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The Officer's Convenient Proposal
A Regency love story with complex characters and deep emotion…
Is a paper wedding …
the only solution?
Returning from battle, Officer Jonah Grant is shocked to find his frail sister abandoned by her husband and their life savings squandered. Which is why a chance encounter with wealthy independent neighbor Frances feels like fate! He and Frances both find it hard to let down their defenses, but take refuge in each other’s company. If they are willing to risk their newfound friendship, a convenient marriage could be a savior for them both…
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
Is a paper wedding …
the only solution?
Returning from battle, Officer Jonah Grant is shocked to find his frail sister abandoned by her husband and their life savings squandered. Which is why a chance encounter with wealthy independent neighbor Frances feels like fate! He and Frances both find it hard to let down their defenses, but take refuge in each other’s company. If they are willing to risk their newfound friendship, a convenient marriage could be a savior for them both…
From Harlequin Your romantic escape to the past.
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published July 26, 2022
About the author
Joanna Johnson
117 books14 followersJoanna Johnson lives in a little village with her husband and too many books. After completing an English degree at university she went on to work in publishing, although she'd always rather she was working on her own books rather than other people's. This dream came true in 2018 when she signed her first contract with Harlequin and she hasn't looked back, spending her time getting lost in mainly Regency history and wishing it was still acceptable to write a manuscript with a quill.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 19, 2025
**VAGUE-ISH SPOILERS** Read this book! With a caveat.
This is a tough one for me to rate, because while there was so much I liked, the Dark Moment of the hero’s stupidity was too egregious for me to forgive within the limited page count of a Harlequin. (Note: no cheating/OW drama.) Ultimately I’m giving this 4 stars because of the strong writing, and I was so attached to spine-of-steel Frances. I am always here for a prickly black cat heroine, and Frances engaged all of my compassion and admiration. I wanted the world for her. The romantic development was well-done and believable, I was invested in Frances and Jonah’s romance, and the waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop tension kept me on edge…but man, the third act twist of the knife just about did me in. I wish there had been more space allotted for a proper grovel and for Jonah to earn back Frances’s trust; she forgives him so quickly, it felt out of character and a disservice to her character, and was clearly rushed due to the Harlequin page limit. Jonah was clipping along as a solid 4-star hero, but then he becomes monumentally stupid, to such a degree where it felt out of character and came across as pure plot contrivance. He really deserved a reckoning. Also, while apologizing/coming clean with Frances, I don’t think he actually reveals the full extent of his deception?
A minor quibble, but the hero’s interior thoughts repeatedly bang on about closing himself off from love, never allowing any vulnerability, etc.; incredibly tiresome, but it’s a credit to the quality of the writing that I remained engaged in the story.
This is a tough one for me to rate, because while there was so much I liked, the Dark Moment of the hero’s stupidity was too egregious for me to forgive within the limited page count of a Harlequin. (Note: no cheating/OW drama.) Ultimately I’m giving this 4 stars because of the strong writing, and I was so attached to spine-of-steel Frances. I am always here for a prickly black cat heroine, and Frances engaged all of my compassion and admiration. I wanted the world for her. The romantic development was well-done and believable, I was invested in Frances and Jonah’s romance, and the waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop tension kept me on edge…but man, the third act twist of the knife just about did me in. I wish there had been more space allotted for a proper grovel and for Jonah to earn back Frances’s trust; she forgives him so quickly, it felt out of character and a disservice to her character, and was clearly rushed due to the Harlequin page limit. Jonah was clipping along as a solid 4-star hero, but then he becomes monumentally stupid, to such a degree where it felt out of character and came across as pure plot contrivance. He really deserved a reckoning. Also, while apologizing/coming clean with Frances, I don’t think he actually reveals the full extent of his deception?
A minor quibble, but the hero’s interior thoughts repeatedly bang on about closing himself off from love, never allowing any vulnerability, etc.; incredibly tiresome, but it’s a credit to the quality of the writing that I remained engaged in the story.
August 27, 2022
Frances Nettleford has been left her uncle's farm when he dies, the man who raised her through a childhood of ridicule and pain. She never intends to marry and works the farm by herself, feeling exhausted at the end of every day. In walks Lt. Jonah Grant, his sister and her two children to stir up Frances' world.
Jonah Grant is down on his luck after his brother-in-law steals off with his money, leaving Jonah, his sister and her two children destitute. If Jonah can find a way to win Frances' favor, he can maybe marry her and provide a better life for his sickly sister and her children and help Frances with the backbreaking work at her farm.
I loved this story....except for one glaringly obvious sore thumb. Without trying to give away too much of the latter part of the book, what I wondered was if Jonah knew he was entitled to do certain things with his wife's property, according to English law at the time, why couldn't the end outcome have been tried first, for the same reason, and before he almost made the most drastic of mistakes? He was willing to risk his wife's extreme disfavor without thinking that there was a very good solution he was 'legally entitled' to do in the first place. That didn't quite make sense to me. When Frances told him he was stupid, I couldn't have agreed more. While the author did show Frances' feelings on the matter and expressed her mortification at what almost took place, I feel if it had been me, I would have doubted this man for years afterward.
Other than that, this story was about two down-on-their-luck people who found happiness and I enjoyed the rest of the story.
Jonah Grant is down on his luck after his brother-in-law steals off with his money, leaving Jonah, his sister and her two children destitute. If Jonah can find a way to win Frances' favor, he can maybe marry her and provide a better life for his sickly sister and her children and help Frances with the backbreaking work at her farm.
I loved this story....except for one glaringly obvious sore thumb. Without trying to give away too much of the latter part of the book, what I wondered was if Jonah knew he was entitled to do certain things with his wife's property, according to English law at the time, why couldn't the end outcome have been tried first, for the same reason, and before he almost made the most drastic of mistakes? He was willing to risk his wife's extreme disfavor without thinking that there was a very good solution he was 'legally entitled' to do in the first place. That didn't quite make sense to me. When Frances told him he was stupid, I couldn't have agreed more. While the author did show Frances' feelings on the matter and expressed her mortification at what almost took place, I feel if it had been me, I would have doubted this man for years afterward.
Other than that, this story was about two down-on-their-luck people who found happiness and I enjoyed the rest of the story.
August 6, 2023
A confirmed spinster struggles to run a formerly prosperous farm with no help at all. An equally confirmed bachelor military officer carefully plots a campaign to marry her — so his family’s fortunes will be assured. Both are beautiful. Both have tear-jerking background stories. Both agree to marry. Of course. Of course. Of course. Both fall in love with the other.
Of course.
Of course.
August 12, 2022
This book does not disappoint! Joanna Johnson once again draws the reader into the twists and turns of a cleverly written romance. Would recommend.
October 11, 2022
Good book about two lonely and stubborn people. Frances inherited her uncle's farm when he died. Frances is the illegitimate daughter of her mother and a married man, a man who abandoned her mother when she needed him most. Uncle Robert raised Frances to be independent and wary of trusting any man after her mother's death. Frances was bullied, ostracized, and ridiculed all her life because of her mother. Now she is left to work the farm alone, exhausted at the end of every day.
Lt. Jonah Gray returned from Waterloo to find that his brother-in-law stole their life savings and abandoned Jonah's sister and two children. With what little money Jonah had left, he purchased a dilapidated cottage and hoped to find a way to support them all. After meeting Frances, he thinks that marrying her may be the path to a better life for Jane and the children if he can win her favor.
Neither Jonah nor Frances ever planned to marry. Frances has severe trust issues regarding men - and who can blame her with the way she is treated? Jonah saw enough of the bad side of marriage from his abusive and negligent parents and Jane's marriage to swear off the institution. The first meeting between Jonah and Frances wasn't promising. Jonah is a handsome man and used to women chasing him, but his attempt to charm Frances falls flat. The next couple of encounters don't go well either. It isn't until Jonah comes to her defense against an obnoxious man that she begins to soften slightly. Jonah realizes that he needs to win Frances's trust before anything else.
While Jonah thinks he's being practical and calculating in his pursuit of Frances, he's disturbed by the protectiveness he feels toward her and his inability to keep his mind off her. Frances suffers from the same malady. She doesn't understand why he stirs feelings in her that she's never felt for anyone else. The sparks of attraction between them were evident from the start, as was their dismay about it. Jonah is smart enough to back off any indication of his attraction and offers Frances simple friendship as a way to get his foot in the door. The attraction still simmers under the surface, but Frances relaxes a little in his company. I loved that Jonah didn't push too hard but showed Frances the benefit of occasionally accepting help. It isn't easy for Frances to go against her training and her struggle is obvious.
Eventually, circumstances make it necessary for them to marry. Jonah suggests it as a business partnership, as neither wanted a spouse. There are certain benefits to marriage that they indulge in, claiming that it is practical, too. When friendship and attraction grew into love, neither believed the other could feel the same way. As Jane's health worsened and Jonah became desperate to find a solution to her housing situation, he made a boneheaded decision. I wanted to shake him and yell at him to talk to Frances and tell her the truth. The solution was right in front of him. Instead, his plan would betray Frances in the worst way possible. I ached for her when she found out about it; her pain leaped off the pages. I had high hopes that Jonah would do the right thing after all. I loved the ending, as Jonah had a very moving, emotional grovel scene while Frances made him work for his forgiveness. The final chapter was a good wrap-up for the story.
Lt. Jonah Gray returned from Waterloo to find that his brother-in-law stole their life savings and abandoned Jonah's sister and two children. With what little money Jonah had left, he purchased a dilapidated cottage and hoped to find a way to support them all. After meeting Frances, he thinks that marrying her may be the path to a better life for Jane and the children if he can win her favor.
Neither Jonah nor Frances ever planned to marry. Frances has severe trust issues regarding men - and who can blame her with the way she is treated? Jonah saw enough of the bad side of marriage from his abusive and negligent parents and Jane's marriage to swear off the institution. The first meeting between Jonah and Frances wasn't promising. Jonah is a handsome man and used to women chasing him, but his attempt to charm Frances falls flat. The next couple of encounters don't go well either. It isn't until Jonah comes to her defense against an obnoxious man that she begins to soften slightly. Jonah realizes that he needs to win Frances's trust before anything else.
While Jonah thinks he's being practical and calculating in his pursuit of Frances, he's disturbed by the protectiveness he feels toward her and his inability to keep his mind off her. Frances suffers from the same malady. She doesn't understand why he stirs feelings in her that she's never felt for anyone else. The sparks of attraction between them were evident from the start, as was their dismay about it. Jonah is smart enough to back off any indication of his attraction and offers Frances simple friendship as a way to get his foot in the door. The attraction still simmers under the surface, but Frances relaxes a little in his company. I loved that Jonah didn't push too hard but showed Frances the benefit of occasionally accepting help. It isn't easy for Frances to go against her training and her struggle is obvious.
Eventually, circumstances make it necessary for them to marry. Jonah suggests it as a business partnership, as neither wanted a spouse. There are certain benefits to marriage that they indulge in, claiming that it is practical, too. When friendship and attraction grew into love, neither believed the other could feel the same way. As Jane's health worsened and Jonah became desperate to find a solution to her housing situation, he made a boneheaded decision. I wanted to shake him and yell at him to talk to Frances and tell her the truth. The solution was right in front of him. Instead, his plan would betray Frances in the worst way possible. I ached for her when she found out about it; her pain leaped off the pages. I had high hopes that Jonah would do the right thing after all. I loved the ending, as Jonah had a very moving, emotional grovel scene while Frances made him work for his forgiveness. The final chapter was a good wrap-up for the story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews