An Unladylike Offer

by Christine Merrill

Book Overview

Miss Esme Canville's brutal father is resolved to marryher off--but she won't submit tamely to his decree. Instead, she'll offer herself to notorious rakeCaptain St. John Radwell and enjoy all the freedomof a mistress St. John is intent on mending his rakish ways. He won'tseduce an innocent virgin. But Esme is determined, beautiful and very, very tempting....

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037329462X
• ISBN13: 9780373294626
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

Likable couple, authentic feel

Esme Canville is desperate. She's been subjected to her father's abuse since her mother abandoned them, and now her last hope for escape through marriage is gone: the man her father has chosen to marry her off to is old, and just as cruel as her father. Banished to her room, she watches out the window and sees a shocking scene: Cpt. St. John Radwell and his mistress having an argument. St. John has let his mistress go, but what's so amazing to Esme, giving her an idea and a glimmer of hope, is that despite the mistress screaming and throwing things, St. John remained calm and never laid a hand on her. St. John needs a mistress; Esme needs an escape. He's a kind man, and while becoming a mistress will ruin her in the eyes of society, she's been kept from society anyway, so it's no great loss. So she sneaks out of the house at night and propositions him. St. John, however, has been trying to turn over a new leaf. He's tired of war, and semi-estranged from his family after trying to seduce his brother's bride (in the preceding book). The last thing his reputation needs is to seduce a virgin, and a lady. Adding to the urgency is his last chance to make something of himself: an inheritance he'll receive only if he remains scandal-free for a year. So he swallows his pride and bundles her off to his brother's house for safekeeping. This pair is just so.... likable, and easy to sympathize with. St. John is truly trying to make amends to his family, and he doesn't deny or minimize his sins--in fact, he accepts more blame than he's really due, understanding that his past is the cause of the suspicion. Esme, too, is strong and brave and... I was going to say self-effacing, but that's not really it. Both of them are distinctly lacking in a sense of entitlement that I found very appealing. They're both trying to improve their lives, but they're trying to do so by their own efforts. I fell in love with them both. I also really liked the authentic feel of this story. So often in Regency romances, the characters end up flouting society's rules with impunity. Not so, here. For example, they have to come up with ingenious ways to keep Esme out of her father's and his choice of bridegroom's clutches, and to explain her absence, rather than just spiriting her away.

Superb Hero makes this a good read

Esme Canville is in a dire situation. Her unkind father has betrothed her to an old lecherous Earl. Esme has never had a season and has no experience at all with men. Her neighbor, Captain St John Radwell seems her only hope. Esme shows up at his door and kindly asks him to make her his mistress. St. John has recently returned from fighting in Portugal. He is a rakehell with lots of secrets. He is honorable though and when Esme falls into a drugged stupor at his house he takes her to his brother and sister-in-law's home to recuperate. There is bad blood between the brothers. St. John's brother Marcus is a Duke and their feud goes back many years. However, Marcus and his wife feel the need to rescue Esme from her circumstances and take her to the country with hopes of marrying her off to a nice aristocrat. Esme's father is led to believe that the Duke and Duchess found her wandering the streets in a fever and she is in their home recuperating. At first I was unsure if I liked this novel. The characters lacked depth and I could not empathize with them at all. This changed quite suddenly when the group resides at the ducal country estate. Marcus, the Duke is incredibly arrogant and untrusting of his brother, with good reason. Esme's steely determination to win St. John is unwavering. She sees the real St. John, not the indolent aristocrat. The star of this novel is St. John. His struggle with post traumatic stress is quite moving. He has kept this hidden from his family. Rather than on his skin, his battle wounds are deep in his soul. He and his brother have so much enmity between them that they actually come to blows. The first half of the novel moves very slowly. The second half is wonderfully paced and the emotions are gripping. I was in tears at times as I read about the despair St. John felt over his past misdeeds. He and Esme treasure their stolen moments together. St. John is forced to deal with lost love, new love and the fear of losing his heart all over again. Esme knows she is on borrowed time. Her father is demanding she come home and honor the betrothal contract he has made on her behalf. This book rates a four star. It would be a five star if more character development had occurred earlier in the novel. The end is a bit rushed with an added mystery of treason thrown into the plot. It wasn't needed. The sheer emotion of the two main characters along with the fragile truce of brotherhood between St John and Marcus was enough to keep the reader engaged.