Convenient Proposal to the Lady

Convenient Proposal to the Lady (Hadley's Hellions) by Julia Justiss is a wonderful addition to the "Hadley's Hellions" series, although, book 3, each book can be read as a stand alone. Hadley's Hellion are four friends who persevere, and rise above their birthrights and their own outrageous youths to take on the politics of England. They intend to try to be the voices behind the people with no voice, or no one to care for their plight or the injustices they endure....until these four gentleman come into their lives. The women to win their hearts must be accomplished, intelligent, passionate, and believe in their causes. This is the story of Benedict Tawny, a politician, who overhears a nefarious plot to humiliate and ruin the spotless reputation of, Lady Alyssa Lambornne. Ben finds himself thoroughly attracted to Alyssa, but can he save her? They unwillingly get caught in a compromising position, they were set up, Ben does the honorable thing and proposes to Alyssa. Can their attraction to each other turn into love and their HEA? Ben feels he doesn't deserve the beautiful, intelligent Lady Alyssa, he is tainted by illegitimacy, after all, and may not to able to give Alyssa the luxury to is used to and deserves. Alyssa is a talented artist who desires to publish a book on England's unusual birds in their natural habitat. Ms. Justiss manages to give the reader vivid descriptions of what Alyssa is actually painting. You can almost hear the birds and feel the breeze on your face. Ben and Alyssa, made a perfect couple. They learned each others past hurts, their disappointments in life and they learn they can defeat anything and anyone, if they work together. They find their enemies will destroy Ben's political aspects by a few nefarious words and deeds. I enjoyed watching this couple slowly and sweetly learn that their hearts are truly involved. Once again, Ms. Justiss has written a story that is heartwarming, dramatic at times, and a magnificent Romance. I have enjoyed watching the Hadley's Hellions find their HEA and the women who tame them. Alyssa and Ben will leave readers not only captivated but have that warm feeling for these wonderful characters. A must read! Fans of Regency England, Historical Romance and characters who are realistic and well-developed, are sure to enjoy "Hadley's Hellions". Although, Alyssa is a bit naive, but then the men in her life is outrageous, until Ben. Strongly recommended! I received a complimentary copy. Rating: 4.5 Heat rating: Mild Reviewed by: AprilR

Ms. Justiss has a lock on the three H's. Ben is an honorable man, with a tender heart and Alyssa and he definitely give off heat. Convenient Proposal to the Lady examines how an act of kindness between strangers can lead to finding the love of a lifetime. Ben may not live up to societies standard of a hero, but he scored some major points with me. His willingness to protect an innocent woman from a dire situation proved he was more than what he even believed himself to be. Alyssa is a dreamer with a gift for the arts. Frustrating, naive but her open mind, made her a bit easier to take. Despite the unscrupulous villians, Ben and Alyssa had an easy time of stealing my heart.

Benedict Tawny was riding when he sees a young woman sketching, he thinks her very fetching, and is immediately smitten. She is Lady Alyssa, the woman he has been looking for. Ben is an acquaintance of Alyssa’s brother Lord Halerton, by no means a friend, and when Ben heard a very distasteful wager that concerned Alyssa, he knew he must warn her immediately. Halerton lost a wager to Lord Denby and the ruination of Alyssa is the repayment; Ben is utterly disgusted. He is himself a bastard and shunned by society for too long, he has made his mark in the world as a politician. Once a soldier, Ben is now a Member of Parliament and dedicated to the Reform. Upon hearing him, Alyssa is naturally shocked, but ruin would not be so disastrous, as it would allow her to pursue her art, but still she agrees that Denby must be punished. Denby is not only a villain, but he is very sly, and what revenge Alyssa intended fails, and she ends up marrying Ben. Ben had not precisely had marriage on his mind, but he is a very honourable man, he understands only too well Alyssa’s predicament, so they will make the best of a bad situation. Seldom has a historical romance elicited such visceral reactions on my part: I was furious, outraged, incensed at the injustice, the unfairness of Alyssa’s situation, of the treatment of women in general in Regency era, of the appalling accepted behaviour of men as a rule. I felt like screaming, crying, hitting those vile misogynists, and that’s a testament to how well Julia Justiss portrays the events of this enthralling marriage of convenience. In spite of how it might appear, I absolutely adored CONVENIENT PROPOSAL TO THE LADY. It is not unpleasant, but extremely powerful. I felt the genuineness of Ben’s and Alyssa’s sentiments. Both are honourable to a fault, she maybe even more than him; they are realistic, inasmuch as the situation is beyond their control and might derail every future plan they had harboured. Alyssa is terrified of being under a man’s control, which Ben understands, and he will respect her wishes no matter the cost. Some parts of CONVENIENT PROPOSAL TO THE LADY feel so realistic, they hurt. Ben and Alyssa have to make very difficult decisions, and what emerges is an extremely touching and most believable love story based on respect. Every character is expertly crafted, even the villains are chillingly believable, and the writing is predictably splendid, as Ms. Justiss could not write poorly if she tried. CONVENIENT PROPOSAL TO THE LADY is magnificent, and I believe possibly Julia Justiss’s best work to date. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.