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A Dishonorable Proposal
MISS HATFIELD'S DECISION
Beautiful and spirited Miss Annabelle Hatfield was certain she was in love--with the wrong man. Henry Ravenhurst might be handsome, brilliant, and charming, but he also had little desire to marry her, or so she thought.
On the other hand, Annabelle had to admit that her proposed marriage to the wealthy and powerful Duke of Paxton might be considered a perfect match by the ton--yet she scorned the nobility and despised the duke sight unseen.
Scandalous love or loveless marriage? Which would Annabelle wind up having? One? Or the other? Or neither? Or both...?
Beautiful and spirited Miss Annabelle Hatfield was certain she was in love--with the wrong man. Henry Ravenhurst might be handsome, brilliant, and charming, but he also had little desire to marry her, or so she thought.
On the other hand, Annabelle had to admit that her proposed marriage to the wealthy and powerful Duke of Paxton might be considered a perfect match by the ton--yet she scorned the nobility and despised the duke sight unseen.
Scandalous love or loveless marriage? Which would Annabelle wind up having? One? Or the other? Or neither? Or both...?
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1989
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January 6, 2020
I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan
( from: La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad
BY JOHN KEATS )
In this clean traditional regency historical romance, our idealistic and unconventional H, Harry, is immediately smitten with Annabelle - a spirited, country beauty with lots of hoydenish qualities and a marked penchant for mischief.
She inspires the besotted H to quote Keats, as they grow closer in this sweet story, that's filled lots of pastoral elements since 70% of the novel occurs in the idyllic countryside, in the heroine's obscure little village.
This is a storyline that's built around the double identity trope, because Harry is the wealthy and eligible Duke of Paxton, who's journeyed to his smallest property, in order to evade the machinations of husband hunting debutantes, his own nagging mother and his wastrel, spendthrift brother Percy.
He's sick of everyone bowing and scraping to him, he wants to write a book and that's why he decides to escape from the luxury ducal lifestyle and live life as an ordinary country gentleman...
He's accompanied only by Murchison, his most trusted manservant, there are no other servants at his small country house and the villagers know him as Mr. Henry Ravenhurst.
This is the H, Harry ( aka Henry Ravenhurst ):
Harry's not a rake/playboy type of duke. In fact, he's an academic who's interested in finishing his Botany book. The H keeps a very low profile but it doesn't stop the gossiping villagers from devising all sorts of stories about his background.
Mr. Hatfield, the heroine's lazy, fortune hunting, alcoholic and sloppy dad, immediately devises the grand plan of marrying off his only daughter to the eligible Mr. Ravenhurst. Mrs. Hatfield, Annabelle's absent minded, hypochondriac mother, spends all her time in bed, reading penny novels ( romance novels ).
This duo are so irresponsible that it's up to Annabelle to take charge of the household. It's so hilarious that the heroine's parents reminded me of Onslow and Daisy, from the classic British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
One is a lazy clod who's always planning his next *get rich scheme*, while the other one prefers to lose herself in her Mills and Boon novels 😂.
Annabelle's left to roam the countryside with her trusty sidekick, her maid Violet. The hilarious heroine is an infamous hoyden in this little village, because she's always getting into scrapes. Her father knows that none of the local gentlemen will marry her, because she's too rebellious. That's why he's determined to marry her off to the new guy - Mr. Ravenhurst.
Ironically, it's the heroine's spirited and unconventional personality, that the H finds most refreshing. In fact, the H first saw her when she got into an argument with a drunken local squire, because the latter had been beating his young servant, Jack.
Harry was shocked and amused to see the heroine clout the drunken squire on his head and send him on his way !
This is the heroine, Annabelle:
The MC's meet when Annabelle encounters Harry while she and her maid are walking in the the hillside. The heroine asks him to teach her all about classics, mythology, Botany etc. She's always wanted to expand her education, but her father refused to support such a scheme. Mr. Hatfield thinks that more education will render his daughter even more unmarriageable.
This is how the MC's romance begins to develop. The H is already halfway in love and Annabelle's bowled over by the heady combination of his hotness and his intellect. She thinks he's the perfect man, because he's not a titled nobleman.
She's got a huge bias against all noblemen, because the only one she knows, is the Marquess of Amesbury: a sadistic, perverted psychopath who's known for raping all his pretty, young, female servants. Annabelle's maid, Violet, was lucky to have escaped from the marquess' household.
Just when the MC's have declared their love for each other, the heroine's rich and eccentric great aunt announces that she's arranged for Annabelle to marry a rich nobleman named the Duke of Paxton ! The heroine's shattered, because she doesn't know that the duke and Harry are the same person.
What's even funnier, in this comedy of errors, is that poor Harry is unaware that his meddling mother is arranging his betrothal, behind his back !
What follows is a series of OTT drama, hijinks, silly misunderstandings, interfering relatives and wacky adventure.
Annabelle even plans to elope with Harry, if she's forced into an engagement with the Duke of Paxton ! That's where the title of the book comes into play. Of course, the gallant H has no intention of eloping, because he wants to marry her in the proper way. But, his biggest problem is to make her see that not all noblemen are as vile and useless as the marquess of Amesbury.
In the midst of all this, the MC's save a 14 year maid from Amesbury, Annabelle's sent off for another season in London and decides that she hates Harry when she discovers that he's the Duke of Paxton. I really felt sorry for the H during this final quarter, because he's got to cope with Annabelle's tantrums while devising a plan for the marquess of Amesbury's arrest.
This whole debacle worsens when Annabelle's village pals mistakenly assume that the H is a debaucher of innocent virgins and hold him captive at Miss Milly's brothel ! 😂😂😂
Obviously, after a lot of drama and foolishness, everything works out and the MC's get their well deserved HEA. The heroine's maid Violet, even gets her HEA with the H's manservant, Murchison. Annabelle's greedy father gets some money from the H, but it's put in trust under his wife's name, so he's unable to waste it on alcohol and gambling.
The best part is that the villainous Amesbury is taken into custody, after an investigation provides the Bow Street detectives with incontrovertible evidence of his crimes against the village girls.
I really enjoyed this traditional regency and I would've given 5 stars if Annabelle hadn't been so stubborn and ridiculous. This story is filled with humour, lots of engaging minor characters and adorable slow burn romance. And the dialogue is filled with lots of witty repartee.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and the MC's consummated their marriage at the end of the novel, after they're married.
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.
I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan
( from: La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad
BY JOHN KEATS )
In this clean traditional regency historical romance, our idealistic and unconventional H, Harry, is immediately smitten with Annabelle - a spirited, country beauty with lots of hoydenish qualities and a marked penchant for mischief.
She inspires the besotted H to quote Keats, as they grow closer in this sweet story, that's filled lots of pastoral elements since 70% of the novel occurs in the idyllic countryside, in the heroine's obscure little village.
This is a storyline that's built around the double identity trope, because Harry is the wealthy and eligible Duke of Paxton, who's journeyed to his smallest property, in order to evade the machinations of husband hunting debutantes, his own nagging mother and his wastrel, spendthrift brother Percy.
He's sick of everyone bowing and scraping to him, he wants to write a book and that's why he decides to escape from the luxury ducal lifestyle and live life as an ordinary country gentleman...
He's accompanied only by Murchison, his most trusted manservant, there are no other servants at his small country house and the villagers know him as Mr. Henry Ravenhurst.
This is the H, Harry ( aka Henry Ravenhurst ):
Harry's not a rake/playboy type of duke. In fact, he's an academic who's interested in finishing his Botany book. The H keeps a very low profile but it doesn't stop the gossiping villagers from devising all sorts of stories about his background.
Mr. Hatfield, the heroine's lazy, fortune hunting, alcoholic and sloppy dad, immediately devises the grand plan of marrying off his only daughter to the eligible Mr. Ravenhurst. Mrs. Hatfield, Annabelle's absent minded, hypochondriac mother, spends all her time in bed, reading penny novels ( romance novels ).
This duo are so irresponsible that it's up to Annabelle to take charge of the household. It's so hilarious that the heroine's parents reminded me of Onslow and Daisy, from the classic British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
One is a lazy clod who's always planning his next *get rich scheme*, while the other one prefers to lose herself in her Mills and Boon novels 😂.
Annabelle's left to roam the countryside with her trusty sidekick, her maid Violet. The hilarious heroine is an infamous hoyden in this little village, because she's always getting into scrapes. Her father knows that none of the local gentlemen will marry her, because she's too rebellious. That's why he's determined to marry her off to the new guy - Mr. Ravenhurst.
Ironically, it's the heroine's spirited and unconventional personality, that the H finds most refreshing. In fact, the H first saw her when she got into an argument with a drunken local squire, because the latter had been beating his young servant, Jack.
Harry was shocked and amused to see the heroine clout the drunken squire on his head and send him on his way !
This is the heroine, Annabelle:
The MC's meet when Annabelle encounters Harry while she and her maid are walking in the the hillside. The heroine asks him to teach her all about classics, mythology, Botany etc. She's always wanted to expand her education, but her father refused to support such a scheme. Mr. Hatfield thinks that more education will render his daughter even more unmarriageable.
This is how the MC's romance begins to develop. The H is already halfway in love and Annabelle's bowled over by the heady combination of his hotness and his intellect. She thinks he's the perfect man, because he's not a titled nobleman.
She's got a huge bias against all noblemen, because the only one she knows, is the Marquess of Amesbury: a sadistic, perverted psychopath who's known for raping all his pretty, young, female servants. Annabelle's maid, Violet, was lucky to have escaped from the marquess' household.
Just when the MC's have declared their love for each other, the heroine's rich and eccentric great aunt announces that she's arranged for Annabelle to marry a rich nobleman named the Duke of Paxton ! The heroine's shattered, because she doesn't know that the duke and Harry are the same person.
What's even funnier, in this comedy of errors, is that poor Harry is unaware that his meddling mother is arranging his betrothal, behind his back !
What follows is a series of OTT drama, hijinks, silly misunderstandings, interfering relatives and wacky adventure.
Annabelle even plans to elope with Harry, if she's forced into an engagement with the Duke of Paxton ! That's where the title of the book comes into play. Of course, the gallant H has no intention of eloping, because he wants to marry her in the proper way. But, his biggest problem is to make her see that not all noblemen are as vile and useless as the marquess of Amesbury.
In the midst of all this, the MC's save a 14 year maid from Amesbury, Annabelle's sent off for another season in London and decides that she hates Harry when she discovers that he's the Duke of Paxton. I really felt sorry for the H during this final quarter, because he's got to cope with Annabelle's tantrums while devising a plan for the marquess of Amesbury's arrest.
This whole debacle worsens when Annabelle's village pals mistakenly assume that the H is a debaucher of innocent virgins and hold him captive at Miss Milly's brothel ! 😂😂😂
Obviously, after a lot of drama and foolishness, everything works out and the MC's get their well deserved HEA. The heroine's maid Violet, even gets her HEA with the H's manservant, Murchison. Annabelle's greedy father gets some money from the H, but it's put in trust under his wife's name, so he's unable to waste it on alcohol and gambling.
The best part is that the villainous Amesbury is taken into custody, after an investigation provides the Bow Street detectives with incontrovertible evidence of his crimes against the village girls.
I really enjoyed this traditional regency and I would've given 5 stars if Annabelle hadn't been so stubborn and ridiculous. This story is filled with humour, lots of engaging minor characters and adorable slow burn romance. And the dialogue is filled with lots of witty repartee.
Safety: No OW, no OM, no cheating and the MC's consummated their marriage at the end of the novel, after they're married.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2015
One should always judge individuals by themselves rather than the incontrovertible circumstances in which they find themselves
While the first half of this story went by delightfully as a scholarly duke sought solitude for his studies and found love instead with a young lady of curiosity and intelligence and kind heart...the contrivances became too much for me. The lovely heroine jumped to way too many conclusions even after the two had announced their love - from thinking that the hero might have already been married, to wanting her as a mistress...etc., and practically eschewed all the tutoring he gave on relying more on logic and reason when assessing people.
All the while, the poor hero was delighted that his family had arranged for him to marry the exact same woman with whom he's fallen in love, and he's been trying to get rid of all obstacles at the same pace that she's been creating them.
Now, there are plenty of traditional regencies (read: clean) with real impediments between the hero and heroine, as well as many in which the protagonists would communicate (yes, actually talk ) with each other to unravel misunderstandings. I think very poorly on the creation of silly conflicts for the sake of prolonging a story, especially a traditional regency in which the culmination is marriage and a declaration of love. Once both are practically a done deal halfway through the book, why bore readers with forced misunderstandings till the end?
While the first half of this story went by delightfully as a scholarly duke sought solitude for his studies and found love instead with a young lady of curiosity and intelligence and kind heart...the contrivances became too much for me. The lovely heroine jumped to way too many conclusions even after the two had announced their love - from thinking that the hero might have already been married, to wanting her as a mistress...etc., and practically eschewed all the tutoring he gave on relying more on logic and reason when assessing people.
All the while, the poor hero was delighted that his family had arranged for him to marry the exact same woman with whom he's fallen in love, and he's been trying to get rid of all obstacles at the same pace that she's been creating them.
Now, there are plenty of traditional regencies (read: clean) with real impediments between the hero and heroine, as well as many in which the protagonists would communicate (yes, actually talk ) with each other to unravel misunderstandings. I think very poorly on the creation of silly conflicts for the sake of prolonging a story, especially a traditional regency in which the culmination is marriage and a declaration of love. Once both are practically a done deal halfway through the book, why bore readers with forced misunderstandings till the end?
June 7, 2023
Available on open library.
Very cute book. Very nice meet cute both first times.
The story was progressing well, its a deception trope (which Im usually not fond of) but it was going well the main characters actually did declare their feelings to each other soon after the half way mark.
However, when the pin did finally drop, it sort of devolved into a comedy of errors of epic proportions. I guess this was the intent of the author, but i just sort of got fed up with it all. Maybe was not in the best of moods.
Anyway, its well written and an okay story.
Very cute book. Very nice meet cute both first times.
The story was progressing well, its a deception trope (which Im usually not fond of) but it was going well the main characters actually did declare their feelings to each other soon after the half way mark.
However, when the pin did finally drop, it sort of devolved into a comedy of errors of epic proportions. I guess this was the intent of the author, but i just sort of got fed up with it all. Maybe was not in the best of moods.
Anyway, its well written and an okay story.
December 23, 2012
A Dishonorable Proposal by Katherine Kingsley was a great book. It had a different direction than most historical romances. Harry and Annabelle met outside while walking. Harry, the Duke of Paxton, and Annabelle were both scholars, with Annabelle not knowing near as much as Harry since she was female. Harry began a campaign of teaching her the knowledge she sought. They fell in love. Before Harry could ask Annabelle for her hand in marriage he had an emergency at home. And from this time onwards, mixed messages, signals, etc, were sent by relatives till you would be laughing out loud. Harry was a true Hero. And Annabelle was so refreshing.
Tina B
Inman, SC
Tina B
Inman, SC
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews