Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️
Tropes: brother’s best friend; best friend’s little sister; forbidden relationship; surprise Vegas wedding; marriage of convenience
Adriana Locke’s The Proposal is the type of romance story made to binge-read. It is a book that you’ll pick up and won’t be able to put down. She’s lying to herself if she thinks this is a true standalone because it introduces us to a family BEGGING for their own stories, but I digress.
The highlight of The Proposal is the burning chemistry between her main characters, Renn and Blakely. Renn is the best friend of Blakely’s older brother, and these two have toyed with each other for years. The sexual chemistry is off the charts between these two, and Locke shows her prowess as a romance writer when you desperately need them to jump into bed together from almost the first page. It’s clear from the start that they are destined for each other, and Locke does a superb job of making them loveable characters.
The pacing of the story is also well done. While they have a moment of drama, for the most part, Renn and Blakely are connected almost immediately. It isn’t rushed; Locke keeps them simmering on the stove for the first portion of her story, but she knows when to turn up the heat. It’s the pacing of their story that actually makes it unputdownable.
Additionally, she doesn’t mire her story in the forbidden nature (bro code rules) of Renn and Blakely’s pairing, thank goodness. A serious pet peeve of mine is the older brother taking his ire too far with the MMC when he breaks the rules. Locke gives it space in her book, and Brock takes his responsibility to Blakely seriously. However, his friendship with Renn is more important than his anger over his perception of Renn’s breaking of the bro code rules. Thank you, Adriana, for moving us quickly over that plot point.
Ultimately, Renn’s cinnamon roll hero characterization made me love the book. His facade is built on his player status, but it’s clear that he’s pined for Blakely for a long time, adding depth to his character development. In fact, while Locke doesn’t name it as a trope in her promotional graphics, it seems Renn was the first to fall, making him even more delicious. His protectiveness over Blakely coupled with his ardor for her is the final enticement of The Proposal.
What does it say about Adriana Locke as an author that she builds families that create a fervor in her fans for more stories from one book? This is the case with The Proposal. Renn and Blakely’s story feels like a launching pad for more stories from Renn’s family. I’m hoping those characters speak to Adriana Locke because I’m ready to give her my money right now.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Professor Romance 