Series: The Survivors' Club #1
Author: Mary Balogh
Published May 1st 2012 by Piatkus Books
Goodreads Synopsis
Lady Gwendoline Muir has experienced her fair share of tragedies in her short life: she lost her husband to a freak accident, and developed a limp after falling from horseback. Still young, Gwen is sure that she's done with love, and that she will never be married again.
Gwen tries to be content with her life as it is, and to live through the happy marriages of her brother and her best friend, Viscountess Ravensberg. She's happy for them, and for years that is enough for her . . . until she meets Lord Tretham - a man who returned from the Peninsula Wars a hero, but is unable to escape the bite of his survivor's guilt. For he might just be the man who can convince her to believe in second chances.
Goodreads
Review
In The Proposal, Lady Gwendoline Muir finds herself injured while explored a Cornish beach, and rescued by the handsome, and troubled, Lord Tretham. While recovering, she finds that she is gatecrashing a meeting of the 'Survivors' Club', where a group of six men and one woman meet to reconnect after the difficulty they faced following their experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Hugo, Lord Tretham, was a commoner, the son of a wealthy businessman, who was elevated because of his bravery during the war, but he's been left with emotional scars, and a dislike of the upper classes - his friends notwithstanding. He doesn't want to be attracted to a Lady such as Gwen, but it's a struggle to fight his feelings, one Gwen is fighting with too.
I haven't read any of Mary's books before, but have heard so many positive things about them, so was overjoyed to find this book in a local shop one day. The Proposal was such a quick read, with relatable and lovable characters, and I was hooked from page one. Gwen was widowed quite unexpectedly, and has always felt a sort of guilt over her husband's death, and the loss of her child, so hasn't put much thought to finding love again. Spending time with a friend from her debut, Viscountess Ravensberg, she needs to escape her friend's bitchiness and cattiness, and spends time on the beach, when she hurts her ankle, and Hugo rescues her and carries her off to the Duke of Stanbrook's estate. They clash from the very first, but the chemistry is clear, and the way their romance develops from begrudging respect, to true feelings, was a wonder to see. I am definitely hooked on the series, and can't wait to read the other books, and more by Balogh.
Dates Read:
September 20, 2020
Rating
4 Stars
