Limecello’s review of Coltrain’s Proposal by Diana Palmer
Contemporary romance published by Silhouette 1 Aug 95

I recently acquired this book as part of a birthday trade, and I couldn’t be happier. I think I’ve made it clear that I enjoy Diana Palmer’s novels – there’s just something about them. The characters are fun and witty, the plots obvious yet interesting, and the books are simply addicting. I think I’ve read 110 of Ms. Palmer’s novels, and this is one of my favorites.

Lou Blakely is suffering from unrequited love – much like a typical Diana Palmer heroine. However, Lou is a strong character, and has an interesting history. While this seems to be a common affliction found in Ms. Palmer’s heroines, not only was this book written nearly 13 years ago, but Lou’s past isn’t overbearing. She has a lot of baggage, but she’s able to get over it, and I think it’s also important to mention that the way her past is told isn’t maudlin or excessive.

Jeb Coltain also fits the general mold of one of Ms. Palmer’s heroines. He’s a complete jerk to Lou – but he has reasons for doing so. Jeb had history with Lou’s father, and he’s had a hard time getting over it. While not fair, it was believable if not reasonable for him to treat Lou coldly. And then there were also the usual plethora of reasons – because he was attracted to her but thought she shot him down, which upset him, and so on. However he figures out his emotions decently early in the book, and decides to put all of his considerable charm towards carefully wooing Lou.

Once the relationship was more or less established, or at least Lou and Jeb stopped fighting like cats and dogs, the story was quite sweet. Yes, the character said things thoughtlessly, or caused each other some grief, but too often that’s how real life is. Also, as the story unfolds, the characters reveal unexpected depths. I loved how Lou could go toe to toe with Jeb professionally, even though she was clueless emotionally.

While the secondary characters at times didn’t seem to add much to the story, and the main characters relied on gossip a bit too much, there were still a lot of sweet scenes. One of my favorites is when Jeb and Lou go shopping for an engagement ring, but Jeb had to resort to trickery to lure Lou out, and she thinks it’s for a sham engagement. (Complicated, huh?)

For those who are fans of Diana Palmer, most likely you’ve already read this book, but I personally recommend reading it again. I definitely have. For those of you who are looking for a Diana Palmer book to try – I would suggest this one. It’s short, sweet, well written, and interesting. These two characters also make many appearances in Ms. Palmer’s other novels. (One last thing – did anyone else notice the typo in Fearless that said Jeb was Lou’s brother-in-law?)

Grade: A

Rules of Engagement for a Long, Tall Texan!
Louise Blakely, M.D.: Doctor with a heartache    She didn’t want to love Jeb Coltrain. The legendary Texan treated her like the enemy. And Coltrain’s shocking marriage proposal demanded surrender…
Jeb Coltrain, M.D.: Physician on a mission   He aimed to ambush unsuspecting Louise, whose father had so cruelly betrayed him. Yet her provocative innocence lit a fire in him. And now he’d break any rule to win her, to wed her…
Make-Believe Marriage: The arrangement is temporary – love is forever!