The Rake's Proposal

Kate needs to find a meek, biddable husband quickly so she can return to running her deceased fathers shipping business. As a woman she runs the business behind the scenes and needs a husband who wouldn't interfere with that. Ben is the exact opposite of what she needs, a known rake who happens to be involved in the shipping business himself. Besides the fact that he's her brothers best friend, he's way too good looking and makes her weak in the knees at every opportunity. Ben can't get over the shock of how Kate has changed from a lanky kid into a beauty, but it doesn't matter because he has no plans on ever getting married. So one thing leads to another with some attempted kidnapping in the mix and Ben and Kate are forced to marry. Both characters go through trials and tribulations that leads to a very satisfactory ending. Although perhaps the strong-willed female and rake matching has been done before, the settings are fresh and the length of the novel's story line ( a little over a year) was a good surprise. A very good book, worth reading.

In 1817 England, twenty-four years old Katherine Sutcliff does not want to marry as she prefers spending her time at the family shipyard than serving tea to suitors. However, she knows she has no choice but to find a spouse who will stay out of the way while she runs her late father's business, as his will demands that she marry or lose her inheritance. Her plan is simple: find some easy to control throwaway preferably smaller than her tall size and make him sign a legally binding prenuptial agreement. She turns to her brother Robert to find this paragon for her. However, instead she changes her mind and decides his best friend, rakish Benjamin Sinclair is perfect though he physically and emotionally does not fit her prototype. Since he wants no wife to interfere with his womanizing he is ideal except for one problem; she wants him. Ben avoids Kate like she is a shrew until questionable incidents occur as someone tries to abduct the spirited female. Now Ben feels obligated as a matter of honor to keep kissable Kate safe though marrying her was not his plan. THE RAKE'S PROPOSAL is an amusing regency romantic suspense thriller headlined by two likable protagonists who have successfully shunned marriage until now. Readers will enjoy the chick lit like asides from Kate and Ben that enable the audience to observe up front and personal their transformation to love. The intrigue not only plays a matchmaking role, but augments a fun historical that sub-genre fans will want to read. Harriet Klausner