THE WICKED PROPOSAL by Emily Hendrickson was not at all what I was expecting from the short blurb inside the cover. I should say the characters were not really what I was expecting. Lady Penelope Winthrop was witty, charming and naively endearing in her mistaken beliefs. She is also a spinster and herbalist, as well as a fabulous chef. I wouldn't say Penny was unintelligent, or air headed; she's more misguided in how she thinks a person should go about their lives.

Her cousin (distant twice removed or something like that) Jonathan, Earl of Harford, however is simply interesting. You can tell from the get go that these two were made for each other, even forgetting that this is a romance, so of course they are. Few other romantic leads would trust their future lady love so quickly with what was a rather important evening for him, at least not on their first scandalous meeting. I have to wonder at the education of Penny's that she thought it quite proper to visit a distant male relative alone at his bachelor quarters without an introduction.

I think, though, I was far more interested in her female relative, the one she more or less barges in on to stay with while in London—Miss Lettice Winthrop, another spinster, though a poet-in-the-making spinster, who is quite absent minded and indulges in obsessions. She lives alone (save for her servants and companion), writing poetry, reading poetry and making infrequent social excursions. When foisted with the responsibility to help Penny in her marriage mate quest, she is quite taken aback and tries to warn Penny, but Penny is insistent.

Lettice has her own suitor, a fellow poet who has courted her many a year, with no success. Not because the lady is indifferent, more because he is not haut ton blood and Lettice is wary of her family's acceptance of him. Lettice is a far more entertaining character I think, though she is not the main character. In fact, romance seems to bloom for several people surrounding Penny suddenly, making her feel less easy about her own situation.

While the expected outcome is familiar, the secondary characters make this a very enjoyable read. Incidentally, the title is a little misleading as the proposal made isn't very wicked, just misguided and unusual. ( )