Judith’s review of A Scandalous Proposition by Wendy Soliman.
When a beautiful woman bursts into Lord Adam Fitzroy’s room at an inn seeking refuge, he assists her. His curiosity is piqued when he later spots her entering the local house of ill repute. The next day he is shocked when his mother introduces the woman as her new paid companion. His mother adores Florentina, so Adam agrees to keep her nightly activities a secret…on one condition: she must spend one wicked night with him.
Florentina Grantley is both scandalized and intrigued at the prospect, but she worries that the dashing war hero will quickly discern her lack of experience. True, she’s no innocent—but she’s a widow, not a whore. Yet she can’t explain the true reason behind her alliance with the brothel’s madam, or the danger she faces if exposed.
As their initial tryst grows into something deeper, the stakes become higher. What will Adam do when he discovers Florentina’s deception?
This is a novel that seems rather straight forward initially but ultimately has turned out to be a really complicated, multi-layered story of intrigue, undercover activity against the “white slave” trade during the Napoleonic War, and the inner family politics made messy and difficult by a woman whose greed and self-interest seeks to use even a grieving widower to further her social goals. Florentina and Adam are never out of the central spotlight as hero and heroine, but this author has crafted a solid and impressive cast of secondary characters that all play an important role in the flow of the story and the resolution of the novel’s crisis.
Not only is Florentina a mystery to Adam almost from the first, but even as he begins to unravel that mystery he keeps on discovering that she is never truly who he believes her to be. Her activities give him one idea of her identity while her behavior leads him to believe something else all together. Enter the Dowager Duchess, Florentina’s sponsor and the woman who has hired her as companion–a woman of intelligence, caring, perception about people, and a sense of self-worth that refuses to be compromised by her new daughter-in-law. Adam is close with his mother and her opinion and counsel on a number of related issues is important to him. As a “second son” Adam is hampered in some of the activities he aspires to. The duke, his older brother, is ailing and has been for quite some time, so much so that he has not been able to manage the estates. His current duchess has interfered and her direction has had a negative effect on the prosperity of the estate and on the well-being of the tenants. Add in the greed of the current duchess–pregnant by a lover, wanting the money and position as a duchess, but also wanting Adam who was, at one time, her fiance. She wants Florentina out of the picture as well, believing Adam’s attraction to Florentina is keeping him from succumbing to her charms.
I found this novel to be the kind that always had something going on, a kind of story that never let up on its intensity and one that kept me right on the edge all the way through. I even found the madam to be a person I could feel kindly toward–a woman who had been put into an impossible position as a very young girl and one who had made the best of her bad situation and who now was trying to do some important things with her influence. Her long association and “friendship” with Adam certainly had an impact on issues and situations that were important to Florentina. I have always been far more satisfied with novels that are a challenge intellectually as well as emotionally, and I think this is that kind of book. While set in the early 19th century with all its social limits on women, Florentina was inventive and creative in using her friendships and meager social contacts to do important work against some truly heinous criminals.
This novel is beautifully written, well-edited, and put together in a way that carried the reader forward consistently toward the resolution. I have not read any previous work by this author but I was impressed with her quality of research, her awareness of the politics of the times, her sense of humor, and her ability to put all these strands together into a cohesive story line. That’s a challenge some writers can’t seem to overcome. Ms Soliman has done it here. Readers who enjoy historical fiction that makes the mind work will like this story. Yet there is also some very hot loving and a sense of grand romance throughout. Adam and Florentina manage to light up the skies on a few occasions. All in all, it is a really fine read.
I give it a rating of 4 out of 5
You can read more from Judith at Dr J’s Book Place.
This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here or here in e-format.
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