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Regency Bachelors #2
The Debutante's Daring Proposal
"I want you to marry me."
Miss Georgiana Wickford has a plan to avoid the marriage mart--she'll propose a marriage of convenience! She hasn't spoken to the Earl of Ashenden since their childhood friendship was torn apart, but now Edmund is her only hope.
Edmund refuses to take any bride, especially the unsuitable country miss who abandoned him years ago. But when he sees beautiful Georgie at the mercy of society's rakes, it arouses his protective instincts. And soon the earl is tempted to claim the daring debutante for himself!
Miss Georgiana Wickford has a plan to avoid the marriage mart--she'll propose a marriage of convenience! She hasn't spoken to the Earl of Ashenden since their childhood friendship was torn apart, but now Edmund is her only hope.
Edmund refuses to take any bride, especially the unsuitable country miss who abandoned him years ago. But when he sees beautiful Georgie at the mercy of society's rakes, it arouses his protective instincts. And soon the earl is tempted to claim the daring debutante for himself!
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published May 23, 2017
24 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Annie Burrows
184 books311 followersI've been published by Mills & Boon since 2007..but I'd been making up stories in my head for as long as I can remember. It was a long walk home from school, and there were no ipods in those days to keep you amused! When I wasn't daydreaming, I had my nose stuck in a book. My parents used to take me to the library every Saturday, until I was old enough to get there on my own, and my house was always full of books.
During school holidays, the whole family loved to visit stately homes and castles. As soon as we got home, my older sister and I would either dress up as lords and ladies, and romp around the garden, or, if it was raining, retreat to our bedroom where we would draw intricately detailed plans of our very own imaginary stately home, complete with secret tunnels, dungeons, and usually, a maze in the extensive grounds.
When I was old enough to go to university, I studied English literature, with Philosophy. I was not sure what I wanted to do after that, but meeting a handsome student of maths, who was the owner of a very powerful motorbike helped me make up my mind. Reader, I married him.
For many years I felt it was important to stay at home to raise our two children, but one day, when the youngest had gone to senior school, I began to wonder if all those stories I made up to occupy my mind whilst attending to mundane chores, would interest anyone else.
I started to write some of them down, and eventually decided that one of them was "deep" enough to merit attention from publishers. It took me almost two years to complete, mainly because I kept tearing it up and starting all over again. And having to keep going out to work to help pay for school fees, then university tuition, slowed progress down as well.
Needless to say, this masterpiece was rejected by every single publisher I sent it to, but by this time, writing had become an addiction.
Four more stories got rejected, before Mills & Boon bought "His Cinderella Bride", a regency romance.
I do have some other interests, besides writing! I love spending time pottering in my garden. And recently I've taken up ballroom dancing as a way to try and keep fit (and keep the romance alive in my marriage!)
During school holidays, the whole family loved to visit stately homes and castles. As soon as we got home, my older sister and I would either dress up as lords and ladies, and romp around the garden, or, if it was raining, retreat to our bedroom where we would draw intricately detailed plans of our very own imaginary stately home, complete with secret tunnels, dungeons, and usually, a maze in the extensive grounds.
When I was old enough to go to university, I studied English literature, with Philosophy. I was not sure what I wanted to do after that, but meeting a handsome student of maths, who was the owner of a very powerful motorbike helped me make up my mind. Reader, I married him.
For many years I felt it was important to stay at home to raise our two children, but one day, when the youngest had gone to senior school, I began to wonder if all those stories I made up to occupy my mind whilst attending to mundane chores, would interest anyone else.
I started to write some of them down, and eventually decided that one of them was "deep" enough to merit attention from publishers. It took me almost two years to complete, mainly because I kept tearing it up and starting all over again. And having to keep going out to work to help pay for school fees, then university tuition, slowed progress down as well.
Needless to say, this masterpiece was rejected by every single publisher I sent it to, but by this time, writing had become an addiction.
Four more stories got rejected, before Mills & Boon bought "His Cinderella Bride", a regency romance.
I do have some other interests, besides writing! I love spending time pottering in my garden. And recently I've taken up ballroom dancing as a way to try and keep fit (and keep the romance alive in my marriage!)
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 9, 2017
Lovely story.
November 20, 2021
This book was alright. But it wasn’t amazing nor made me love it.
I felt Edmund and Georgie had the same issue as the couple in the first book: miscommunication. That basically ruined the story for me.
I just felt they should have talked about why they drifted apart earlier in the story. They waited towards the end of the book before talking about it. Meanwhile, they were just having thoughts about each other that they broke their promise to write and just was angry at each other for majority of the book.
I found it hard to like Edmund because his actions were contradictory. He’s angry at Georgie, yet he does things for her. Then he gets angry at her. He assumes badly of her. Georgie is too against the idea of making love and marriage. Yet, she refuses to confide in Edmund. She has a super low esteem which makes me want to hit her in the head because it was annoying me.
The two of them spent most of their times having inner thoughts instead of actually communicating which i disliked. At the back, when Edmund snuck into Georgie’s room when she was sick and was discovered by her step mother, i disliked him because it seemed as if he was planning for her to be seen as compromised to get her to marry him. It made him look manipulative.
Also, i felt the author should have addressed the issue of Edmund’s mother trying to force Edmund and Georgie apart when they were young. We did not see Edmund scolding his mother, or his mother seeking an apology from Georgie for doing so. The author mentioned it was resolved, but to me, without actually seeing the words or actions Edmund took, it felt unresolved to me.
To conclude, i would have given a higher rating if the writing was better, if the hero and heroine was more likeable and if there were more chemistry between them which was hard to see.
I felt Edmund and Georgie had the same issue as the couple in the first book: miscommunication. That basically ruined the story for me.
I just felt they should have talked about why they drifted apart earlier in the story. They waited towards the end of the book before talking about it. Meanwhile, they were just having thoughts about each other that they broke their promise to write and just was angry at each other for majority of the book.
I found it hard to like Edmund because his actions were contradictory. He’s angry at Georgie, yet he does things for her. Then he gets angry at her. He assumes badly of her. Georgie is too against the idea of making love and marriage. Yet, she refuses to confide in Edmund. She has a super low esteem which makes me want to hit her in the head because it was annoying me.
The two of them spent most of their times having inner thoughts instead of actually communicating which i disliked. At the back, when Edmund snuck into Georgie’s room when she was sick and was discovered by her step mother, i disliked him because it seemed as if he was planning for her to be seen as compromised to get her to marry him. It made him look manipulative.
Also, i felt the author should have addressed the issue of Edmund’s mother trying to force Edmund and Georgie apart when they were young. We did not see Edmund scolding his mother, or his mother seeking an apology from Georgie for doing so. The author mentioned it was resolved, but to me, without actually seeing the words or actions Edmund took, it felt unresolved to me.
To conclude, i would have given a higher rating if the writing was better, if the hero and heroine was more likeable and if there were more chemistry between them which was hard to see.
February 1, 2019
Technically belongs on the angst shelf, with the misunderstandings and "unrequited" feelings, but Still, I did enjoy it, as I love a kinda-plus-sized, kinda-plain tomboy heroine who is insecure about her femininity. And the geeky hero is cute too! I realize I should have read the first book in the series before this one to get a bit more context for him, but this one's premise was more appealing. (3.5 stars)
February 16, 2024
Polvere d'arte - per RFS
.
Care Fenici, se una vostra vecchia migliore amica, con cui non parlate da tanti anni, venisse da voi e vi chiedesse di sposarla voi cosa fareste? Il conte di Ashenden, Edmund, si ritrova proprio di fronte a questo assurdo enigma. La donna che avanza tale pretesa è Georgiana, la figlia di un guardiacaccia.
Il conte a causa della sua salute cagionevole è stato cresciuto in un quasi totale isolamento, senza poter stringere amicizie o andare a scuola. L’unica persona con cui crea una salda amicizia è Georgiana che, incurante delle regole e dell’etichetta, riesce sempre a trovare il modo per arrivare a stare in sua compagnia, colorando così le sue tristi giornate.
I due vengono separati, nel momento in cui vengono scoperti in camera del conte circondati da bellissime farfalle colorate, dato che per la gente è indecoroso! Si promettono amicizia eterna e di scriversi delle lettere, che purtroppo non arriveranno mai, proprio per questo crescono provando rimorso, dolore e a tratti anche odio.
Quando si rivedono, Edmund rimane scioccato dalla proposta di Georgiana che elenca ciò che è disposta a fare e a non fare per lui, purché accetti la sua proposta di matrimonio. Lei è costretta a tutto ciò in quanto il padre è morto e la matrigna, per onorarlo, è decisa a portarla a Londra e a farle contrarre un buon matrimonio con un pretendente sconosciuto cosa che la ragazza non vuole assolutamente.
Edmund non accetterà, ma la aiuterà a cercare come marito un uomo che la rispetti e la renda felice. Riuscirà la giovane a trovare qualcuno che le faccia brillare gli occhi nella Londra mondana? Un uomo che la rispetti per la sua intelligenza, per la sua gioia di vivere e che non la voglia solo per il suo generoso e bellissimo corpo? Georgiana rivedrà le sue paure e la sua lista? Tutte le incomprensioni passate troveranno risposte?
I due capiranno che sono sempre stati innamorati l’uno dell’altra, sebbene non riescano a dirselo ma al contrario tendano a creare situazioni che li avvicineranno e li allontaneranno allo stesso tempo.
I personaggi vengono definiti scaltri, intelligenti, curiosi e pieni di iniziativa ma, secondo me in alcune occasioni, non si sono rivelati tali anzi li definirei un po’ ottusi.
Tanto per farvi degli esempi, a un certo punto Edmund chiarisce con Georgiana alcune vecchie questioni e, alla fine di un lungo discorso, praticamente una dichiarazione, la bacia sulla fronte ma lei continua a non capire. Mah! Oppure lei, che è sempre definita come un maschiaccio, anche dopo la morte del padre decide di assecondare la matrigna, nonostante in tutta la sua adolescenza dopo ogni sua ribellione quella donna non mancava di punirla. Tutto ciò potrebbe essere giustificato se fosse stato un personaggio remissivo o educato in modo diverso fin dalla nascita, come la sorellastra per capirci. Il guaio è che Georgiana non lotta nemmeno un po’, si è totalmente rassegnata a vivere la sua esistenza così com’è, accetta persino come la matrigna la veste pur di farle avvicinare dei pretendenti, che lei non scoraggia e non rimette mai in riga come invece sarebbe in grado di fare.
Questo romanzo, secondo me, aveva molto potenziale, ma che non è stato sfruttato al meglio.
È un libro scorrevole, un po’ ripetitivo in alcuni punti ma molto piacevole, che si legge in uno o due pomeriggi con qualche errore di battitura dovuto alla distrazione.
Lo consiglio a chi vuole leggere qualcosa di leggero senza troppe pretese.
.
Care Fenici, se una vostra vecchia migliore amica, con cui non parlate da tanti anni, venisse da voi e vi chiedesse di sposarla voi cosa fareste? Il conte di Ashenden, Edmund, si ritrova proprio di fronte a questo assurdo enigma. La donna che avanza tale pretesa è Georgiana, la figlia di un guardiacaccia.
Il conte a causa della sua salute cagionevole è stato cresciuto in un quasi totale isolamento, senza poter stringere amicizie o andare a scuola. L’unica persona con cui crea una salda amicizia è Georgiana che, incurante delle regole e dell’etichetta, riesce sempre a trovare il modo per arrivare a stare in sua compagnia, colorando così le sue tristi giornate.
I due vengono separati, nel momento in cui vengono scoperti in camera del conte circondati da bellissime farfalle colorate, dato che per la gente è indecoroso! Si promettono amicizia eterna e di scriversi delle lettere, che purtroppo non arriveranno mai, proprio per questo crescono provando rimorso, dolore e a tratti anche odio.
Quando si rivedono, Edmund rimane scioccato dalla proposta di Georgiana che elenca ciò che è disposta a fare e a non fare per lui, purché accetti la sua proposta di matrimonio. Lei è costretta a tutto ciò in quanto il padre è morto e la matrigna, per onorarlo, è decisa a portarla a Londra e a farle contrarre un buon matrimonio con un pretendente sconosciuto cosa che la ragazza non vuole assolutamente.
Edmund non accetterà, ma la aiuterà a cercare come marito un uomo che la rispetti e la renda felice. Riuscirà la giovane a trovare qualcuno che le faccia brillare gli occhi nella Londra mondana? Un uomo che la rispetti per la sua intelligenza, per la sua gioia di vivere e che non la voglia solo per il suo generoso e bellissimo corpo? Georgiana rivedrà le sue paure e la sua lista? Tutte le incomprensioni passate troveranno risposte?
I due capiranno che sono sempre stati innamorati l’uno dell’altra, sebbene non riescano a dirselo ma al contrario tendano a creare situazioni che li avvicineranno e li allontaneranno allo stesso tempo.
I personaggi vengono definiti scaltri, intelligenti, curiosi e pieni di iniziativa ma, secondo me in alcune occasioni, non si sono rivelati tali anzi li definirei un po’ ottusi.
Tanto per farvi degli esempi, a un certo punto Edmund chiarisce con Georgiana alcune vecchie questioni e, alla fine di un lungo discorso, praticamente una dichiarazione, la bacia sulla fronte ma lei continua a non capire. Mah! Oppure lei, che è sempre definita come un maschiaccio, anche dopo la morte del padre decide di assecondare la matrigna, nonostante in tutta la sua adolescenza dopo ogni sua ribellione quella donna non mancava di punirla. Tutto ciò potrebbe essere giustificato se fosse stato un personaggio remissivo o educato in modo diverso fin dalla nascita, come la sorellastra per capirci. Il guaio è che Georgiana non lotta nemmeno un po’, si è totalmente rassegnata a vivere la sua esistenza così com’è, accetta persino come la matrigna la veste pur di farle avvicinare dei pretendenti, che lei non scoraggia e non rimette mai in riga come invece sarebbe in grado di fare.
Questo romanzo, secondo me, aveva molto potenziale, ma che non è stato sfruttato al meglio.
È un libro scorrevole, un po’ ripetitivo in alcuni punti ma molto piacevole, che si legge in uno o due pomeriggi con qualche errore di battitura dovuto alla distrazione.
Lo consiglio a chi vuole leggere qualcosa di leggero senza troppe pretese.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 24, 2017Miniseries: Regency Bachelors
December 12, 2017
Plot: 3/5
Characterisation: 4/5
Prose: 3/5
How much I enjoyed it: 3/5
Characterisation: 4/5
Prose: 3/5
How much I enjoyed it: 3/5
August 6, 2020
3.5 rounded up. A friend-to-enemies-to-lovers story. Once again communication was lacking. Georgiana had a bad experience with intimacy; Edmund handled it as best he could which isn't saying much.
April 12, 2018
Good second chance/friends to lovers story. Georgie and Edmund had been good friends as children. Both of them had been labeled as "different" and as a result were also each other's only friend. Georgie was a tomboy, more interested in fishing, fencing, and outdoor pursuits than in the "girly" ones of fashion, needlework, and gossip. Edmund was fascinated by bugs and all things scientific. As the heir to an earl, Edmund's mother didn't want him associating with "common" children, so he was very isolated. When Edmund became ill, Georgie found ways to sneak in and see him, until it all came to a crashing end. Edmund was sent away to recover from his illness, and both he and Georgie promised to write. But as months went by with no letters, each believed that the other had abandoned their friendship.
Georgie has grown up and changed from the hoyden that she used to be. After Edmund's departure, her father remarried and her stepmother went to great pains to turn Georgie into a lady. Her methods were extreme and Georgie has buried the girl she used to be under a façade of propriety. Now that her father has died, she and her stepmother and stepsister have lost their home. Her stepmother is determined to marry the two girls off to titled husbands. Georgie has a fear of marriage due to something she witnessed and is desperate to avoid the marriage mart. She remembers that Edmund had promised to help her if she ever needed it, and comes up with a desperate plan.
Edmund is shocked when his first communication from Georgie in years results in an incredible proposal. She wants him to marry her and in return she will leave him to pursue his own interests with no interference from her. All she asks is that he doesn't consummate the marriage. Still angry over what he sees as her abandonment, he shoots her down most emphatically. But it isn't long before he feels guilty and decides to go to London and find a way to help her that doesn't involve him marrying her.
I enjoyed the development of Edmund and Georgie's relationship. It is still antagonistic at the beginning as each confronts the other about their past actions. But there are indications that their previous friendship isn't as dead as they thought it was. I liked the way that their former openness began to resurface as they spent more time together. It was great fun to see Edmund go from wanting to play matchmaker to realizing that he didn't want her to marry some other man. He is completely oblivious to the reason he is so reluctant to hand her over as he comes up with reason after reason that this man or that one is unsuitable. He also becomes very protective of her, which lands him in an awkward situation but also opens his eyes.
Meanwhile, Georgie is stuck doing what she doesn't want - entertaining gentlemen callers who aren't truly interested in her. I ached for her as she dealt with the constant criticisms from her stepmother while trying to find an acceptable solution to her predicament. I liked seeing her real personality begin to reemerge whenever she was with Edmund. I enjoyed seeing her call him out on some of his attitudes toward her, especially on those things she had no control over. It wasn't long before she was comparing each of her suitors to Edmund until she finally realized that it was Edmund she had wanted all along.
Both Edmund and Georgie also had to find a way to overcome their own insecurities. Though he puts on a good front, Edmund is affected by the way others see him. He frequently takes things Georgie says the wrong way as they play upon those insecurities. It was quite satisfying whenever Georgie would upend those feelings by being supportive of the real him. Georgie's insecurities have been thrust on her by her stepmother's attitudes and actions. Georgie is a tall girl with a curvy figure, nothing like the current fashion, and she can't see how any man would want her for who she is. I loved seeing her surprise whenever Edmund would compliment her. Her fears of the physical side of marriage also faded when she pictured Edmund in that role.
I enjoyed the ending as Edmund took drastic steps to gain the result that he wanted. It was fun to see the encouragement he received from his friends, who saw things much more clearly than he did. I loved that he was so willing to be whatever Georgie needed from him. The conclusion was sweet, romantic, and intense as both Edmund and Georgie were finally able to put all their fears to rest.
The secondary characters were also well done. Georgie's stepmother was vividly portrayed in her horrible attitude toward Georgie. There were many times I really wanted someone to let her have it. I was not terribly surprised by the revelation of how she came to marry Georgie's father. Edmund's mother, though she had few actual appearances in the book, had a much bigger role in their lives than either knew. Again, I wasn't surprised by what she did. I liked seeing Edmund finally stand up to her.
Georgie has grown up and changed from the hoyden that she used to be. After Edmund's departure, her father remarried and her stepmother went to great pains to turn Georgie into a lady. Her methods were extreme and Georgie has buried the girl she used to be under a façade of propriety. Now that her father has died, she and her stepmother and stepsister have lost their home. Her stepmother is determined to marry the two girls off to titled husbands. Georgie has a fear of marriage due to something she witnessed and is desperate to avoid the marriage mart. She remembers that Edmund had promised to help her if she ever needed it, and comes up with a desperate plan.
Edmund is shocked when his first communication from Georgie in years results in an incredible proposal. She wants him to marry her and in return she will leave him to pursue his own interests with no interference from her. All she asks is that he doesn't consummate the marriage. Still angry over what he sees as her abandonment, he shoots her down most emphatically. But it isn't long before he feels guilty and decides to go to London and find a way to help her that doesn't involve him marrying her.
I enjoyed the development of Edmund and Georgie's relationship. It is still antagonistic at the beginning as each confronts the other about their past actions. But there are indications that their previous friendship isn't as dead as they thought it was. I liked the way that their former openness began to resurface as they spent more time together. It was great fun to see Edmund go from wanting to play matchmaker to realizing that he didn't want her to marry some other man. He is completely oblivious to the reason he is so reluctant to hand her over as he comes up with reason after reason that this man or that one is unsuitable. He also becomes very protective of her, which lands him in an awkward situation but also opens his eyes.
Meanwhile, Georgie is stuck doing what she doesn't want - entertaining gentlemen callers who aren't truly interested in her. I ached for her as she dealt with the constant criticisms from her stepmother while trying to find an acceptable solution to her predicament. I liked seeing her real personality begin to reemerge whenever she was with Edmund. I enjoyed seeing her call him out on some of his attitudes toward her, especially on those things she had no control over. It wasn't long before she was comparing each of her suitors to Edmund until she finally realized that it was Edmund she had wanted all along.
Both Edmund and Georgie also had to find a way to overcome their own insecurities. Though he puts on a good front, Edmund is affected by the way others see him. He frequently takes things Georgie says the wrong way as they play upon those insecurities. It was quite satisfying whenever Georgie would upend those feelings by being supportive of the real him. Georgie's insecurities have been thrust on her by her stepmother's attitudes and actions. Georgie is a tall girl with a curvy figure, nothing like the current fashion, and she can't see how any man would want her for who she is. I loved seeing her surprise whenever Edmund would compliment her. Her fears of the physical side of marriage also faded when she pictured Edmund in that role.
I enjoyed the ending as Edmund took drastic steps to gain the result that he wanted. It was fun to see the encouragement he received from his friends, who saw things much more clearly than he did. I loved that he was so willing to be whatever Georgie needed from him. The conclusion was sweet, romantic, and intense as both Edmund and Georgie were finally able to put all their fears to rest.
The secondary characters were also well done. Georgie's stepmother was vividly portrayed in her horrible attitude toward Georgie. There were many times I really wanted someone to let her have it. I was not terribly surprised by the revelation of how she came to marry Georgie's father. Edmund's mother, though she had few actual appearances in the book, had a much bigger role in their lives than either knew. Again, I wasn't surprised by what she did. I liked seeing Edmund finally stand up to her.
July 22, 2017
Once upon a time, Georgiana Wickford and Edmund, Earl of Ashenden were best friends. Then he was sent Italy to recover from a childhood illness, and, despite promises to keep in touch, the two failed to. For the first time in years though, Georgie has reached out to Edmund and wants his help. He's still angry at her for her apparent abandonment of him, but he feels obliged to see what she needs.
Georgie doesn't want to get married. Years ago, she caught a stablehand and a maid fucking in the stable, and witnessing that and the maid's subsequent dismissal have made her fear sex, but due to her father's death, she has no where to go. Rather than face the marriage mart, she wants to marry Edmund. She'll then stay at home while he can continue his life elsewhere. Edmund is horrified at the suggestion. The last thing he wants is a sexless marriage, and he isn't interested in a woman who will let his mother walk all over her. He's also angry that the first time Georgie reaches out to him in years, it's to ask such a huge favor of him. He refuses, but after thinking it over, he decides to help Georgie find a suitable husband. He figures he can find someone palatable to her, whether it's someone she genuinely cares about, or a gay man who's interested in the same kind of marriage of convenience that she is. However, as he reconnects with Georgie, Edmund's feelings begin to rekindle for her, and Georgie begins to think that a loveless, and sexless, marriage isn't what she wants at all.
There is a lot of hurt and misunderstanding between Georgie and Edmund. They were once best friends, and really each other's only friends. Edmund was sickly and kept isolated from most of the other children, and had a weird interest in bugs. Georgie was your quintessential tomboy, and an outcast from the rest of the village children. That all changes when Edmund is sent away. Both send letters to the other, but they never receive a reply, so eventually they stop sending letters and assume the other no longer cares about them. It's obvious to the reader what has happened, but it takes longer for them to realize what has happened. I liked the pain between them, and their reluctance to get close again despite all their fond memories and how it easy it feels to be friends again. There was a nice evolution of feelings.
I also liked both Georgie and Edmund. Georgie was a tomboy, but after Edmund leaves, her father starts to worry about her learning how to be a woman, so he remarries to give her a mother. Her step-mother is an awful woman. Burrows did a good job showing the different facets of abuse. Georgie's step-mother physically abused Georgie in order to make her lessons stick, and her step-sister also furthered the abuse, but in a much more subtle way than her mother. This definitely messed up Georgie, and years of living under her with no one else to rely on has transformed her from the girl Edmund knew. She still wants to be that girl, but no longer can be. Edmund is a bit dickish, but it makes considering he thought Georgie had abandoned him, and I thought that his anger over Georgie's proposal made sense as well as his fear of getting involved with her.
Georgie's fear of sex did seem a bit extreme to me. I understood why she had such a negative view of it, but to swear it off entirely seemed a bit much. I also would have liked to have seen more punishment for the villains. I thought they got off pretty lightly for what they did and wanted a bit more.
Overall, a good book, and I really liked seeing Georgia and Edmund rekindle their love.
Georgie doesn't want to get married. Years ago, she caught a stablehand and a maid fucking in the stable, and witnessing that and the maid's subsequent dismissal have made her fear sex, but due to her father's death, she has no where to go. Rather than face the marriage mart, she wants to marry Edmund. She'll then stay at home while he can continue his life elsewhere. Edmund is horrified at the suggestion. The last thing he wants is a sexless marriage, and he isn't interested in a woman who will let his mother walk all over her. He's also angry that the first time Georgie reaches out to him in years, it's to ask such a huge favor of him. He refuses, but after thinking it over, he decides to help Georgie find a suitable husband. He figures he can find someone palatable to her, whether it's someone she genuinely cares about, or a gay man who's interested in the same kind of marriage of convenience that she is. However, as he reconnects with Georgie, Edmund's feelings begin to rekindle for her, and Georgie begins to think that a loveless, and sexless, marriage isn't what she wants at all.
There is a lot of hurt and misunderstanding between Georgie and Edmund. They were once best friends, and really each other's only friends. Edmund was sickly and kept isolated from most of the other children, and had a weird interest in bugs. Georgie was your quintessential tomboy, and an outcast from the rest of the village children. That all changes when Edmund is sent away. Both send letters to the other, but they never receive a reply, so eventually they stop sending letters and assume the other no longer cares about them. It's obvious to the reader what has happened, but it takes longer for them to realize what has happened. I liked the pain between them, and their reluctance to get close again despite all their fond memories and how it easy it feels to be friends again. There was a nice evolution of feelings.
I also liked both Georgie and Edmund. Georgie was a tomboy, but after Edmund leaves, her father starts to worry about her learning how to be a woman, so he remarries to give her a mother. Her step-mother is an awful woman. Burrows did a good job showing the different facets of abuse. Georgie's step-mother physically abused Georgie in order to make her lessons stick, and her step-sister also furthered the abuse, but in a much more subtle way than her mother. This definitely messed up Georgie, and years of living under her with no one else to rely on has transformed her from the girl Edmund knew. She still wants to be that girl, but no longer can be. Edmund is a bit dickish, but it makes considering he thought Georgie had abandoned him, and I thought that his anger over Georgie's proposal made sense as well as his fear of getting involved with her.
Georgie's fear of sex did seem a bit extreme to me. I understood why she had such a negative view of it, but to swear it off entirely seemed a bit much. I also would have liked to have seen more punishment for the villains. I thought they got off pretty lightly for what they did and wanted a bit more.
Overall, a good book, and I really liked seeing Georgia and Edmund rekindle their love.
June 11, 2017
I've had a bit of a rough week and was in the mood for some pure escapism, so when this popped up on my Kindle I was delighted.
The Debutante's Daring Proposal is a historical romance set in Regency England. The story is about two childhood friends, Edmund and Georgiana, who are now grown up. Edmund is the Earl of Ashenden and Georgiana is about to be launched on Society. They grew apart after Edmund was sent away (for his health) to the Scilly Isles, but now he's returned and Georgiana wants to ask a favour. If he would agree to marry her, she could stay in the village she loves and wouldn't have to marry a stranger.
Edmund's first inclination is to say 'no'. He feels he no longer has anything in common with this brittle society miss, but then he has a change of heart. Perhaps he could act as match-maker and find Georgiana a husband? Right ... What possible flaw could there be in that plan?
As with all Annie Burrows's books, I loved the humour, much of which is derived from the witty dialogue and misunderstandings between the two main characters. I particularly loved Georgiana who, despite the best efforts of her step-mother, is still a tomboy at heart - when we first meet her she is up to her ankles in mud. Edmund's friends, who give him lots of 'helpful' advice are also entertaining.
The Debutante's Daring Proposal is a sweet, romantic story, with no sex scenes until the very end, and I'm sure anyone who loves historical romance will adore it.
Note: The story is #3 in a series called Regency Bachelors. #1 was Lord Havelock's List and #2 was a novella called Governess to Christmas Bride, but you don't have to have read them to enjoy this story.
The Debutante's Daring Proposal is a historical romance set in Regency England. The story is about two childhood friends, Edmund and Georgiana, who are now grown up. Edmund is the Earl of Ashenden and Georgiana is about to be launched on Society. They grew apart after Edmund was sent away (for his health) to the Scilly Isles, but now he's returned and Georgiana wants to ask a favour. If he would agree to marry her, she could stay in the village she loves and wouldn't have to marry a stranger.
Edmund's first inclination is to say 'no'. He feels he no longer has anything in common with this brittle society miss, but then he has a change of heart. Perhaps he could act as match-maker and find Georgiana a husband? Right ... What possible flaw could there be in that plan?
As with all Annie Burrows's books, I loved the humour, much of which is derived from the witty dialogue and misunderstandings between the two main characters. I particularly loved Georgiana who, despite the best efforts of her step-mother, is still a tomboy at heart - when we first meet her she is up to her ankles in mud. Edmund's friends, who give him lots of 'helpful' advice are also entertaining.
The Debutante's Daring Proposal is a sweet, romantic story, with no sex scenes until the very end, and I'm sure anyone who loves historical romance will adore it.
Note: The story is #3 in a series called Regency Bachelors. #1 was Lord Havelock's List and #2 was a novella called Governess to Christmas Bride, but you don't have to have read them to enjoy this story.
June 5, 2017
Georgiana and Edmund were childhood friends but were separated 10 years ago. They promised to write and keep in touch but someone made sure that did not happen. Both wrote and through that their letter were not answered. Now Georgiana needs help and turns to her old friend asking him to marry her. The story moves from there. Both have to turn loose of past hurts as they find that their friendship is still there but buried. This is a great story about friendship and love and putting the past in the past. Both discover that what they through happened was untrue and that someone worked very hard to keep them apart. That made for a very special HEA. A great story with a complicated plot and great characters. My first time to read a book by Annie Burrows but it will not be the last.
January 16, 2020
Best friends pulled apart as youngsters are reunited as adults with much anger between them and, at the same time, memories of their time together as each other's only friend. A lovely story of coming back together and healing.
June 19, 2020
This is a wonderful book. The characters of Georgie and Edmund are so real and endearing. It is one of the best historicals I have ever read.
Refreshing is the idea, that sex is wonderful when you have that special person, not just anyone.
Refreshing is the idea, that sex is wonderful when you have that special person, not just anyone.
September 20, 2017
Good story. Seems to be part of a series
January 16, 2018
Very cute but i wasnt keen on how it was writen.
January 17, 2018
An interesting story - I do love a good romance, and this isn't the first Annie Burrows I've read - looking forward to the next!
June 27, 2018
Eww. Ruined by the author.
July 15, 2018
Loved it. Fantastic heroine and Hero with a good
Supporting cast.
Supporting cast.
December 30, 2024
It was interesting to watch the male lead work through his dilemmas. He was a thinker, but needed some friends to help him see he was in love.
September 11, 2017
This is a Regency romance with a difference. The heroine is the one to propose marriage, merely because she fears being forced into worse. It’s a startling beginning but the rest of the novel more than surpasses it.
Miss Georgiana Wickford isn’t an ordinary kind of lady. She’s a former tomboy, who’s worked hard to suppress her wilder tendencies. She’s a tall, strapping brunette in an era when the “fashion” is for petite, dainty blondes with porcelain skin and blue eyes. She’s been subject to shame and punishment about her rebellious ways until her spirit is almost gone.
Edmund isn’t like the other men, either in this setting or in other novels. He wears spectacles (ooh, haven’t seen that in a Harlequin male lead, that’s for sure). He’s a bookworm (gasp!), an intellectual who’s pegged as “eccentric”, almost as damning for a man as it was when a woman gets labelled as a hoyden or trollop. There are those who look down on him for his entomological pursuits and scholarly papers. But that’s what I liked about him! It’s so much more titillating than the usual run of romantic leads who are Marines, cowboys, firemen or shipping magnates.
She was also friends with her male lead Edmund, now Earl of Ashenden. When they were children, they played together, fought together, sparred, fenced and rode…until they were separated and kept apart through the machinations of their elders.
Georgiana and Edmund’s trials stem from hurt feelings brought about by misunderstandings and unintended cruelty as well as the pressures of the rigid society in which they live. These form terrible barriers to their eventual felicitous conclusion because they no longer know quite who the other person is. She misreads his coldness; he misinterprets her distance. They’ve been manipulated and split up—and they became different people.
Perhaps that’s a true test of love: when you can still love someone even when they aren’t quite the same as you remember. The novel makes Georgiana and Edmund’s reconciliation a gratifying experience. This is a novel that proves that love the second time around can be even more compelling than love at first sight.
Miss Georgiana Wickford isn’t an ordinary kind of lady. She’s a former tomboy, who’s worked hard to suppress her wilder tendencies. She’s a tall, strapping brunette in an era when the “fashion” is for petite, dainty blondes with porcelain skin and blue eyes. She’s been subject to shame and punishment about her rebellious ways until her spirit is almost gone.
Edmund isn’t like the other men, either in this setting or in other novels. He wears spectacles (ooh, haven’t seen that in a Harlequin male lead, that’s for sure). He’s a bookworm (gasp!), an intellectual who’s pegged as “eccentric”, almost as damning for a man as it was when a woman gets labelled as a hoyden or trollop. There are those who look down on him for his entomological pursuits and scholarly papers. But that’s what I liked about him! It’s so much more titillating than the usual run of romantic leads who are Marines, cowboys, firemen or shipping magnates.
She was also friends with her male lead Edmund, now Earl of Ashenden. When they were children, they played together, fought together, sparred, fenced and rode…until they were separated and kept apart through the machinations of their elders.
Georgiana and Edmund’s trials stem from hurt feelings brought about by misunderstandings and unintended cruelty as well as the pressures of the rigid society in which they live. These form terrible barriers to their eventual felicitous conclusion because they no longer know quite who the other person is. She misreads his coldness; he misinterprets her distance. They’ve been manipulated and split up—and they became different people.
Perhaps that’s a true test of love: when you can still love someone even when they aren’t quite the same as you remember. The novel makes Georgiana and Edmund’s reconciliation a gratifying experience. This is a novel that proves that love the second time around can be even more compelling than love at first sight.
November 4, 2023
"Ma poi si concentrò sul modo in cui Edmund le sorrideva e tutti gli altri svanirono. Perché lui era l'unico che voleva le sorridesse in quel modo, che la trovasse attraente e la considerasse una potenziale madre per i suoi figli.
Sentì che accadeva qualcosa, dentro di lei, qualcosa che non aveva mai provato prima, ma che non ebbe difficoltà a riconoscere.
Era come essere colpita in viso da un enorme ramo mentre galoppava in una densa area boschiva.
La matrigna aveva affermato che l'uomo giusto le avrebbe fatto cambiare idea. Lei si riferiva al tipo di uomo che suo padre avrebbe voluto come genero, ma Georgiana stava fissando l'uomo giusto proprio in quel momento.
Era Edmund."
Io e Annie Burrows abbiamo un rapporto altalenante, alcuni (pochi a dir la verità) suoi libri mi sono piaciuti moltissimo, altri sono stati assai deludenti... per fortuna questo rientra appieno nella prima categoria, e per di più con un trope "Best Friends To Enemies To Lovers" di non facile gestione, ma che può regalare tante soddisfazione oltre che una buona dose di frustrazione e tensione XD La storia tra Edmund, un eroe che non è il classico dongiovanni dedito ad alcool e gioco d'azzardo, ma tutto l'opposto, e Georgie, una lady più simile a una semplice ragazza di campagna, è piena di malintesi, verità taciute e sofferte, ma anche tanta dolcezza, affiatamento, amicizia pura e un amore forte e immutabile che cambia ed evolve fino a non poter più essere contenuto né negato *ç* Ho chiuso il libro quasi sperando ci fosse un seguito perché avrei volentieri letto della loro felicità per altre 200 pagine ç_ç
Sentì che accadeva qualcosa, dentro di lei, qualcosa che non aveva mai provato prima, ma che non ebbe difficoltà a riconoscere.
Era come essere colpita in viso da un enorme ramo mentre galoppava in una densa area boschiva.
La matrigna aveva affermato che l'uomo giusto le avrebbe fatto cambiare idea. Lei si riferiva al tipo di uomo che suo padre avrebbe voluto come genero, ma Georgiana stava fissando l'uomo giusto proprio in quel momento.
Era Edmund."
Io e Annie Burrows abbiamo un rapporto altalenante, alcuni (pochi a dir la verità) suoi libri mi sono piaciuti moltissimo, altri sono stati assai deludenti... per fortuna questo rientra appieno nella prima categoria, e per di più con un trope "Best Friends To Enemies To Lovers" di non facile gestione, ma che può regalare tante soddisfazione oltre che una buona dose di frustrazione e tensione XD La storia tra Edmund, un eroe che non è il classico dongiovanni dedito ad alcool e gioco d'azzardo, ma tutto l'opposto, e Georgie, una lady più simile a una semplice ragazza di campagna, è piena di malintesi, verità taciute e sofferte, ma anche tanta dolcezza, affiatamento, amicizia pura e un amore forte e immutabile che cambia ed evolve fino a non poter più essere contenuto né negato *ç* Ho chiuso il libro quasi sperando ci fosse un seguito perché avrei volentieri letto della loro felicità per altre 200 pagine ç_ç
August 9, 2020
I enjoyed this offering from Annie Burrows, having read the first two in the series.
I felt for both Georgie and Edmund as they found their way back to each other, despite hurt, lies, misunderstandings and meddling.
I was delighted that Edmund put his domineering, offensive mother in her place quite firmly. Not only that but he managed to put Georgie's vacuous and annoying step mother in her place too.
True it was both sad and annoying that Georgie had such a negative view of intercourse but this was a sign of those times.
i enjoyed being reaquainted with Mary and Havelock, Lord Chepstow and the delightful Dotty and Lotty. I have looked to see if Ms Burrows has given us a series with these two plus Julia and Georgie's stepsister plus Mr Morgan - PLEASE
I felt for both Georgie and Edmund as they found their way back to each other, despite hurt, lies, misunderstandings and meddling.
I was delighted that Edmund put his domineering, offensive mother in her place quite firmly. Not only that but he managed to put Georgie's vacuous and annoying step mother in her place too.
True it was both sad and annoying that Georgie had such a negative view of intercourse but this was a sign of those times.
i enjoyed being reaquainted with Mary and Havelock, Lord Chepstow and the delightful Dotty and Lotty. I have looked to see if Ms Burrows has given us a series with these two plus Julia and Georgie's stepsister plus Mr Morgan - PLEASE
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August 24, 2017"Burrows’ Regency Bachelors series delivers another rich treat when the fourth titled nobleman meets his unexpected match in the form of his childhood companion. In addition to creating a sumptuous world, Burrows also tackles the subject of body image with humor and grace, and creates an endearing heroine who must learn to accept her glorious curves before she can find — and trust — love" (4 stars @ RT Book Reviews).
Miniseries: Regency Bachelors
Miniseries: Regency Bachelors
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews