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A Most Scandalous Proposal
A Most Scandalous Proposal
A Most Scandalous Proposal
Audiobook11 hours

A Most Scandalous Proposal

Written by Ashlyn Macnamara

Narrated by Veida Dehmlow

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

After watching her beloved sister, Sophia, pine over the town's golden boy for years, Miss Julia St. Claire has forsworn love and put herself firmly on the shelf. Unfortunately, her social-climbing mother and debt-ridden father have other ideas, and they jump at the chance to marry Julia off to the newly named Earl of Clivesden . . . the man of Sophia's dreams.

Since resigning his cavalry commission, Benedict Revelstoke has spent his time in London avoiding the marriage mart. But when he discovers that the Earl of Clivesden has his sights set on Julia, Benedict tries to protect his childhood best friend from the man's advances-only to discover that more than friendship is driving his desire to defend her. He surprises them both with the force of his feelings. But when Julia refuses him, and her father announces her betrothal, Benedict fears he's lost her forever-until Julia approaches him with a shocking scheme that will ruin her for all respectable society and lead them into an exquisite world of forbidden pleasures.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 3, 2013
ISBN9781452683973
A Most Scandalous Proposal

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Reviews for A Most Scandalous Proposal

Rating: 3.4479165916666665 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

48 ratings16 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Although the book had a slow start, it ended well. Julia listed as main character but her relationship closely intertwined with Sophia her sister. The author created a good book but did not focus on the primary character Julia. Then a second novel with Sophia as the main character giving an in depth look at Sophia and her obsession over Clivesden.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was a decent, but not spectacular book. I felt that I kept reading because I wanted to experience the secondary romance more than the primary one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I requested this book from Early Reviewers because I'm fond of friends-to-lovers stories. Unfortunately I found the main couple in this book less sympathetic than the secondary couple. Why does Benedict have to be all vague about warning Julia to stay away from Clivesden instead of telling her he's made a bet that he will marry her? And Julia's determination not to marry for love while still refusing appropriate suitors all over the place followed by her worry over whether or not she can let herself love Benedict after they've already acted on a plan that will require them to marry all gets rather grating. I could almost accept it if at some point they had been planning on a marriage of convenience only, but they never were, so there's a degree to which for most of the last third of the book Benedict and Julia seem like they should be in love and happy with each other and just need to overcome the external obstacles, but they aren't because they have issues with the word "love" even though they are clearly fine with everything else involved. I enjoyed more the parts of the book involving Sophia and Highgate, who are forced together by accident and an unfair society. They know almost nothing about each other when they become engaged, but learn to value each other for the things that people don't see at first glance, and Sophia learns that she deserves more than to pine over a man who never noticed her. They had almost as much of the story as Benedict and Julia, which was fortunate since I spent most of the time wishing it was their book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found myself really enjoying this story and all the characters in it. I'm really glad that I picked this book up :)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a run of the mill Regency romance. I like Regency romances & this was a decent example of the genre but nothing outstanding. It is the story of the St Clair sisters Sophie & Julia and their desperate to see them married parents. Sophia is infatuated with the Earl of Clivesden, who only has eyes for Julia and Julia, who has no intention of getting married, begins to develop feelings for her long time friend Benedict Revelstoke. When the girls' father forces the issue by publicly announcing Julia's betrothal to Civesden, Julia takes matters into her own hands and schemes to get out of the betrothal with the help of Benedict.It was an ok story, with a nice mix of romance, drama, mystery & humor but it was lacking a bit in motivational detail. The characters were given a decent amount of backstory but some things were still left unexplained.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What a great read - Ashlyn Macnamara doesn't travel the well-trodden road but takes her romantic storylines on some wildly entertaining detours. Devoted sisters Julia and Sophia each have a story to tell and a life to get on with, after fruitless years on the marriage mart. Great romantic leads and a great story!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My rating: 4 of 5 starsA Most Scandalous Proposal is a 2013 release, published by Random House. This is a Regency period romance written by Ashylyn MacNamara. Sophia St. Claire has pined for the newly named Earl of Clivesden for the past five years. But, Clivesden has set his sights on Sophia's sister Julia. Julia has no intention of getting married. She has seen the pain that an arranged marriage can bring, but the pain of a broken heart is Julia's worst fear. Benedict Revelstoke and Julia had been friends since childhood. For Julia, Benedict is the only man she feels safe with. But, after he goes out of her way to tell her about Clivesden's intentions and they share a waltz, her feelings for Benedict become confused. When Julia learns of the Earl's plans, she avoids him and flat out refuses to entertain his advances. But, her parents, are determined to see their daughters married to titled men. Julia's father announces her betrothal to the Earl in public so Julia couldn't protest. But, Julia has a plan that involves Benedict. Will Benedict accept Julia's scandalous proposal? The first few historical romances released in 2013 that I read had me really concerned about the direction this sub-genre was taking. But, I think there is still some hope for historical romances if more books are written like this one. Regency period romances can get stale for sure, but there are some stories we never tire of, like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. This book draws on both those well loved stories at times and it works well. The secondary romance with Sophia and Rufus was also a good solid romance. This author has a lot of promise. There were still times when I felt the language was too relaxed for the Regency period, but I've pretty much given up on finding newer release historicals that stick to total authenticity in that regard. I am looking forward to the upcoming installments in this series. Overall this one gets an A-. Thanks to Librarything for the early review copy of this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A mildly interesting romance novel that had a lot of open questions. There was a lot of character description but not the actions did not align with that. Its never really explained why the villain is so fixated on the heroine; sure there's an explanation but its completely ludicrous. The heroine's parents go from pushy to completely overbearing seemingly overnight. If you don't think too hard about this book, you'll probably enjoy it but don't go beyond the surface.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A Most Scandalous Proposal is a story of two sisters, which at times feels like one sister too many. The narrative shifts between the two, which at times did not allow for true depth of characterization. As a reader when I would be involved with Sophia’s story, it would shift to Julia. Another reviewer suggested that this would be better as two books for each sister instead of one. Ashley MacNarama must be given credit for taking on the difficulties of two separate romances in one book. This is a good debut novel. Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Two sisters struggle with love in this author's debut novel of Regency era romance. The eldest has devoted five years of her life to pining for a man who never notices her. Then, when he inherits an earldom, he proposes to her sister! The younger sister, having developed a jaundiced view of love and marriage, is determined never to marry anyone - most especially not the man her sister is devoted to; but her childhood friend, Benedict, is determined to change her mind. This is an enjoyable read, especially since the motivations of the main characters are explored and explained, and their emotional states are more believably drawn than in some Regency romances.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Julia St. Claire doesn’t believe in falling in love because nothing good can come of it. She’s witnessed firsthand the heartache and destruction that accompanies unrequited love. Her sister, Sophia, on the other hand, has spent the past five years pining for Earl of Clivesden, but he only has eyes for one of the St. Claire sisters. When Benedict Revelstoke, a long time friend of the St. Claire family, learns of Clivesden’s true intentions towards Julia, Benedict makes every effort to keep her away from Clivesden and in the process discovers that he loves her. Julia rejects Benedict until she’s betrayed by her father and suddenly she makes him an offer he can’t refuse.The story is interesting, but lacks in depth characterization. Julia is a bit one sided and I was trying to understand her, but couldn’t. Sophia is a bit more interesting and the one I cared about the most. As for the men, Highgate’s personal history was interesting and you could feel the pain of his past. George Upperton, Benedict’s best friend, was personally one of my favorite characters and every time he made an appearance on the page, I smiled. In terms of Benedict, it would have been nice to read his gradual interest in Julia turn into love. Instead it happens overnight and there’s no hint of him having had these feelings prior nor are we given the exact moment he realizes he loves her. That “aha” moment is crucial to any romance plot because readers are on the same journey as our protagonists and if we don’t have it, then I feel we miss out on something that’s expected. The writing is good and there are some funny moments. I particularly liked the scene between Highgate and Sophia discussing Pride and Prejudice. I loved how both of them were able to describe people they knew as characters. At one point, Sophia tells Highgate his sister, Lady Wexford, resembles Lady Catherine de Bourgh because she looks down on Sophia and her family. My favorite quote describing Highgate’s personal thoughts regarding his sister is: “He’d always thought their father would have made a sound investment in buying her a commission-preferably in India.”Ultimately what makes this a three and not a solid four, are the different narratives that made my head spin and in the end, we didn’t get the one that really counted, that of Clivesden. What drives him to seek Julia instead of Sophia? While Julia assumes it’s because she’s perceived as a cold fish, I wanted to know more about him. We aren’t given much in terms of his personal history other than how he came into the title and he’s known to sleep around. In hindsight, I can see why he picks Julia because she is not attracted to him. Although Sophia’s heart is engaged, in the end, he would have made her life miserable, I doubt she would have grown to realize this had he showed any interest in her. Knowing Clivesden’s history, I doubt he would have cared for Sophia’s feelings and he’s not the chivalrous sort. Ultimately, Macnamara does a good job handling the shift in narratives, but wish she would have them drawn them out more. In the end, we have two romances taking place and despite the fact Sophia’s is secondary, her romance was the strongest. I wish Macnamara had focused on Sophia and Highgate’s romance primarily because it outshined that of Julia and Benedict. Ashlyn Macnamara’s A Most Scandalous Proposal is a good debut and despite a few hiccups, I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. If you’re looking to try a new author, I recommend Macnamara.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Honestly, I am not sure how I feel about this book. It is billed as a love story between Julia and Benedict, but her sister Sophia gets almost the same amount of coverage. It was almost two novels in one, and I can't tell if I feel cheated or that it had to be this way because neither sister's story was strong enough on its own. I didn't really like Julia's reason for not wanting a love match, but I do admire her for refusing to betray her sister. As for Sophia, I might have liked her and Highgate's story more. And she is the only character I feel had real growth. Right now I can't tell if I will be picking up another Ashlyn Macnamara. I wasn't disappointed in this story, per se, but neither was I inspired. A solid effort, but nothing outstanding.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A solid 3 stars. The book itself wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either, and it was the same with the characters. The plot seemed to be an homage of sorts to Sense and Sensibility and even having the characters mentioning it and discussing Jane Austin novels. I probably wouldn't pick this up again, but I am interested in her next books to see how the Macnamara progresses as an author. This was a LibraryThing Early review book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I requested this book from Early Reviewers because I'm fond of friends-to-lovers stories. Unfortunately I found the main couple in this book less sympathetic than the secondary couple. Why does Benedict have to be all vague about warning Julia to stay away from Clivesden instead of telling her he's made a bet that he will marry her? And Julia's determination not to marry for love while still refusing appropriate suitors all over the place followed by her worry over whether or not she can let herself love Benedict after they've already acted on a plan that will require them to marry all gets rather grating. I could almost accept it if at some point they had been planning on a marriage of convenience only, but they never were, so there's a degree to which for most of the last third of the book Benedict and Julia seem like they should be in love and happy with each other and just need to overcome the external obstacles, but they aren't because they have issues with the word "love" even though they are clearly fine with everything else involved. I enjoyed more the parts of the book involving Sophia and Highgate, who are forced together by accident and an unfair society. They know almost nothing about each other when they become engaged, but learn to value each other for the things that people don't see at first glance, and Sophia learns that she deserves more than to pine over a man who never noticed her. They had almost as much of the story as Benedict and Julia, which was fortunate since I spent most of the time wishing it was their book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This Regency Romance tells the story of two sisters, Julia and Sophia St. Claire, who, after turning down other marriage proposals, find themselves rather unexpectedly betrothed. And sadly, Mr. St. Claire has gone and betrothed Julia to the man for whom Sophia has held a tendre for five years. I really enjoyed seeing the characters develop and the plot unfold. This book has a great combination of intrigue and spicy romance all set against the rigid background of the ton rules. It is hard to believe that this was a first publication for Ashlyn Macnamara. I look forward to her next book in this series - A Most Devilish Rogue.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was the epitomy of Historical Romance. The scandal, the love, bravery and bravado. There was no down point to this book. I enjoyed the whole thing. The slightest touch of intimacy heats this story up just right. I look forward to more from this author.Julia and Sophia are sisters, whom continue to turn down proposals from potential suitors. But, one scandal after another has the girls pinned to men they don't feel they can marry. Can Benedict and Highgate help these woman see they are a perfect match for them?