Nikole Paterson

Nikole Paterson is the fiercely independent freelance writer protagonist of Jasmine Guillory's novel The Proposal — a woman whose bad day becomes spectacularly worse when her not-very-serious boyfriend proposes to her at a Dodgers game in front of thousands of people. The very public, very unwanted proposal is rescued by a charming doctor named Carlos Ibarra and his sister, who pretend to know her and give her an exit. The question of whether that rescue leads anywhere becomes the novel's central premise.

Guillory writes Nikole with the specificity and warmth that has made her one of contemporary romance's most beloved voices — Nikole's independence, her career ambitions as a writer, and her specific reasons for not wanting the proposal are all grounded in genuine character rather than simple romantic-comedy obstacle. Her developing feelings for Carlos are given the slow build that Guillory handles with particular skill.

The Proposal is set in the same Los Angeles world as Guillory's other novels, with crossover characters that reward series readers while remaining accessible as a standalone. It is part of the loosely connected Wedding Date series. Begin with The Wedding Date (2018) for the full series experience.