Melanie's Book Reviews: The Proposition 4, by H.M Ward

For inquiries about release dates: H.M. Ward never sets release dates for her serials. She usually gives us fans a general idea of when a book will be released a week or so prior to it's release on her Facebook page. A good clue is when she opens up ARC requests on her Facebook page. Normally, once the ARC requests open up, you can expect the book to be released a week or 2 later, but this is very variable.

This is a Ferro Family series about Bryan Ferro (a.k.a. the Ferro cousin). Other Ferro Family titles are Damaged (Peter Ferro Granz), Stripped (Jonathan Ferro) and The Arrangement (Sean Ferro). You don't have to read the other Ferro Family books to get into The Proposition but if you like H.M. Ward's books, you may want to read all of them (see note on suggested reading order below). The Ferro Family books are contemporary "new adult" romance stories involving characters mostly in their 20's (college aged women & slightly older men).

The Proposition 4: The Ferro Family (The Proposition, #4)

The Proposition 4: The Ferro Family by H.M. Ward

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I typed up my review in Goodreads, there was a little line asking me "What did you think?" just above the review comment box... What did I think? Hmmm... well, here's my thought process while reading The Proposition 4:

Awh... this is so sweet, yet so sad... oh, OH! MY! SEXY!!! What?!? *blushes* Oh! (can't look... wait, I gotta look...)... *peeks through fingers* Eeeeeeeeep! THEY DID WHAT?!? Um... guys, uh, you can stop now... uh... oh dear Lord, there they go again!!! Whoah baby!!! Aaaaaaaaaaah *smokes an imaginary cig* (cuz I don't smoke for real)... coming back down to... oh, now I just want to slap someone! No friggin way! And... oh the a**h***!!! Ugh! Yes, Hallie, you do that! You go girl! But wait... GAH! The nerve!!! Now I want to shoot someone (but not for real, because I'm really not a violent person). And then... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! *Cries uncontrollably in the fetal position on my bed*

Does that sum it up for you? In short, this is another very emotional H.M. Ward book. Possibly the most erotic one to date (if you have any underlying heart conditions, you may want to ask your doctor for permission to read this). A LOT of emphasis is placed on their highly sexual, erotic and somewhat bdsm relationship. This is the 4th of 5 books so we obviously have lots of questions left unanswered by the end but some VERY IMPORTANT information is given and other characters are coming into play, showing their true Ferro colours. At this point, I'm thinking that the background to this story may be an important link to other Ferro series, but that's just my theory.

Things needed to read The Proposition 4: A box of tissues, a cold shower, a cig (if you smoke), a defibrillator (in case you go into cardiac arrest), a bottle of hard liquor & your favourite stuffed animal (for hugs afterwards),

View all my reviews

Reading order: Although each series is stand alone & can be read in any order, if you are planning on reading all of the Ferro Family books, I recommend reading them in the order they were published to avoid any spoilers from one series to the next since they cross-over at multiple points in the timeline.

However, if your afraid of confusing characters and plots by constantly switching from one series to the next, you may want to read the series in this order: Damaged, The Arrangement, Stripped, The Proposition, The Wedding Contract.

Books in order of publication date:

The Arrangement 1-4

Damaged 1

The Arrangement 5-7

Damaged 2

The Arrangement 8-9

Stripped

The Arrangement 10-11

The Proposition 1

The Arrangement 12

The Proposition 2

The Arrangement 13-14

The Proposition 3-4

H.M. Ward's serials:

Serials are shorter books (approximately 130 pages in print: 1/4 to 1/3 of a full-length novel) that come out more frequently than full-length novels (about 1 per month). They start off abruptly from where the previous book ended and end with a cliffhanger, often leaving the reader begging for the next volume. Being shorter books, serials don't recap events that occur in previous volumes, so it's best to start off with book 1. I read at an average speed and each volume takes me about 1 to 2 hours to read.

Ferro Family Tree:

(yes, I know, I know! There was an updated version of the family tree included in the bonus material at the end of The Proposition 4. As soon as that image is made available for sharing, I will replace this older one with the updated one!)

Screen adaptation update:

H.M. Ward is working hard on bringing the Ferro Family story to the screen. It's looking like it may be a web series. Here are some current updates, as per H.M. Ward herself on her Facebook page:

"There's a script being written about the FERRO guys right now. It's pretty good too. Im impressed and nothing impresses me. Damn good script writer. Can't wait for that." - May 2nd 2014

"Calling all actors and singers - here's your big chance! I'm looking for new faces. Make a demo reel, upload it to your site. youtube or whatever, and get ready. Casting calls will start soon for THE ARRANGEMENT. BE READY!" - April 2nd 2014

Ferro Video Teasers:

THE ARRANGEMENT: