinful Proposal and I had a hell of a journey in store for us. And not a spectacular journey through the Alps or the rainforest or even Yellowstone, either. This book was like a journey through the files of an actuary's office. Bland, boring, tedious, ugh.
I promised reviews from my cats, and Little K is a kitty of few words.
THE STORY:
Back in finishing school, Marissa Rotherhild and a few like-minded ladies of annoying character created a pox on mankind called the Husband Hunting Club. Inspired by their totes original club title, the ladies seem to do little else than talk about the poor, unsuspecting men they plan to trap into marriage. So, Marissa has set her sights on George Kent, some foppish and frivolous dude she seems to desire solely because he isn't anything like her parents. Marissa's mom and dad are flower-loving botanists, you see, and that's apparently been very traumatic for poor wittle Marissa. At George's invitation to a "house party," Marissa and her horny grandmother show up at the estate of Lord Valentine Kent, George's older brother. But there are two problems: (1)There is no house party, and George is currently MIA, and (2)Valentine is a total hottie but ruins EVERYTHING by being obsessed with roses. Valentine's been a bit of a recluse since his cold, bitter wife died a few years prior, and he devotes all of his time to roses and searching for some multi-colored Crusader's Rose that was brought to England by the Knights Templar or something. This is very serious business to Valentine.
Marshmallow is so big that he makes a great bookstand when I run out of room in the house.
The search for the Crusader's Rose is so serious, in fact, that Valentine has a nemesis who resorts to dastardly deeds to find the rose first. At no point does this pursuit of the rose or the drama surrounding it become interesting. Just throwing that out there. Eventually, or rather pretty much immediately, Valentine and Marissa realize that they have a super-duper passion for each other. This mutual realization leads to Marissa pursuing Valentine to - I'm still not sure - explore her passionate nature and somehow increase her chances of hooking up with George? Lots of almost-sex happens, people walk around in gardens looking for a rose like it's the most romantic thing EVER, and Marissa and Valentine circle around the question of when lust becomes love and boring becomes interesting.
An Illustration of the Plot:
The Characters:
There's nothing particularly wrong about Valentine. He's apparently honorable when he isn't having oral sex with the strange lady who shows up at his house to make lovey-dovey eyes at his brother. Once Valentine commits to Marissa, he commits whole-heartedly. The angst about his dead wife mysteriously disappears in the second half of the book, and Valentine lives up to his romantic name. Alas, the man is so. incredibly. BORING. "Blah, blah, blah. ROSES. Blah, blah, blah. I have a boner for Marissa but don't want to RUIN her. Blah, blah, blah. I must find the rose because finding it will make me FAMOUS! Blah, blah, blah. Sex is only sex if you don't penetrate the virgin the whole way." Basically, I'm fairly confident that Valentine's wet dreams prior to (hell, and probably after) Marissa look like this:
"Hee! The rose petals make my feet smell ROSY!
Marissa, for her part, doesn't make a lick of sense. She walks around yapping all the time, and she says a lot of fucking words. But nothing she says or does is even logical.
Take for example what Sara Bennett wants us to believe about Marissa:
1. She's beautiful.
2. She's sensible and rational.
3. She's very intelligent, a bluestocking at heart.
4. She fucking HATES roses and flowers of any kind.
5. She's apparently some hopeless goddamn martyr because her flighty parents forgot about her tenth birthday party.
6. She's worthy of Valentine's love because she's simply amazing.
But let's decide if Marissa's ACTIONS line up with her DESCRIPTORS:
Upon arriving at Valentine's estate - "George is the man I want to marry. We're so similar and have all the same interests. We're a match made in heaven! I will pursue him like he's an unsuspecting buck in the wilderness and have my husband hunting way with him."
After meeting Valentine - "George's brother is totally sexy, but he likes flowers and stuff, so ... Um, no thanks. Ew."
When Valentine invites her to help him search for the Crusader's Rose - "I fucking HATE flowers, okay? But ... you say you want to look for them there? IDK, hot stuff. I insist on traipsing through abandoned gardens with you to find this totally uninteresting rose that I hate."
After Valentine gives her an orgasm for the first time - "I still totally want to marry George, but now I REALLY want to have hot, naked, unprotected sex with you. My grandma's a bohemian, and she said it's totally okay if I try out a couple of race horses before settling on a quarter horse. Fuck me, Valentine."
When Valentine refuses to fuck her because it wouldn't be right - "You are SO UNREASONABLE, you unreasonable cad! It is my virginity to GIVE. OKAY? Just because it's 1837, and I could very likely end up ruined and diseased by allowing your rod of love in my no-no place does NOT mean you can treat me like a child. And I still plan to marry George!"
After begging Valentine to have teh sex with her again: "I don't want to marry George. I want to marry Valentine, even though he loves everything I hate. CURSED ROSES!"
When the crazy villain goes crazy: "It's perfectly acceptable for a lady of my social class to pursue a madman with my secret lover. NOTHING can go wrong in this scenario. Oh, look! I even get to SHOOT the bad guy because my dumbass boy-toy didn't think far enough ahead to carry a gun to their BIG SHOWDOWN."
After Valentine finally has sex with her and they get engaged: "It's so nice when he's humping me, but now ... I don't know. He's just too much like my dorky parents, who are so selfish with their interest in flowers and stuff. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I HATE FLOWERS. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I HATE FLOWERS. BUT I LOVE HIM. BUT I FUCKING HATE FLOWERS. Now that I have everything I've always wanted, I don't WANT it anymore!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
The other characters aren't any better. Marissa's granny is the Worst Chaperon Ever. What kind of grandmother in the year 1837 encourages her grand-daughter to try out a couple guys' love wands before getting married? Does she want Marissa to catch the clap? George is a feckless little twerp a majority of the time. I have no idea what Marissa ever saw in the guy, especially after he invited her to a house party and didn't show up for days. The villain is full-on cray-cray, but his motivations are very random and strange. Most of the secondary characters felt like tools thrown into the plot instead of organic creations of the author's world. Hence, everyone just sort of stumbles around talking nonsensically for 300+ pages.
TEH SEX:
Oh, kill me now, THE SEX. In my reading updates, I created a game called Is it sex? because the characters seem unwilling to label actual sex as SEX.
In their efforts to get closer he lifted her higher and she shifted the angle of her hips, and suddenly he slid inside the slick, tight sheath of her body. Surprise stopped them. Panting, Valentine looked down into her eyes, his own startled. She licked her lips and pushed against him, feeling him enter her another inch, filling her in a way that was new and exciting.(Page 176)
That's totally sex! But no. Valentine pulls away, and they seem to decide that the sex they just had isn't actually sex. In fact, Marissa storms off in a huff after Valentine gets her off with his fingers instead of his peen. The same type of encounter may or may not have happened in the next quote. I still can't fucking tell.
He tightened the muscles of his buttocks and thighs, preparing to push himself deep inside her, aching for the sheer bliss of being sheathed within her beautiful body.
Now, he thought. Now!
But even as he began his thrust forward he was slowing, then stopping.(Page 214)
Once again, the characters SAY that it isn't sex. However, considering that Marissa has the reasoning skills of a rabid raccoon, I don't know if I can trust her. The love scenes are frequent, but I wasn't particularly affected by any of them. Bennett keeps telling me that Valentine and Marissa are so overcome with passion for each other, but at no point did I believe in that passion.
THE WRITING:
The typos in this paperback are numerous. I don't know what the editors at these publishing houses are doing, but several of them clearly need to get some glasses. Or maybe they could take a class of How Not To Make Readers' Eyes Bleed 101. In addition to the grammatical errors, the plot is incredibly disjointed. Several things happen that make ZERO SENSE in the context of the story. To spread the pain and illustrate my point, I will close with some of my favorite quotes.
After Valentine's friend is shot by the fiendish bad guy:
He handed his jacket to Marissa without a word and pulled his white linen shirt over his head, folding it into a thick pad, and proceeded to press it to his friend's bleeding wound.(Page 72)
Because Valentine is very much in the middle of a public square, WHY does he take off his shirt? Is his jacket really speshul or something? "Oh, my friend's bleeding out now. Let me just take an inordinately long time to strip off layers of my clothing so the heroine can check out my totes sexy chest."
In case you thought I was kidding about Granny's HORRIBLE ADVICE to Marissa:
"I will speak frankly then, Marissa. It is better to spend an afternoon in bed with a man and discover if he's really the one you want to spend your life with, rather than marry him and find yourself a prisoner of unhappiness. Now you are shocked!"(Page 141)
Marissa apparently ranting in her blog:
Should she continue with her chosen role or open her heart to him? But anyway it didn't matter because he was the one doing the talking.(Page 193)
BUT ANYWAY? BUT ANYWAY? Ugh.
I've been saving this one for DAYS. Read what happens when Marissa pricks her finger on a thorn:
The veins on her wrist were visible through her pale skin, and he could feel the beat of her pulse beneath his fingers. He felt dizzy, as if he'd drunk too much, but it wasn't alcohol making his head spin. It was her, Marissa Rotherhild.
Before he considered consequences-indeed his brain had little to do with it-he lifted her hand to his mouth and ran his tongue delicately across the injury, the taste of her blood clean and salty.(Page 84)
Run fast, Marissa! Valentine Kent is actually EDWARD CULLEN!
"A Most Sinful Proposal" is a part of my Care-Package-Ageddon series of book reviews in gratitude to my GR friend Karla for sending me a GIANT BOX O'BOOKS. She said I "might" like some of them. o_O
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 4, 2024
The ending kind of threw me off. Idk, it just felt different compared to the pre-sex chapters.
July 11, 2015
I really enjoyed this romance and the mystery of the Crusaders Rose. Have you ever just spent your life searching for something.Lord Valentine Kent has been doing just that. For years he had searched and society was the least of his concerns. Living a reclusive life Valentine never wanted to marry again and never thought he would find love again. His confidence broken as surprise guests arrive at his home Marissa Rotherild and her lovely grandmama Lady Bethany thinking that George Will be there for Marissa is planning on making him her husband. At the same time a letter arrives ,along with Lord Jasper they set out on an adventure. Marissa is intrigued by Valentine and as they get to know each other they fall for each other. Valentine teaches Marissa about the art of passion and love making. All the while they are inseparable one cannot live without the other Valentine ask Marissa to marry him and she accepts all while running from the crazy Baron Van Houtt.The rose in their grasp but as it's decidedly put out of mind, It's found on their wedding day and both love and treasure are received unexpectedly. They both get over their insecurities and learn nothing is impossible...Happily ever after...
October 6, 2020
𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — Marissa Rotherhild has chosen a husband... she just needs to get him onboard! Unfortunately he invites her to a house party in the country and fails to show up (as do any other guests)... so Marissa is left with his grumpy, botanist older brother.
—
TW: a side character is raped. It isn't shown, but the aftermath is
This book had potential, and parts of it were good... so I guess I'm feeling hot and cold about it.
Marissa Rotherhild is the daughter of a pair of scientists who prioritize their work and sometimes accidentally neglect their daughter. Most of the time she's in the care of her Bohemian, widowed, 60 year old grandmother, who's... kind of frisky. She knows what she wants out of a marriage: someone completely unlike her parents. She doesn't want to go on expeditions, she doesn't want to deal with a botanist. She's chosen the Honorable George Kent, and it just so happens he's invited her to a house party where she'll win him over...
Only, surprise! George is not home. And there is no house party. So she and her grandmother are in the company of George's older brother, Lord Valentine Kent... a rose expert.
Valentine is in the midst of his own expedition for a rare rose, which Marissa is obviously totally uninterested in.
—
The back of this book includes the following: "So now she has made the most sinful proposal. She wants to live only for pleasure, and she wants Lord Valentine Kent to instruct her in the ways of love and lust. Caring not for scandal or the whispers of society, she craves his every wanton touch." So based on that description, would you assume that lessons in seduction is the main plot - or an expedition for a flower? I assumed the former. If you did too, you'd be wrong.
Besides one sexy scene where they play a dice game and undress one another, there really were no "lessons" or games to speak of. A bulk of the story revolved around Valentine's quest for the rose, and Marissa's "unwillingness" to join in... before she inevitably gets caught up in the mystery. And the quest for the rose isn't uninteresting - in fact that backstory is quite cool: it was a rose from the Crusades in the twelfth century, and Valentine's ancestor brought it home from his expedition and planted it at his ancestral home, the one Valentine still lives in today. But in 1735 the ruling Lord Kent destroyed the rose bush, as he was tired of unwanted guests seeking it like a tourist spot. That's cool! But it's not a plot about lessons in seduction. So lets call a spade a spade... this was somewhere between a mystery and a road trip romance.
The mystery is not only where the rose is, but the fact that there's a Prussian baron who's seeking it as well. He's extremely violent and unstable and out for the rose, and to get revenge on Valentine.
Putting away the let down expectations on the actual plot of the book, I thought it was fine - sometimes good, sometimes less. I thought Valentine's characterization was very weak... he talked heavily about his first wife, who was an "ice queen" and a "poisonous bitch" (described by both him and his brother) before she died... she apparently called him a beast and made him feel ugly though he is hot? There's a part where he says he needs to tell Marissa his "secret"... presumably what his wife did to make him feel so unlovable and beastly and why he's been celibate since her death... and then he just... doesn't say anything? I went back when I finished the book to try and figure out what the secret was and I'm still confused. If anyone can figure it out - please tell me.
—
See more on my Instagram & blog
—
TW: a side character is raped. It isn't shown, but the aftermath is
This book had potential, and parts of it were good... so I guess I'm feeling hot and cold about it.
Marissa Rotherhild is the daughter of a pair of scientists who prioritize their work and sometimes accidentally neglect their daughter. Most of the time she's in the care of her Bohemian, widowed, 60 year old grandmother, who's... kind of frisky. She knows what she wants out of a marriage: someone completely unlike her parents. She doesn't want to go on expeditions, she doesn't want to deal with a botanist. She's chosen the Honorable George Kent, and it just so happens he's invited her to a house party where she'll win him over...
Only, surprise! George is not home. And there is no house party. So she and her grandmother are in the company of George's older brother, Lord Valentine Kent... a rose expert.
Valentine is in the midst of his own expedition for a rare rose, which Marissa is obviously totally uninterested in.
—
The back of this book includes the following: "So now she has made the most sinful proposal. She wants to live only for pleasure, and she wants Lord Valentine Kent to instruct her in the ways of love and lust. Caring not for scandal or the whispers of society, she craves his every wanton touch." So based on that description, would you assume that lessons in seduction is the main plot - or an expedition for a flower? I assumed the former. If you did too, you'd be wrong.
Besides one sexy scene where they play a dice game and undress one another, there really were no "lessons" or games to speak of. A bulk of the story revolved around Valentine's quest for the rose, and Marissa's "unwillingness" to join in... before she inevitably gets caught up in the mystery. And the quest for the rose isn't uninteresting - in fact that backstory is quite cool: it was a rose from the Crusades in the twelfth century, and Valentine's ancestor brought it home from his expedition and planted it at his ancestral home, the one Valentine still lives in today. But in 1735 the ruling Lord Kent destroyed the rose bush, as he was tired of unwanted guests seeking it like a tourist spot. That's cool! But it's not a plot about lessons in seduction. So lets call a spade a spade... this was somewhere between a mystery and a road trip romance.
The mystery is not only where the rose is, but the fact that there's a Prussian baron who's seeking it as well. He's extremely violent and unstable and out for the rose, and to get revenge on Valentine.
Putting away the let down expectations on the actual plot of the book, I thought it was fine - sometimes good, sometimes less. I thought Valentine's characterization was very weak... he talked heavily about his first wife, who was an "ice queen" and a "poisonous bitch" (described by both him and his brother) before she died... she apparently called him a beast and made him feel ugly though he is hot? There's a part where he says he needs to tell Marissa his "secret"... presumably what his wife did to make him feel so unlovable and beastly and why he's been celibate since her death... and then he just... doesn't say anything? I went back when I finished the book to try and figure out what the secret was and I'm still confused. If anyone can figure it out - please tell me.
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February 23, 2025
⭐ 5+++ Stars – Slow-Burn, Sinfully Addictive, and Utterly Romantic! ⭐
🔥 A Most Sinful Proposal by Sara Bennett is everything I love in a historical romance—slow-burning passion, delicious tension, and a hero and heroine who challenge each other in the best ways.
This book reminded me why I adore a perfectly executed slow burn—the longing, the build-up, the inevitable explosion of passion—and this one delivers in every way.
It’s sinfully good, irresistibly romantic, and utterly unputdownable.
💡 Why A Most Sinful Proposal Had Me Hooked:
✔️ A slow-burn romance that simmers with tension.
✔️ A heroine with brains, determination, and a stubborn streak.
✔️ A dark, brooding hero who tries to resist—but can’t.
✔️ A mysterious treasure hunt subplot that adds intrigue and excitement.
✔️ Romantic tension that builds and builds until it bursts in the most satisfying way.
✔️ A perfect balance of adventure, secrets, and sizzling attraction.
💀 And let’s talk about the romantic tension. This book had me on edge in the best way—the will-they-won’t-they, the accidental touches, the smoldering looks across the room. Perfection.
Sara Bennett knows exactly how to make you ache for that moment when the characters finally give in. The romance felt earned, making it all the more satisfying when things exploded between them.
Plus, the added adventure/mystery element made it even more exciting!
🔥 Final Verdict:
If you love slow-burn historical romance with intrigue, tension, and sinful amounts of chemistry, A Most Sinful Proposal is a must-read. It’s sexy, thrilling, and so worth the wait.
💖 Would I recommend? YES! Sara Bennett crafted an absolutely addictive romance with characters you fall hard for.A Most Sinful Proposal
🔥 A Most Sinful Proposal by Sara Bennett is everything I love in a historical romance—slow-burning passion, delicious tension, and a hero and heroine who challenge each other in the best ways.
This book reminded me why I adore a perfectly executed slow burn—the longing, the build-up, the inevitable explosion of passion—and this one delivers in every way.
It’s sinfully good, irresistibly romantic, and utterly unputdownable.
💡 Why A Most Sinful Proposal Had Me Hooked:
✔️ A slow-burn romance that simmers with tension.
✔️ A heroine with brains, determination, and a stubborn streak.
✔️ A dark, brooding hero who tries to resist—but can’t.
✔️ A mysterious treasure hunt subplot that adds intrigue and excitement.
✔️ Romantic tension that builds and builds until it bursts in the most satisfying way.
✔️ A perfect balance of adventure, secrets, and sizzling attraction.
💀 And let’s talk about the romantic tension. This book had me on edge in the best way—the will-they-won’t-they, the accidental touches, the smoldering looks across the room. Perfection.
Sara Bennett knows exactly how to make you ache for that moment when the characters finally give in. The romance felt earned, making it all the more satisfying when things exploded between them.
Plus, the added adventure/mystery element made it even more exciting!
🔥 Final Verdict:
If you love slow-burn historical romance with intrigue, tension, and sinful amounts of chemistry, A Most Sinful Proposal is a must-read. It’s sexy, thrilling, and so worth the wait.
💖 Would I recommend? YES! Sara Bennett crafted an absolutely addictive romance with characters you fall hard for.A Most Sinful Proposal
April 11, 2019
DNF.
SO I WANTED TO TRY THIS ONE BECAUSE I THOUGHT MARISSA WAS PRETTY DECENT AND SHE'S UP TO NO GOOD...BUT IT FELL FLAT FOR ME AND IM DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I ENJOY THE PAIRING VERY MUCH BUT THERE WASN'T ANY SPARK.
HERO is a more scholarly kind of man, he's also older and was married before. He has made it his life's mission to find the Crusader's rose and restore his family reputation, at the same time making a name for himself. The poor man while I don't think he's ugly has a pretty low self esteem and cannot believe that Marissa truly wants and desire him. He keeps pushing her away and every time they are on the verge of sex, he pulls away....it was getting frustrating.
HEROINE is sure of what she wanted. George. The brother. Until she meets his older brother Lord Kent in his country house and feels vastly attracted to him. She decides to pursue a lusty relationship and learn about the sins of flesh with Valentine but the stubborn man keeps holding her at arm's length. Well she's stubborn too and will make him see they belong together.
OVERALL it lacked excitement and adventure or even some kind of spark that makes me want to devour this story. I don't and I didn't. Which is too bad.
SO I WANTED TO TRY THIS ONE BECAUSE I THOUGHT MARISSA WAS PRETTY DECENT AND SHE'S UP TO NO GOOD...BUT IT FELL FLAT FOR ME AND IM DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I ENJOY THE PAIRING VERY MUCH BUT THERE WASN'T ANY SPARK.
HERO is a more scholarly kind of man, he's also older and was married before. He has made it his life's mission to find the Crusader's rose and restore his family reputation, at the same time making a name for himself. The poor man while I don't think he's ugly has a pretty low self esteem and cannot believe that Marissa truly wants and desire him. He keeps pushing her away and every time they are on the verge of sex, he pulls away....it was getting frustrating.
HEROINE is sure of what she wanted. George. The brother. Until she meets his older brother Lord Kent in his country house and feels vastly attracted to him. She decides to pursue a lusty relationship and learn about the sins of flesh with Valentine but the stubborn man keeps holding her at arm's length. Well she's stubborn too and will make him see they belong together.
OVERALL it lacked excitement and adventure or even some kind of spark that makes me want to devour this story. I don't and I didn't. Which is too bad.
December 5, 2017
La protagonista – Marissa – ha la stessa vitalità di un bruco e il suo coprotagonista – seppur poco più che trentenne - pare un vecchio incartapecorito. Con queste premesse e la nonna di Marissa come chaperon, le ricerche del fratello minore di lui sono tutto ciò che di interessante ho letto fino ad ora. Mi sdraio da qualche parte nella stanza più calda di Abby Manor nell’attesa – breve – che mi venga sonno o passo a leggere altro? La seconda. Peccato, perché questa serie ne ho due in libreria che mi sono davvero piaciuti. Ma non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.
May 20, 2025
Very easy to read and enjoyable. I like Valentine he seems like a good person overall. Marissa wasn’t bad maybe just a little young. George…. Interesting twist with him. I am not sure how to rate this though as it was darker than I expected. There is SA, suicide, mental health issues, and gun violence which I was just not expecting in a story about a rose. I am like even as a liberal woman, I am shocked her grandmother was allowing this all to go down… I was like oh grandma you aren’t gonna put a stop to this? But I did enjoy again that then POV was more than just our leads.
January 28, 2023
Absolutely loved it. Sara Bennett is a new author to me and if her work continues to be this good will be a new favorite.
February 26, 2024
Looks like a romance book but reads like a cozy mystery set in historical England. Fun for a lot of reasons.
June 19, 2011
Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)
Book 2 in The Husband Hunters Club Series
A Most Sinful Proposal was beautifully touching (and I loved the rose on the cover, completely appropriate). It tells the story of a second girl in The Husband Hunters Club, Marissa Rotherhild. She believes herself to be in love with George Kent – and goes to attend a house party of his with her grandmamma (Lady Beverly), only to find that there has been a misunderstanding. There is no house party, and George is nowhere to be found. However his older brother, Lord Valentine Kent, becomes their most ungracious host. He is a solitary man, an expert on roses (which I love), and currently on a quest to find the Crusader’s Rose. While entertaining Lady Beverly and Marissa, he invites them on his quest. And then the romance blooms (pun fully intended).
I loved the characters in this story because they were so real. You could feel their pain as if it was your own, and you go on the journey with them. Instead of being an observor to their joys and troubles, you are immersed in them – Marissa’s fears, doubts, and love as well as Valentine’s. She doesn’t want to marry a man who has anything to do with botany, because of her parents overwhelming love of the science that left her feeling neglected as a child. He believes himself a beast because of his bitch of a first wife whose presence runs like poison in his memory. Lady Beverly and George are adorable supporting characters – and I only wish we’d seen a little more of Lady Beverly. She was an adorable old lady who really brought the story together and helped abate Marissa’s fears and doubts surrounding her love for Valentine.
The plot was good, thick, and suspenseful. Each time we believed we were about to discover the rose, we didn’t. Each time we believed we were going to be confronted by the villainous Baron, Bennett let the suspense build and then fall back, keeping us on edge. It was a great plot – almost too great because it kept me from focusing on the romance all the time. And there was a little too much creepiness and violence surrounding the villain and his madman schemes, for my taste at least. He was really a sketch-ball and I was glad to be rid of him, though the way he died disturbed me a little. Anyways, great book, excellent characters, a little darkness in the plot, but overall a fantastic read!
“Sexy”ness rating: Hot!
Overall Rating: A-
Bottom Line: If you don’t mind a little violence in the plot (NOT the hero towards the heroine) and you love a deep, soul-stirring, emotional romance this is a good one for you. It’s a beautiful story of the doubts and fears that shape people – and how they overcome them together, with love.
Book 2 in The Husband Hunters Club Series
A Most Sinful Proposal was beautifully touching (and I loved the rose on the cover, completely appropriate). It tells the story of a second girl in The Husband Hunters Club, Marissa Rotherhild. She believes herself to be in love with George Kent – and goes to attend a house party of his with her grandmamma (Lady Beverly), only to find that there has been a misunderstanding. There is no house party, and George is nowhere to be found. However his older brother, Lord Valentine Kent, becomes their most ungracious host. He is a solitary man, an expert on roses (which I love), and currently on a quest to find the Crusader’s Rose. While entertaining Lady Beverly and Marissa, he invites them on his quest. And then the romance blooms (pun fully intended).
I loved the characters in this story because they were so real. You could feel their pain as if it was your own, and you go on the journey with them. Instead of being an observor to their joys and troubles, you are immersed in them – Marissa’s fears, doubts, and love as well as Valentine’s. She doesn’t want to marry a man who has anything to do with botany, because of her parents overwhelming love of the science that left her feeling neglected as a child. He believes himself a beast because of his bitch of a first wife whose presence runs like poison in his memory. Lady Beverly and George are adorable supporting characters – and I only wish we’d seen a little more of Lady Beverly. She was an adorable old lady who really brought the story together and helped abate Marissa’s fears and doubts surrounding her love for Valentine.
The plot was good, thick, and suspenseful. Each time we believed we were about to discover the rose, we didn’t. Each time we believed we were going to be confronted by the villainous Baron, Bennett let the suspense build and then fall back, keeping us on edge. It was a great plot – almost too great because it kept me from focusing on the romance all the time. And there was a little too much creepiness and violence surrounding the villain and his madman schemes, for my taste at least. He was really a sketch-ball and I was glad to be rid of him, though the way he died disturbed me a little. Anyways, great book, excellent characters, a little darkness in the plot, but overall a fantastic read!
“Sexy”ness rating: Hot!
Overall Rating: A-
Bottom Line: If you don’t mind a little violence in the plot (NOT the hero towards the heroine) and you love a deep, soul-stirring, emotional romance this is a good one for you. It’s a beautiful story of the doubts and fears that shape people – and how they overcome them together, with love.
February 17, 2013
Book No. 2 in the Husband Hunters Club, this time with Miss Marissa Rotherhild. Marissa declares to the Husband Hunters Club that she is wishing to marry Mr George Kent, brother to the Lord Valentine Kent, who is a renowned collector of roses. Her own parents are botanists and so far have provided Marissa with a bit of a let down of an upbringing.
Mr George Kent invites Marissa and her Bohemian Grandmother to a weekend party at his brothers house, however when they turn up, Mr Kent is not there.
This sets Marissa on an adventure with his brother, Lord Valentine. She soon discovers that she has chosen the wrong man. Lord Valentine falls for her but is constantly reminded of his previous unhappy marriage.
The characters were a bit weak, but the plot made up for it, with a bit of an adventure. The Grandmother, although a bit unbelievable, does add a certain something to the storyline.
Mr George Kent invites Marissa and her Bohemian Grandmother to a weekend party at his brothers house, however when they turn up, Mr Kent is not there.
This sets Marissa on an adventure with his brother, Lord Valentine. She soon discovers that she has chosen the wrong man. Lord Valentine falls for her but is constantly reminded of his previous unhappy marriage.
The characters were a bit weak, but the plot made up for it, with a bit of an adventure. The Grandmother, although a bit unbelievable, does add a certain something to the storyline.
May 2, 2010
What a wild adventure. Marissa and Valentine are the best characters to read about.
Marissa Rotherhild was set on capturing Valentines younger brother George, but when George is nowhere to be found and things start to heat up between Marissa and Valentine, she begins to wonder if George is really the right one for her.
Valentine Kent had only one thing on his mind and that was to find The Crusader's Rose. He never would have thought that anything would take his mind away from his project until Marissa shows up on his doorstep.
Between battling their feelings, finding the Rose, fighting off a dangerous Baron, and secertet spies something seems to grow between the characters in the story. This book is truely amazing.
Marissa Rotherhild was set on capturing Valentines younger brother George, but when George is nowhere to be found and things start to heat up between Marissa and Valentine, she begins to wonder if George is really the right one for her.
Valentine Kent had only one thing on his mind and that was to find The Crusader's Rose. He never would have thought that anything would take his mind away from his project until Marissa shows up on his doorstep.
Between battling their feelings, finding the Rose, fighting off a dangerous Baron, and secertet spies something seems to grow between the characters in the story. This book is truely amazing.
June 27, 2011
Everything about this book was confusing. Characters made the oddest decisions and everyone moved at the whim of the external plot. Marissa does something so incredibly stupid at the end of the book, but by that time it was too late to DNF the entire thing.
Full review at Book Thingo.
Full review at Book Thingo.
August 23, 2012
First book I've read by the author. While I wasn't overjoyed by the story or the characters, it does make a pretty nice reading. If you like something that is a bit lighter on the romance with drama/mystery plot, you’ll love this one. Will I pick another book by the author? Maybe when I can't find anything else more interesting to read.
April 19, 2010
The sexual tension in this story was hilarious!! Great, quick read!
May 22, 2010
Sweet but very light on consistency on how Valentine reacts to circumstances and Marissa. Very goofy villain
June 28, 2010
My rating: 3.5
October 17, 2010
I enjoyed this romantic romp. The character development is strong, and Ms. Bennet understands the necessary elements to write a good romance.
December 17, 2010
A good romp. Entertaining.
January 15, 2012
Rated 3.5
November 25, 2013
Boring. Skimmed through it. Characters are uninteresting and unbelievable.
June 26, 2010
It started off slow and picked up half way through.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews