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A Rational Proposal: Furze House Irregulars #1
When spirited Verity Bowman is left a sizeable legacy by her uncle on condition that she spends six months "in a wholly rational manner", neither she nor her long-suffering attorney Charles Congreve have any idea where it will lead them. Nor, it has to be said, does anyone else.
Set in Newmarket and London, 'A Rational Proposal' is the fifth Newmarket Regency by Jan Jones and the first in the Furze House Irregulars series featuring women of spirit, women of courage, women who don't see why, in this male-dominated Regency era, they should not also play their part in bringing wrong-doers to justice.
Set in Newmarket and London, 'A Rational Proposal' is the fifth Newmarket Regency by Jan Jones and the first in the Furze House Irregulars series featuring women of spirit, women of courage, women who don't see why, in this male-dominated Regency era, they should not also play their part in bringing wrong-doers to justice.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 19, 2018
7 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Jan Jones
79 books30 followersA maths graduate, former computer programmer and erstwhile playgroup leader, Jan Jones writes contemporary romantic comedy, Regency romances, romantic suspense (often with a paranormal twist), cosy quirky mysteries, serials for women's magazines, short stories and poems. She won the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award in 2005 with her debut novel Stage by Stage which came about through her experience of chaperoning her daughter during a touring production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. When in Georgette Heyer territory, she uses her fascination with history to write a series of Newmarket Regencies (The Kydd Inheritance, Fair Deception, Fortunate Wager etc) set 200 years ago in her nearest town. As with all writers, elements of her life also inspire her many short stories for women’s magazines (one of which won the RNA Elizabeth Goudge award in 2002). This could be why she gets funny looks whenever she takes out her notebook during conversations in the bar. Jan organises the annual RNA conference and is firmly of the opinion that the Romantic Novelists' Association is the friendliest, most supportive organisation around.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 26, 2018
Another one I have mixed views about. On the one hand, the whole villainous villains and their villainous villainy got a bit trying. I like my Regencies firmly ensconced in the drawing room, not mingling with the low-life of the era. On the other hand - boy, can the author write! Every word is so perfectly chosen that I was in constant admiration, and the dialogue between Verity and Charles is nothing short of brilliant, and laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes.
This is billed as both book 5 of the Newmarket series, and book 1 of the Furze House Irregulars, and while I understand the reasons for that, it’s a bit confusing. The plot starts with a will. Verity Bowman inherits a tidy sum, but only if she can demonstrate that she has spent six months in a rational manner. The lawyer assigned the task of judging the rationality of her behaviour is Charles Congreve. Verity is actually a very smart lady, but unconventional and Charles is resigned to a difficult six months. This is compounded by the fact that he’s in love with Verity, but being merely a salaried attorney, not a gentleman, he feels himself to be beneath her.
So Verity and Charles and her mother go up to London, for reasons that escape me, at which point the cast of characters explodes, including quite a few from previous books as well as new ones, and frankly there were some I never quite got straight. Plus there were various sub-plots and subterfuges and I gave up trying to work out what they were really trying to do, as opposed to what they told people they were doing, and let it all wash over me. There was something to do with a Big Meanie who was doing Bad Things, and various Lesser Meanies, and a great deal about lowlifes and prisons and tarts with a heart of gold, and so on and so forth. I just let the author’s delicious wordsmithery swoosh around me, and didn’t worry too much about it.
The ending got quite tense, but naturally it all came out right in the end. And then, just when you think it’s all over, there came a proposal scene of such awesomeness that I’ve had to reread it several times since.
This is obviously a bridging novel between the Newmarket series and the Furze House series, so there are many references to earlier events, as well as a lot of setup for forthcoming books. As such, some elements are a little awkward. But the main characters are delightful, there’s a sweet little romance for Verity’s mother and the prose is mind-blowingly good, so this gets four stars despite the muddly bits. If your brain copes better with muddly bits (aka complex plottery) than mine, you’ll get on fine with it.
This is billed as both book 5 of the Newmarket series, and book 1 of the Furze House Irregulars, and while I understand the reasons for that, it’s a bit confusing. The plot starts with a will. Verity Bowman inherits a tidy sum, but only if she can demonstrate that she has spent six months in a rational manner. The lawyer assigned the task of judging the rationality of her behaviour is Charles Congreve. Verity is actually a very smart lady, but unconventional and Charles is resigned to a difficult six months. This is compounded by the fact that he’s in love with Verity, but being merely a salaried attorney, not a gentleman, he feels himself to be beneath her.
So Verity and Charles and her mother go up to London, for reasons that escape me, at which point the cast of characters explodes, including quite a few from previous books as well as new ones, and frankly there were some I never quite got straight. Plus there were various sub-plots and subterfuges and I gave up trying to work out what they were really trying to do, as opposed to what they told people they were doing, and let it all wash over me. There was something to do with a Big Meanie who was doing Bad Things, and various Lesser Meanies, and a great deal about lowlifes and prisons and tarts with a heart of gold, and so on and so forth. I just let the author’s delicious wordsmithery swoosh around me, and didn’t worry too much about it.
The ending got quite tense, but naturally it all came out right in the end. And then, just when you think it’s all over, there came a proposal scene of such awesomeness that I’ve had to reread it several times since.
This is obviously a bridging novel between the Newmarket series and the Furze House series, so there are many references to earlier events, as well as a lot of setup for forthcoming books. As such, some elements are a little awkward. But the main characters are delightful, there’s a sweet little romance for Verity’s mother and the prose is mind-blowingly good, so this gets four stars despite the muddly bits. If your brain copes better with muddly bits (aka complex plottery) than mine, you’ll get on fine with it.
March 28, 2020
Duration: 6 hrs 29 mins.
Publisher: A Choc-Lit Production from Soundings.
A Rational Proposal, Furze House Irregulars, Book 1 by Jan Jones is a highly enjoyable Regency mystery, which introduces a cast of characters I am excited to hear more from.
#BennetSistersScale: Lizzy - 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 Bright, unconventional, and passionately devoted to those closest to her, Verity makes this story a classic Lizzy.
Verity, like all women of her class, is meant to be "biddable and decorative", but as her exasperated friends and family frequently note with a sigh, Verity is far better described as 'incorrigible'. This made her quite my favourite type of heroine, and Charles' determination not to become entangled in yet another of Verity's schemes was, obviously, doomed from the off.
It is not often that I enjoy a new series as much as I did this one, and though we met a plethora of colourful characters in this first Furze House Irregulars story, they each earnt their place, and I'm delighted that they will feature in future stories.
I did feel that some of the elements of this mystery were hinted at rather too heavily at the beginning, making the denouement less revelatory than it could have been with a little more subtlety early on, but it was still an entertaining investigation and reached a satisfactory conclusion.
The narrator was Karen Cass, whom I first heard narrating Jane Robinson's Ladies Can't Climb Ladders . I hadn't realised that she was also the narrator for this series, but it provided me with the perfect opportunity to compare her style when reading fiction and non-fiction. Both were excellent, and her gentle, refined, lively voice suited the era very well and helped me find an instant sense of Verity's bright humour and vivacity. Cass paired a timeless gentility with contemporary warmth to really bring this audiobook alive.
As this story concluded I was sorry to see this it end, which is always the best sign of a good book, and the perfect way to leave the first of a new series. I'm already looking forward to the next Furze House Irregulars book, A Respectable House, when it becomes available in audio.
I'd recommend this audiobook to everyone who enjoys Regency romance and light historical mystery, especially fans of Lynn Messina's Beatrice Hyde Clare Regency Cozy Mysteries .
*I received this audiobook free of charge from the publisher in the hope of an honest, unbiased review.
(Click here to buy this book, listen to a sample, or add it to your wishlist!)
A Rational Proposal is also available on Audio/MP3 CDs and Large Print from Ulverscroft's website.
You can read the full review on my blog.
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
| Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
Publisher: A Choc-Lit Production from Soundings.
A Rational Proposal, Furze House Irregulars, Book 1 by Jan Jones is a highly enjoyable Regency mystery, which introduces a cast of characters I am excited to hear more from.
#BennetSistersScale: Lizzy - 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 Bright, unconventional, and passionately devoted to those closest to her, Verity makes this story a classic Lizzy.
Verity, like all women of her class, is meant to be "biddable and decorative", but as her exasperated friends and family frequently note with a sigh, Verity is far better described as 'incorrigible'. This made her quite my favourite type of heroine, and Charles' determination not to become entangled in yet another of Verity's schemes was, obviously, doomed from the off.
It is not often that I enjoy a new series as much as I did this one, and though we met a plethora of colourful characters in this first Furze House Irregulars story, they each earnt their place, and I'm delighted that they will feature in future stories.
I did feel that some of the elements of this mystery were hinted at rather too heavily at the beginning, making the denouement less revelatory than it could have been with a little more subtlety early on, but it was still an entertaining investigation and reached a satisfactory conclusion.
The narrator was Karen Cass, whom I first heard narrating Jane Robinson's Ladies Can't Climb Ladders . I hadn't realised that she was also the narrator for this series, but it provided me with the perfect opportunity to compare her style when reading fiction and non-fiction. Both were excellent, and her gentle, refined, lively voice suited the era very well and helped me find an instant sense of Verity's bright humour and vivacity. Cass paired a timeless gentility with contemporary warmth to really bring this audiobook alive.
As this story concluded I was sorry to see this it end, which is always the best sign of a good book, and the perfect way to leave the first of a new series. I'm already looking forward to the next Furze House Irregulars book, A Respectable House, when it becomes available in audio.
I'd recommend this audiobook to everyone who enjoys Regency romance and light historical mystery, especially fans of Lynn Messina's Beatrice Hyde Clare Regency Cozy Mysteries .
*I received this audiobook free of charge from the publisher in the hope of an honest, unbiased review.
(Click here to buy this book, listen to a sample, or add it to your wishlist!)
A Rational Proposal is also available on Audio/MP3 CDs and Large Print from Ulverscroft's website.
You can read the full review on my blog.
If you liked this review then please join me for more!
| Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
October 22, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up. More mystery than romance, which carries over to the next in the series. The problem was many characters come from other series which I hadn't read. The original premise was not followed through, at least not yet. Charles is very straight-laced and Verity is quite the opposite. The potential for a HEA is still pending.
March 16, 2022
Very sweet romance. My favourite kind - two people who get along well with each other and never fail to communicate. And an absolutely lovely proposal at the end. Surprised this book hasn't been more popular.
June 24, 2018
Another great read from this author. Well researched and with engaging characters.
January 17, 2020
I found this confusing. It was hard to figure out who was doing what to whom. It smoothed out by the end of the book.
July 31, 2020
Fine regency but I was expecting more, given the great reviews received by this author. I will try her other books and see if my opinion of them changes for the better.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews