We have a pretty specific-ish Rec League from Reader Ash. Here’s the request:
I have an itch for a particular trope and I’ve done some searching, but now I’m thinking it’s time to reach out for help! I’m looking for books where the hero proposes to the heroine, but she rejects him because he is flippant or she knows he doesn’t love him. My favourites in this trope are An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh & The Earl’s Dilemma by Emily May. To a lesser degree, I also enjoyed The Man who Could Never Love (HP) by Kate Hewitt, Friday Dreaming by Elizabeth Bailey, & How to Woo a Reluctant Lady by Sabrina Jeffries. Recently finished Heyer’s Sprig Muslin, which I must say, I found somewhat disappointing as I would have liked the focus to be more on Hester.
I’m not fussed about the other themes in the book (like whether or not the heroine is in love with the hero at the start) or the genre (traditional, historical, contemporary or erotic). However, I would prefer one that shows the heroine putting up a fight because she knows she deserves better rather than settling for it a couple of chapters into the story because she’s “sensible” or because she’s preggs (e.g., Amanda Quick’s Seduction which was a fun read but to me, it’s a MOC story rather than this flippant proposal trope).
This is one of those Rec Leagues where many of the Bitchery knows they’ve read something that fits the request, but is having a hard time nailing down specific titles. Sarah wonderfully described this as “the Pride & Prejudice-style model of ‘your first proposal stank, bud,’ and he has to earn the chance to do it better the second time.”
Can we help Ash and find some great do-over proposals? Any genre will do!
I’m not sure if it’s quite what you’re looking for, but Joan Smith’s Escapade has a badly botched proposal. It’s somewhere around the 85% mark of the story.
Just having a quiet Anne of Green Gables moment over here. Oh Gilbert. Oh Roy.
(Not exactly the trope, since the rejection is because Anne has to grow up a bit more, but sigh, Gilbert!)
And as long as we’re here, here’s the modern YouTube adaptation “proposal” scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbCSaJ0Vvks
Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long, his “do over” proposal at the end is breathtaking.
Kind of, sort of…Marrying Winterbourne by Lisa Kleypas. But you have to read book 1 for the botched proposal. Then, the HEA comes in Marrying Winterbourne.
A Woman Entangled by Cecilia Grant has the hero either proposing to the heroine or confessing he loves her early on in the relationship, but only because she’s hot and he’s gobsmacked by said hotness. The heroine is used these kinds of antics from the men around her, so she tells him to…I don’t remember, exactly, what she does, but she doesn’t accept any of it, that’s for sure. They spend the rest of the book getting to know each other, and he falls for her despite how hot she is. It’s nice.
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold. Miles, rather famously, botches his first proposal. Really botches. To the point it leads to murder charges.
While not exactly botched, in Lisa Kleypas’ MARRIED BY MORNING the hero proposes multiple times to the heroine before she finally says yes.
If you enjoy Mary Balogh, then Slightly Dangerous is a wonderful book and the conclusion of the Bedwyn series. I loved the story of the Duke of Bedwyn reluctantly falling in love with a smart, sassy woman. One of my favorites!!
Shameless plug? In my historical To Charm a Naughty Countess (a gender-flipped Pygmalion retelling), the hero proposes terribly to the heroine twice before his heart’s finally in the right place.
I’m partial to the ones where not only does the heroine reject the proposal but who boy is she pissed. Georgette Heyer’s Sylvester Comes to mind.
I second Civil Campaign, for one of the most beautiful proposal-botching setups ever.
Yay for recs! Thanks everyone. I shall be happy for a while exploring these suggestions! I’m also happy to report I share favourites with a couple of you: What I Did For A Duke (yes, it was breathtaking) & Slightly Dangerous.
P.S: Also fan-girling a wee bit seeing Theresa Romain! It Takes Two to Tangle is another favourite, but now I’m hunting down To Charm a Naughty Countess. 😀
The first book in the Candace Camp Lost Heirs series might fit this trope. Sebastian announces that he and Alexandra are getting married without actually asking and she lets him know that she would not marry him just because she was compromised (mostly because she didn’t think he was in love with her and she wanted to marry for love). A few chapters later, she realizes he does love her and agrees to marry him. I love that series and it might be time for a re-read. Just, FYI, the series is at least 10 years old now.
In Mary Balogh’s Only Enchanting, Agnes rejects Flavian’s first proposal because she doesn’t think he is serious. However, the first and second proposals are only a small portion of the overall story.
Sarah Morgan’s book, “Woman in a Sheikh’s World” follows the initial rejection with a swoon-worthy grovel by the hero when he finally realizes he was going about it the wrong way.
Many of Susan Mallery’s titles in her “Desert Rogue” series follow this trope – Cold Aloof Sheikh proposes/demands marriage to the heroine, who wants to be married for LOVE and knows the hero could not possibly love her. [I didn’t realize I had a thing for sheikhs until I looked at my reading history. Sheesh.]
I know I’ve read other books like this, too, but can’t for the life of me remember them. However, this was pretty much the story of my grandparents’ marriage – took my grandfather several tries before my grandmother finally agreed (she originally thought he was a nuisance).
Match Me If You Can has this, but closer to the end of the book than the beginning so not really a second chance romance. Heath announces in front of Annabelle’s family that he will marry her and she thinks he’s just doing it because she fits his criteria for the right kind of wife, not because he loves her. It’s more the big conflict in the book than the set-up which seems to be more what you’re asking for, but I still highly recommend it.
Eloisa James’ ‘Winning the Wallflower’ He paid no attention to her after he proposed and did absolutely nothing until, after she unexpectedly inherited a substantial dowry opening up her prospects, the heroine dumped him. Suddenly he realized she was actually the one he wanted and has to win her back.
The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan! She sent him away, he thought it was because he didn’t have money, that wasn’t what he really needed to change….
Doesn’t this famously happen in Pride and Prejudice? He manages to mess up the first proposal?
It takes two books but Dorothy Sayers books Strong Poison and Busman’s Honeymoon fall into this category. In the first Peter Whimsey proposes to a woman on trial for murder (he proves her innocence). She turns him down because she has gotten a number of proposals due to her notariety. He marries her in the second book after a couple of intervening mysteries but those two are one lovely romance
Algae and Zee, yes! Love A Civil Campaign. After screwing up the proposal, Miles sends Ekatarin a great apology letter. I love that so much.
I also agree with the recommendation of Sylvester by Georgette Heyer for another well-botched proposal. I love how much stuff happens in that book.
I second Cecilia Grant’s A Woman Entangled! Anna Campbell’s What a Duke Dares is another good one.
I wonder if I can piggyback on this rec league? Part of the problem with Darcy’s proposal is that it comes fairly soon after the hilariously terrible proposal of Mr. Collins. Can anyone think of other books with multiple awful proposals (from different people)?
Well, I just read this one today, The Boss and the Baby by Leigh Michaels. But the discussion of marriage doesn’t come up until 80% of the book.
Old school offering The Wolf & The Dove by Kathleen E. Woodwiss. This was one of my first romances…. It’s old school crazy!
Oh, Susan Neace – you are missing out: there are two more books between Strong Poison and Busman’s Honeymoon! Hangman’s Holiday has one of the most romantic scenes in literature, as they have a blazing argument in a rented room in a seaside town trying to crack a code. After many, many proposals, Harriet finally accepts Lord Peter at the end of Gaudy Night.
Also seconding the Lois McMaster Bujold recommendation.
Three weeks with Lady X by Eloisa James!
Is it weird that I’m feeling giddy with all these recs coinciding with my semester break?!!! Thanks everyone! 😀
@Teev: If I’m not mistaken, An Unacceptable Offer and The Notorious Rake by Balogh, What I Did for the Duke, A Dangerous Love by Sabrina Jeffries, The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James all have multiple proposals by different people, ranging between nice, let’s have a MOC, and what were you thinking?
I think Anne Stuart’s Ruthless has multiple people proposing to the heroine, but not necessarily horrible, just deceptive.
I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it, but Silk is for Seduction but Loretta Chase features this troupe toward the end of the novel. It’s also the first book in her Dressmakers series so bonus!
Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens – I believe would fit the request.
This is one of my favorite tropes.
I second the rec for Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens. It has been awhile since I read that series, but I think that there is a variation of the early proposal and the declination by the heroine in several other books in the Cynster series — and also maybe in the related books too?
Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is one of my all-time favorites, because the heroine keeps declining the proposals until the very end.
One of Lorelei James early books in her series about the McKays also has a heroine that keeps turning down a proposal. I think it is the 3rd or 4th book. I can’t remember the title, but the heroine’s name is Skylar and the hero is one of the twin McKays. Almost all of the heroes names start with C or K in that series and I honestly can not remember which hero goes with which book!
I’m currently reading Midsummer Moon by Laura Kinsale, which also has the heroine declining regular proposals. I know that I’m late to the party with this book (which I bought on sale and had in my TBR folder). It has some parts that make me shake my head — but overall it is a pretty good read.
It seems to me that there is an Suzanne Brockmann book with an older heroine and younger Navy seal hero that also involves pretty intense pursuit by the hero. Again, I can’t remember the title. I think that the hero’s name was Mike and the heroine was Joan. She was a White House staffer. I also think that this was early in the series, because there was a secondary story about the romance between the heroine’s grandparents during WWII. Brockmann stopped including the secondary WWII stories by about the mid-point of that series.
The Fortune Hunter by Diane Farr fits the trope somewhat. The first proposal never actually happens he botches the situation before it gets that far. Then they have to spend time together for reasons, and after they fall in love the final proposal is beautiful.
“Miss Ware’s Refusal”, an old Signet Regency by Marjorie Farrell. The title tells the tale of the trope.
In the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris, Sebastian has quite a time convincing Hero to marry him. I don’t remember if there were multiple formal proposals, but it takes 2 or 3 books before she finally agrees.
And I’ve thought of a few more, “His Grace Endures” by Emma Jensen, “The Challenge” by Edith Layton, “Fool’s Masquerade” by Joan Wolf, and Joanna Shupe’s recent novella, “Tycoon”.
Unlocked by Courtney Milan contains a botched proposal with a wonderful enemies to lovers storyline. Also, I have such a soft spot for the heroine’s oblivious astronomer mother!
The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh
The heroine loved the hero, but she didn’t think he loved her so she said no.
The final book in Eloisa Jame’s Desperate Duchess series, A Duke of Her Own has this trope (and two proposals that she turns down from two different Dukes because they don’t appreciate her). But I think you have to read the entire series to really follow what’s happening in it. While the heroine is new or not greatly mentioned before this book, the hero’s story started way back at the beginning of the series. While the books are a bit OTT, they still are some of my favorites ever.