‘A Bittersweet Proposal’ by Wendy Soliman
Published by Robert Hale & Co. June 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7090-8566-9

This Regency romance has a threatening mystery at its heart.   The heroine Harriet Aston has the daunting tasks of saving the family business from ruin and controlling her siblings since her mother is incapable of doing so.  A valuable support was Lord Rothwell who had recently died and she awaits anxiously the arrival of his son who has, of course, inherited all his lands but knows nothing of the particular estate adjoining the Aston land.   No habitual reader of Regencies will be surprised at the cross currents between a new Lord Rothwell who suspects the motives of the Astons and a heroine fighting for the survival of her family.

The story quickly centres around an unfortunate incident that leads Marcus Rothwell to do the honourable thing towards Harriet by asking her to marry him.  Both remain highly suspicious of each other but a brutal attack on Harriet leads Marcus into a search for her attacker.  More importantly there are other characters whose actions and motives are also very suspect and Harriet and Marcus must unite together to explain the murky events in which they have become embroiled.   That they ultimately succeed is another feature that the reader expects!  The mystery here is suitably multi-layered and revelation after revelation must be made before the denouement is complete.  A well organised and well characterised Regency novel.

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Jennifer S. Palmer

Wendy Soliman’s The Carstairs Conspiracy was reviewed previously; she has written 3 other books.