Reviews for The Offer

The average rating for The Offer based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-12-14 00:00:00 Thomas Barton Very strange story. Up until the wedding it is quite good and I was absorbed in it. But then the hero and the heroine both become terminally stupid and seem to lose all their ability to think things through rationally. The heroine becomes just about insufferable in her behaviour, especially towards the hero, who had, after all, saved her life and her reputation. The story ends abruptly, without the hero and heroine really coming together and resolving their situation or their feelings towards one another, and there are several loose ends left over, like the sister and her husband and the comeuppance that they deserve (which they don't get). Also very strange love/sex scenes - there are three of them, but nothing, barely a kiss on the very last page of the book, between the hero and heroine. The version of the book that I read was the original one published in 1981 under the title "An Honorable Offer". Apparently Coulter has extensively rewritten the book and republished it as "The Offer".

Review # 2 was written on 2010-05-20 00:00:00 George Malicoat This review is done for the older 1981 version, I have yet to read the rewritten version to see how they differ. Sabrina (h) has grown up much loved by her grandfather, the Earl of Monmouth. Even though her parents had died when she was young , she had a happy childhood. It wasn't until her older sister Elisabeth married their cousin and heir to Monmouth that things changed for the worse. After her sister's husband ,Trevor, tries to rape her she goes to Elisabeth for help. That is when she learns of her sisters hatred for her and that she will be of no help to her. With her grandfather's declining health there was no other option for her but to run away and go to her Aunts house in London. Unfortunately there was a blizzard that ends her journey before it really ever got started. Phillip (H) has been burned by women in the past and now knows exactly what they are and what they are for. For years now he's had the reputation as being one of the worst Rakes around. He's now on his way to a friends house party in the country , part due to his friends bad directions and the blizzard, he finds himself lost in the forest. As he makes his way through the forest he finds a young woman unconscious and barely clinging to life. As he remembers passing a hunting box (house) not too far back he decides to take her there and try to save her. Save her he does but when it is discovered that she has spent 5 days alone with the worst rake in London nothing can save her reputation so they are forced to wed. I really liked this book, and I found that it wasn't really like most of the older Catherine Coulter bodice rippers that I had read before. Philip is a rake of the worst order of course but he had enough honor and a certain code of ethics to prevent him from taking advantage of his young charge. He nurses her back to health, learns about what made her runaway in the first place and all he really wants to do is protect her. *****SPOILERS************************************************************************************* It is Sabrina the states that she doesn't a real marriage, that she wants a marriage of convenience and that Philip can have his "freedom". So he does continue to see his mistress and the only sex scene in this book is with the mistress. When I think about what CC might have taken out of the rewrite it is probably the scene with the riding crop. It's a pretty harsh scene but I feel it fits with the story and the time period. Also for those who like a good grovel at the end, there isn't one but really what did he have to grovel for..she was the one who insisted that he kept his mistress. He did apologies for being out of control with the riding crop however and he tended her wounds himself.