Customer Reviews

The Proposition

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Proposition is my first Judith Ivory novel and I am sooooooo impressed! I read all the great reviews regarding this book and when I got my hands on this book, I couldn't put it down! True to the reviews, this book has great plot, great characters and a great ending! Loved Mick and Winnie's story and I laughed so much! And there were many poignant moments, as well! The sexual chemitry between the two were strong and powerful... I just couldn't get enough of the two!Mick, even when he was "unpolished" was sexy and totally charming! My heart just went out to him! As for Winne, she was not the typical romance heroine but strong and individual and beautiful in her own way. I just like Winne so much! After I finished the book, I had to flip through it again to savor the "good" parts.

If you're thinking about getting this book, don't wait- GO GET IT NOW!

I've been a Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas fan for a long time, and I have to say "The Proposition" is one of her best. In a delightful variation on the "My Fair Lady" theme, Ivory gives us rat catcher as a hero. And, oh, what a lovable rat catcher he is! Mick enjoys life to the fullest. He's proud to be a working man. He and his collection of dogs and ferrets are hell-on-wheels at rat-catching, much to the delight of those in need of their services. From the first raucous scene, there's side-splitting humor, heart-mending sweetness, heart-pounding sensuality. The chemistry between Mick and Winnie--the tutor charged with turning him into a "gentleman"--is delicious, and the way Ivory handles the linguistics aspect of the story is masterful. It's a fabulous feel-good story--perfect for holiday reading!

What characters could be more diverse than Edwina Bollash, a prim, impoverished spinster linguist and Mick, the handsome Cockney ratcatcher? Set in Victorian London, this romance is a retelling of old tales, a mixture of "Cinderella" and "Pygmalion." Winnie, who has been disinherited by her Scrooge-like cousin, takes on a bet to transform Mick into a perfect British peer in six weeks time. While trying to concentrate on rounding his vowels and sprucing up his appearance, she becomes increasingly aware of his fun-loving personality and his impressive physique. Mick sees a selfconcious innocent, who is unaware of her physical beauty. Sexual tension crackles page after page as the protagionists are attracted like magnets to each other. Ms. Ivory has written a beautiful story, one even better then her previous works, "Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty." I loved this book! I cared about the characters and loved them at the end as much as they loved each other. They were meant to be together; they complemented and completed each other. Brava, Ms. Ivory! I'll wait impatiently for your next Victorian fairytale!

This is a re-telling of My Fair Lady, only in this book Professor Higgins becomes Edwina Bollash, an intelligent, shy linguist who's very down on herself, as family has taught her to be. Eliza Doolittle takes the form of Mick Tremore, a charming rogue who makes a living out of catching rats. They take the job of turning Mick into a Viscount in six weeks on a bet between 2 odd gentlemen.

This book is special. The relationship that develops between the h/h is so tender, yet so passionate, that I was moving back and forth between my heart breaking for the two of them, and my heart racing with anticipation. Mick is an honest, genuine person, the like of which you don't normally see in a romance. I absolutely loved him.

Do yourself a favor a buy this book. There are a lot of books on Amazon with 5 stars. This one genuinely deserves every one of them.

The Proposition has been on my TBR pile since May. I read the first chapter in May then stopped because I did not like the profession of the hero as a ratcatcher. Ugh, I thought and simply dismissed the book. Fortunately for me a good friend borrowed it, read it and told me that I definitely MUST read it. So I did and I was glad I read it because THE PROPOSITION IS VERY GOOD BOOK TO READ!

Even though the plot is an old one - My Fair Lady, Pygmalion - the characters of this book are the ones that carried it. The way Judith Ivory portrayed Mick and Winnie was just, simply said: Well done!

Mick is a wonderful hero! He was so charming, so good looking, so adorable, so very sexy and so honest about his feelings for Winnie it left me quite breathless. I just "loov" him!

Winnie, on the other hand, is supposed to be a sort of ugly duckling. A tall, gangly woman of 29 who is not sure about her own sexuality. But Mick, oh yes Mick - sigh, sigh, sigh, - just simply adored her! Who would'nt feel adored if a hero like that gave you his attentions?! Loving everything about you, no matter what, making you feel like the queen of all queens.

I know now never to judge a book because of the characters profession. Rich or poor, a marquis, earl or duke, a story with so much romance, hilarity and with great characters, is a story worth reading.

The Proposition has no big misunderstanding. It is wonderful to read about a man who just simply adores a woman who finds herself unatractive without being such an arrogant fool.

The Proposition is a joy to read! It will make you laugh and cherish the wonderful moments in life. It will make you understand the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or "love has no bounds" or something like that. I'm ranting...

Anyway read The Propositon. It will leave you with a smile on your face and make you fall in love again!!!!

Judith Ivory is one of the few authors who has yet to disappoint. Again, she takes a well-known story and updates it to a more contemporary time period. This book, which takes place in Victorian England when grammophones and electricity were starting to make their appearance, has its roots in Pygmalion. The hero, Mick, and the heroine, Winnie, are two of the most delightful H/H I have encountered in romantic literature. He's the gorgeous, cockney ratcatcher completely besotted with Winnie who views herself as plain and even unattractive. Every bad quality she sees in herself; Mick sees as one more reason he just has to have her. The story, while an old tale that is retold, felt very fresh to me and I never pulled for two people to find a way to make it work than I did for Winnie and Mick. How Ms. Ivory made it work was somewhat disappointing. Perhaps a little more time invested at the end of the book to make it work would have helped. At any rate, I loved this story enough to overlook a somewhat weak ending.

This is a terrific book with one of the best romantic heroes any of us have seen in years! It's funny and touching and very sexy. Once you start you won't want to put it down. Miss this one at your own peril!

This book is a strange combination of the movies "My Fair Lady," "Titanic," and "The Piano," and the heroine looks like Meryl Streep, right down to the bump on her long nose. Stranger still? It works. It really does, and the result is enchanting. The hero is magnificently well-adjusted AND masculine (reminds me of Jamie in Diana Gabaldon's books). He's comfortable in his own skin and teaches the heroine how to be comfortable in hers too. I understand the reviewer who complained about the ending and some of the plot devices, and even though I think she's right, I can't explain why for me, with this book, these problems were no problems. Perhaps because the characters were so very charming. I loved it. If Ms. Ivory's other books even come close to this---well, I'm hooked.

It started with a mouse and a great pair of legs - Thats all it took to change rat-catcher Mick Tremores life as he knew it.

Standing in the middle of a ravaged tea room, covered in soot, buttonless, and draped in little more than a tablecloth, Mick is offered the chance of a lifetime....A proposition - Pass as an English Gentleman at an exclusive ball that is scheduled to take place just six weeks in the future. If he succeeds, he will be awarded with 100 pounds for his trouble.
But for Mick, its really no trouble at all. Not when he gets a good look at the woman who has been challenged to transform him...Lady Edwina Bollash of the long legs and magnificent bum.

Edwinda takes one look at Mick and knows that he is trouble, but she just cant resist...she accepts the challenge.

"The Proposition" was unbelievably good. I swear I smiled the whole way through. The story was so much fun, the writing was gorgeous(Pure Ivory)The pacing -everything- was more than Id hoped for, but the main charm of this book was all about Mick. Oh how I wish he were real! He had such a twinkle to him...he was just sooo much FUN.

I cant say this book was wholly without flaws. The books "twist" was a little hard to believe. But really, who cares when the story and its characters were so endearing?? Any small flaws didnt bother me one whit.

All I can really say is....."I loved this book, la la ..."

He is quite rare in the romance genre. He is generous, kind, confident, "devastatingly handsome", and proud. FINALLY! I hero who isn't arrogant to the point of being cruel and obnoxious. A non-tortured hero who is every bit as enthralling and interesting as the misunderstood and very tortured heroes of most romantic fiction. Mick is (gasp!) a nice man. But make no mistakes, ladies (and gents): He is most definitely NOT a wimp. He is as manly a man as they come. He just happens to be kind as well. He is quite yummy. As if that weren't enough, the story is irresistible. This book is one of my very favorites. Thanks, Judith Ivory!