The Proposition

By: Judith Ivory

Narrated by: Steven Crossley

"Through skillful writing, Ivory captures the subtle sensual pleasures of her colorful characters, creating a sexy variation on My Fair Lady."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

No man, gentleman or otherwise, has ever looked at Lady Edwina Bollash the way the brash, handsome man standing before her is doing now. Edwina has accepted the challenge to transform incorrigible Mick Tremore into a gentleman in just six weeks. And although the linguist is sure she can rise to the task, she isn't at all certain she won't swoon under his frankly sensuous gaze before her job is done.

Mick has lived outside of London society long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving. Edwina might look all buttoned up—the perfect English lady—but there is unleashed passion existing just below her placid facade (not to mention a great pair of legs!). And as she prepares him to take his place in society, Mick prepares Edwina to take her place in his heart … and in his bed.

"Well-done protagonists who become more endearing with each chapter; several memorable secondary characters, including a ferret named Freddie; and shimmering sexual tension and page-singeing love scenes recommend this beautifully written romance, which gently but effectively points out some of the inequities women faced during the late Victorian era."—Library Journal

"A textbook example of how to generate sexual tension … The ending is the perfect touch to this wonderful fairy-tale of a book."—All About Romance

©1999 Judith Ivory, Inc. (P)2001 Recorded Books

Ann

I have over 60 audio books, and this is one of my favorites. The narration was fantastic!

Astounding performance

I have never heard anyone, even in movies, carry such an incredible and convincing job as Steven Crossley. I can not even explain how he carried the accent from thick to slightly lighter and then a little better and so on until the perfection with still the same inflictions as someone who learned the words that way. Judith Ivory also did an amazing job with her clever storyline and funny moments that had me laughing out loud. All around a very good story that came up to the level of perfection by narration.

Loved this Book

A woman takes a man in a lower class and teaches him how to be a classy gentleman. But she falls in love with him and he fell in love with her pretty much at first sight. Don't want to give it away, but as it turns out he comes from a very classy family. I highly recommend.

I fell in love with a rat catcher!

I listened to this wonderful audiobook last year and neglected to write a review. Let me just say that the team of author Judith Ivory and narrator Steven Crossley made me fall in love with a rat catcher.

I have a weakness for lower-class blokes who are smart and savvy enough to work their way into the upper-class world. Derek Craven in Dreaming of You, “Charming” Mickey O’Connor in Scandalous Desires, and Nick Gentry in Worth Any Price are now joined by Michael "Mick" Tremane, the Cornish/Cockney rat catcher who is the hero of this Pygmalion-inspired story.

The devastatingly handsome Mick is so clever, sweet, and charming that you can understand why the genteel but rather impoverished heroine falls for him. In fact, if you're like me, you wonder why she doesn't do it sooner. But she is not a woman given to living her dreams. Indeed, she hardly has any dreams. She's too intelligent and too independent to believe that any man can desire her, given that she's twenty-nine, too tall, and wears spectacles.

There's not a lot of action in this book. It's mostly Winnie teaching Mick to speak and act like a gentleman, and him gradually wearing down her formidable defenses.

How can the grand-daughter of a duke find happiness with a rat catcher? The ending is a bit contrived, as well as rushed, but this is Romancelandia after all.

Steven Crossley does an excellent narration, wonderfully voicing Mick's transition from rat catcher to gentleman.

Smashing!

What a combination! Wonderful writing and delightful narration!
My first Judith Ivory novel, but not my last.