Holly‘s review of A Daring Proposition by Jennifer Greene.

Leigh Sexton is desperate to have a baby, and Brian Hathaway would be the perfect bio-dad. One of Chicago’s most notorious playboys, Brian is no family man, which suits Leigh just fine. An heiress and successful CPA, she is more than capable of raising a child alone. Now all she has to do is work up the nerve to ask Brian to impregnate her…artificially.Leigh has no interest in conceiving the old-fashioned way, despite how her heart races whenever she’s near him.

Brian is intrigued by Leigh’s request. He’s not into commitment, even with a woman as attractive as Leigh, but he’s also not the type to make a deposit and then disappear. If he goes along with her scheme, he’s got one demand of his own: marriage before conception. He agrees to keep things clinical—he can get sex elsewhere—but having a wife at home will keep the husband-hunters at bay.
It seems like the ideal compromise—until they start falling in love.
Previously published.

The spoilers are clearly marked at the bottom of the review.

I was really enjoying this book until right close to the end. Then the main conflict came to a head and..honestly, I’m still a little confused by it. I did read somewhere that this is Greene’s first published novel. She updated it for this release, but it still had a bit of a dated feel. Considering this was first published in the 1980s, I’m willing to be a bit more forgiving of it than I would otherwise.

Leigh is desperate for a baby. Because of a tragedy in her past, she’s not willing to enter into a relationship with a man – physical or otherwise. She works as a CPA and she’s interested in more than just the books at the company she’s auditing. One of the partners (and creative director), Brian, is the perfect candidate. He’s a known playboy who has made it clear he has no intention of settling down with a woman. Even though Leigh is scared to death he’ll say no, she works up enough courage to ask him if he’d be willing to donate to her cause – if you know what I mean.

Brian is at first annoyed by Leigh’s request..then intrigued. He’s tired of women chasing after him with the hope of snaring him into marriage and Leigh might be the perfect solution. If he marries her, he can still carry on as he wishes, but not have to worry about the women he sees trying to trap him. Leigh isn’t thrilled with the idea of marrying him, but Brian figures it’s the perfect solution for both of them. Plus, he wants to be involved with his child.

Leigh reluctantly agrees to marry Brian, but only if he agrees they won’t have a physical relationship. She figures they’ll both be safe enough with the arrangement. But after the wedding things change. Brian starts hanging around more, taking care of Leigh as she deals with the early months of her pregnancy. He also develops a deep connection with the one person Leigh is close to..Robert, a close family friend and former employee. As time goes on, both Brian and Leigh begin to develop feelings for one another. But Leigh still has major hangups about men and Brian still has major hangups about Leigh.

The characters here were both interesting. Despite neither wanting a relationship, Leigh and Brian really gravitate toward each other. Brian takes care of Leigh during the worst of her pregnancy and gives her the emotional support she didn’t realize she was missing. In turn, Leigh offers Brian something he never realized he was missing..companionship and independence. She isn’t a clinging-type who wants his undivided attention 24/7. But she is there, fading into the background, offering him a sense of family he never had before.

As the novel progressed I enjoyed the way their relationship developed. It wasn’t a quick drop, but a slow slide into trust and caring. It was good to see the way Brian slowly uncovered Leigh’s secrets and the reason for her trauma, and then help her overcome it.

**SPOILER** For the first 3/4 of the book I was totally wrapped up in them and enjoying it. Then I hit a WTF moment. Things are going well between them and Brian finally has a breakthrough with Leigh. And then he sends her away. Presumably to allow her time to figure out if her feelings are tied to lust or if she’s truly in love. The problem is, it came out of nowhere. Things were going so well between them and then..bam. He does a 180 and tells her to go away?

That in and of itself was strange and frustrating, but they spent the next 3 or 4 months apart. And when they’re finally reunited the resolution takes about a page and bam..they all live happily ever after the end. It came about too quickly after such a strange and drawn out twist.**END SPOILER**

Though I enjoyed much of the story and found it to be emotionally compelling, I couldn’t get over the rushed ending or unexpected actions of the hero.

3.5/5

This book is available from Carina Press. You can buy it here in e-format.