What a Gentleman Wants (Zebra Historical Romance)
by Caroline Linden
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Book Summary Information
Author: Caroline LindenEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-09-01
ISBN: 0821779311
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Zebra Books
Book Reviews of What a Gentleman Wants (Zebra Historical Romance)
Book Review: love thaws a cold heart...4.5 stars
Summary: 5 Stars
i admit it. i'm a sucker for romances involving a hero who is initially cold emotionally. it just makes the whole journey of falling in love that much sweeter if it's done right. in this case, the author has done a wonderful job and her effort has made a new fan out of me.
i won't rehash the plot here as it's already been done by other viewers. my review will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of this story.
strengths:
characterization - i was immediately drawn towards the two main characters in this story. marcus reese, duke of exeter and hero of the tale, is wonderfully complex. he's not one of those one-note heroes described as little more than a moody guy constantly lusting after the heroine. he's a man fully aware of his responsibility to his family and has willingly sacrificed his own personal happiness to make sure they are provided for. it's obvious he is insecure about his ability to appeal to a woman as merely a man because he has always been the duke and the women who have chased him over the years have always been more concerned with being a duchess than being his wife. the author does a great job of giving the reader a multi-faceted view of marcus, allowing us to see why he behaves so coldly and emotionlessly with others while also showing us he's capable of loving through his affectionate treatment of his sister and step-mother. exposing his vulnerability made him an extremely appealing hero and the reader easily understands why the heroine will fall for him, something a great romance HAS to do in order for the reader to buy into the validity of the romance.
hanna preston, vicar's widow and mother of four year old molly, is the kind of heroine i absolutely LOVE. she is intelligent, courageous, and sexually accountable. in other words, while she was initially afraid of her attraction to marcus she didn't run away from it and when the time came, was perfectly fine with initiating the intimacy. while everyone around her was afraid of marcus, she stood up to him and i love a heroine who can hold her own like that. she was a loving yet firm mother to her daughter molly and was kind-hearted without being self-sacrificing, something i loathe seeing in heroines. she was just a real woman.
the secondary characters were equally well-drawn. marcus's twin brother david might have been irresponsible and rash with his behavior but there was more to him than that. he felt guilt over what he did and i could tell he was fighting to become a better man. celia the sister and the stepmother rosalind were wonderful in their matchmaking efforts and i enjoyed laughing at their antics. finally, hannah's daughter molly was the cutest thing, but she wasn't cute all of the time. she had her tantrums and became uncontrollable at times, just as a real four-year-old child would. the author did a great job of realistically depicting her behavior instead of just making her an angel like other authors tend to do when children are involved in the story.
another strength of this story was found in the communication between hannah and marcus. initially it was a battle of wills and neither was willing to give an inch. however, it was obvious from the beginning they were well matched and i appreciated the honest communication that existed between them. they were both afraid of what was happening between them but the hope they had in the possibility of having found their soul's mate gave them the courage to step out on faith when crucial moment came and hannah had to decide if she would stay or go.
there was no misunderstandings in this story, no cynicism existing to create arguments and anger over something that could have been resolved with but a few words. this story flourished because it was two grown ups falling in love.
while marcus and hannah didn't become sexually intimate until late in the book, there was enough sexual tension leading up to that moment to satisfy me, which is an accomplishment because i usually don't like to wait that long. the chemistry between the hero and heroine was on FIRE and the author did a fabulous job of delicately building the kisses and heated looks until the eventual coupling. she also did a great job with describing the intimate scenes. she was detailed without going purple with the prose and kept me drawn into the moments until the very end.
and while there was a subplot involving counterfeit money and david's involvement in the scheme, it never overshadowed the romance.
weaknesses:
the only weakness i could see was in how easily everything was resolved at the end. while i think the author did well in threading the mystery of the counterfeit money together nicely, the villian was obvious to me as soon as they were introduced, so i was frustrated that it took everyone so long to figure it out. also, i think david got off perhaps a little too lightly. for all the things he'd done, he should have been punished more severely. also, given the fact that the marriage was a fraud, i expected more of a scandal but the author didn't go into that.
so in the end WHAT A GENTLEMAN WANTS is a great story full of intelligent discourse, funny moments, textured characterization, and combustible chemistry between the two main characters. it wasn't high on adventure but i prefer my romances that way. if you do too, then you'll love this book. i highly recommend it.
Summary of What a Gentleman Wants (Zebra Historical Romance)
Marcus Reese, Duke of Essex, has spent most of his life pulling his twin brother out of trouble. An occasional thank you would suffice; instead, his resentful sibling forges his name to a marriage license and presents him with an unwanted wife. She's a vicar's window with a mind of her own who may be the first person in Marcus's well-ordered life to make him feel...completely out of control. Hannah can't help but curse her own idiocy. Dire straits have led her to the altar with a gentleman she hardly knows. Played for a fool, she's embarrassed, furious, and worse, married to an equally outraged stranger - an exasperating man who unleashes all manner of emotions in Hannah, not to mention unwanted desire. Reluctantly, she agrees to play the wife until he can sort out the mess. But the nearness of the undeniably attractive Duke and the passion in his black eyes unsettles her well-guarded heart - making her want to do so much more than "act" the role of blissful bride...Historical Books
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