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The lady's proposal
368 pages
A tender, slow-burn marriage of convenience where nighttime passion slowly melts daytime pride.
What it feels like
Reading this historical romance feels like wrapping yourself in a warm, comforting blanket on a rainy afternoon. It leans heavily into the delicious tension of a marriage of convenience, where the nights are filled with undeniable passion but the daylight hours are tangled in pride and unspoken feelings. The narrative moves at a steady, character-driven pace, allowing the reader to savor the slow unraveling of both protagonists' emotional armor. Waddell's prose is accessible and earnest, focusing on the internal yearning and the gentle humor of their situation, especially when a chorus of well-meaning unwed mothers decides to play matchmaker. It is a deeply satisfying, swoony read for anyone who delights in watching a pragmatic arrangement blossom into a fiercely protective, vulnerable love story.
- Mood
- cozy
- swoony
- hopeful
- tender
- Tone
- earnest
- warm
- playful
- romantic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- marriage of convenience · hidden depths · vulnerability in love · female solidarity · unspoken yearning
- The writing
- Accessible and character-focused, balancing witty Regency dialogue with tender emotional introspection.
- The arc
- Moves from a pragmatic, guarded arrangement to a deeply vulnerable and passionate mutual devotion.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love marriage-of-convenience tropes where the heroine is secretly pining and the hero is delightfully oblivious before falling hard.
Content notes
- pregnancy out of wedlock (thematic)
- mild sexual content
About the book
With the stipulation of her grandfathers will that she marry, practical and strong-willed Lady Clarissa Pomeroy decides upon Simon Sinclair, the Earl of Sheridan, as her ideal husband. Though her proposal that they marry, and have a family surprises Simon, he is certainly not unhappy. Clarissa is beautiful, intelligent and rich. He is, however, puzzled as to why she chose him. Clarissa has good reason for marrying Simon. Shes already in love with him and knows that he will not interfere in her life, nor uncover her secret, that shes been funding a home for unwed mothers. The only fly in the ointment of this perfect plan is that when Simon falls in love with Clarissa, he is too proud and determined to let her know his true feelings outside the bedroom. They make passionate love at night, but remain distant in daylight. However, life is full of surprises. With a little matchmaking by the unwed women whom Clarissa supports and the couples own passion, this marriage of convenience becomes anything but.
Description from Open Library.
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