I finished the first chapter of The Offer with mouth agape. Incredulous, I asked myself, as I flipped back to the front cover, "Is this a Catherine Coulter?" The print indicated that it was indeed written by Catherine Coulter and is book two in the Baron Series. I couldn't help myself, it didn't seem like the typical Coulter fare that I was accustomed to, but I forced myself onward. Despite my skepticism (and the urge to ditch the book), I worked through The Offer like a farmer trudging through flooded fields.

Sabrina Eversleigh, the story's heroine, finds herself trapped in a blizzard. She's run away from home for reasons of self-preservation, but finds that the grim reaper will take her wherever he pleases, be it at her home, Monmouth Abbey, or in the wilds of forest. She collapses, unconscious, and all seems lost.

Philip Mercerault is lost in a terrible blizzard on the way to a friend's home. He's making a holiday tour when he's surprised by the storm. Philip wanders on horseback through the forest in hopes of finding his way to the main road. After passing what seems to be his last ditch at shelter, he stumbles upon a body, nearly covered with snow. He picks up the unconscious girl and back tracks to the cottage he passed to get them both out of the storm.

Philip takes care of Sabrina, nursing her back to health from near-death. In the process, they become fast friends, isolated from society and the rules that prohibit and abhor their unplanned situation. When the storm subsides and the twosome is found by a mutual friend, Philip realizes that Sabrina has been compromised beyond repair. He does the only thing he can as a gentleman, he offers for her hand in marriage.

The rest of the story explores the relationship between Philip and Sabrina and, as in all romances, how they overcome obstacles for a neat and tidy happy ending. And yet, I had to drag my feet through this Coulter work, hoping it would redeem itself in the end. Maybe I am being dramatic, overstating a bit, but it would be best to explain my hesitation with this work.

First, while I like Philip, he seems like a nice sort, I couldn't picture myself in love with him. Granted, Coulter gave him all the leading man's attributes that are prerequisite of a romance hero, but I couldn't help but think of him like a brother--ewwww! Second, Sabrina is a whiner! Goodness, most Coulter heroines are feisty women, and aside from one scene in which Sabrina discovers Philip with his mistress, she's a downer and so self absorbed in self pity, I could barely like her.

The Offer does have some redeeming qualities. The first is Richard Clarendon. I love him. I would like to marry him and I would like it on the record that I think Sabrina was a fool (thankfully she was, because Richard returns in the final Baron book as the hero) to let him go. Second, Coulter is a talented writer, so it goes without saying that despite my petty irritations with The Offer, it was an entertaining read. So, if you are craving a regency romance and have already reread your favorites, The Offer is an entertaining choice to satiate the need for a fix.

Reviewed by Maci Walker
© August 2005