Dive deep into the story of a public proposal gone wrong, rebounds and good rosé with The Proposal, the latest offering from Jasmine Guillory.
The magical moment where two people agree to spend their lives together is a deeply personal thing—unless it happens in front of thousands of people. When writer Nikole Paterson accompanies her boyfriend to a Dodgers game on his birthday, the last thing she expects (or wants) is a proposal. It’s way too soon into their relationship, and he’s kind of a loser. Her rejection does not go over well with the masses who witness it, and Nik is trapped until a handsome doctor by the name of Carlos Ibarra comes to her rescue. After her brush with forever, Nik is in no place to fall in love. But the more time she spends with Carlos, the more she realizes cutting ties isn’t always so easy.
Carlos really just wanted to help out the poor woman in the stadium who looked like she was in a tight spot. Although if you were to press him, yes, he noticed her looks as well. And then her sense of humor, and then her intellect. One thing leads to another, and soon their good-natured, sexy fun turns into something he’s not sure he wants to stop.
Guillory is a relative newcomer to the romance scene, but she’s made her mark in a big way. Her debut novel The Wedding Date was an enormous success, and The Proposal is already a New York Times bestseller. Both novels are marked by their sparkling humor, painfully relatable characters and absorbing plotlines. Speaking of relatable, there have never been two people—real or fictional—more right for each other than Carlos and Nik. Their relationship is genuine, healthy and flawed in some very real ways. They live their own lives apart from one another but shine all the brighter when they are together. Often, lovers of romance novels find themselves getting sick of, well, romance, or at least the sappy, hyper-dramatized kind. The lack of clichés and unnecessary turmoil make this novel a breath of fresh air in the genre. Plus, Carlos gets big bonus points for being a true feminist. He loves the women in his life and he respects them, from his sister to his aunt and even Nik’s friends. He’s a rare, excellent example of the man we all want to fall for.
If cold weather and stale genre staples have you down this winter, pick up The Proposal. It’s the perfect pick to warm your heart and light up your smile.
