The Proposition

Written by Judith Ivory

Narrated by Steven Crossley

Judith Ivory's writing has been called "splendid, elegant ... lush, artistic romance" by Romantic Times. Set amidst the glitz and glamour of high society Victorian London, The Proposition is an opulent tale of blossoming love. Lady Edwina Bollash is a woman of importance and distinction who has never been the object of any man's affection. However, when she meets Mick Tremore, a tall, handsome young man from the bottommost rung of society, she instantly attracts his attention. As Mick wants desperately to become a gentleman, Edwina decides to transform him into a man with class. From the start, she notices the way he looks at her. But what she doesn't yet realize is that as much as she is preparing him, he is preparing her for a place in his heart--and in his bed. Narrator Steven Crossley elevates the mounting passion of Ivory's prose, building tension with every breath and every sensuous word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 23, 2009
• ISBN: 9781436142939

Judith Ivory

Judith Ivory's work has won many honors, including the Romance Writers of America's RITA and Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year awards and Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award.

Reviews for The Proposition

[Susan Grunner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm going back and forth on rating this. There's some truly problematic elements (SA and physical abuse, specifically). Both characters are flawed but well intentioned and I guess they grow from what they did so maybe it's not so bad. Ivory also really leans into some troubling stereotypes about girls/women. It was published in 1999 so I guess that's why? It hasn't aged great, even though both the main characters are largely good people.

The writing style is different from what I'm used to. Once again, learning when it was written explained it a bit more. The book tries to show deep character depth with a lot of words, but it feels like this could have been achieved better with fewer words. But it's still a fairly pleasant and entertaining read.

[pamelad_570511 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Edwina, a 29-year-old spinster, always thought she was unattractive, but Mick Tremorne could persuade her otherwise. The devastatingly gorgeous Mick, who works as a rat-catcher in order to support his 11 orphaned brothers and sisters, has a naturally aristocratic bearing, which is an enormous asset when he is persuaded to participate in a wager: can he, in six weeks time, pass himself off as a viscount? Edwina, the daughter of a marquess, supports herself by training people to fit into the ton. Her cousin, Xavier, who inherited the entailed ducal estates that would have passed to her father, has refused to support her, and even tried to cheat her out of her dowry.The mysterious twins who proposed the wager and provide the financial support might have a nefarious agenda. If the masquerade is uncovered, Edwina could lose her place in society and Mick could be jailed.This is a fairy story, utterly unrealistic even for an historical romance, but it's well-written and amusing. Suspend disbelief and enjoy.

[cmlloyd67 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finished The Proposition by Judith Ivory, which is a romantic/gender flip on Pygmalion. The writer cheekily references Pygmalion twice, the Greek myth and the Shaw play. It's okay. The ending sort of plops in out of the blue - and it's ridiculously ex-deus-machina, but I knew that going in. It would have been better if the writer had built up to the ending or teased the reader with it earlier...instead it feels as if she came up with it at the last minute and just tagged it on. Also, it's a wee bit cliche. I'd have preferred another route, the more bittersweet, less fairy-tale route. But that's just me.

The story focuses on a phonetics/elocution and etiquette expert, who specializes in vocal patterns, that is employed to teach a Cockney rat-catcher how to be a Gentleman. Two dandies, who later turn out to be con-men, request her aid for a bet. One bets the other that she can't pass Mick, the ratcatcher, off as a Gentlemen of means at her cousin's annual ball. Most of the book focuses on the elocution lessons, and Mick and Edwina (the elocution expert) romance. There's also a lot of boring sex scenes. Ivory isn't very good at sex scenes..they sort of just sit there. Sex scenes are admittedly hard to write. And I've become admittedly rather picky...comes from reading one too many erotica novels.

I rather liked the hero, who was a nice change of pace from...well the domineering alpha males that tend to populate these novels. This guy was laid back and sort of happy-go-lucky.
He was a rake, but not in the traditional sense...more charming than roguish. And he loved women...not a mean bone in his body. And sections of it did make me smile...such as the one where he's chasing his ferret through the Duke's ball.

The heroine got on my nerves...she was constantly worrying over things and way too obsessed with her looks and his looks and well the look of everything. I wanted to smack her. That said, nice change of pace, having a tall heroine, with a big nose. Not to mention a heroine who is turning 30. One does get tired of the 17 going 18 year-olds. Plus the hero and heroine are about the same age - another nifty change of pace. And equals in power. Actually, she has more power than he does through most of the book - which was sort of nice.
It's often the opposite.

Overall, not a bad read. I'd recommend it.

[mlleehreen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ivory is always a cut above the rest and The Proposition is no different - if you have learned to love Ivory's ability to craft unusual characters, to convey character through the most interesting and delightful of quirks, to find beauty in the unexpected...The Proposition will not disappoint.

I loved the way that Ivory talked about Edwina, always describing her unusual features in such a way that the reader as well as Mick finds it so easy to see how beautiful she is. I loved the flaws in her character - her fear and nervousness - as much as I loved the moments when she was capable of overcoming them, in exuberant dancing or in her work.

Mick, too, is a delight - somewhat more the typical hero than a lot of Ivory's other choices, but I think that this might be in order to compensate for the fact that he's a rat-catcher...he's gorgeous, charming, loves live and has a knack for making the people around him happy.

It has been noted that this is a "My Fair Lady" story, and this is true, and a number of other reviewers have complained about the ending. I myself didn't have a problem with it, per se, but the ending is the weakest part of the book because it is so sudden. Most of the book is about Edwina letting go of her class hangups, so the turnaround is a little jarring.

For that alone, I have to say that this isn't my favorite Ivory - on the other hand, it is probably the most cheerful book I have read by her, and that's a plus of its own.

[readerlas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More like 3.5 stars. The relationship between Mick and Winnie was wonderful and Mick is officially my favorite Romance hero now. But this book loses major points for the plot. The ending with the whole long-lost heir bit felt tacked on as a last minute resolution and it really took away from the story. It really served no purpose other than as an easy fix to the problem of how to make the HEA happy. and I was so happy with the idea of Mick becoming a valet...

[oldenough · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Stupid takeoff on the Pygmalion story

[rainrunner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved the hero, Mick. He was sweet, good-looking and a bit of a bad boy all at the same time. The heroine bugged me a bit until I got to understand where she was coming from. This read was just simple - no major espionage or suspense. It was just a nice, enjoyable read that left a smile on my face.

[sabrinajeffries · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is truly a tour-de-force and an example of some of the best writing in the genre. Both characters are fully realized, the plot is cute beyond belief (it's "My Fair Lady" in reverse—with the heroine turning a ratcatcher into a lord), and it has sizzling romance.

[sincerelycynthia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

reverse pygmalion. wonderful characters!!